The .41 Special

M

MatthewVanitas

New member
Does anyone here have any info on the .41 Special cartridge? This was apparently a wildcat; someone decided to make the shortened .41Mag that never was. Someone on the www.sixgunners.com board said that John Gallagher once converted a Ruger Single Six to .41 Spl., which sounds like a rather novel project.

Has anyone ever toyed with this? Any idea what the ballistic figures would be for this cartridge? Mainly, I'm curious over whether it would have any advantage over the .44 Spl or .38 Spl, as the .41 Mag is supposed by it's fans to be superior to the .44 or .357 Mag.

I suppose it'd probably cost at least $500 to rebarrel and recylinder a K-frame or Single-Six, but some folks have odd whims.
 
Sounds like a Smith & Wesson 646PC in .40S&W. And there is no need to desecrate perfectly good .41 Magnum brass or resort to a five shot cylinder. Forty one Magnum is a six gun!

Just my opinion. :D

Robert
 
The so-called .41 Special won't do anything a 357 won't do, and it costs an arm and a leg to make. Use light 41 Mag loads or stout 357 loads. My $.02, FWIW.
 
I only quote Jeff Cooper on special occasions and this is one: "Sounds like a solution in search of a problem."

:rolleyes:

The other two previous posts told you everything you need to know. OTOH, wildcatters need no excuse and will go to great pains and expense to have something unique. :cool:
 
41 Long Colt whole different animal. Smallish case, only .386 ID at mouth and even shorter than .38spec (by a hair).

Sam
 
The .41 Special is not a solution in search of a problem. I have two .41 lever guns and this would increase the magazine capacity. The .41 is not just a six gun caliber. I would like to have a 4/5 shot wheelgun as a backup to my md.58 carry gun.

I asked on another thread if anyone else would be interested in buying .41 spl brass if I could get a run from Starline. I am going to call them about a minimum run. It will probably be some number around 50-100,000 at a wag.

It would also be great if Ruger would do a special run of .41 mag Blackhawks in the Vaquero pattern. These would be on a smaller frame than the current Vaqueros in .44 mag/45LC.

Cheers,

ts
 
I had been toying with the idea of a .41 L frame 5 shot, based on the 696 platform. Barrel and cylinder change, lockwork already set for five shot. Not a quicky but fun.

Sam
 
Mike, we measured a 686 with 6 .41s in mind and concluded there wasn't enough meat in the cylinder. And of course if you go to bigger cylinder yer outta the L frame. N with L or K grip would be interesting.

Sam
 
The problem is the best handgun cartidge ever made is dying of loneliness and the 41 Spec would be the perfect soluton. I'd love to have an easy to carry 41 Spec snubby, a large frame magnum, and 41 Mag/414 Wesson lever in my collection.

Tom
 
41 SPECIAL

I'VE PLAYED WITH THE 41 SPECIAL AND IT WORKS JUST FINE. MY FAVORITE IS MY 41 RUSSIAN. NOW THERE IS A SLICK LITTLE CARTRIDGE AND SIXGUN!

41 MAG SIXGUNS....THEY STILL MAKE THOSE??

L O L
 
"What is it for?"
Why did Malcolm Forbes have a DOZEN Fabrige eggs. Because he liked them and because he could.

Why do I want an M frame Smith?, because I don't have one.

Sam
 
C.R.Sam: Go getcha one! Some gunsmith could ream out a 38 cylinder and put a 41 cal bbl on if you really want it.:cool:
 
Sam,

That would certainly be the case for a .41 Mag., but a .41 Spl., with its lower pressures, should be able to handle 6 shots in an L-frame.
 
Although the pressure levels of a .41 Special would make a 6 shot L frame a possibility, the physical size of the cartridge and chamber required would not.

An L Frame opening is 1.595 inches and the cylinder has a diameter of 1.560 inches (cylinder has already been enlarged for .40 S&W). At .017 inches clearance, that is just enough for the cylinder to turn properly. The chamber to exterior cylinder measurement is currently .062" and chamber to chamber the same measurement. A .40 S&W cylinder has a diameter of .428" and a .41 chamber is .438" in diameter.

If the cylinder were reamed for .41 Special, the chamber to cylinder wall thickness would be .053" and that would mean that the lock indentation on the cylinder cuts into the chamber. And chamber to chamber wall thickness is about the same (.053") and that is unsafe for any type of firing.

Got an L Frame chambered in .40 S&W and it is scary just to look at the thing. If you have never seen one, grab a pair of caliper and checkout what these numbers look like and you will see what I mean. A .41 L frame six gun is close, but a little too close for comfort too.

Robert
 
Rechambering possibilities

Okay, so the following are theoretically possible:

L-frame: 5 shot 41Spl

Single Six: 5 (I assume) shot

I don't suppose a 41Spl could cram 5 rounds into a K frame, could it? And I suppose a J-frame could only hold 4 rounds, which would be kind of pushing it.

Does anyone know what the recoil of a 41Spl compares to? Is it a 38Spl or 44Spl type slow push, or does it have the snap of a .357Mag?

Oh, also regarding 41Spl cases of proper length and headstamp: have you comparison-shopped with Bell Brass?
 
L-Frame Capacity

John Taffin has a six-shot .41 Special built on a 4" S&W 586. Hamilton Bowen and Terry Kopp performed the work, boring out the original cylinder and barrel, respectively. The revolver can be seen in John's book Big Bore Sixguns. Years before, Austin Belhert converted several medium frame revolvers like the Colt Trooper to .41 Action Express (complete w/ moon clips). These were also six-shot conversions.
 
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