The .41 Magnum Club

T

tex45acp

New member
Well my .41 magnum fascination began over 30 years ago.....purely by accident!! Ruger mentioned they would release a DA revolver in .44mag, well I went down and put my name on a very long list. Two years later when my Redhawk arrived the gun shop called me and I got there as quickly as I could only to find that a mistake had been made and the gun was in the caliber .41 magnum. It had funny looking D shaped cuts in the 7.5" barrel rib to mount a scope with supplied Ruger rings. Luckily the shop also had some .41 magnum ammo on the shelf. I bought four boxes went to the range and fell in love with the caliber. I’ve been hunting with it, competing with it, and reloading for it for over 30 years. As of Christmas this year, I now also have a Henry Big Boy carbine in .41 magnum as well! That’s a total of four .41 magnum’s now.
My first a 7.5” stainless Redhawk topped by a 2X Leopold Handgun Scope, a 4” Stainless Redhawk I customized from a 5.5” for carry in the woods, a stainless Taurus 415 in .41 magnum with a ported 2 1/2” barrel and my new Henry. Are you a .41 magnum lover like I am...if so lets see em!!
 

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I had a Ruger 44 mag back about 1973. Hated the safety bar as it had a slight issue that you had better pull hard or it would not fire.

Then a SW 44, nice, but I saw a guy with a 41 for sale, Rosewood grips, bought the 41 and sold the 44.

I don't shoot it a lot but with the Eypal I can shoot it and see the iron sights.
 
Tex, you have been badly bitten by the .41 bug. Your odyssey is similar to my own. In '72, I was looking for a .44 Smith M29, but my local gunshop was only able to find an 8-3/8" bbl'd M57. I bought it, found it superbly accurate but I didn't like the long bbl.

On close inspection, I found a chip in the muzzle crown, called Smith up in Springfield and they said bring it in. Living an hour's drive south, this was soon accomplished and Smith replaced the bbl. with a 6", then did an action/trigger job on it. It's a wonderful gun, far more accurate than I can shoot, and a prize that'll go to one of my son's some day.

Since then, I've acquired three Rugers (an Old Model 3-screw with 4-5/8" tube, a New Model with 6-1/2" bbl. and a blued Flattop with that same 6-1/2" bbl.) as well as a .41 Marlin 1894 S. This last .41, the Marlin, is a heck of a good deer gun with Hornady's 210 gr. XTP, and a solid plinker with home cast 220 gr LSWC's. With a receiver peep, it'll do sub 2" gps at 75 yds if I'm doing my part.

Here's a pic of the 3-screw with a pair of my home made grips on it and the Flat Top with some rosewood stocks I made up. The Marlin is last with a Williams FP on the receiver and a saddle ring to replace the $*&^ safety. I'm hooked too....Best Regards, Rod





 
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I have the S&W 657-2 6.5" with unfluted cylinder. My singularly favorite revolver of ever.


This is a representative example, not my actual gun.
H1193-L57838700.jpg
 
Don't own one, but it was always on of those...."Hmmmm, I'd like to try that."

Would especially have one to compare and contrast against my two .44 mags.
 
I own three 41 Magnum handguns...
• 2012 Taurus® TRACKER™ Mdl 425SS4CP
• 2017 Ruger® New Model Blackhawk® 6½"
• 2018 Ruger® New Model Blackhawk® 4⅝"
 
I always wanted a 657 with that unfluted cylinder and a 4" barrel, but the opportunity never came to buy one.

Another want of mine that I have never found was a Desert Eagle in .41mag. I shot one once and fell in love with the gun, but alas it was not for sale.
 
My first in the early 80’s was a 6” Blackhawk, didn’t care for SA. Traded it for a S&W 57 no dash 6” after about a year and have been shooting it since. About five years ago I picked up another 57 no dash 4” and it’s a nice shooter, prefer it to the 6” except for the heavy mag loads. Shortly after got my Henry BBS from the first production run and that’s what I mostly shoot now since my arthritic hands don’t like heavy recoiling handguns so much anymore. I have a nice moderate load that shoots well in all three guns, 8.2gr of Green Dot is accurate with manageable recoil.
 
I can't say anything bad about the .41 Mag, I've had several Blackhawks in .41 including one that was stainless, a 5.5" Bisley Blackhawk 41 mag, several 7.5" Super Blackhawk Hunters in .41 mag as well as a S&W 57.
 
I think that the .41 Rem Mag is superior to the .44 Rem Mag due to sectional densities to bullets.

S&W should have modified its "L" Frame to fire the .41 Rem Mag.
 
S&W should have modified its "L" Frame to fire the .41 Rem Mag.
Click to expand...
Yep, something along the lines of the 5-shot .44 Mag Model 69 would interest me...but I fear the .41 is a cult caliber...just not enough of us aficionados to justify a production run. Rod
 
I have a NM Blackhawk 4-5/8" and a 57 (no dash) 8-3/8", and like 'em both . . . but the Smith is an absolute tack driver, and one of my favorites.
 
Some years ago I picked up a very lightly used Model 58 Smith.

Sigh, I have been looking for a nice 58 for years, they have become unobtanium. It is the last of my "holy grail " guns. I sold a very nice one before I went off to dental school years ago, needed the money. Last gun I ever sold

David
 
I have exactly one .41 Magnum.

My very first carry gun was a Model 58. I wanted Blue, could only find nickel. I used to shoot the lead semiwadcutters. With the soft points, it was miserable. Still is.
 
Tex, thanks for the thread and a club with no meetings. Apparently ongoing dues will depend on how many 41s one can find. Chasing guns of any caliber is Covid challenging but we all need something to do after ‘Make Your Bed’ (it was a speech by Admiral McRaven, worth a listen). The 41 found me, first gun out of the gate for 2021.

It’s a 4 1/2 “ Blackhawk. I picked it up because the 4 digit s/n (1612) was facing up. Anything with low digits always make me reach. Once I picked it up, did the usual count empty cylinders, noticed it was a 41 and no transfer bar, the outcome was sealed. We had already decided to start filling in missing calibers as part of our be ready for any bullet should fit something policy. The Tribe (family trust) hasn’t fired it yet but we have rounded up a couple hundred rounds and it is on the agenda next trip. The brass, dies and projectiles are here or on the way so the 41 branch office is in business.

Pictures tomorrow, I forgot to get the usual mug shots because of caliber distraction rounding all the new stuff up.

Thanks to the others for sharing experiences on the caliber. Our 41 knowledge is nonexistent, we have been in the ‘anything 45 tunnel’ forever. The gun came with leather but the belt lost too much weight for me. The good news is it is not an expensive custom rig and a call to Hunter can solve the fashion issue.
 
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"Have had my 4" Model 57 since 1980. "

A few months ago I was picking up a 9mm carbine at my local gun store when I saw that they had two Model 57s in the case -- 6" and 8 3/8".

They were, unfortunately, both nickel plated.

Had one of them been a blued 4" I would have gladly shelled out the $900 asking price.
 
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