41 magnum popularity

[Richard93]

In your opinion, why was the 41 magnum caliber unsuccessful? It seems like a good caliber, has a tighter trajectory than a 44 and similar energy but with less recoil. It could be a good hunting caliber even in a rifle...
Even for the defense it could be better than 357 in my opinion. What do you think?

 

[Denverd0n]

The 44 and 357 magnum rounds both had lower power alternatives available that could be fired in the same gun. That allowed for less expensive practice and/or alternatives when you didn't need or want the full power magnum round (with its full power noise, recoil, and blast). No such thing for the 41 magnum.


I know that is why I, personally, never wanted a 41 mag. I suspect that others felt the same. So my guess would be that is at least a contributing factor to its lesser popularity.

 

[GypsmJim]

The 44 and 357 magnum rounds both had lower power alternatives available that could be fired in the same gun. That allowed for less expensive practice and/or alternatives when you didn't need or want the full power magnum round (with its full power noise, recoil, and blast). No such thing for the 41 magnum.

I know that is why I, personally, never wanted a 41 mag. I suspect that others felt the same. So my guess would be that is at least a contributing factor to its lesser popularity.

THAT's a good analysis.

You either liked a 357 or a 44. Both had minimal cartridges that could be used instead. If you could handle a K Frame, but not an N Frame your choice was easy.

The 41 was developed as an in-between, but it still used the large N Frame. I guess people thought if you could handle the N why not just buy a 44.

When my Dad couldn't handle a long gun any more for hunting he went to the LGS to buy a handgun because it was easier to carry afield. He was steered to a 41. He shot is faithfully for many years. Its now in my collection. With 41 spl brass now available, it has the same appeal as the older special options.

My Model 57 will be the last gun I ever sell. It will be Dad's Grandson's inheritance. Until then I shoot it every week.

 

[sjmjax]

It’s a good question.
I only have one. Model 58 4”. It is unusual in that it didn’t evolve from a lower power cartridge. But, I shoot almost exclusively my own reloads. Easy to make moderately powered practice ammo.

Mine quite accurate. This is 12 rounds at only 15 yards. But, that’s about as good as it gets for me.

 

[colt_saa]

Welcome to the Forum

Who says that the 41 Magnum cartridge is unsuccessful?

Not Me

I have been carrying them, shooting them, and loading for them for more than 40 years now for all of the reasons that you mentioned

Now the cartridge was not successful for law enforcement due to a poor choice in projectiles. The soft lead bullets that were used in the mid sixties significantly fouled up the rifling


If Law Enforcement had been offered a JHP projectile downloaded from Magnum performance I think we would be seeing a different picture today


I personally believe that this is a very successful personal defense sidearm

It does make a fantastic hunting cartridge either in the long barrel lever action rifle pictured in the above 41 Magnum group photo or the shorter barreled carbine pictured right here

The Scandinavian alloy Model 357PD with its Titanium cylinder makes a fantastic sidearm for walking through the woods all day long

And if you wish to take a game from farther out there are longer barreled handguns available

​

BTW, I am not a fan of the 44 Magnum, though a couple are in my collection

 

[GypsmJim]

Unsuccessful? Yeah right. It sure has a cult following, as you are seeing...

 

[Frailer]

I think we may be quibbling just a bit over the meaning of “unsuccessful.” It has certainly survived, and it does indeed have its enthusiastic fans, but it never achieved a great deal of popularity.

I think the assessment that the lack of a “.41 Special” hurt its adoption is correct, and IMHO the cartridge really didn’t offer much over its .357 and .44 counterparts.

I can’t recall how easy ammo was to find back in the round’s heyday, but I don’t remember seeing much of it on gun store shelves.

FWIW, I *do* remember several gun writers pushing it pretty hard back in the day.

 

[BigMuddy]

Looking in my safe one would not think of the 41 Mag as “unsuccessful”. I don’t have as many as Colt SAA, but I have the cartridge fairly well represented. I don’t buy into the idea that there wasn’t a more milder load available. Yes the original lower power load leaded barrels terribly, but so did the original .357 with its swaged lead bullet. I think its lack of popularity was due to the order of its introduction. We had the .357 for 20 years, increased power tremendously with the 44 Mag, then 9 years later we stepped back with the 41. My personal opinion is if we had the 41 Mag before the 44 things would have been different.

Dan

 

[Maddog 521]

I bought a Ruger Blackhawk revolver in .41 Magnum from a friend many years ago. Ammo was scarce so that's when I decided to learn how to reload. I used to hunt white tail deer and was quite successful with it. It worked very well for me.

 

[SuperMan]

...I went the opposite way.

Started out with a .357 in 1970, then a .44 29-2 in 1973. 1974 a Model 58. Sold the 58 in 1977 and went back to .44. 1979 went to a 4" 57 and in 1980 the .357 and .44 were sold... Then in the mid-80s with the reintroduction of the Model 24 I had all 6...they were sold off in the early 90s and had nothing but .41s as a large caliber revolver till the early 2000s... Picked up a couple of .357s but didn't have any .44s till just two years ago.

Current revolvers:
.41s....30
.44s....3
.357s...7
10mm..2
.45 ACP..3

...just works for me....

