Hand loading for 41 mag lever action & revolver

[blackd24]

I have a Henry 41 mag (20 inch barrel) on the way after seeing a price I couldn’t resist. I have a 6 in model 57 and am looking to add a 4 inch n frame (mountain gun) if I ever find one under $1,800.

I have 210 grain xtp bullets, 210 grain Speer deep curl bullets, and then either acme 215 or Missouri bullet company 225 grain coated lead.

For those that load for a revolver and lever action, how do you go about loading for both? Rifle first, then check accuracy in the pistol? Is the crimp the same for both, or should it be more for the lever action. Looking to make 1 load for each - primarily a jacked bullet out of the rifle with the occasional police load with coated bullets.

I have the usual suspects - H100, 2400, no 9, unique.

Thanks!

 

[Walkalong]

I had a .44 Mag rifle first, so I worked up two loads load for it, when I got an M-29 I tried those and it would shoot as well as I could handle, so I stuck with it.

Bottom line was I could shoot the rifle better, so stuck with the load that shot well in it.

Years later when I got a Redhawk in .44 Mag and had given the rifle to my older son I simply worked up a new load in the Redhawk since I no longer had the W-296 or 4227 I had used before. AA #9 & N-110.

 

[Charlie98]

I shoot mine a little differently... I actually have 2 different loads, a rifle load, and a pistol load. I very often shoot the pistol load in the rifle (which are mid-range loads,) but very rarely shoot the full-house rifle loads in the pistols.

My pistol load is a reasonable charge of Unique... 8, 8.5, 9grn under a cast SWC or XTP. My rifle load uses whatever slow powder I have... H110, AA4100, AA#9, or, my usual favorite... IMR4227. For a while I was shooting soft steel targets, so I had to use a cast bullet under a big charge of IMR4227, but I've also loaded up heavy cast over that. I usually use H110 for jacketed bullets, however.

I do very much the same thing in .45 Colt... when I had my Ruger Vaquero and my H&R HandiRifle. I don't have the Ruger any longer, but I still use the 2 load template.

 

[blackd24]

Okay maybe since I already have the warmer jacked bullet loads worked up for the pistol, I’ll try them in the rifle and maybe I’ll get lucky. If not, I’ll work on loading a ladder for the rifle and then reevaluate whether it’s safe in the pistol or not.

What about shooting coated lead through the rifle? Yes or no?

 

[AJC1]

I have a few combination pistol lever combinations. I work up three tiers of ammo for most of them. A lite target load 45c uses red dot. A medium load 45c uses herco. And a carbine only load. In 357 I use #9 in 45c I use 4227. I never shoot the full house carbine loads in the pistol, no need to beat it up, but the mid and lite loads work in both. As an example my 8.4 grain load of Silhouette under a cast noe 156gr bullet powder coated does equally good in both and my son shot that load for score in match metallic Silhouette. It's a medium load in a pistol no drama. One can absolutely load to full pressure in a pistol but I don't want to beat up my pistols like that.

 

[Charlie98]

If not, I’ll work on loading a ladder for the rifle and then reevaluate whether it’s safe in the pistol or not.

What about shooting coated lead through the rifle? Yes or no?

Just remember... 'rifle' and 'pistol' data is the same, regardless. Please don't get lulled into this idea that a rifle's action is stronger... that is very often not the case. Use published data, and don't get silly.

In reality... your 'warmer jacketed loads' will likely be fine in the rifle, unless you just need more velocity.

Coated lead is fine... heck, I shoot uncoated commercial cast as fast as 1800fps out of my Marlin without issues.

 

[RealGun]

I don't use target loads in magnum guns. I got weary of cleaning lead or coating from 41 and 44 Magnums and now load only gas checks and XTPs in the 41. The 44 does well enough with moderate loads behind coated lead from Missouri, but not the 41. Yeah, it is costly to shoot a bunch. I have a 44 Special Flat Top for moderate recoil shooting with Unique. Both of the magnums shoot great with W296 and gas checks. The recoil is manageable, I guess due to the slow burn rate. I should note that I don't shoot more than a couple cylinders of big magnums at a time, after which I don't call it fun. I usually go to the range with 5 or 6 guns, so the outing is more than the big guns.

 

[dredd]

I was able to pick up a nice used Henry .41 Mag. after I had already loaded for my Pistol.

I load the Hornday #41000 (210/gr XTP)

Make sure the bolt closes easily on the rifle with your loads before you go into full production.

I had to change the seating depth for my loads to chamber without resistance in the rifle.

After measuring the difference between the Would and Would Not, it was a few thousands. Not much at all.
I do not have those dimensions in front of me right now.
I started my loads per the Hornady Manual.

I went ahead and backed them off a bit more than that and reduced the charge.

That being said, I have not shot these yet.

I just wanted to give you a heads-up.

Take care!

 

[gwpercle]

I have been loading 41 Magnum since 1975 for the model 58 S&W you see in my avatar .
Over all those years here are my pet loads .
I use cast bullets : 215 gr. , 220 gr. or 225 gr. SWC , all weights will do fine .

