Any .41 Magnum Fans?
- Thread starter Lead Farmer
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I carried this one as a duty sidearm for 13 years.
We were in some squabbles but it always got me home.
I looked for one of these that I could afford for about 40 years and finally found one in a pawn shop unfired except at the factory.
We were in some squabbles but it always got me home.
I looked for one of these that I could afford for about 40 years and finally found one in a pawn shop unfired except at the factory.
zxcvbob
Member
I just received my FIL's Ruger Blackhawk .41 that he used to carry with him when he went to the farm up on the mountain. (He died of lung cancer 5 years ago) It's kind of beat up and scratched from sliding around in the back or the floorboard of his pickup. But it locks up tight and smooth, there's no rust, and the bore is in good shape. It has character. 
I nearly had a heart attack when I priced ammo for it; it costs even more than .45 Colt.
100 pieces of new Remington brass and a 210 grain Lee bullet mold just showed up yesterday from Natchezss. I'm gonna casts some bullets for it today and maybe load a few. We're in the middle of a blizzard tho, so I won't get to shoot it for a while.
I nearly had a heart attack when I priced ammo for it; it costs even more than .45 Colt.
100 pieces of new Remington brass and a 210 grain Lee bullet mold just showed up yesterday from Natchezss. I'm gonna casts some bullets for it today and maybe load a few. We're in the middle of a blizzard tho, so I won't get to shoot it for a while.
captain awesome
Member
beautiful smith.
i have had the bug for sometime. Here will likely be my next gun purchase;
http://ruger.com/products/newModelSuperBlackhawkDE/specSheets/0863.html
i have had the bug for sometime. Here will likely be my next gun purchase;
http://ruger.com/products/newModelSuperBlackhawkDE/specSheets/0863.html
1911Tuner
Moderator Emeritus
It's my personal favorite, and...IMHO...the .41 Magnum is the perfect revolver cartridge, and there's really no need to hot-rod it unless you use it for hunting. If you don't need romp'em & stomp'em, it just don't get any better than a 210 grain cast bullet and 9 grains of Unique. 7.5-8 grains duplicates the old "Police Load" and provides the advertised 970 fps...unlike many lots of the Remington and Winchester offerings...which generally missed it by quite a bit. I clocked a couple lots that never broke 850 in my M58.
Sadly, it is pretty much a handload proposition due to cost and lack of options, but most of us don't consider that to be a drawback.
Bob...Try the RCBS 210 mold. You'll like it.
Sadly, it is pretty much a handload proposition due to cost and lack of options, but most of us don't consider that to be a drawback.
Bob...Try the RCBS 210 mold. You'll like it.
Starter52
Member
I am a big fan of the .41 magnum, so much so that I hardly ever bring a .44 to the range anymore. I shoot a S&W Model 57 and Model 58. Handloading is the only way to go. I mostly load Berry's plated .41 bullet. I go through thousands of them each year.
MMCSRET
Member
It is my "Magnum" revolver cartridge. I don't do much with 44 Mag, and don't own a 454 any longer. I do shoot quite a few 357's. But, the 41 is my go to, serious magnum. I have a 57-1, a RNMBH, and a 10" bull barrel Contender. All are serious performers from mild to wild.
captain awesome
Member
Starter52,
How is your accuracy with those? I tried some Berry's plated hollow points in 44 and didn't have much luck.
HOWARD J
Member
At one time I had 2 41's
A SS Smith with 1 1/2" barrel--nice to shoot --easy on your hand.
A blued Smith with a 6" barrel--with the factory grip it was murder on my hand.
All of us were shooting the Redhawk in 44 mag.
I got one of those " an offer I could not refuse" bye 41's.
A SS Smith with 1 1/2" barrel--nice to shoot --easy on your hand.
A blued Smith with a 6" barrel--with the factory grip it was murder on my hand.
All of us were shooting the Redhawk in 44 mag.
I got one of those " an offer I could not refuse" bye 41's.
420Stainless
Member
Got a 6" Model 57 that I flat out love. Been loading MBC Trooper bullets over Unique and Titegroup. Haven't shot any full out jacketed loads in it yet, but the 2400 and 296 is waiting for some.
zxcvbob
Member
So this is a "1000-ish fps with a heavy bullet" type of magnum, not "let's see if I can top 1500" magnum. The former is my favorite type of load for my .45 Colt Bisley-Blackhawk. I start flinching when I shoot more than a handful of compressed loads of W296 at a time, even in a .357 (what a wimp.) Of course the checkered grips on the .45 and .357 could be part of that...
