Why 41 Mag?

[Neal/CO]

What does a 41 mag do that can't be done with a 44? Just curious? Seems you could shoot a whole spectrum of loads thru a 44 that would cover the 41s options, plus even larger hard cast thru the 44?

I am going to get a woods gun and can't decide if i need anything more than a 357 with 180 gr hard cast? No Griz left in Colorado.

 

[bishopm14]

.44s are like belly buttons, opinions, and...
Realistically nothing a .41 can do that a .44 couldn't, but I like going a bit against the grain. Bought my first .41 in spring of '08, and spoke up to claim my fourth tonight. All while the lone .44 in my collection has remained just that...the lone .44.
Honestly, the only benefit I can tell to the .41 is recoil. In my Marlin leverguns, identical except for caliber, max loads in the .41 recoil noticably lighter than max .44 loads. And that's just to my personal shoulder. YMMV.

 

[David LaPell]

Having had identical revolvers (Smith 29 and Smith 57) I'll tell you that the .41 seems to be a bit more accurate. Maybe it's the recoil, don't know. The .41 has always had a reputation for being a bit more accurate than the .44. Yes the .44 will do everything the .41 can do, but alot of it is reputation. When the movie Dirty Harry came out, the .44, which really wasn't doing much better than the .41 in sales, broke out and never looked back. The other reason is the .44 Magnum has a mild practice round in the .44 Special, the .41 doesn't have that. Remember that the .41 was supposed to be a law enforcement round, and it failed at that because most officers were used to .38's, and the .41 Magnum ain't no .38. So, it failed, although in few circles some loved the gun. Personally I like the .41 for personal defense (but the .44 I carried too) because with the right handloads it will do the job well.
Yes the .44 will do everything the .41 will do, but the .41 will do it style.

 

[diamonback68]

Could be stated the other way around, "what does a 44 Mag do that can't be done with a 41?". Answer, nothing except there are no 41 Specials.

 

[bmcgilvray]

I owned and shot a .44 Magnum for 30 years before acquiring a .41 Magnum late last year. Thoug I wanted a .41 Magnum way back yonder I went the .44 Magnum route simply because no .41s were in stock when I had the money to spend.

The .41 Magnum is a great round and is all it is cracked up to be for accuracy and shoot-ability. It is also a perfect fit in the N-Frame for recoil toleration. The .44 Magnum, with gut-bustin' full power loads using heavier bullets, is a bit of a chore.

 

[seeemmiss]

But there really are 41 specials. Several gunsmith have built 41 specials on Ruger flattop frames and eve a few 41 special Single Six five shot guns exist. I believe you can even buy 41 special brass now. Remember the 41 long colt, that was a 41 special if I am thinking correct. I do know that my Ruger 41 magnum 4 5/8 inch barreled revolver will hit a chest size target at 140 yards shooting a 210 grain bullet in front of 22 grains of H110. Did I meantion that I hold dead on? I know my 44 magnums will not do that with like bullets but the old 41 will do it every time. To anser the original question, I choose the 41 magnum because it makes others mad and they just wonder why not a 44!! Now, I would never choose the 41 if I didn't roll my own ammo. That factory stuff is way too expensive.

 

[gkitch]

I've noticed that the 41 has a loyal cult following among knowlegeable shooters. It shares this with the 44 Special and the 10mm, all less popular cartidges that demand handloading to be practicle but retain stati as "rounds of choice" among some who have their pick.
I am a 44 Special fan and use the magnum when I need more power. Already have dies, shellplates, and bullets that work for both, hence have no interest in the 41.

 

[pop-gunner]

A few years back some of the better known revolver enthusiast (Hamilton Bowen, John Taffin, and a couple others) gathered at a friends ranch in TX.
They decided to compare the two rounds and see their effects on things shot by them. Deer, javelena, goats all shot with both rounds. The biggest difference between the rounds tested was the recoil. There was no noticeable difference in the wounds produced by each round and all animals dropped right there. The .41 did just as good a job on those light skinned animals as the .44 with considerably less recoil.

 

[HAGEN]

41 Magnum

Years ago when crawling around in Rhododendron Thickets
Dispatching Wild Hogs, there was only one caliber .
A pair of 41 Mags.
Less recoil , just as effective as a 44.

 

[redhawk444]

Panache

 

[Neal/CO]

Thanks guys! Very interesting!

How does it compare recoil wise to a 357?

 

[diamonback68]

Thanks guys! Very interesting!

How does it compare recoil wise to a 357?

More, but less than a 44 Mag and not quite as sharp as .357 Mag.

 

[MTKTM]

The 41 is a good round. 41 Specials exist if you handload. Recoil-wise it's more than a 357 in a similar size/weight gun, but not hugely so. I personally don't own one, have a pile of 357s which I like for most purposes, and a 44 and a brace of 500s for the bigger stuff, but I'm inclined to think that a 41 will do about anything that a 44 will, or vice-versa.

 

[blueknight7]

Hummmmmmmmmmmm, lemme see? "No griz in Colorado". Fall 1979, female grizzley attacked guide while he was guiding archery hunters northwest of Alamosa. It took approximately 300 stitches to close the guide's wounds. Grizzley was killed by guide using an arrow as a spear, and the animal finally expired. Source: Rocky Mountain News.