Target Load - 5.0 grs. Bullseye @ 790 fps

Mid-Range Load : 7.5 grs . Unique @ 950 fps

Heavy-Hunting Load : 16.0 grs. 2400 @ 1200 fps (w/ magnum primer)

All bullets cast from clip-on wheel weights , sized .410" and lubed with Lithi-Bee bullet lube .

The 41 Magnum is an awesome round and several powders work just fine .
Load Safe ,
Gary

 

[41 Mag]

Having a couple of Henry's, but not the 41 unfortunately, the biggest thing you will pro ably run into is some bullet profiles just don't wanna chamber up. Yeah they will all go in if you shake em around a little but not all will feed nice an smooth. Just have to figure out which ones do.

Once you know that you're good to go being able to load same for both rifle and revolver. For my Redhawk I usually load around 1350fps with a 200-220gr bullet. I use mostly AA-9, but also H110 and V110 as well. It really hasn't mattered as much as the velocity. Just keeping in that 1350'ish range seems to be the sweet spot.

All that said, with the other Henry's in 44 and 45C my revolvers are also Redhawks and I use the same loads for either. I piddled with the rifles to find the best loads out to 100yds and just shoot those interchangeably. Either cast or jacketed they use the same powder and charges for both.

 

[Charlie98]

I piddled with the rifles to find the best loads out to 100yds and just shoot those interchangeably.

While a rifle has the most accuracy potential... given the platform... I've found that good loads shoot good in either one, regardless, although there are always exceptions, of course.

I've said it before... we .41 shooters are quite lucky. We don't really have some of the issues the .44 and .45 gun/rifle combos have, namely different bore diameters... a .41 is a .41 is a .41.

the biggest thing you will pro ably run into is some bullet profiles just don't wanna chamber up.

They say that about the Marlin as well. What I've found... with the Marlin, anyway... is the COL matters more than the bullet profile. I've never had an issue with cartridge feeding using any profile of bullet, including WFN's and SWC's, but I sure did with a long ogive Keith bullet with a COL right at max.

 

[blackd24]

I was planning on picking it up today but the gun shop is closed for Good Friday. I’ll upload pics and target pics once I get to the range!

 

[.45Coltguy]

As others here have mentioned, same loads for handgun/rifle should be fine. I do that with my two Italian replicas and my Henry[20" barrel] altho in .45 Colt.
Coated cast bullets work perfectly in all three. Enjoy that .41 rifle.

 

[AJC1]

Just remember... 'rifle' and 'pistol' data is the same, regardless. Please don't get lulled into this idea that a rifle's action is stronger... that is very often not the case. Use published data, and don't get silly.

In reality... your 'warmer jacketed loads' will likely be fine in the rifle, unless you just need more velocity.

Coated lead is fine... heck, I shoot uncoated commercial cast as fast as 1800fps out of my Marlin without issues.

I forget that this is not widely accepted and you are absolutely correct. I load them to the same pressure, but use slower powders in carbines for more velosity. One could do that in pistol I just don't like all the drama and unburnt powder....

 

[AJC1]

I don't use target loads in magnum guns. I got weary of cleaning lead or coating from 41 and 44 Magnums and now load only gas checks and XTPs in the 41. The 44 does well enough with moderate loads behind coated lead from Missouri, but not the 41. Yeah, it is costly to shoot a bunch. I have a 44 Special Flat Top for moderate recoil shooting with Unique. Both of the magnums shoot great with W296 and gas checks. The recoil is manageable, I guess due to the slow burn rate. I should note that I don't shoot more than a couple cylinders of big magnums at a time, after which I don't call it fun. I usually go to the range with 5 or 6 guns, so the outing is more than the big guns.

The magic of powder coating prevents All that drama and extra work. I pc both gc and pb designs...

 

[AJC1]

I've said it before... we .41 shooters are quite lucky. We don't really have some of the issues the .44 and .45 gun/rifle combos have, namely different bore diameters... a .41 is a .41 is a .41.

I think it's only a 43 mag issue. 357, and 45c are the same bore diameter in my guns... that Sami safu is just ridiculous.... I don't know about 454, but I've never shot one.

 

[Charlie98]

I forget that this is not widely accepted and you are absolutely correct. I load them to the same pressure, but use slower powders in carbines for more velosity. One could do that in pistol I just don't like all the drama and unburnt powder....

Some load manuals have separate data for pistol and rifle... .41MAG, .44MAG, for example, but if you look at the data, it's still within normal pressures, just tested in a longer barrel, typically with slower powders, netting different velocity results. Modern rifles, made with modern metals and components, are quite strong, but in some cases... at least in lever-actions... the action design is the limiting factor.

I think it's only a 43 mag issue. 357, and 45c are the same bore diameter in my guns... that Sami safu is just ridiculous.... I don't know about 454, but I've never shot one.

