41 Mag vs 44 Mag
Question:
The 44 has the versatility to take varmints and big game. It has a large selection of bullet weights and designs in factory loadings. Why limit yourself to two bullet choices by using the 41? Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page athttp://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
The 44 has the versatility to take varmints and big game. It has a large selection of bullet weights and designs in factory loadings. Why limit yourself to two bullet choices by using the 41?
I’m a .44 fan, but fair is fair, and the .41 isn’t THAT limited. Just off the top of my headSierra170 grain, 210 grain. Believe their might be a 220 grain FPJ silhouette bullet, too. Speer200 grain, 220 grain. (Is there a .410 gold dot yet?) Hornady210 grain. Nosler210 grain. Think “Harrison” makes a 250 grain jacketed bullet. Someone or other makes a nifty 180 grain for the .41 AE which should make a fun varmint bullet. Cast bullet options are limited only by your imagination. Even in the .44, I’ve settled back to either a 180 grain Remington JHP handload or 300 grain LBT cast bullet in my 7-1/2″ super blackhawk, a 250 grain RCBS cast bullet in my Vaquero (+ rem 240 factory or Fed 240 hydrashok for carry) and the 300 grain XTP in my carbine. That’s for 3 different guns for totally different purposes. Varmints, carry/social, and hunting medium game. The .41 has those options covered. How many choices of “good enough” do ya need? 
Not to say the .41 is better, mind you, but lets at least fight by the same rules. Tom Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page athttp://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
I’ve been carrying a .41 for over 25 years, may be closer to 30. I own two Blackhawks and a Dan Wesson SS41 with a 6″ and 8″ barrel. I also have the Marlin 1895 in .41 (the older one not the new one with the hex barrel). I wouldn’t trade any of them. Took a black bear in AK panhandle in ‘73 with one shot at about 30 yards and a brownie near Fairbanks in ‘74 two shots at about 45-50 yards. “A historical examination of the right to bear arms, Second Amendment, bears proof that the right to bear arms has consistently been, and should still be, construed as an individual right.” Judge Sam Cummings Federal Court Texas, 2 Apr 1999 John T. McGuire SFC, USA (Ret) Life member NRA Life member TSRA Member USPSA
In my local shops, 44 Magnums outnumber 41 Magnums, both new and used, probably 20 to 1. However, I can get a new S&W 657 in 41 Magnum for a hundred dollars less than a 629, identical Stainless and 6″ barrel. Is there something “wrong” with the 41 Magnum, that it seems to be this much less popular? Being 48 years old with 48 year old wrists, i.e. a bit of “carpal-tunnel”, I wouldn’t mind owning a revolver that had a little less recoil, yet would still be enough for Pennsylvania whitetail deer. (No grizzlies, moose, or anything large or dangerous.) Would anyone knowledgeable about the 41 Magnum educate me if I’m missing some key points here. Thanks, Jerry. —— Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page at http://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/ Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page athttp://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
In my local shops, 44 Magnums outnumber 41 Magnums, both new and used, probably 20 to 1. However, I can get a new S&W 657 in 41 Magnum for a hundred dollars less than a 629, identical Stainless and 6″ barrel. Is there something “wrong” with the 41 Magnum, that it seems to be this much less popular?
