Whenever I read a test involving the .41 Magnum,I get itchings from reading that its recoil is between that of the .357 and .44.Now,I own a couple .44,quite a few .357 and but one .41(working on that;I think that we always need at least one spare).
I like to load all my magnums at...well Magnum levels!And to me,the recoil of the .41(220 gr at 1350fps) is verrry close to that of the .44(240 gr at 1350fps).

Is it just me or lots of gun scribes from many magasines try to make us believe that the .41 is less than it actually is?
Qc

I don't own either a .41 or .44, but I am curious.

Is your .41 similar size/weight to the .44's?

Recoil is really subjective.....I enjoy shooting my 41 mags, I enjoy my 357's, and I enjoy my 44's.

They can all be brutal and they can all be fun to shoot.

I am not sure that a definitive difference could be felt all things being equal between the 44 and 41....bullet weight, velocity, stocks, ect would result in similar felt recoil.

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On the Oak Savannah

Say what you want, the .41 penetrates better than the 44. Recoil is generally of the same magnitude, but it feels lighter some times. I can tell you the 329 recoils really bad, and my 357 is in the same ballpark. When either needs to be fired, I find my self wishing for a 29 or a 57. When reloading, both are significantly cheaper than factory. When buying factory ammo, the 44 is less painful.

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Dick Burg

I have 4 , 41's . 3 S&W and 1 ruger blackhawk . My sister has / shoots a 4" 41 s&w 57 nickel that I gave her . It is the ONLY pistol she loves to shoot , and she has others . I also have 3 , 44's and about 5 357's and I truly feel the recoil of the 41 is about middle between the 2 other calibers , when fully loaded . I don't care to shoot " plinkers " in any caliber .
i shoot an L frame 357 with a 4" barrel the most , full magnum loads and don't find it bothersome at all . In fact I really enjoy it .
The only gun I have ever owned and found the recoil " obnoxious " was the 329PD ( 44 mag) . I was the 3rd owner . It came to me with a box of factory winchester 44 mag, minus 12 rounds . It didn't hurt , but it was just an obnoxious gun to shoot . I sold that one .
I cast and reload for my 41's . I have found , in my guns a swc in either 220 gr or a 240 gr swc to be very accurate . If I could only have one gun , make it a 41 magnum .

I have 3, 57s & a Blckhawk in 41mg and 4, 29s and SBH. With
full power loads and equal weight bullets, I can feel no difference
in recoil. Any one that can handle 41 can handle 44.

I bought my Model 57 about ten years after I purchased a Model 27. The 27 is the only revolver that I have fired full house magnums out of. My first taste of the 41 was with the old police load. When I started reloading for my 41, I cast either a 210gr or 215gr SWC that I put over about 6 grains of 231. It was an easy to control authoritative load. Now that I am disabled, with a bum arm (and two trashed legs) I don't plan on setting the world on fire touching off magnums. I find my reduced load very controllable with one arm,and I like the big flat metplat that induces a fair degree of shock and punches a nice clean hole. I am so content with the 41, I would love to get a 57 with a 3" barrel for CCW.

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Judge control not gun control!

Years ago I shot a fellows Ruger 5/12" Red hawk .44 mag and the same day a different guys 5 1/2 Red hawk .41 mag. The .41 had been Magnaported . Both were shot with factory magnum loads. I could not tell the difference between the two. I began thinking , like you, that the gun writers tend to make up stuff in order to fill up a page.

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A Snider squibbed n the Jungle

I started out with a Model 19/.357 Magnum and then went to a 6.5" 29-2...neither bothered me at all in the recoil department.

Then came a 58..again no problem at all with the .41 regardless of the load.

For whatever reason a few years later I tried a 29-2 4" and absolutely HATED that gun. No matter what load I tried it was just not pleasant to shoot. Bought a 4" 57 and just loved it...

There is just not that much difference in the weight of the two guns that there should be that much perceived recoil difference. But for me there is.

Bob

Irrifleman you should try a S&W m58 / 4" barrel.
I been a 44mag guy for most of my gun ownership life. I wanted a revolver in 41 mag for about 45 years. I'm 65yo now and at 60yo I purchased a m57/6" and m58/4". Never shot a S&W N frame before. My first day at the range I was impressed the way the m58 handled. The balance of the power to weight ratio is perfect. I've only shot ruger 44's.
Elmer Keith and Bill Jordan were spot on. Thanks to S&W for listening to them. If you don't own a S&W in 41 magnum you should.

I feel being a dedicated magnum owner I feel any magnum shooter should own all three magnums the 357, the 41, and the 44magnums. They all own a space of there own. Each one is different yet enjoyable to shoot.

Don't wait about 45 years like I did. I thought owning the 44 mag it was on the top of the heap. I was wrong.

I in a previous post mentioned owning 4 , 41 magnums . One of them is a model 58 . I too have always been impressed with the way the 58 balanced and handled . I had a custom shoulder holster rig made for it and it has been a carry item for me many times , esp when wearing a jacket or a coat . It will definitely , " get'er done " when called upon to dispatch some trouble .

Bill,

My first exposure to the 41 came from a cop friend's department issued Model 58. I fell for that round hard. That was back in the late 1970s. I was haunted by the desire to own a 41, and finally took the plunge around 1992. I am creeping up on 59, and waiting on my permits for a Commander, a Mauser HSC, and my latest Smith, a 686 Deluxe 3". If I were in a free state where I didn't have to dance around permits, and I could find a 58 within budget (being a custodial, disabled dad to two grade schoolers on pension and disability doesn't allow much savings!), I would jump on one.

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Judge control not gun control!

