.41 v .44 decision

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7Iron

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I am looking for a bit of advice. I have had a 6" 657 no dash for about 30 years now. (Heavenly SA trigger pull) I got it for deer hunting, but never managed to use it for more than occaisional range work. It is a safe queen for the most part. Now I am beginning to pay more attention to my revolvers. Unfortunately, pickings are slim when it come to .41 ammo, and always expensive. I don't reload any more and do not have the time to get back in to reloading.

Question: As much as I like the balllistics of the .41 Mag, if I want to do more large bore revolver shooting, should I trade it for a 29 or 629 to take advantage of a wider range of available ammo, including specials? Are 5" 29's available out there? I know there are folks on this forum that swear by the 29 and the .44 mag. Any .41 fans that will convince me not to trade>

7Iron
 
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Keep it because if you don't you will wish you did later on down the road.
You must trust me on this. I have two 629s and one 57.

D

PS Take up handloading.
 
I love the Mod 57 (and 657), but...

You really need to reload for the .41 Magnum. If you don't want to get back into reloading, perhaps you can find a local commercial reloader that will work with you or perhaps you can work something out with a local pistol club. Perhaps you should reconsider getting back into reloading. Buying commercial .44 Spl and .44 Magnum ammo is not exactly cheap either. If you are determined to go with buying commercial .44 ammo [commercial .44 Spl ammo is also hard to come by], then selling your Mod 57 and buying a Mod 29 or 629 may be your best option.

I recently decided to cut back on my handguns and sold a Mod 657 and a Mod 625 while deciding to keep a Mod 629. While the .45 Colt and the .41 Magnum have certain advantages, I concluded that the .44 Mag was the best all-around. Of course, I am still hanging on to a Ruger Blackhawk in .45 Colt and a Ruger Blackhawk in .41 Mag.
 
Keep it that .41 . I love the .44 but it is getting harder to trade and come out ahead . You know your .41 is a shooter . I would not shoot .44 specials in my .44 magnum . The removal of burned powder residue from my .357 chambers after shooting .38 specials convinced me to stick with full length cartridges . It wasn't all that bad but seemed to be an unnessessary chore , and unless completely removed you could feel brass stick the next time you shoot mags . Maybe some here feel other wise . Give bambi a break and buy a inexpensive Stevens 200 ,a used Leupold Scope and a Rifle Basix trigger . Around $500.00 total . Kill em so dead they bounce .
Maybe a 25-06 , great around gun . Bambi will be in deer heaven and never feel a thing . You can never have too many guns .
002-1.jpg
 
If you want a 44, buy one. But do everything in your power to keep your 41 as well. You will miss ow flat the 41 shoots as soon as you start taking long shots with the 44.

As has been said, if you choose not to reload, make friends with a commercial reloader and a whole new world of 41 Magnum shooting will open up for you.

Here is an old shot of my 41 Stable.
41-stable.jpg
 
For a contrary opinion, I divested myself of all my .41 caliber revolvers and reloading particulars a couple of years ago, and while the accumulator in me feels a twinge every time I come across a great deal on a 4" 57 or I see photos and admire the lines of a nice 58, I decided I personally didn't need the .41 since I surely wasn't going to dump my 44's and felt there certainly wasn't anything I did with the .41 that could not and would not be handled by the 44.

Heresy ! Blasphemy ! I know, I can hear the howls . . . :D

Just personal preferences. But the ammo thing IS a big deal and there is no doubt that the .41 is (generally speaking) harder to feed than the 44. As I get older I appreciate all the experimenting I've done through the years and the experience with different and not so run-of-the-mill calibers and loadings ( love the 10mm auto, too, but got rid of that one a long time ago as well), but my time and resources are increasingly limited and most of us who don't have the luxury of unlimited resources find ourselves with a nagging urge to simplify, at least as much as our fickle addictions will allow.

While I appreciate the .41 magnum ( had them for over 25 years) it didn't warp my psyche or cause me sleepless nights and endless regret when I sold the guns, brass, and slugs to someone who didn't own a 44 magnum and goes crazy over the .41's.

YMMV ;)
 
Don't know what you are expecting other than maybe there are more reloaded ammo generally available for the .44 vs. the .41 but ALL magnum ammo is expensive these days.

Have you checked the Georgia Ammo site. Last I looked they had reasonably priced 210 grain hardcast ammo.

If you don't reload and can't find reasonably priced reloads in your area having a .44 isn't much of an advantage price wise over a .41.

Bob
 
...."don't reload" + "don't shoot"="doesn't compute"....

whatever floats your boat is what we all need to do!
 
I'd hold on to it and buy myself a used 29/629 if I was truly commited to the .44 mag idea. A clean, well taken care of 57 isn't going to come around cheaply now and I'm sure you'll regret selling/trading within a few months at most of your doing it.
 
If you choose corrrect bullet and load, the deer wont know the difference if its shot with a .41 or .44 you already have a good hunting revolver..on the the other hand nothing wrong with having both guns to play with either.
 
Hi, Steve here. Some way, some how , you have to keep the 41. You will regret letting it go .I love my 629 8",29 8",329PD, and i was lucky to keep my Mod. 57. Dont recomend the 329PD for hunting.
 
If you can, keep the .41 and look for a 29-4 or above as a shooter.The .210 grain 41 magnum is still an excellent flat shooting factory round.
 
I've got a dozen or so .41 mags , SA & DA , Smiths and Rugers.

I own 1 .44. An Old Model Super Blackhawk.

At one time I also owned several .44s. But heres the clincher. I could not get 1 load to shoot well in all the .44s.

OTOH , I could not find a load that shot bad in any of the .41s. Seems they liked anything I fed them.

Plus , like me , there's a bit of pride in being a bit different!
 
Thanks for all of the advice. Comments remind me why I enjoyed the 657 in the first place. And thanks for the link to Georgia Arms. Ceertainly cheaper than anything around here. I think I will hang on to the .41 for a while and try to get reaquainted w/ it.

Thanks again for your thoughts.

7Iron
 
I have been down this same path in the past, and I say keep the 41 mag. I also have a 6" 657, having had several others in the past. I traded them away, only to keep coming back to it. There is just something, weird, odd, different...about the 41 that I really like. I also do not reload. I might add, in our neck of the woods, 41 mag factory ammo costs exactly the same as similarly loaded ammo in 44 mag. The selection of factory ammo is not bad now either, although certainly no where near the variety of the 44's. I solved the problem by getting a 44 mag Ruger Alaskan so that I didn't have to make the decision. wyatte
 
I'm keeping my .41s (M58, 14" TC and Marlin 94') and giving my oldest son my only .44 Mag a M29-2. Started my reloading career on my uncles M57 and have own numberous other Smith 57/58/657s over the years while having only one other .44 briefly. I also cast my own boolits so no problems here.

OP, I would also suggest since you don't want to reload anymore is there a shooting buddy that reloads? Maybe, he can help you out. I used to reload for several friends that had 4" M57s.

CD
 
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