Is the .41 Magnum fading away?

[gizamo]

Love my .44 Magnums, but I've come to think the .41 Mag is the better cartridge. And yet, slowly ~ year by year it seems to be fading away.....

What is the future of this wonderful cartridge? Will it end up being a cult cartridge, or will it ever become embraced by the gun writers and general shooting public again?

Giz

 

[Reddbecca]

The .41 Magnum has always been a cult cartridge. Despite my love for the oddball and my desire to get one for myself, there's just not all that much call for it.

 

[Old Fuff]

Well for some time the handgun market has been shifting toward automatic pistols, and I think this trend will continue. The great majority of revolvers now being sold are .38 Special and .357 Magnum snubbies.

.41 Magnum fans (including the Old Fuff) tend to be loyal, but not very numerous. But as long as cartridges such as .32-20 and .38 S&W are still being made I don't think the .41 Magnum will go away.

 

[Leanwolf]

Double post.

 

[Leanwolf]

Fading away?

Not in my house. S&W 57 .41 Mag. Ruger Blackhawk .41 Mag. Marlin 1894S .41 Mag.
(I also have .45 Colts and .44 Magnums, but prefer the .41 Mag.)

There are quite a few .41 Magnum owners in these parts. There are numerous gun shows in Idaho, and a good .41 Magnum on the table tends to be snapped up pretty quickly.

L.W.

 

[1911Tuner]

I like the .41 Magnum a lot. IMO, it's a better general-purpose revolver cartridge than the .44 or the .357, and if Smith & Wesson would just introduce a 5-shot L-Frame in .41 Magnum...3-inch round butt and 4-inch square...with fixed sights and the firing pin moved back to the hammer where it should be...I'd have at least one of each. Ditto for a 4 and 3/4-inch Ruger Vaquero...especially if somebody would ante up with a Trapper-length levergun.

 

[.cheese.]

Wasn't there just an article in Guns And Ammo or one of the gun rags about dying cartridges, and the .41 magnum was listed?

 

[JesseL]

I love my Blackhawk in .41 Magnum. I bought it just a couple years ago because I felt it struck a better balance than the .357 or .44 for what I wanted in a woods gun. No brown bears around here to worry about, but I still might want to try handgun hunting for deer.

 

[Reddbecca]

Wasn't there just an article in Guns And Ammo or one of the gun rags about dying cartridges, and the .41 magnum was listed?

Yes there was. I believe it was entitled "cleaning house" and on the list of cartridges that're dying out or should be left to die, amongst others, was the .45 Colt as well. They said that since the .454 Casull existed then there was no longer a need for the .45 Colt since there aren't enough modern guns chambered for higher pressure loads.

 

[Old Fuff]

Ammunition makers, big and small, look at the number of guns chambered for certain cartridges that are out there, not necessarily how many are being made now.

Magazine writers on the other hand.... :banghead:

 

[Bob R]

Quote:
Wasn't there just an article in Guns And Ammo or one of the gun rags about dying cartridges, and the .41 magnum was listed?

Yes there was. I believe it was entitled "cleaning house" and on the list of cartridges that're dying out or should be left to die, amongst others, was the .45 Colt as well.

Oh man, I am hosed. I don't even have a .44 (mag or special) but I do have a few .41mags and a couple of .45 Colts. I guess I had better stockpiling ammo!

Nah, I don't think so, I think the .41mag is just as popular today as it was when the guns were being made for it. If you don't believe me, see how long they last on the for sale forums of different boards.

bob

 

[gizamo]

I could never figure out all the hoopla about the ballistic coeficients....

I must have a issue with math....so anyone step in and fix the mess I am about to create....

Isn't the 44 something like.429 not a true .44....

And .41 is something like .411....

So is the difference really .018????????

Giz

 

[MCgunner]

Well, I'll join the .41 club someday. I've always admired the caliber, can do anything a .44 can do and in a smaller, slightly, case. I really like it, though, because few others seem to. I gravitated to the .45 Colt vs .44 mag for the same reason. Dumb, I guess. The .44 mag is a great cartridge.