The question of “Why the .41 Magnum?” seems to be answered as followsthe creators intendeded to sell it to the police market as a “perfect” gun sized between the .357, which doesn’t always have everything it takes to shoot through auto bodies, and the .44, which “everybody knows” has “excessive” recoil. This seems borne out by the factory ammo offered for it. There were two loads, a jacketed-bullet load at magnum velocity, and a lead-bullet load at around 1000 fps (6″ barrel). This second load was even nicknamed the “police load”, sort of a .41 Special made on the magnum case. In terms of real-world performance, there is not a dollar’s worth of difference between the .41 & .44 Magnums. Yes, most .44 bullets are slightly larger, and some .41 bullets are slightly faster. But, in the real world, neither will make any shot that the other won’t. The .41 guns are cheaper, but harder to find. Also, .41 ammo is harder to find, and therefore less likely to available at a discount, or in out-of-the-way places. Both are easy to reload, but .41 components are harder to come by. In my opinion, the thing that doomed the .41 magnum was that it was never chambered in any handgun that was not also chambered in .44 Magnum. Thus, when the police of the world declined to make it popular, it came down to ordinary civilian shooters choosing between a common, well-known cartridge and an uncommon, don’t-know-anybody-who-has-one cartridge, both ballistically-equivalent & in the “same” gun. Of course, you know what 98% of the public decided. For police work, as a mild-mannered, good-stopping sidearm that could be “magnumized” for roadblock or barricade duty by just changing the ammo, a .41 made some senseas an alternative to the .44 magnum in the big woods, it was a fix for something that wasn’t broken. IMHO, the best hope for the .41 Magnum is the S&W L-frame. If they would turn out a five-shot .41 magnum on that frame, it would be a most desirable hunting sidearm, as it would be practically as powerful as a .44 Magnum, but the gun would weigh more than a half-pound less. That is an important, possibly decisive, characteristic in a gun that you are going to wear 8+ hours a day while going up & down mountains. They already have a five-shot .44 Special on that frame, so most of the design work is already done, and most of the tooling already on-hand. What’s the holdup, S&W? The very concept of human government is a moral paradoxIf the people are good, it is a mistake to create a government over them; If they are not good, it is a mistake to create a government out of them. Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page athttp://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
In my local shops, 44 Magnums outnumber 41 Magnums, both new and used, probably 20 to 1. However, I can get a new S&W 657 in 41 Magnum for a hundred dollars less than a 629, identical Stainless and 6″ barrel. Is there something “wrong” with the 41 Magnum, that it seems to be this much less popular?
The .41 have thicker drum walls and so can withstand higher pressures in the same N-frame. Lutz — http://www.snafu.de/~l.moeller/ Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page athttp://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
Jerry there is nothing wrong with the 41. I haeve been shooting them for 23 years this past June, and have never found the calibre lacking in any respect. I typically shoot either 220 or 240 gr. hard cast slugs at chronographed speeds of 1300 to 1400 f.p.s. This will do anything you want on deer, blackbear, boar, and has shown it can do it on elk too. In my youth as a cowboy I once had the necessity of using it on a big Hereford bull and it cleanly put him down, lest I would not be writing this now. As to guns, the big Smith will recoil a bit less than a Model 29. I the Ruger single action it will recoil significantly harder than a SuperBllackHawk. I recently bought a 657 Mountain Gun which shoots great, sub 2 inch at 50 yd. The 41 shoots flatter than a 44 at long range, an d had been easier to get top acurracy from (for me) than the 44. If you need more power than a 41, I would suggest a Ruger Bisley in 45 with heavy loads. Just my opinions,and your mileage may vary. R.J. Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page athttp://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
