If you were to get a Ruger Blackhawk Hunter...

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98s1lightning

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To do some long range target shooting, hunting whitetail and possibly black bear....and you reload... would you go with the 41 mag for less recoil and flatter trajectory or the 45LC for more power??? I'm not sure I would put an optic on but like the option. I would prefer a double action Ruger but don't care for the super blackhawks, maybe could hold out for a Redhawk Hunter model.
 
Then I see the 10 1/2" Stainless Blackhawks in 44 mag, those are pretty cool! I'm not a huge fan of 44 mag but the recoil should be tame from a long heavy gun like that compared to the 6 1/2" gun I have shot. Could always load it down a touch.
 
45 colt. You can have a super effective yet mild load like a 255gr @1000 fps with a hard cast bullet and take just about anything ya need in the lower 48 and not deal with a loud boom or big muzzle blast. Or you can tip the scales and load some really warm stuff like 325gr @ 1300+ fps and hunt wooly mammoths while burning all their hair off with the fire ball coming from the berrel. Very versitle round.

41 mag is a sweet round too, but 45 colt is all around handier.
 
Why not split the difference with a 44mag?

The average between the two would be 0.43, guess what a 44mag's actual diameter is?

I went with a 45 in my Blackhawk personally.
 
I feel like its just wrong to buy a 44 mag and down load it if the muzzle blast and recoil is too much..... could play with different powders. But its an option.
 
For what you listed the 41 mag would be great.

But if killin critters is involved I’d go bigger. 44 or 45 for me.
 
I just think it would be so fun to set up steel at 50,75,100, etc out to 200 in increasing sizes and slam it with the revolver!! Hah And with reloading for cost, a single action (the time it takes to load/unload) you could probably shoot for a few hours with say 200rnds on hand.

in 44, I don't recall ever shooting the lighter than 240gr bullets either
 
I haven't owned a .44 Magnum in a long time but I once owned a 10.5" Ruger SBH and periodically kick myself in the rear for letting it go. I see the Hunter models offered in 7.5" trim and that would probably be great for the targets you have mentioned with suitable loads.
 
I'd go .45 Colt all the way.
I don't believe the .41 magnum will have less recoil than the .45 colt for most applications. You can certainly load it where it does, but you don't have to.

You can go anywhere from a soft shooting 800 fps or less to real wrist breakers.
 
I'd go .44 mag, the .45 is a great caliber but true hunting loads are a nightmare to find locally. The .41 is a handloaders cartridge all the way at least the other two have decent factory support. If you handload it's a wash as far as availability but the .44 for the non loader is the winner to me.
 
Get the 44mag for long range work and larger game hunting. Recoil management for a 44mag in a heavy revolver like the SBH Hunter is really about 3 things: technique, determination, and proper grip fit. The 44mag always has the option of shooting 44specials, or downloaded mags, either of which are perfectly logical for high volume plinking and practice. Not every shot fired needs to be a 300grn bullet at 1400fps.
 
This idea that the .41 shoots flatter than either of the other two enough so that it's an advantage is greatly overblown, if not just wishful thinking. Data I have for a 210gr .41 Gold Dot and a 240gr .44 Gold Dot has a very slightly higher BC for the .41 but higher velocity for the .44, both using the same powder and the trajectory is nearly the same, slightly in favor of the .44. The Speer 260gr .45 bullet has the same BC as the .41 so expect that to be a wash as well.

In use, for the handloader, the .41 is probably a better choice as a deer cartridge, just because it's milder and deer don't take much killing. However, in the Hunter model, the .44 is heavy enough and I wouldn't want the weight of the .41 when I could have a much more capable .44 or .45 in a slightly lighter package. For the handloader, there is no ballistic difference between the .44Mag and .45Colt. Both are capable of bullets the same weight, at similar velocity and similarly sized game. Both are a step up from the .41 in that regard. People have this idea that the .45 is a milder cartridge and that is simply not true. Either can be handloaded to duplicate one another. I lean towards the .44's for the simple reason that Ruger .45's often suffer from chamber/throat dimension issues.
 
I'm a big fan of the .41 magnum. If you are a handloader then the .41 is my recommendation. For factory loads the .45 Colt with boutique ammo would be my choice .
 
I would, and did, get the 41.... twice, and I don't regret it.

Got a Ruger Blackhawk and a Henry Big Boy steel carbine in 41 mag.

These people telling you the 45 is a better killer aren't wrong... but that extra diameter isn't needed on deer and black bear...if you're hunting 2,000 pound bovines (buffalo and such), get a 45... for anything short of that I'll take a 41 every time.
 
I ended up with a 10 1/2" stainless SBH I found local at what I thought was a good deal. I was able to see it in person before buying and I already have a bunch of 44 brass on hand. If I don't like I'm confident on getting my money back.
 
Either would be a good choice for the stated purpose, and the .44 should also do well. It really ends up being a matter of personal preference.

I’ve been kicking around the idea of getting another Blackhawk at some point. I want to get a Bisley, and I like the versatility of the Hunter line, allowing for easier installation / removal of a scope, without having to remove iron sights.

But I’ve been thinking of possibly moving up to the .454 model. Ruger currently offers that clambering with a Bisley grip frame, but not the Hunter barrel.

So I waffle back and forth, and then try to tell myself I don’t really need one anyway. :scrutiny:
 
I looked at redhawks for years, didn't want a 44 or a single action......but the stainless SBH with long barrel just makes me smile. It has a better/lighter feel to it than the 7 1/2 redhawk I held. I've been wanting something to shoot long distance handgun with.
 
Mine is a .41 Mag. If I was more recoil tolerant I would go with the more powerful gun but for me full loads of the .41 are about all I want. But since you asked I would get the .44 mag in a gun that I could shoot. I sort of like the SBH so it would be easy for me. Going with the crowd an ge a good thing sometimes.
 
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