.41 Mag Association

Had some time to do some chronographing today:

Gun: S&W Model 57 4"

Remington 210 LSWC: 947

Winchester 210 Jacketed Hollow Soft Point/ 1236


Handloads:

210 grain SWC-BB/8.0/ Unique/1005

210 Hornady JHP (per-XTP)/22.0 H110/1292

210 Sierra JHC/?/1139

MP Mold 211 Keith PentaPoint/10.0/Unique/1225

MP Mold 265 TruShot Clone/21.0/H110/1165

MP Mold 175 PentaPoint/14.0/Blue Dot/1260

Accurate Molds 41-250A 250 LSWC/8.0 Unique/955

LBT 220 WFN/8.0 Unique/970

230 Keith/8.0 Unique/1014

MP Mold 224 Keith/8.0 Unique/955

Accurate 41-215V/10.0 Unique/1166

MP Mold 190 WC-HP/6.5 Unique/1048

Speer 220 JSWC-SP/9.0 Unique/1081

Sierra 170 JHC/26.0 H110/1473

Mountain Molds 300 grain LBT/6.7 Unique/840 fps
 
210 grain SWC-BB/8.0/ Unique/1005

210 Hornady JHP (per-XTP)/22.0 H110/1292

That Unique load is almost exactly what I get out of mine... although mine is 215grn over 8.5grn Unique, from my 4"ers.

I don't know about my 4", but I can tell you that XTP/H110 load leaves the barrel of my Marlin at 1750fps!
 
I use 8.0 gr of Unique behind 215 gr cast swc’s and my 228 gr solids cast from my .41 Hammer mold. It gives good results with both. If you shoot cast bullets in a .41 Magnum Unique should be in your powder cabinet!
Unique is not a slow burning powder (magnum), so in strong doses will give the shooter more of a jolt than a real magnum powder. I don't use it above target level power.
 
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I just realized I never added the 4” Model 57 that I rescued a while back. This is .41 Magnum #3, along with a Redhawk and a Blackhawk.

The left side right at the grip had a patch of rust-pitting that looked really bad, so the price was very reasonable. The rest of the gun was pretty much pristine, so after the rust spot was cleaned to bare metal I had the rust spot buffed as well as possible and reblued. Nothing more than a touch of cosmetic damage shows, she is ready to roll. :thumbup:


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Since I took these pictures I have swapped the great looking, but hand slapping, wooden grips for a set of synthetic Hogues. After shooting a few of the Winchester hunting loads, the swap was warranted.

Stay safe.
 
Unique is not a slow burning powder (magnum), so in strong doses will give the shooter more of a jolt than a real magnum powder. I don't use it above target level power.

I would tend to agree. In the Early Days, I pumped a LOT of Unique through my brother's .41, pushing the loads further and further. It was pretty punishing. Then I shot my first loads of W296... and I'm like 'really?'

I have regulated my 57 and 58 to midrange loads, primarily, with a few full-house loads now and then. I've actually reduced my standard load of 9grns Unique, to 8.5grns... and now 8grns. If I want to go fast, I reach for IMR4227, or W296. The best tool for the job at hand, as I always say.

Since I took these pictures I have swapped the great looking, but hand slapping, wooden grips for a set of synthetic Hogues.

My 657 came with the Hogue monogrip... I hated those grips, mostly because they left the backstrap bare. I have one set of Pachmayr Decellerators... with the cushioned backstrap... and I just swap them to the pistol I'm shooting that day. Once we get home, then I swap them back into wood.

Pachys, as seen on the 57...

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What's interesting is the Dan Wesson grips. Wood grips don't normally fit my hands... but the DW's do. I don't know what it is, but that pistol handles the heaviest loads with ease. I'm not saying it doesn't recoil, but it's just the way the pistol handles it, even with wood grips.
 
I would tend to agree. In the Early Days, I pumped a LOT of Unique through my brother's .41, pushing the loads further and further. It was pretty punishing. Then I shot my first loads of W296... and I'm like 'really?'

I have regulated my 57 and 58 to midrange loads, primarily, with a few full-house loads now and then. I've actually reduced my standard load of 9grns Unique, to 8.5grns... and now 8grns. If I want to go fast, I reach for IMR4227, or W296. The best tool for the job at hand, as I always say.



My 657 came with the Hogue monogrip... I hated those grips, mostly because they left the backstrap bare. I have one set of Pachmayr Decellerators... with the cushioned backstrap... and I just swap them to the pistol I'm shooting that day. Once we get home, then I swap them back into wood.

