.41 Mag Association

Picked up a 1977 vintage 4 5/8" Blackhawk off GunBroker last week...came in the other day and there is no evidence of it being fired... Face of the cylinder is totally clean and nothing but dust around the flashgap... Some turnline and tiny scratch on the topstrap are it...

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Thanks.... I had several of these but sold them all off a few years ago... Saw this one and decided I missed the balance of that gun....have a 6.5" also made in 1977 but doesn't have the same balance...
 
RJM52 said:
....have a 6.5" also made in 1977 but doesn't have the same balance...
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I had a few Rugers with 7.5" barrels... I thought they balanced like a boat oar. My 5.5" Vaquero is pretty close, the 5.5" New Blackhawk .44SPC even better, but I'll bet that 4 5/8's is sweet!
 
I've got to get more 41 mag. revolvers. I prefer longer barrels for target shooting and my Blackhawk reflects that. But I want to try the shorter version. It could be the ultimate centerfire gun for woods walking. (Of course, I can add that to the list that already has a S&W 57 and a Contender barrel.)

Jeff
 
Gentleman, have you looked at Montana Bullet Works 240 grain WNGC? It looks similar to the aforementioned discontinued 255 from CP. Has the mid point crimp groove which moves the bulk of the weight into the nose & out of the case.

41
 
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RachelAnne said:
Hello from a prospective female member! I am RachelAnne and I've been getting bored of late as I seem to only take one or two 1911's to the range every week and I decided it was time to take out my oldest 41 magnum. I am embarrassed to say that Smith & Wesson both blinked at the light when I pulled my oldest model 58 out of the safe.
I have several batches of older reloads for it and a couple of hundred empties so I did a quick search for any interesting loads for the Lyman 41032 bullets and, lo and behold, I stumbled across this institution! I have looked at the posted pics and am attaching one of my toys.
I bought the blue 58 at the staggering full retail price of $110, ran home to clean it, and found a forging flaw that looked like an earthquake scar in one of the chambers. Poking my bore light into one chamber let me see through the flaw into the adjacent chamber. Back to the gun shop and they said I should send it in to S&W.. I called them and found out that they had a repair station about 10 miles from me. I drove down and their gunsmith (Jim Fish) installed a new cylinder in less than ten minutes. It has been Mag-Na-Ported.
The nickel 58 and the 57 came later and sadly serve as safe queens. The tiny white thing on the bottom of the model 57 grip is a factory inspection sticker.
At any rate, here is my little collection and my request to be allowed admittance into the 41 Mag Association.


View attachment 884464
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Beautiful collection!

I've never seen a nickel Model 58 before congrats on finding that rare shiny gem.

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41rem said:
Gentleman, have you looked at Montana Bullet Works 240 grain WNGC? It looks similar to the aforementioned discontinued 255 from CP. Has the mid point crimp groove which moves the bulk of the weight into the nose & out of the case.

41
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There is actually 2 240grn .41 bullets... the WFN bullet looks pretty decent, but I suspect the LFN wouldn't cycle reliably in a Marlin. I had problems with some Keith-style SWC bullets cycling in the Marlin, because of the length. Of course, this doesn't matter for the revolver guys... The WFN 240grn looks like the Cast Performance 250's baby brother... it might be worth looking into.
 
I had to move off the 240 grain MBW as it's nose was too long for my 41 Tracker, I'm working with the CP 250 WFNGC now, it fits fine in there with full size magnum cases.

41
 
Here is a side by side look at the two cast bullets were discussing. These are my heavy loads for the 41 Tracker, notice the 240 grain MBW is in the Starline 41 special case due to OAL.

I measured from crimp groove forward to bullet front, the MBW 240 grainer is .080" longer on that distance, thus increasing case powder capicity as most of the CP 250 is below the crimp groove.

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Greetings fellow .41 fans,
The back story : Grew up in Detroit area circa 1960s with a father that used to develop loads for DuPont. They would send him a gallon jug of a new powder with a note saying "This powder has a burning rate between powder A and powder B, and we think it would work well in cartridges like X and Y." In those days you could go to your local police auction and get surplus Mouser rifles in just about any chambering for $25, so dad had a closet full of em. from .243 Win to 348 Win Mag, and he had two little boys that would more than happy to pull the triggers of whatever he put in our hot little hands when we went to the range (always outdoors and at least 50 mi from Detroit) I found out later that he was banned from any indoor range within the Detroit area due to his hard cast bullets putting holes in their backstops, hard cast was not common then and he cast them Very hard.
At the range he would hand us the ammo to shoot over the chrono (Mohler sky-screen) a box of 20 rds would hold and be labeled as : 6.5x55 Swede , Lapua headstamp, 140gr sierra boat tail" , the first 5 rds were loaded with 42.0 gr IMR-3100. the second 5 rds would be loaded with 42.2 gr of IMR-3100, the third 42.4 gr and the last 5 with 42.6, and that was how we would shoot them, looking for signs of approaching pressures getting a little to high.
The same procedure was done with the Ruger flat top Blackhawks, in .357 6 in , .41 also 6 in , and a super Blackhawk in .44 7.5 in. the latter was later taken across town to a new company called Magna-Port and ported for the exorbitant price of $29.99. WOW did that make a difference to my then 6 year old hands. I think he liked H110 for .357 and .41 and Blue Dot for the lighter (200gr) in the .44 up to about 1800fps. (SMOKIN). unfortunately my father left us when I was only about 11 and took his guns with him when he left.
Fast forward about 50 years and I got an idea to try my hand at reloading for my self when I stumbled into a deal on a NMBH 6.5" with a set of RCBS dies, a beam scale and ordered 500 empty Starline nickel plated brass. After a little on line research (isn't the interwebs great?) I ordered 2000 215gr LSWC, went to my local shop and picked up some 2400, some AA#9, Unique, H110, and some Blue Dot.
in the last few years I have not been able to do much with said supplies, but recently moved to Colorado Springs, and can now get back into it. I recently got a very good deal on a new 8# batch of Unique and have loaded up some with 8.0gr up to 10 gr. but don't know how far I can go with Unique.
Also recently found a place the sells .41 hardcast in 175gr RNHP, a 215gr SWCHP and a 250gr HP, a little more cost each, but would like to experiment. Any help/advice is much appreciated.
 