Far as everyone going auto pistol, revolvers are still more accurate and more powerful in the field. I don't think the auto pistols will take over handgun hunting or for general outdoor carry. Maybe I'm wrong on that, but the good ol' SA revolver in powerful magnum calibers, let alone DA designs, just seem far more appropriate than auto pistols for outdoor uses. Super strong, super accurate, and super powerful.

 

[Confederate]

Well, there's not a whole lot of difference between the .41 and the .44 mag. The .357 mag is a better manstopper and the .44 mag is marginally better for game. The only real advantage is if you have a Smith & Wesson .41. The gun will handle higher pressure loads longer than a 29/629; still, given the .44 mag's popularity, ammo is much more readily available in that caliber.

Many people bought the .41 because the .44 mags were hard to get and more in demand.

 

[JesseL]

Nah, I don't think so, I think the .41mag is just as popular today as it was when the guns were being made for it. If you don't believe me, see how long they last on the for sale forums of different boards.

Don't forget that Ruger and Taurus are still building new .41 Magnums.

 

[Reddbecca]

What would you guys recommend in the way of a .41 Blackhawk, one with the long barrel or the short barrel?

I've got a .357 NM Blackhawk with the 6.5" barrel, and it's my opinion that the longer barrel helps tame recoil and improves accuracy. Should I get the same configuration in .41 Magnum or get the short barrel for a change?

 

[.38 Special]

G&A has been running those "Hot and Not" articles periodically for decades. I have one from '83 or '84 claiming that the .41 Magnum was on its way out.

I try to give the gun rags a break, as it's probably pretty tough to continually come up with new ideas for articles.

I view the .41 Magnum as I do the .44 Special: a very good cartridge with a special niche that, while not seen by everybody, is seen by enough that it will keep rolling along.

 

[JesseL]

What would you guys recommend in the way of a .41 Blackhawk, one with the long barrel or the short barrel?

I like the 4-5/8". It packs and points easier without giving up too much velocity.

 

[ArmedBear]

I'd get the 6 1/2", myself, unless I wanted a compact gun. 6 1/2" IS a short barrel, compared to my 10 1/2" SBH...

I have a .357 Colt clone in 4 5/8", and while it draws quickly, it doesn't point like a somewhat longer gun does. I like it, but with the balance point farther back, I don't get the same feel for where it's pointed with the short barrel as I do with a longer one. I have to use my eyes more with the shorter barrel, and my eyes have never been the best things anyone's ever used to see with.

But then I tend to like longer barrels. Learned to shoot with black powder.

BTW if Ruger made a stainless BH in .41, I'd really, really want one. Hey Ruger...

 

[gizamo]

Course there are the older S&W's that pair up nicely with a Marlin....

These two won't fade away for a good long time





Giz

 

[whatbrick]

I've posted this pic before, but here's my baby:



I like the .41 Magnum, though this is the only firearm that I have that's chambered for it. Wish I had the funds to go looking for more.

 

[45crittergitter]

The .357 mag is a better manstopper...

Not hardly.

 

[Old School]

My father had a Dan Wesson chambered in 41 mag in the 80's. I remember hearing: it will never catch on, it didn't catch on, it's fading away ever since.

Oddly enough, I see that you can still buy new revolvers in that caliber from the major manufacturers. It seem that the 41 is a victim of the 44. When you are talking about big thumpin revolvers, I would speculate that people say well 44 is more than 41 and more is better. Fair or not, that is probably the case.

 

[.41Dave]

People have been predicting the imminent demise of the .41 Magnum for at least 25 years now. Fact is, there is a wider variety of factory ammo and reloading components for the .41 than ever before. It will be around long after we are all gone.

.Some .41 Magnum goodness...

 

[Matt-J2]

I have an interest in the cartridge, but honestly know very, very little about it. So if you .41mag fans could steer me to some good material, it'd be appreciated.