How would I know about this? I was living 103 miles north of there, at the time. Then, when I went to the Colorado Law Enforcement Training Academy, at Golden, Co., in March 1980, I bunked right next to an Alamosa PD officer, for 8 solid weeks. He happened to be the nephew to the guide that got ate. Oh, the grizzley was confirmed as a grizzley by CU wildlife professors.

Now, do you honestly think that female grizzley just FELL out of the sky, into the middle of Colorado? The 10 years I was a cop in that area, amazing how many times my partner and I found bear tracks that were between 10 and 14 inches long and between 4 and 8 inches wide, on both sides of the Arkansas River. Black bear? I Don't Think So!

The San Isabel Nat. Forest is a very amazing place. You would be surprised what you might find, when you get off the beaten path.

And one more thing, Pat Grashorn bunked on the other side of me, while at the academy. I think alot of you might know him, by his custom grips.

 

[BigBill]

Why not the 41mag?

If you haven't noticed there is a big gap between the 357mag and the 44mag ballastics wise and the 41mag does fill in this gap. I think its been the underdog, its been overlooked and sometimes forgotten about magnum caliber for many years. Its the middle child between the 357mag and the 44mag. It has more power and less recoil than the 357mag yet it can hang in there with the 44mag. In some bullet weights it has more power than the 44mag (41mag 210gr vs 44mag 210gr).
While the 357mag and 44mag shine more on there own the 41mag needs no help and can shine on its own too if we give it a try. There's more pro's than con's about the 41mag too. There's nothing the 44mag can do that the 41mag won't do. Just ask the hunters who use both. They will tell you that they see no difference in killing power between the 41mag and the 44mag so there pretty much equal in performance. Most 41mag owners will admit the 41mag also shoots flatter, a tad more accurate and has less recoil than a 44mag too. So really why not the 41mag?? It sounds like an interesting caliber to play with to me.

The 41mag to me is the cinderella caliber, she's an awesome performer dying to get out and prove it. Bill

BTW; I think there are more 41mag owners/shooters than we think. This is why its harder to find brass and new ammo. I really think its gaining in popularity lately too. Elmer K. would be proud i'm sure.

OT
I get nervious when i'm told that animals are extinct. I was seeing mountainlion tracks in the upper part of the green mountains for well over two and one half decades when ther were suppose to be extinct. Ok there called catamounts up there but there the samey same as cougars/mountainlions too. The one i seen was between 180lbs to 200lbs. male. Don't get me started about the larger blackbears that i have tracked up there too. They crack me up when they talk about the average size of the blackbears when there paws fit my size 13" sorrel boots. Yup there are no mountainlions up there too. When i hear the word extinct i'm on the look out for it. Think about it with the millions and millions of acres of forest how can we possibly say we killed them all and there extinct now and pose no threat.

 

[Neal/CO]

Hummmmmmmmmmmm, lemme see? "No griz in Colorado". Fall 1979, female grizzley attacked guide while he was guiding archery hunters northwest of Alamosa. It took approximately 300 stitches to close the guide's wounds. Grizzley was killed by guide using an arrow as a spear, and the animal finally expired. Source: Rocky Mountain News.

How would I know about this? I was living 103 miles north of there, at the time. Then, when I went to the Colorado Law Enforcement Training Academy, at Golden, Co., in March 1980, I bunked right next to an Alamosa PD officer, for 8 solid weeks. He happened to be the nephew to the guide that got ate. Oh, the grizzley was confirmed as a grizzley by CU wildlife professors.

Now, do you honestly think that female grizzley just FELL out of the sky, into the middle of Colorado? The 10 years I was a cop in that area, amazing how many times my partner and I found bear tracks that were between 10 and 14 inches long and between 4 and 8 inches wide, on both sides of the Arkansas River. Black bear? I Don't Think So!

The San Isabel Nat. Forest is a very amazing place. You would be surprised what you might find, when you get off the beaten path.

And one more thing, Pat Grashorn bunked on the other side of me, while at the academy. I think alot of you might know him, by his custom grips.

You are right! it would not surprise me if there are some hidden in the San Juans still? Wolves are finally starting to show up in NW Colorado also!

But I think I have a better chance of getting hit by debri from the space shuttle, than being attacked by a Grizzly on the east slope

 

[blueknight7]

Neal, as my buddy from Alamosa PD said, the grizzley was probably kinda "prodded" into doing something. That being said, there were some awfully "big" dog tracks found by my partner and I in the middle of the Fourteener's. Yeah, that is where I worked. We weren't the largest county in the state, but, we had more 14,000 ft. mountains, than any other place.
As for comparing grizzley attacks in Colorado, and getting hit by space shuttle debris. I haven't heard of anyone getting hit by space shuttle debris. I have heard of a grizzley attack.
And do remember this, what area I am talking about is the eastern slope. Granted, we were close to or on the continental divide when we were finding alot of this.

