Somewhere along the line I just completely forgot this year marks the 50th year of the .41 Magnum. Many years ago this became my favorite revolver cartridge and since this round is the favorite of many here, as well as the guns that shoot them, I would like to start a tribute thread not just to the cartridge and the S&W guns of this era that shoot the round but if acceptable to the Moderators all guns that shoot this fine round...

So if you have pics, stories or just love the round and the guns that shoot them please chime in....

My first .41 Magnum was a nickel Model 58 bought about 1973. Wonderful shooter but was one of two 58s I've had that didn't shoot to POA with standard 210 grain loads...it shot low and the only bullets that would come close to POA were cast from an old 240 grain Lyman mold. In my youthful stupidity I actually had a gunsmith drill and tap the tropstrap for the Bushnell Phantom scope mount but the recoil proved too much and I ended up selling the gun...so if anyone out there finds a nickel 58 with two holes in the topstrap that is where they probably came from.

The next one was a Model 57 blue 4". It was carried while I was a Dallas Polce Officer in the late 70s till 1980 when I switched to a .38 Super Colt 1911. In 1980 I won the North Texas Sectional IPSC revolver division and placed 7th overall with that gun out of about 75 shooters.

In 1983 a fellow officer and Dallas pistol team member offered to sell me a 1980 vintage gun that he had bought new but didn't shoot well for him. Ended up buying that gun from him and still have it. After sighting it in with a load of 8.0 grains of Unique behind a 211 grain Keith bullet made of pure linotype I shot this group at 25 yards double action....



My friend and his female partner were looking as I shot the group and I remember him saying "That never shot like that for me". When I asked him what round he was using he said the standard Remington 210 lead SWC....that would lead the barrel up in about two cylinders full.

I still have that gun but the first 57 was sold in 1983 to a friend who I shot IPSC with. I had shot it so much that it needed a complete rebuild and he was just starting to study gunsmithing and wanted it to practice on...

So lets hear your .41 stories...Bob

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