22-rimfire
Member
The 41 mag is my preferred and favorite "big bore". No 44's in my house. There are still a couple I would like to eventually get.
ACP230
Member
I have several Smiths and two Ruger Redhawks in .41.
One of the Redhawks is stainless and one is blued. The blued one has a 5.5 inch barrel.
One of the Smiths is a 657 with an eight and three eighths inch barrel. It has a fine trigger and does not approve of missing.
The .41 has kept my interest since the first magazine article I read about it in the early 1960s.
One of the Redhawks is stainless and one is blued. The blued one has a 5.5 inch barrel.
One of the Smiths is a 657 with an eight and three eighths inch barrel. It has a fine trigger and does not approve of missing.
The .41 has kept my interest since the first magazine article I read about it in the early 1960s.
A .41 Blackhawk was my second handgun purchase. I haven't found a reason to buy a .44 handgun because for me the .41 mag. can do everything I need it to do. Now if I could just find one of the Marlin .41 mag. 1894 carbines I'd be really happy.
jimmyraythomason
Member
I bought a S&W Model 57-1 with a 4'' barrel from Wal-Mart for $260. It was extremely accurate as well as extremely expensive to shoot. Fifty rounds of 210 JHP or JSP cost $32 back then. I traded it off for something a little cheaper to feed. One of my biggest trade regrets.
No image possible at the moment..but, I have an early S & W Model 58 I dearly love, which I got a few months ago after wanting one for a long time.
Only tried it out once, and the 40 odd year old tattered box of Federal 210 Grain Soft Point Bullets were clocking 1300 FPS through the Chronograph.
Recoil and Report were 'Healthy', and, it is a joy in every way.
I Plan to send off for some Brass and try re-loading for it.
Got an older LYMAN Mold for casting a 210 grain Flat Point Boolit, so that part's done.
Nice thing about .41 Magnum, it really IS .41 Caliber.
.44 Mag is really only .429 Caliber...but, you all know that, and, untill recently, I did not.
Only tried it out once, and the 40 odd year old tattered box of Federal 210 Grain Soft Point Bullets were clocking 1300 FPS through the Chronograph.
Recoil and Report were 'Healthy', and, it is a joy in every way.
I Plan to send off for some Brass and try re-loading for it.
Got an older LYMAN Mold for casting a 210 grain Flat Point Boolit, so that part's done.
Nice thing about .41 Magnum, it really IS .41 Caliber.
.44 Mag is really only .429 Caliber...but, you all know that, and, untill recently, I did not.
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Confederate
Member
Forty-ones only make sense if you're using an N-frame revolver. The .44 is technically a better deer hunter, and the .357 is a better manstopper (w/125gr JHPs). But the .44 is harder on N-frames. If one has a Redhawk, the gun is a bit heavier and is plenty strong. Why would anyone want a .41?
The whole idea was to create a gun that could hit like a .44, but deliver better ballistics than a .357. The question is, did it? Well, no. It may have come close to the .44, but who cares? And it didn't come close to beating out the .357 for defensive purposes.
So all-in-all, for the people who wanted .44s but weren't able to get them, or for handloaders who didn't care which caliber they ended up with, yeah, the .41 was a winner. Was it a bad idea? Probably not, because it has a following. But it really didn't accomplish anything that wasn't already here. N-frame S&Ws can shoot light loads for self defense and heavier ones for hunting, whether it's a .44 or .41.
The whole idea was to create a gun that could hit like a .44, but deliver better ballistics than a .357. The question is, did it? Well, no. It may have come close to the .44, but who cares? And it didn't come close to beating out the .357 for defensive purposes.
So all-in-all, for the people who wanted .44s but weren't able to get them, or for handloaders who didn't care which caliber they ended up with, yeah, the .41 was a winner. Was it a bad idea? Probably not, because it has a following. But it really didn't accomplish anything that wasn't already here. N-frame S&Ws can shoot light loads for self defense and heavier ones for hunting, whether it's a .44 or .41.