.45 Colt guns can suffer from... uh, let's call them generous chamber dimensions. My brother's Winchester Trapper is one of those. It's also possible the bore could vary by .001" or so, compared against others, not unlike the .44MAG barrels can. Think .451" vs .452", etc. The Marlin 1894 in .45 Colt that I briefly had suffered from the terrible 1:38" rifling... which I couldn't seem to get past. Because of that, I have no idea if my cast bullets were the right diameter...

 

[AJC1]

Some load manuals have separate data for pistol and rifle... .41MAG, .44MAG, for example, but if you look at the data, it's still within normal pressures, just tested in a longer barrel, typically with slower powders, netting different velocity results. Modern rifles, made with modern metals and components, are quite strong, but in some cases... at least in lever-actions... the action design is the limiting factor.



.45 Colt guns can suffer from... uh, let's call them generous chamber dimensions. My brother's Winchester Trapper is one of those. It's also possible the bore could vary by .001" or so, compared against others, not unlike the .44MAG barrels can. Think .451" vs .452", etc. The Marlin 1894 in .45 Colt that I briefly had suffered from the terrible 1:38" rifling... which I couldn't seem to get past. Because of that, I have no idea if my cast bullets were the right diameter...

Some of the old 45c single actions were .454 and I don't know when that changed. I believe the entire lifespan of 43 mag 45c has been 451. It's just cheaper to make all 45 cal barrels the same size. The battle in 45 rifle is even more muddy.

 

[RealGun]

The magic of powder coating prevents All that drama and extra work. I pc both gc and pb designs...

Maybe in your guns. When I can't easily get a shiny bore with coated bullets, I switch to gas checks or XTPs.

 

[Shooterbob]

Real gun were you having coated bullets leaving coating in your barrel? Or was it lead or both? I have been shooting powder coated bullets in my 44 and 357 &45 acp that I coat myself and I do not get any lead or coating in my bores ? I’m not doubting you just wondering what the cause could be. I shoot both plane base and gas check in the 44 mag and 357 mag max loads of H110/w296 .was is a one time thing or with multiple lots of bullets? Bob

 

[AJC1]

Maybe in your guns. When I can't easily get a shiny bore with coated bullets, I switch to gas checks or XTPs.

If I have a problem first test is increasing size by .001. I shoot the dreaded mocrogrove in 357 and still no problems. I do use gas checks on bullets designed for them, mainly the rcbs 358-180-sil and almost every rifle bullet baring on 30 cal I bought just to play with.

 

[lightman]

I don't have a lever action in 41 but I have had both 357 and 44. To make them feed reliably I have used a round nose bullet with a flat top. I love a SWC but could never get them to feed smoothly. If using jacketed bullets most of the JSP's or JHP's will run smoothly.

 

[AJC1]

I don't have a lever action in 41 but I have had both 357 and 44. To make them feed reliably I have used a round nose bullet with a flat top. I love a SWC but could never get them to feed smoothly. If using jacketed bullets most of the JSP's or JHP's will run smoothly.

The top of the barrel liked to shave the shank of the swc above the case resulting in lead pieces in my action and messed up bullets.

 

[blackd24]

I got such a good deal on the Speer deep curl bullets, I think I’m going to start there and maybe experiment down the road with coated lead. I have some MBC bullets on the way from grafs that were $.13 a piece vs the $.17 I paid for the Speer bullets. I don’t think 4 pennies is enough to “risk” it in my rifle. It’s not like I’m shooting hundreds of rounds every week.

Also disappointed in the 41 revolver market… a used Taurus 425 just went for $1200 yesterday. I was a buyer up to $1000, but I just can’t seem to find a 4 inch 41 magnum for a decent price. 41 magnum is my hobby within the hobby. It’s the ultimate reloaders cartridge and I really want the rifle, full size revolver, and elusive carry revolver. There’s a really nice 657 4 inch on gunbroker right now for $1,875 but I just can’t bring myself to spend that kind of money. It just makes me wonder if I should have gone with 44… oh well. I will keep the search going.

 

[gwpercle]

I got such a good deal on the Speer deep curl bullets, I think I’m going to start there and maybe experiment down the road with coated lead. I have some MBC bullets on the way from grafs that were $.13 a piece vs the $.17 I paid for the Speer bullets. I don’t think 4 pennies is enough to “risk” it in my rifle. It’s not like I’m shooting hundreds of rounds every week.

Also disappointed in the 41 revolver market… a used Taurus 425 just went for $1200 yesterday. I was a buyer up to $1000, but I just can’t seem to find a 4 inch 41 magnum for a decent price. 41 magnum is my hobby within the hobby. It’s the ultimate reloaders cartridge and I really want the rifle, full size revolver, and elusive carry revolver. There’s a really nice 657 4 inch on gunbroker right now for $1,875 but I just can’t bring myself to spend that kind of money. It just makes me wonder if I should have gone with 44… oh well. I will keep the search going.

Keep Searching ... Your 41 Magnum is out there and you will find it !
Keep the 41 Faith !

I got my 41 magnum in a trade in 1975 , that's it in my avatar !
Keep On Keepin On ,
Gary