I recently got a very good deal on a new 8# batch of Unique and have loaded up some with 8.0gr up to 10 gr. but don't know how far I can go with Unique.
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You have pretty much covered the load range for Unique with 215gr LSWC. The Lyman data from my .41 mag One Book / One Caliber manual lists 7.8 grs as the start and 10.4 grs max for Unique with Lymans 215gr SWC #410610 bullet.

I loaded 7.0grs of Unique behind a cast 215gr LSWC bullet and got 956 fps average chrono'd from my 4" S&W 57 Mountain Pistol for an accurate and relatively moderate target load. A heavier 9.5gr Unique load using the same 215gr LSWC out of the same 4" 57 MP chrono'd average velocity at a much more potent 1,157 fps.
 
IBM6069 said:
n the last few years I have not been able to do much with said supplies, but recently moved to Colorado Springs, and can now get back into it. I recently got a very good deal on a new 8# batch of Unique and have loaded up some with 8.0gr up to 10 gr. but don't know how far I can go with Unique.
Also recently found a place the sells .41 hardcast in 175gr RNHP, a 215gr SWCHP and a 250gr HP, a little more cost each, but would like to experiment. Any help/advice is much appreciated.
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As Steve mentioned, you are at about the max with Unique. Besides the local places, you can find anything online... bullet-wise. I like 215grn and up weights for the .41, Unique is a favorite, but I also use IMR4227 and maybe 2400 for carbine loads, although they might work well in your 6.5" barrel, too.

IBM6069 said:
went to my local shop and picked up some 2400, some AA#9, Unique, H110, and some Blue Dot.
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You picked some firebreathers, that's for sure. Both AA#9 and H110 are full-house Magnum powders. Just for your info, Alliant advises against using BlueDot in the .41 Magnum; some weird thing about the burn rate... I don't know... but the warning is out there. I would start with Unique, move to 2400, and if you wind up with some jacketed bullets... you can test drive the H110 and the AA#9. I would leave the BlueDot on the shelf. Also... you do have a manual for reference... right? Additionally, there is a lot of load info available online, if you have questions, or want more data to compare.
 
41:
Yes, have been working on a load with the MBW 240 gr WFN and some 2400. Waiting for the weather to settle some and for a new Chrony to arrive - so I can develop some velocity data.
A little embarrassed to say, I sort of shot my old Chrony. I was checking out some 45 colt BP loads, had reduced the Goex 3f from approx 2.2 cc to 2.1 (roughly 35 to 32 gr) with MWB 225 gr WC. An over powder wad hit the display screen and stuck in it - Chrony no longer displayed anything.
Hoping for good results with the MBW 240.
 
Are the 3 screw models physically smaller than the new model varieties? If I was going to compare their overall size are the older ones smaller? Say a 357 mag in both old and new model.
 
Charlie98 said:
Make sure you post about that... I have some of the very same bullets on the way, also.
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Been waiting for better weather on a day I was home. Decided, on today, no matter Mother Nature.
Working an finding an optimal load for the MBW 240 gr wfngc bullet. My batch run 241-242 gr, I asked for .410, which they measure. Loaded them over 13.5 gr of 2400, in a Starline case with WLP primer. Launched four over a Chrony, all displaying between 1102-1109 fps; calling it 1100 fps. Test fire arm was a 6" FA83, outside temp 17F. Was hoping for a little more velocity from 13.5 gr, no unusual pressure signs - going to try 14.0 gr next.
 
The contagion spreads!! Just got back with a blued 41 mag Blackhawk with 4 5/8" barrel. The serial number indicates it was made in 1984. It may have been fired but not much. It is pristine except for a light ring around the cylinder. On full cock it locks up tight as a bank vault, the bore is like a mirror and the cylinder face is clean. The grips are laminated wood, in this case a very deep green with black marbling, which I find nice looking. I've mentioned above that I prefer longer barrels on single actions but this one balances really well. Can't wait to get it to the range. I'm curious how it will handle compared to the longer barrel Blackhawk that got me started with the 41 mag.

I believe I got it for a fair price although not a steal. This is the third gun I've found at the local Cabelas Gun Library: a stainless Single-Ten and a stainless Security Six with 6 inch barrel, now this Blackhawk. It's getting risky to visit the place. I go in to get a capper for my percussion revolvers and leave with the 41 mag. Sometimes I get lucky.

Now if I can just find that never used S&W model 57 for under 200 bucks. :D

Jeff
 
Slingblade567 said:
Are the 3 screw models physically smaller than the new model varieties? If I was going to compare their overall size are the older ones smaller? Say a 357 mag in both old and new model.
Click to expand...

The New Model Flattop (or New Vaquero) 357 is the same size as an Old Model 357. New Model Blackhawk 357's with the protected rear sight are on the 44 frame.
 
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