Pachys, as seen on the 57...

View attachment 1102975

What's interesting is the Dan Wesson grips. Wood grips don't normally fit my hands... but the DW's do. I don't know what it is, but that pistol handles the heaviest loads with ease. I'm not saying it doesn't recoil, but it's just the way the pistol handles it, even with wood grips.
I have two guns with the Pachmayr Presentation grips, an old-school Model 66-2 .357 and a 7.5” Redhawk that is also a .41 Mag.

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I am not quite as good shooting with these grips, I think the flare at the base is just a bit too much for my mitts. The Hogues fit me better in that area, even with the open backstrap on the S&W.

On my DW and Ruger GP 100 .357’s, the Hogues cover the backstrap so its the best of both worlds for me. :)

Surprisingly, the grip on my L-frame model 69 .44 Mag is really good, too. Shooting 10.5 gr Unique/ 240 gr SWC loads, recoil wasn’t awful at all. (Not max, but fairly stout.)

Now if S&W would just coddle together a 6-shot .41 Special on this frame.


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Stay safe.
 
Now if S&W would just coddle together a 6-shot .41 Special on this frame.

I've always thought a .41MAG or .41SPC on a 4" L-frame would be the perfect workhorse pistol. I would prefer it in .41MAG, simply for commonality of brass, but I'd even take the hassle of sourcing .41SPC brass for a pistol on that frame... 5- or 6-shot.
 
I've always thought a .41MAG or .41SPC on a 4" L-frame would be the perfect workhorse pistol. I would prefer it in .41MAG, simply for commonality of brass, but I'd even take the hassle of sourcing .41SPC brass for a pistol on that frame... 5- or 6-shot.
I talked to Gary Reeder about a 4” 6-shot .41 Spl. from a .357 GP 100, he said it would end up a 5-shot. (I have a 3” .44 Spl GP, so no need to basically duplicate it.) I would love a 6-shot .41 Spl on an L frame, but I don’t know of anyone making the conversion.

Stay safe.
 
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I talked to Gary Reeder about a 4” 6-shot .41 Spl. from a .357 GP 100, he said it would end up a 5-shot. (I have a 3” .44 Spl GP, so no need to basically duplicate it.) I would love a 6-shot .41 Spl on an L frame, but I don’t know of anyone making the conversion.

Stay safe.
My 41 Spl is a 6-shot GP100, originally with 38 Special throat lengths, perfect for 41 Spl, done by Clement, who I don't think is doing those anymore. I had to back off to a pretty mild load, because 41 Spl in a 3" GP100 was pretty uncomfortable (think bruising). The grips are Herrett's Detective.
 
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I've always struggled with .41 fever. For a while, I wanted one of everything, including a .41 Desert Eagle, and whatever else I could find in .41. But common sense prevailed... and I'm happy with my 3 .41 revolvers and my Marlin. I've even resisted the urge to try to find another .41 Ruger Blackhawk... although I've had zero luck with Ruger revolvers in the past. I think the only thing that might turn my head would be a nice Ruger Redhawk in .41...but those are pretty rare, too.
 
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This 41 Mag Flat Top converted to Bisley finally gave me what I wanted.
 
I’ve been reading through this thread and thought it was time to post. I have starline brass, Lee dies, and Redding profile crimp die on the way. I purchased some hornady xtp bullets from my lgs in addition to some large pistol primers. My plan is to load with 2400 and then look to find a good coated bullet to load at more moderate levels.

I really love shooting my model 19 classic and hand loading. I wanted something unique with a little more power so 41 mag makes sense. Model 57 it is!

Talked with LGS and seeing how long it will take to have one ordered and delivered. I’m hoping this will be a great Father’s Day present next year! They are going for about $1200 on gunbroker if you count shipping and transfer fees. I can’t imagine 41 mag revolvers will be in high demand in 2023 so maybe I can get a deal.
 
If it is a S&W N-Frame in .41 magnum (57, 58, 657), especially an earlier S or N serial revolver (pinned and recessed), they are EXPENSIVE and hard to come by.

Agree....not the most common item at LGS or on-line - even with the market appearing to "cool" a little, wouldn't anticipate huge price depression.
Suggest OP consider a Ruger Blackhawk in 41 Mag ? More reasonably priced than S&W N frame & shoot well. It will gobble up just about any load, have shot everything from 170 gr to 295 gr bullets. A favorite mid range load is a 215 SWC over 9.9 gr Longshot for approx 1200 fps.
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