By Doug Gilmer
41 Magnum Ammunition / Cartridge Review.
USA – -(Ammoland.com)- The 41 Magnum ammunition is the most underrated, and unappreciated of all magnum handgun cartridges.
While still maintaining a healthy following, it is widely overlooked. This is unfortunate, it is a widely capable handgun cartridge. It is a far better big game cartridge than the 357 Magnum and a better defensive cartridge than the 44 Magnum.
With the right loads, there is not much the 41 Magnum ammo cannot do.
Famed shooter Elmer Keith and lawman Bill Jordan persuaded Smith & Wesson and Remington to develop the cartridge in 1963. Fellow lawman Skeeter Skelton jumped on the 41 bandwagon believing it to be a better cartridge for law enforcement than the previously introduced 357.
Interestingly enough, both the 357 and 44 magnums had forerunners, the 38 Special and 44 Special, from which the magnum loadings were developed. The 41 Special would come later.
The 41 Magnum saw law enforcement use in the Smith & Wesson models 57 and 58. It found favor in San Antonio, San Francisco, Detroit. and in many North Carolina jurisdictions. While a proven fight stopper, like the FBI’s 10mm, the 41 would prove to be too much for many officers to shoot effectively and it was soon replaced. Had the 41 Special been introduced first, shooting a 200 grain bullet at 1000 fps the story might have be different.
Elmer Keith saw the 41’s potential as a hunting round. While on a polar bear hunt he shot a caribou in the head at 100 yards. Elmer figured out, as have many after, including six-gun expert John Taffin, that the 41 shoots flatter than the bigger 44 Magnum. My experience confirms this. J. Scott Rupp, Dick Metcalf, and Dave Workman are among modern gun writers with an affinity for the 41 Magnum.
While its easy to understand how the bigger 41 surpasses the 357 Magnum in power and performance, how it stacks up against the bigger 44 Magnum is misunderstood. Their differences are not as big as one might think. The 44 Magnum is actually .429 caliber where as the 41 is a true .41 caliber. Many ballistic tables show the 41 outperforming the 44 in velocity, energy and penetration depending on bullet weight. Companies like Underwood Ammo and Buffalo Bore have used modern powders to push the 41 beyond traditional factory loadings while maintaining SAAMI specs.
My favorite 41 Magnum deer hunting load from Underwood pushes a 210 grain Hornady XTP out of a 6.5” barrel at about 1560fps and develops 1135 ft. lbs. of muzzle energy.
The 44 Magnum’s advantage is with heavier bullets. The heaviest standard load one can buy for the 41 holds a 265 grain bullet while bullets for the 44 exceed 300 grains. Still, the 41 delivers enough power and penetration for North American big game. It’s doubtful an animal will notice the difference in bullet weight and diameter.
The shooter will, however. The 41 Magnum recoils noticeably less than the 44. Less powder, lighter bullets, and lower pressures make for a more pleasant shooting experience. The 41 is also accurate. Accuracy is subjective and dependent upon the shooter as much as the gun and load but my open sighted 41’s are most capable of game taking accuracy at 100 yards.
For the reloader, a great deal of information is available for those who want to tailor their own 41 Magnum loads. The 41 Special is another option. It is, to the 41 Magnum, what the 38 or 44 Special is to their magnum counterparts. The 41 Special is not loaded commercially but brass is available. The 41 Special makes an excellent defensive round or woods load. A 200 grain bullet at 1000 fps should offer enough power for most situations.
Ruger leads 41 handgun manufacturing today, particularly in its single action Blackhawk line. New for 2016 is a 4.2” double action Redhawk. Smith & Wesson currently lists a six-inch barrel Model 57. Their stainless 657 and Mountain Gun are hard to come by but are excellent shooters. Freedom Arms chambers the 41 in their Models 83 and 97 single action revolvers.
My 41 collection includes three Rugers and a custom 10” MGM barrel for a Thompson Center Encore frame. Topped with a Trijicon RMR this gun is quite the shooter. “Maude”, as I’ve named her, has traveled with me to the whitetail woods, bear hunting in Maine, and to southeast Alaska to hunt deer and bear. Never once did I believe the 41 not be up to any task it might face. Loaded with hard cast bullets, many in the north country depend on the 41 for protection against big bears.
Are you looking for handgun power and performance without punishing recoil? If so, give the classic 41 Magnum some consideration.
While its never been featured in a movie like the 44 Magnum, but its reputation in the field is nevertheless proven.
41 Magnum Resource:
- 41 Magnum Ammunition for Sale
- 41 Magnum Reloading Tools & Equipment
- 41 Magnum Shooting Videos
- The Complete Reloading Manual For The .41 Magnum (Just one left at the time this was published)
- 41 Magnum Reloading Data
41 Magnum Load Data:
About Doug Gilmer,
Doug Gilmer is a law enforcement and military veteran with over 25 years of experience and assignments operating throughout the United States and around the world in a variety of investigative, protective, tactical and direct action roles. He is an avid outdoorsman who enjoys fly-fishing, hunting with a handgun, backcountry adventures, and volunteering with various outdoor themed wounded warrior events. He has been a frequent contributor to outdoor media for for several years with numerous articles and photos published in a number of media channels. He is a member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association as well as a former board member and executive officer.