Garand Guy
New member
What do you think of the .41 Mag. Shooting Impressions, accuracy? I'm a nutcase for oddball calibers.
41 Magnum
- Thread starter Garand Guy
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My absolute fav pistol caliber so far! 
If I could only keep one gun, it'd be a tough call between the old model Blackhawk 41 and my beautiful 686...
It can be loaded nice and mild or to just about 44 mag levels. I can hit 100yd targets with a few practice shots. And nowhere near the recoil of a 44. If i didnt load my own, I would never have bought it though...too spendy that way.
Randy
If I could only keep one gun, it'd be a tough call between the old model Blackhawk 41 and my beautiful 686...It can be loaded nice and mild or to just about 44 mag levels. I can hit 100yd targets with a few practice shots. And nowhere near the recoil of a 44. If i didnt load my own, I would never have bought it though...too spendy that way.
Randy
I like some of the oddball calibers too.
Try owning a .41 Mag and a .32 H&R mag... no chance of mixing the ammo in these two!
.41 Mag -- if it was a serious matter, it'd be the first wheelgun I'd want in my hand. Loaded with 175gr Silvertips or 210-220gr LSWC up to 1100fps you can take care of business. Loaded with a 210gr JHP/JSP at 1300fps I'll stack it up against most game animals. Add the 240gr to 250gr hunting loads and it'll work on just about any game animal in the US.
Shooting impressions:
With 210gr LSWC "Police" loads or 175gr Winchester Silvertips the recoil feels more like a stout "push" than a wrist-wringing, hand-stinging, flinch-inducing .44 Magnum. When you "load up" into the JSP/JHP realm, the .41's recoil still feels more like a huge push. I liken it to catching a line-drive softball with your bare hand (instead of one of MacGuire's line drive baseball like a .44).
S&W Model 57's and 657's have the heft to soak up some of the recoil. Accuracy is excellent, especially with the Speer 210gr Gold Dot and the Federal 250gr Cast Core, provided you do your part. With the 210gr Gold Dots you can carve the X-ring out of a 25 yard bullseye target in 6 rounds.
The .44 fans will tell you that anything the .41 can do, the .44 can do better. I think it's a case of "mine's bigger than yourn!" since the .41 is actually .410" and the ".44" is really .429" -- not a huge difference. In my experience the .41 tends to penetrate slightly better than the .44 given standard factory loads.
The only problems with the .41 are...
* Reloading is a must if you want to shoot often, unless you own oil.
* Ammo is sometimes difficult to find at shops without special orders.
* Loads slower than about 925fps seem to lose accuracy worse than others.
* Fewer choices in projectiles than .44 for reloading
But they are a whole bunch o' fun to shoot!
Try owning a .41 Mag and a .32 H&R mag... no chance of mixing the ammo in these two!
.41 Mag -- if it was a serious matter, it'd be the first wheelgun I'd want in my hand. Loaded with 175gr Silvertips or 210-220gr LSWC up to 1100fps you can take care of business. Loaded with a 210gr JHP/JSP at 1300fps I'll stack it up against most game animals. Add the 240gr to 250gr hunting loads and it'll work on just about any game animal in the US.
Shooting impressions:
With 210gr LSWC "Police" loads or 175gr Winchester Silvertips the recoil feels more like a stout "push" than a wrist-wringing, hand-stinging, flinch-inducing .44 Magnum. When you "load up" into the JSP/JHP realm, the .41's recoil still feels more like a huge push. I liken it to catching a line-drive softball with your bare hand (instead of one of MacGuire's line drive baseball like a .44).
S&W Model 57's and 657's have the heft to soak up some of the recoil. Accuracy is excellent, especially with the Speer 210gr Gold Dot and the Federal 250gr Cast Core, provided you do your part. With the 210gr Gold Dots you can carve the X-ring out of a 25 yard bullseye target in 6 rounds.
The .44 fans will tell you that anything the .41 can do, the .44 can do better. I think it's a case of "mine's bigger than yourn!" since the .41 is actually .410" and the ".44" is really .429" -- not a huge difference. In my experience the .41 tends to penetrate slightly better than the .44 given standard factory loads.
The only problems with the .41 are...
* Reloading is a must if you want to shoot often, unless you own oil.
* Ammo is sometimes difficult to find at shops without special orders.
* Loads slower than about 925fps seem to lose accuracy worse than others.
* Fewer choices in projectiles than .44 for reloading
But they are a whole bunch o' fun to shoot!
model 57
I have a model 57 that is probably one of if not the most accurate revolver I have ever shot...I reload for it and with a hot loaded 170 grain bullet the thing is amazing..just a ragged hole at 20 paces from a rest...and think of it as a souped up 357...it is a great cartridge and the 57 a great revolver...I just wish it was in an L frame size these days with a REAL barrel (not the tube and shroud junky stuff) of the 620.
I have a model 57 that is probably one of if not the most accurate revolver I have ever shot...I reload for it and with a hot loaded 170 grain bullet the thing is amazing..just a ragged hole at 20 paces from a rest...and think of it as a souped up 357...it is a great cartridge and the 57 a great revolver...I just wish it was in an L frame size these days with a REAL barrel (not the tube and shroud junky stuff) of the 620.
I was lucky enough to find an unfired Ruger Redhawk just as I was looking for a nice .41. I really enjoyed shooting it. I had just shot a .44 a few weeks before, and the .41 was ALOT nicer. .44 was...messy - alot of flash and blast, while the .41 was clean (Silver tips and Gold Dots). Recoil in the Redhawk was very managable - even my 8yr. shot it - he liked the .41...much better then my .45 Commander anyway.
I bought a belt holster for it, and plan on carrying it around the homestead. (just a bit wary of putting that sweet blued 'hawk in a holster just yet)
I would not hesitate to go with a nice SW or Ruger in this caliber. It is...just right!
I bought a belt holster for it, and plan on carrying it around the homestead. (just a bit wary of putting that sweet blued 'hawk in a holster just yet)
I would not hesitate to go with a nice SW or Ruger in this caliber. It is...just right!
Arizona Fusilier
New member
My Model 57 was my first double-action revolver. After all this time, it would probably be the last I'd give up, too.
Experience is mostly limited to 175gr Silvertips, but with their superb accuracy out of mine, I haven't felt deprived.
Experience is mostly limited to 175gr Silvertips, but with their superb accuracy out of mine, I haven't felt deprived.
ForksLaPush
New member
Anybody recommend the model 357 over the 57? I've fired 27 ounce .357 mags with no worries, how much greater is the recoil for the .41?
Forks,
The recoil of a stout .357mag load vs that of a stout .41mag load (in the same weight gun, with the same barrel length) will be a little less, but not by much. The .41 is nothing to be afraid of.
I bought the new S&W Mountain Gun in .41 Magnum and I instantly "took" to it.
Reloading for it is fun. Even with the 4" barrel, I am accurate with it at 25yds.
Do a search for ".41 Magnum" in here and you'll have lots of reading which will show that this unpopular caliber is anything BUT unpopular.
The recoil of a stout .357mag load vs that of a stout .41mag load (in the same weight gun, with the same barrel length) will be a little less, but not by much. The .41 is nothing to be afraid of.
I bought the new S&W Mountain Gun in .41 Magnum and I instantly "took" to it.
Reloading for it is fun. Even with the 4" barrel, I am accurate with it at 25yds.Do a search for ".41 Magnum" in here and you'll have lots of reading which will show that this unpopular caliber is anything BUT unpopular.