45crittergitter
Member
I disagree. I've seen no evidence that the .44 is a better "hunter," or that the .357 is a better "manstopper." If 125 JHPs in a .357 impress you, try 170 JHPs at 1600 fps in a .41. Yes, the .44 and .357 are more popular, and rightly so for the masses. As to why anyone would want a .41, try less recoil, more velocity, and flatter trajectory, while producing comparable energy and penetration. For me, though, it's because I like something a bit different, that everyone else doesn't have. In fact, I keep buying them...
When I was trying to review Ballistics and FPS and overall everything, of the .357 Magnum, the .44 Magnum, and, the .41 Magnum...I felt most interested in the .41.
Took me some years to get one, and, I am mighty glad I did.
It is a joy...and will be a lot of fun to re-load for, also.
Recoil is completely agreeable to me, and, I had never thought I would like stronger recoils, but, somehow, just seems easy to get along with and easy enough to get back on Target promptly, and alright with me, now that I tried it and found out what it is like.
Not that I will never own and enjoy .357 Magnum, or, .44 Magnum some day...but, .41 seemed the most appealing to my taste so I took the plunge and am happy with it.
Took me some years to get one, and, I am mighty glad I did.
It is a joy...and will be a lot of fun to re-load for, also.
Recoil is completely agreeable to me, and, I had never thought I would like stronger recoils, but, somehow, just seems easy to get along with and easy enough to get back on Target promptly, and alright with me, now that I tried it and found out what it is like.
Not that I will never own and enjoy .357 Magnum, or, .44 Magnum some day...but, .41 seemed the most appealing to my taste so I took the plunge and am happy with it.
JoelSteinbach
Member
bannockburn
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Years ago I had two .41 Magnums, a Model 58 and a 4" Model 57. The Model 57 had a an action job done to it and had one of the nicest DA triggers pulls I have ever experienced on a S&W revolver. Unforunately due to financial constraints I had to sell both of them. I think this next time around I will look for a 6" Model 57.
Iggy, my Model 58 is far more battered than yours! Of course, it belonged to San Antonio PD, as an issued sixgun, before I bought it and then used it as my duty sixgun from 1985 to 1990 or 1991, so it had plenty of opportunity to acquire character marks before I acquired it, as well as after. I also briefly owned a Model 657 and Redhawk, both .41, too.
I finally had to admit to myself I have K/L-frame-sized hands, not N-frame-size, and not Redhawk size. I kept the old 58, and the others eventually went away. I retain a fondness for the cartridge.
I very nearly bought a .41 Magnum Freedom Arms Model 97 from a local dealer a couple of years ago. It sat in his case for many, many months, but when I finally decided I could afford it, and went to start a layaway, I found it had gone out the door the day before.
I finally had to admit to myself I have K/L-frame-sized hands, not N-frame-size, and not Redhawk size. I kept the old 58, and the others eventually went away. I retain a fondness for the cartridge.
I very nearly bought a .41 Magnum Freedom Arms Model 97 from a local dealer a couple of years ago. It sat in his case for many, many months, but when I finally decided I could afford it, and went to start a layaway, I found it had gone out the door the day before.
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orionengnr
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A year ago, I owned two .41 Mag M57s in 4 and 6-inch barrel lengths, as well as three .45 LC M25s. Financial considerations have dictated that these days, I have one each 4" M57 and M25.
The .41 Mag is the nearly the perfect revolver cartridge for me. (I say "nearly" because I can't decide which I enjoy more, the .41 Mag or the .45 LC.) I'll figure it out one day--until I do, I give thanks that I can own both. Since I handload, ammo for each is affordable.
I've owned .44s, but they are long gone. I own three .357 (two K and one N-frame), but shoot and carry the .41/.45LC N-frames far more frequently. The .357s may be gone one day too.
The .41 Mag is the nearly the perfect revolver cartridge for me. (I say "nearly" because I can't decide which I enjoy more, the .41 Mag or the .45 LC.) I'll figure it out one day--until I do, I give thanks that I can own both. Since I handload, ammo for each is affordable.
I've owned .44s, but they are long gone. I own three .357 (two K and one N-frame), but shoot and carry the .41/.45LC N-frames far more frequently. The .357s may be gone one day too.
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