I bought my first Smith M57 in '77 from Lyman's old Blue Trail Range, in Connecticut...back when it was a gun-friendly state with no income tax. While I've never kept a round count on the gun, I'd conservatively estimate that it's seen 10,000 rounds down the tube. It's a 6" bbl'd gun with all the weight that comes with that length in an "N" frame Smith.
I carried it for years in a custom shoulder holster, getting the idea from Clint Eastwood (and if truth be told, one of the movie set guns in the Dirty Harry series, was a Smith M57). It was comfortable to carry that way, and out of the way while doing winter chores. For summer work, I hefted it in a belt holster from El Paso Saddlery and could really feel the sag after a day's tramping though the spruce blow downs while grouse hunting.
Since then I picked up one of the Ruger Flat Top's with a 6-1/2" tube and found again, that the longer barrel was a PITA for everyday carry. Accuracy it had, in spades, but was and is too long to carry on the belt unless on horseback. That lovely piece by Ruger once put 5 through the same hole...less that 5/8" ctr to ctr and with iron sights too, at 25 yds. My eyes have gone south since then and it'll never be repeated. The load was built up from Lyman's 410459 at 220 gr's, cast from wheel weights & launched a smidge over 1000 fps with an appropriate dose of Win 231.
Later, I found an "as new" 3-screw Ruger with a long sought after 4-5/8" bbl; it's a 4 digit gun with superb accuracy. The same aforementioned load does nearly as well through it as it does in the longer bbl'd Smith and Ruger, and I confess that I much prefer the SA's response to heavier full house prescriptions. I pack it often here on the farm when doing chores and it's been called on to put down some of our stock that needed that final act of mercy.
All in all, the .41 is a superb caliber...a handloader's proposition to be sure, but ranks with the .44 Special for ease of finding an accurate load. If you don't load your own, and do own a .41, you're missing out on some of it's versatility.
Best Regards, Rod