.41 Mag. Short Barrel Defensive Load

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coltchris

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Have loaded a lot of .41 mag. hunting loads, but never a defensive load for a short barrel revolver. Just purchased a 657-5 PC w/2 5/8" barrel and wondering if anyone here has loaded for same. Won't be an EDC, but will get some use as a carry gun. I just purchased some factory Winchester 175 gr. Silvertips & Corbon 170 gr. JHP's to try. Also, bought a couple boxes of Barnes 180 gr. XPB bullets for reloading. Any suggestions?
 
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41 mag for short bl's

You are on the right track, at least IMO....I have carried and shot a 657 3" 41 mag & M-58 for years.....carried the WW factory silvertip load for years....have also carried and shot the Corbon 170 load.... also carry a handload of 220 gr SWC lead over a healthy load of Unique......in barrels shorter than 5-6" I stay away from the 296 and 2400 burn rate powders, cause in the shorter bl's a whole bunch of it combusts outside the muzzle resulting in a HUGE fireball / muzzle blast......last fall I started carrying the Barnes vortex 180 gr XPB HP load, their advertised velocity is 1520 fps.......don't know what bl lngth they used to obtain that, and since this stuff is really hard to obtain right now, I haven't chrono'ed any of this in my 657.....but I have seen it tested in geletain out of four inch tubes and it is impressive.....good luck & good shooting.
 
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Thanks for the info. The Barnes #4 Manual only list three powders for the 180 gr. XPB; AA#7, AA#9, & Enforcer. Don't have any of the first two and never heard of Enforcer! Any other powder recommendations for these bullets? My membership to the Barnes Clubs expired years ago! No real urgency as I have (2) boxes of each factory ammo mentioned in original post; enough to test with spare. Just too darn expensive to continue that route!
 
I'm leery of using lead core loading data for Barnes bullets due to excessive pressures from longer bearing surface. May call Barnes or just buy some AA#7 or #9.
 
Barnes is one of the few manuals I do not have so I do not know how they tested it. That said, the max velocity listed on any load table will be the max out of a short ot long barrel.

So If some load data says 2400 or H110 then that is what will work best in a short barrel. Again the slower powders are best.

Yes, you will have blast and flash but that is the trade off. Commercial loaded ammo has blended powders we do not have so they can reduce some of the flash
 
The .41 Magnum test loads start on Page 3. The CorBon 170, Silvertip and Barnes loads are on Page 5.

...a few bullets tests... - 24hourcampfire

As for "which loads" I've been carrying a .41 on and off for almost 40 years...for personal defense I would choose the Barnes. I speaking with Pater Pi owner of CorBon at the SHOT Show he carried a 58 while in LE before he went into the ammo business full time. His preference is the Barnes over the 170 Sierra load.

As to handgun reloading...just because a powder isn't listed by a manufacturer/reloading manual doesn't mean is isn't safe...just means they never tried it. Unless you start pushing top end loads ask around, read and you'll find a safe starting point...get a chrono and measure and examine your brass and how the load interacts with the gun...

As to the suggestion of using slow burning powders like H110, 296, 2400 in a 3" barrel...why would one put up with all that flash, blast and unburned powder? Also one can load something like Unique, SR4756, Power Pistol and several others that will be much more efficient in a short barrel for less money per round.

Bob
 
Apparently you have not used much or any Power Pistol.It has more blast and flash and loud "report" then many other powders. The max velocity is still obtained by using the slower powders, may not be the best choice but it is what it is.

Simply look at any reloading data and compare the max velocity (I have nothing for a 180 but say a 200 gr JHP) H110, AA#9 and 2400 produce the fastest FPS (Lyman 49)

The question remains, does one really need that over the slightly slower velocity of Unique or other powders?

Personally, I do not think so either, but this started over the comment that faster powders provided more velocity , which they don't.

I do not even see the need to shoot 357 Mags out of my J frames. 38+P is more than sufficient for me.:)
 
Holee Guacamolee Batman!

People shoot SHORT BARRELED .41 MAGS? :eek:

I wouldn't worry too much about the load. IMHO; Anything you shoot will deafen and roast them! At night, it would also blind them.
 
I just tried out a load today at the range for my 3" 657. I had an assist from the guys over at Alliant and went with their recommendations for starting and max, etc.

I was using a Grizzly Cartridge Company Cast Performance 250 Grain hard cast bullet (see photo).
41cal-41-250-wfngc.jpg


I used the following components:
Remington Brass
Winchester WPL primers
Alliant Unique powder

I tried loads of 6 grains up to almost 8 grains, and had the most consistent performance right at the staring load of 6.0 grains:

Elevation: 6,200 feet
Temperature: 94 degrees
Humidity: Are you kidding? This is New Mexico!

Average Velocity: 1169.9 fps
Highest: 1172.2 fps
Lowest: 1167.7 fps
Extreme Spread: 4.5 fps
Standard Deviation: 1.7
Group size: ~2" at 25 yards from sitting/supported
Energy: 759.61 ft-lbs.

Mind you, I was only running five shot strings, as I was testing in small increments. For the loads above 6.0 grains I was getting a few fps more velocity (but not very much!) but the SD and ES got a lot bigger. As recommended by Alliant, I used a HEAVY crimp. None of the loads showed any excessive pressure signs and all were fun to shoot.

As for recoil, control, etc., I was VERY pleasantly surprised! It felt like I was shooting my Glock 21 with 230 grain hardball...not much bother at all. I then switched to one of my hunting loads (made for my Classic Hunter) which was a 210 grain XTP over 22.3 grains of H-110. THAT HURT. I chronoed that load and was only getting 1190 fps average, and much larger groups (probably due to the immediately induced flinch, since it felt and looked like a flash-bang going off in front of my face). I'll be making up a batch at 6.0 grains of Unique for more testing.

Here is my 657:
657-2_zps274c6d8e.jpg
 
...that is REAL odd... A 250 hardcast with 6.0 grains of Unique going 1170??? A 230 Keith from LeadHead with 8.0 grains of Unique is running 875 from a 4".

I have used that bullet before purchased from Cast Performance Bullet Co. It has a very long shank and short nose designed to fit in even short cylinder guns like the Taurus Tracker and FA 97... Have to look up the load but I know I am only getting around 1200 from a 4.25" FA using SR4756 powder....

Going to have to try this one...Bob
 
SuperMan said:
...that is REAL odd... A 250 hardcast with 6.0 grains of Unique going 1170??? A 230 Keith from LeadHead with 8.0 grains of Unique is running 875 from a 4".

I have used that bullet before purchased from Cast Performance Bullet Co. It has a very long shank and short nose designed to fit in even short cylinder guns like the Taurus Tracker and FA 97... Have to look up the load but I know I am only getting around 1200 from a 4.25" FA using SR4756 powder....

Going to have to try this one...Bob
Click to expand...

I too was very surprised. I was expecting a velocity closer to 850, but double and triple checked the chronograph. I'm going to load up a bunch and try again. The 210 XTP with a stout charge of H110 was about where I expected, and painful. About all I can figure is either my chrono was giving bad readings, or that the pressure was higher than normal due to diminished case capacity. I used a HEAVY roll crimp as well.
 
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