Any 41 Magnum Shooters Here?

[tecumseh]

Someone my brother knows has a Taurus 41 Mag with a 6.5" barrel for sale and he's wanting something to keep on him around camp out west for a bear buster. I told him we could get all the stuff needed to load rounds for it,so hunting for ammo won't be a problem.

Anyone have any experience with this caliber?

 

[FOTIS]

Absolutely. What exactly do you want to know sir?

 

[tecumseh]

Is it a difficult round to load for? Looking at a couple manuals it looks pretty straight forward. For hunting around here and down south it looks like a good cartridge to hunt with and for what he wants it for out west.

How does it compare with the 44 in terms of performance?

 

[Mortis]

41 Mag was my first reloading experience.....

It's no different then any other pistol cartridge to load for..... you just have to decide on bullet and powder.

I like to push a 170 grain Sierra with 19 grains of 2400 powder. Muzzle Velocity is a hair above 1400 fps.

The 41Mag is interesting in that you can push 220's and lower weight as fast or faster then the 44 Mag without the recoil and get a much flatter trajectory.

Loads all depends on who's book you are using.

My Lyman 47th shows loads much heavier then the new 49th. Which is not all that uncommon these days.

I own a model 657 S&W Snubbie..... a Model 57 4" and a 10" Contender.... I sorta like the 41 Mag.

 

[FOTIS]

Honestly if you can handload any revolver cartridge you can load for the 41. Very useful cartridge, much more than the 357 mag IMHO. As a hunting round it is great ( can not use a 357 in some places) with it and with low level loading it can be a 10mm or a 40 S&W easily.
For those who do not have a 44 or a 357 this is the best compromise.

Loads are plentiful. PM me for any data needed.

 

[Oldtrader3]

I used 20.0 grains of H110 or LilGun (interchangeably) with 220 Hornady bullets which should give you close to 1500 fps in most 6 inch revolvers. Mine was a 6 inch Ruger BH, 3-screw and it could easily kill milk jugs at 100 yards or deer as well. I liked the slightly smaller BH frame over the SBH .44 frame but that is just me with smaller hands. I owned and used a Ruger BH, 41 magnum for about 10 years and used a .44 Model 29 a lot as well.

 

[SJB358]

I would like a 41 Mag in a Blackhawk. Pretty cool round and in a shorter revolver, it would be a great packing pistol.

 

[338winmag]

I concur with Scotty.
I have a 44 mag Redhawk with a 7.5 barrel. I no longer carry it with me in the field on account of that extra bit of weight but it is a great in-camp bear gun.

A nice short barrel 41 mag would be great in the field.

 

[Oldtrader3]

By comparison, I had a 4 inch Model 29 for awhile. It was a little too much muzzle flip and too noisy for my tastes and I shot the revolver quite a bit. I got tired of the torque plus flip, then traded for a 6-1/2 inch Model 29 which I liked much better for hunting. I guess if you are going to carry a .41 or .44 Mag and not shoot it that much, the 4 inch would work.

I also have a BH Bisley, .357, 7-1/2 inch with rosewood grips etc. I really bought this BH as a collector item because it is really too long to carry in a Kirkpatrick fast draw holster. It is fun to shoot though, if you are into the Wyatt Earp mystique! For carry, I prefer the 4-5/8 to 5-1/2 USFA Peacemaker frames in .45 Colt. They weigh less, are much handier for carry and at levels of 980 fps for a 250 grain bullet.

These will make most bears very complacent. Our bears, here in Washington are usually the 250 pound black bear type and are often easy to talk down without shooting. Washington has more black bears than any state but Alaska. My wife and I run into them every time we go out hiking during blackberry season.

 

[Mortis]

Revolvers D & G are 41 Mags....

In fact... the 657 is my wife's.... all 5'2" of her..

 

[tecumseh]

Thanks Fotis I'll let you know if I run into any trouble working up loads. He's picking it up Saturday afternoon and heading straight to the range and bust a few rounds through it.

 

[gerry]

Nice looking revolvers you got there, wish we were allowed to hunt with them here.

Revolvers D & G are 41 Mags....

In fact... the 657 is my wife's.... all 5'2" of her..

 

[Mortis]

We are allowed to hunt with any Magnum length cartridge.... .357, 41, 44, 45Colt. I carry either the 57 or the 25 as a backup while hog hunting. Never hurts to have a handgun on your hip when in thick brush.

 

[RiverRider]

One thing I like about the .41 is that inch for inch in barrel length, there's a bit more meat in the .41 barrel and thus a bit more weight out front when compared to the .44 Mag.

 

[Jager1]

Just loaded my first pistol cartridge and wouldn't know it just so happened to be a 41 mag.
210gr. XTP's with 17.5gr. of 2400. I'm just not really sure on just how high to take them in a S&W to be safe?

Jager1

 

[Mortis]

Just loaded my first pistol cartridge and wouldn't know it just so happened to be a 41 mag.
210gr. XTP's with 17.5gr. of 2400. I'm just not really sure on just how high to take them in a S&W to be safe?

Jager1

Jager.....

Take it too the limit with a Smith..... I think the N Frame is as stout as the Ruger which has seperate load data in most books.......BUT !!! having said that.... once you get into those velocities, you better have a great set of grips or shooting gloves cause it will bite ya.

Suggest you stay within load specs and you can still get some great velocities without the pain.