In my local shops, 44 Magnums outnumber 41 Magnums, both new and used, probably 20 to 1. However, I can get a new S&W 657 in 41 Magnum for a hundred dollars less than a 629, identical Stainless and 6″ barrel. Is there something “wrong” with the 41 Magnum, that it seems to be this much less popular? No, nothing is “wrong” with the 41 mag but consider this. The bullet diameter of the 41 Mag is .410. For the .44 Mag it’s .429. A difference of .019 isn’t that great and when you reload for this cartridge you find that the .41 Mag has a lot more in common with the .44 than it does with the .357 mag. What you note in your local shops is that the small difference between the .41 and .44 mags leads to a wide preference for the more versatile 44. Being 48 years old with 48 year old wrists, i.e. a bit of “carpal-tunnel”, I wouldn’t mind owning a revolver that had a little less recoil, yet would still be enough for Pennsylvania whitetail deer. (No grizzlies, moose, or anything large or dangerous.) Many .41 Mags can be found in a Ruger Blackhawk. You seem to be looking at a Smith which may be a better choice. The .41 in a Blackhawk has significant recoil. It really likes to flip in your hand with maximum loads. If the pistol has a Pachmeyer style rubber grip it can easily wear your palm raw after a box or two. Nevertheless you can load the .41 down (as you can the .44) so that it has enough power to do the job without causing undue strain. I would caution though that just because it say’s .41 Mag don’t expect it to recoil substantially less than a .44. In a pistol, heavier is better when it comes to recoil management. Regards, Rick Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page athttp://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
The 41 is a fine caliber it’s problem is too many people want it to be a 44 instead of using it like it is. It is plenty strong for deer.The 41 got stuck between the 357 and 44 and everyone compared it to them instead of letting it answer the challenge, the 357 folks said “too strong for me” and the 44 folks said “my 44 is stronger HA!”. The 41 is making a comeback though. WATCHOUT!!! cause one day it may breathe down the neck of the 44 and challenge it for top hunting awards.( atleast I hope so ) The 44 is a fine round. I’m a sucker for the underdog though. Mike Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page athttp://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
In my local shops, 44 Magnums outnumber 41 Magnums, both new and used, probably 20 to 1. However, I can get a new S&W 657 in 41 Magnum for a hundred dollars less than a 629, identical Stainless and 6″ barrel. Is there something “wrong” with the 41 Magnum, that it seems to be this much less popular? Being 48 years old with 48 year old wrists, i.e. a bit of “carpal-tunnel”, I wouldn’t mind owning a revolver that had a little less recoil, yet would still be enough for Pennsylvania whitetail deer. (No grizzlies, moose, or anything large or dangerous.) Would anyone knowledgeable about the 41 Magnum educate me if I’m missing some key points here. Thanks, Jerry. Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page athttp://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
In my local shops, 44 Magnums outnumber 41 Magnums, both new and used, probably 20 to 1. However, I can get a new S&W 657 in 41 Magnum for a hundred dollars less than a 629, identical Stainless and 6″ barrel. Is there something “wrong” with the 41 Magnum, that it seems to be this much less popular? Being 48 years old with 48 year old wrists, i.e. a bit of “carpal-tunnel”, I wouldn’t mind owning a revolver that had a little less recoil, yet would still be enough for Pennsylvania whitetail deer. (No grizzlies, moose, or anything large or dangerous.) Would anyone knowledgeable about the 41 Magnum educate me if I’m missing some key points here. Thanks, Jerry.
I’m not super-knowledgable about the .41, but I did have a pair of .41 mag Ruger blackhawks one summer and put a couple thousand rounds through them to figure out what makes the .41 tick. As far as deer guns go, aside from ammo availability the .41 is probably a better cartridge than the .44. In fact, optimally I’d slightly download the .41. No deer I ever met would stand up to a 200 grain bullet at 1100 fps. Anything more is … just more, not necessarily better. I settled on a near-max load of either H110 or W296, I don’t recall which, WW cases, WLP primers, and either a 215 grain SWC from an RCBS mold or a 210 grain Hornady XTP. Never did test ‘em on a deer … toward the end of summer I sold ‘em to buy back a .44 I’d owned which drove me nuts … thought I’d figured out the problem and I *had* to buy it back ’cause I *had* to know. Tom Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page athttp://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
Response:
In my local shops, 44 Magnums outnumber 41 Magnums, both new and used, probably 20 to 1. The problem is, so does the ammo. Not a problem if you handload. Is there something “wrong” with the 41 Magnum, that it seems to be this much less popular? No, as a matter of fact, the .41 Magnum has quite the cult following. It shoots flatter than the .44 and kicks less. It has less energy, though. Not a problem for whitetail. If you have a reliable source of ammo (check the price, too) the .41 sounds like a good idea for you. -Jeremy Z Visit the rec.hunting and rec.hunting.dogs FAQ Home Page athttp://sportsmansweb.com/hunting/