 

[Neal/CO]

Neal, as my buddy from Alamosa PD said, the grizzley was probably kinda "prodded" into doing something. That being said, there were some awfully "big" dog tracks found by my partner and I in the middle of the Fourteener's. Yeah, that is where I worked. We weren't the largest county in the state, but, we had more 14,000 ft. mountains, than any other place.
As for comparing grizzley attacks in Colorado, and getting hit by space shuttle debris. I haven't heard of anyone getting hit by space shuttle debris. I have heard of a grizzley attack.
And do remember this, what area I am talking about is the eastern slope. Granted, we were close to or on the continental divide when we were finding alot of this.

That was just a joke. I wasn't trying to be disrespectful in any way!!! I would love to hear some stories about what people have found up there!! Once you do go over the divide there, you really are in the wilds! I have fished up in the upper drainage of the Rio Grande and it is pretty wild.

I would like to believe they still exist!!! And I would never want to kill a bear! Unless he was chewing on something i value

 

[aphelion]

For long time use if durability and big bore performance is a concern, the 41 is probably a better match for the N frame than the 44.

 

[bmcgilvray]

Much as I like the .41 Magnum there is no way I can give it the attribute of having less recoil than a .357 Magnum. A 6-inch Model 57 will have a distinctly heavier recoil than a 6-inch Model 27, assuming heavy loads are used in each.

 

[David LaPell]

I would say that my 57 recoils a bit more than my Model 27. But it is a little different, the .357 has more of a crack than the push of the .41 Magnum.

 

[blueknight7]

Neal, when I first went to Chaffee Co., I carried a M-57 .41 mag. Never felt undergunned. It was a ton of steel to carry on your hip all day. That was back when everything was leather too.
But, I also carried the Rem. 210 gr. jacketed softpoints, not the 210 gr. soft lead semi-wadcutters, that were suppose to be the duty ammo.
It was interesting to qualify with that stuff. I always found a way to do it. When we were finding large tracks, that was on my hip, and my .338 Win. Mag. or my .350 Rem. Mag. was in my patrol car.
I have a long fond memory of the .41 Remington Magnum. Was with me for alot of miles, before the Department attorney decided we had to standardize on caliber. Then, we ended up with .38/.357 Mag. Everyone had .357's. And finally they furnished ammo.

 

[mtgianni]

Could be stated the other way around, "what does a 44 Mag do that can't be done with a 41?". Answer, nothing except there are no 41 Specials.

That one is easy to answer. There are a lot more bullet weights, molds and 44 gas checks are easy to find while 41 checks are difficult at best, being no longer made by Lyman or Hornaday.

 

[whelenshooter]

Thirty years ago I shot my first elk with a 4 5/8 inch Ruger .41 Magnum I had bought at a Sheriff's auction for $125. I was amazed at its performance, and I've been a fan ever since. I love the .44 Special, the .45 Colt, and the .45 ACP out of a revolver too, but the .44 Magnum has never given me the pleasure the other cartridges have given me. I can't really tell you why, however. It is more of a gut feeling than anything else.

 

[seeemmiss]

Cast Performance Bullets makes lots of 41 gas check bullets.

 

[wyozx]

I've owned 5 41 mags and only 2 44 mags. I feel the 41 mag is more accurate for me at least. I guess I just shoot it better.
It's way more powerful than a 357 mag I've had 3 of them.
However reloading is a must. It really opens up a new world for the 41 mag with so many more bullet wieght choices. Although I mostly shoot 210-220gr bullets. You just have to experience one for yourself, then you'll understand.

 

[David LaPell]

Montana Bullet company makes 215 grain SWC's that have gas checks, I have some loaded right now 16.0 grains of 2400.

 

[diamonback68]

That one is easy to answer. There are a lot more bullet weights, molds and 44 gas checks are easy to find while 41 checks are difficult at best, being no longer made by Lyman or Hornaday.

The question was what the 44 and the 41 can "DO", not what molds or checks are available.


I also never said that brass wasn't available for the Special, just there are no manufacturers of finished ammo.

 

[David LaPell]

The question was what the 44 and the 41 can "DO", not what molds or checks are available.


I also never said that brass wasn't available for the Special, just there are no manufacturers of finished ammo.

This is something that I am working on. I have written to every major and even some minor ammo maker out there in an effort to get the ball rolling on a .41 Special. I have done alot of work with it, but the real credit goes to John Taffin who I am following on this. I can tell that Hornady is not interested, have not heard back from Winchester, Remington, Federal, Black Hills, or Cor-Bon. I have made the case that if there was a .41 Special, it would be a hot seller, especially with the cost of factory .41 Magnum ammo. In the letter I got from Ruger, they were interested in the project, but since they don't make ammo, they are on the sidelines. I would like to get Smith off their behinds in coming up with a .41 Special like the 696, and Ruger in .357 framed Blackhawk in .41 Special if the ammo could ever be realized. It would be an easy cartridge to make, one of the easiest in fact. But it would be the first time I think that there would be a Special after a Magnum instead of the other way around.

 

[PRK 25-5]

If your purpose is to own only one handgun in a magnum caliber, the answer is nothing. But I own many calibers where performance can easily be loaded to overlap. For some reason, given opportunity and the right price, I would buy even more. He who dies with the most toys wins.