A 41 is truly .41 caliber, whereas a 44 is actually .43 caliber. As such a 41 is much closer in size to a "44" than a 357 (which is also named true-to-caliber). And like the 44, the 41 is an N-frame, so the overall weight should be essentially the same. Typical velocities are also comparable, but the 41 is normally loaded with lighter bullets than a 44. I think therein lies the biggest difference in recoil: around 30+ grains of bullet weight.

Whaaaat? NO way, you mean gun writers actually do that?
I'm taking the rest of the day off so I can fully recover from this startling revelation.

I've owned three 4" model 57s, the first purchased back in 1965. Also had several 29s and 629s. Like them all, but also liked the idea that the M-57 cylinder had a few thousandths more steel surrounding those high pressure cartridges. Truth be told though, if I didn't know which was which, I would not be able to tell the difference in recoil between the .41 and .44 loads you mentioned....ymmv

Between either of those though, and my 4 3/4" Freedom Arms .454 ( 300 @ a chronographed 1585fps ), yep I could tell the difference

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NRA Life, COTEP 640

Add the 500 to the above too

Thewelshm

I never buy nor read gun magazines.

I admit I am somewhat of an anti conformance. I got my 41 the height of the Dirty Harry craze. Being a LEO at the time I read the difference in velocity, penetration and recoil and decided on the 41.

My 6 inch I had Magna Ported to help on the barrel flip and recover for the second round. After years of shooing and getting into reloading my own to cut cost am still happy.

The revolver (mdl 57) is still my favorite. It has dropped more deer and hogs in 1 shot than most people have every shot at.

All my praise is positive

All we had years ago was the gun rags to read. We took there word.
Today we have the internet. We the actual gun owners can review.

In my experience, with 6 to 6 1/2" N frames, the .41 has noticeably less recoil and muzzle rise. In these guns, the .41 has a thicker and heavier barrel than the 44. On average, the .41 is shooting a little lighter bullet with a little less powder. Adding barrel weight or reducing muzzle energy would reduce felt recoil. The 41 does a little of both.

In the currant N frames, the thicker barrel of the Model 57 over the Model 29 has another benefit. The thicker barrel is significantly less likely to be constricted where it screws into the frame. This is a common thing on 45 caliber revolvers, less so with 44's and almost never seen on a 41 cal N frame.

Groo here
The 41 is my favorite load for N frames and mid frame rugers.
They just fit so well.
I know people who have worn out several 44 mag N frames
But any know anyone who has worn out a 41, even a 357PD?????

I don't know anyone that has, but I AM TRYING

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On the Oak Savannah

l load my 41 and 44 mags MIDRANGE with the same weight bullets
and powder... 220gr swc and 8gr Unique.. 657 41 Mag 6'' w/brake.
629 44 Mag 7'' w/brake.

657 kicks more.. LOTS more.

0ur top SILH shooters use 41 and 44 Magnum Freedom Arms revolvers..
The 41s kick more than the 44 mags..Watching them you can SEE it too

Not one thing wrong with 41's. If I did not have a LOT of 44 stuff I might get one or more. At this stage of the game I do not want to gear up for a totally new caliber. The 41's I have shot were good shooter and I could not tell any recoil differences myself.
IMO a lot of gun writers do quite a bit of their shooting with a word processor.

I stopped buying guns for many decades while raising a family. God gave me three awesome kids who eat like me. Godbless them there all healthy. But when I retired the 41 magnum was on my mind again. Now since I drive less and less I save my mad money up. Can't get everything I want but a few will do.

I am partial to 4" but I came across a 657-4 6"... worth while getting it ?
I really like my 28, and 586, both in 4"

If the price is right they are not making any more of them....

Bobv

If you load both guns with magnum rounds of approximately the same bullet weight and hand me one, I probably couldn't tell the difference between a Model 29 and a Model 57 if I didn't look at them before firing.

I never could see the ".41 kicks less" hoopla. IMO they both kick plenty and the recoil of a .357 is nothing, by comparison.

There's a reason why ruger is doing a manufacturing run on the 41 magnums? They are offering quite a few different models. The 41 magnum has its cult following and gaining in popularity. You either get on the 41 magnum bus or get left behind. Or be part of the cult for following. We can still buy the S&W m57? Maybe we'll see the m58 offered again?

I don't see that much difference in the recoil as long as the bullet weights are about the same, but the .41 does seem to shoot "flatter' to me, not as much drop at 100 yards. With 8 3/8" inch barrels on both.

This thread needs some pictures!

I used to shoot with a old timer, he always brought a .41 either a Smith or Ruger he loved them raved about the cartridge.

He always thought they were the perfect guns. He had .357's and .44's but he loved the .41.

I shot his guns and enjoyed them too. I just had so many other guns I couldn't break down and buy another caliber.

My friend is now elderly and no longer shoots, but you did bring up some good memories. Just spoke to him yesterday, next time I call I'll see if he wants to go shoot a couple rounds. It might make him feel 30 years younger.

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Goal Life Member
Traveling Man

I have a number of all of the big magnums up to and including the 500....I love the .41 mag.best of all (yes I reload) to me the .41 is about 20% recoil as compared to the .44 mag.it's a very capable caliber

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SWCA#2208
KK4EMO

good read and fun to hear all those who love the .41

I can't really speak to the difference in 41 vs 44 as I haven't shot enough of either to really know, but both are manageable. I recently spent a day a the range with a few "big" bore guns. 44 mag 4", 45LC 7", and 357 M&P snub. Without doubt the most punishing recoil was the snubby.

As for the .41 I wish I had more luck finding ammo (don't currently reload) and I'd have taken it too If ammo were more available I think these guns would have an even bigger following