The "shoots flatter" and "has less recoil" lines were made popular by magazine writers looking for something new to write about. They were comparing factory ammo in the calibers respective standard bullet weights. While it sounded convincing on paper, it means nothing in reality. The .44 will hold more powder and bullets of the same weight will be shorter, both of these add up to more cartridge space which will allow more powder. However, as has been mentioned, the difference in diameter is so small, it makes the other differences just as small too. It's about as small a difference as changing ballistic coefficients in the same cartridge.

The .41s drawback wasn't really timing. It's timing suited S&W perfectly, which was shortly after the .401 powermags introduction. S&W didn't intend for it to compete with the .44 mag., because they are essentially the same thing. The Herters load was gaining a following and that was money that S&W wanted, just like any other cartridge. But S&W doesn't like to use other peoples cartridges in their guns if they can help it. The Powermag was a good cartridge, ballistically about the same as a .40 S&W, and would have had some real potential if it was chambered in a good double action, medium framed revolver, such as a Colt. In fact, it would have been exactly what George Herter wanted to be, the perfect law enforcement and military cartridge. The idea had been around for a very long time, but none of the revolver makers ever made an honest attempt at it, until someone else did. So S&W wasted little time in coming up with their own version, and used their favorite salesmen to push the marketing, Elmer Keith and Bill Jordan. Unfortunately, their cartridge ended up in a large frame gun, which a lot of people couldn't handle and most cops didn't want to lug around all day. And since it was in a magnum sized gun, they made magnums for it to shoot, which they pushed as a "benefit" but was another reason most PDs rejected it.

Once the Powermag died, I don't think S&W cared if the .41 lived or not. I remember picking up a S&W catalog to see what new .41 mag models they had added and found they had dropped everything but one, a 6" 657. By that time the law enforcement market had turned to autos and the whole race for the best law enforcement and military cartridge started all over again.