Back in 1965 I was reading all of the stories of the new .41 Magnum in Guns and Ammo and I decided that I had to have one of them. I even bought a couple of boxes of ammo before I had the gun. I could not afford the model 57 so I was on the lookout for a model 58 or a Ruger Blackhawk. On my way to College that fall I stopped in a gun store in Redding and they happened to have a Ruger Blackhawk .41 magnum with a 4 5/8” barrel. I paid the man the money and returned 3 days later to pick it up. Yes California had a waiting period back then. Its serial number was 87XX. The X’s are because I do not remember the last 2 digits. While deer hunting I found an old partitioned steel box with several thin steel walls in it. I shot it with my .41 and my BIL shot it with his Win model 94 30 30. The .41 penetrated further than the 30 30. Somewhere I have photo of that test box.
I purchased my first model 57 sometime in early 1973. I long ago traded off the Ruger. I am getting a hankering to take out one of my .41’s to the range for a session but unfortunately my Dr. does not want me to even shoot a .22 at this time. I am afraid I will have to wait until next year before I get the green light. That at least gives me plenty of time to load up some ammo.