Bob

 

[loc n load]

41 Magnum

Originally conceived by a couple of the shooting world illuminaries to be the "perfect police cartridge", it was a good concept. But not well executed as far as marketing.
In the 70's there was much push back from the ACLU & other thug huggers, that a "magnum" of any kind was simply too brutal to be used as a police sidearm.
That is why a lot agencies who issued 357 magnum revolvers mandated that they be loaded with 38 +P duty ammo.

"Dirty Harry" was in the cinema in the early 70's and the images of felons being blown through plate glass windows and exploding vehicles influenced a lot of police administrators who knew nothing about real world shooting or ballistics.

If the round had been called the "41 Police" it might have fared better in police circles.
Also it was chambered in the N frame and for those of us who wore a Sam Browne rig all day, that was a factor to some also.

I carried a model 58 as a duty weapon for several years and my duty load was the soft lead SWC which was supposed to run 900fps or so.
I like the round, handload it and still shoot & carry it.
But I am also a fan of the 10mm cartridge & the 16 ga. shotgun which some pronounced extinct years ago.

 

[glenwolde]

But there was a lighter load available, the "Police" load with a 200gr LSWC @ 900 fps.

I think with the .357 and .44 it was more about an "installed base". Those loading .38 and .44 Special could add one of the magnums and be able to supply it with ammo without having to tool up for another caliber. The non-reloaders only had to buy one ammo for all their guns if they wanted too.

I like the .41, but it's a reloader's cartridge. They keep chambering guns for it so somebody's buying them. It's one of the few revolver cartridges that was designed from the ground up and not just a longer version of some previous cartridge.

 

[THE PILGRIM]

By the time I was really aware of the 41, I was Knee Deep in 44s.
And I don’t join Cults!

 

[SuperMan]

...it's ok....leaves more for the rest of us....

 

[erikpolcrack]

I've got a Ruger BH, a 57, and a 58 in 41 Mag. I like the cartridge and have no complaints about the guns or the cartridge.

 

[gwpercle]

Elmer Keith did such a great job of selling the shooting public on the 44 Magnum ...

When I was very young I passed up a chance to by a Ruger Blackhawk (3-screw) with 4 5/8 " bbl because it was marked 41 Magnum and I didn't know what that was ... I saw the first 4 on the sales tag and was thinking 44 Magnum ... but when pulled out the case ...41 Mag .
Passing on that RBH in 41 Magnum was the worst deal I never made !
Later, in a trade , I got the model 58 S&W in my avatar ... Now I'm a huge 41 Fan . Later in Elmer Keiths life he shot the 41 mpre and came to realize the potential of the 41 Magnum .
Gary

 

[44wheelman]

It’s too close dimensionally to a .44. .019” ain’t much.

I think it would have had more success if it were .40”, something closer to splitting the difference between .357/.429. That would also given us a few more projectile choices…throw a canelure on a 10mm, or 38/40 bullets.

Getting low on Unique now, but I would reload 45colt, .44spl, and .41 at the same time. Set the powder thrower to 7.5g of unique. Under a 255, 240, 215 gr cast swc (respectively).

 

[STORMINORMAN]

Starline 41 Special brass is currently In Stock at Midway USA. They also have 14(!) different 41 Magnum ammunition choices available: I was amazed!

I have always considered the 41 Magnum as being, primarily a reloader's caliber. The 1st thing one needs is a firearm chambered for that caliber, then dies & brass.

It is one of the few regular (dare I call it "common"?) calibers I don't have or reload for. Probably because of 44 Magnum & 10mm? Always seemed to me to be a situation where if one first had acquired a 41 Magnum they could forego both 357 & 44 Magnum, but concealed (or even daily?) carry would be quite a bit of a challenge.

Cheers!

P.S. To be honest, I also consider 44 Magnum, 10mm, 45 AutoRim, etc. as being "reloader calibers", and originally only bought 3 boxes of factory 10mm, mostly so I would have brass to reload and some factory fodder to compare my 1st reloading attempts to... The brass from a friend's 1st box of 44 Magnum ammo marked $54.99 got me started there.

 

[SuperMan]

It’s too close dimensionally to a .44. .019” ain’t much.

I think it would have had more success if it were .40”, something closer to splitting the difference between .357/.429. That would also given us a few more projectile choices…throw a canelure on a 10mm, or 38/40 bullets.

Getting low on Unique now, but I would reload 45colt, .44spl, and .41 at the same time. Set the powder thrower to 7.5g of unique. Under a 255, 240, 215 gr cast swc (respectively).

..still wish someone would pick up the ball and bring the .401 Herter's PowerMag back as a SAAMI spec round... Ruger GP-100, Colt Python, S&W L-frames...all 6-shot...

Herter's .401 PowerMag

This is what we should have got instead of the .41 RM...not that I don't love the round but this would have been better for the original purpose...but everyone hated Herter so no guns were ever chambered except for his...waste of a GREAT cartridge....

Bob

 

[375hh1973]

Was always intrigued by the .41 mag.

Shot a couple of them that guys at the range let me try. Nice shooting guns.

Not a reloader of pistol rounds so I never seriously considered one.

Maybe if I win the powerball I would get one and buy all the ammo I want.