.41 mag and hogs

I don’t like shooting my Ruger 45 Colt with hot loads, 255gr bullet at over 1000 fps, because of the recoil. The SA Grip just doesn’t work for me. I would only consider the Ruger Blackhawk if it had a Bisley grip. I think it may handle the recoil better, but I have no experience with it. My 41 mag is a Taurus Tracker. I have no problems with recoil shooting it. I have shot both 44 mag in S&W mod 29 with 4 inch barrel, and my 41 mag Tracker with 4 inch barrel. The 41 mag, in my opinion, does have less felt recoil. As to killing ability on hogs, deer, etc., I don’t think there is any difference between 44 (.429 bullet) and 41 (.410 bullet) magnums. If a 41 magnum isn’t big enough to do the job, then a 44 mag isn’t either.

If a SAA Colt with black powder loads at 900 FPS would shoot a 1,200 pound horse out from under its rider?

I'm wondering how dang much power it takes to kill a 250 pound pig??

Is it the meth lab residue runoff in the ground water now that makes animals so much harder to kill, or what?

rc

Hogs are not really hard to kill . Its more about bullet design. A 357 mag shooting 180gr hardcast or bonded sp will do the job fine. I used a 1200fps load and had bullets brake both shoulders or pass end to end. That is what I used for 20 years back in florida where i grew up but back then HC loads only from federal. Pick any caliber from 357, 10mm, 45acp, 41 mag , or 44 sp or mag you can load or buy ammo that is around 1000fps with heavy for caliber HC or sp bullet and you will be fine. DA revolvers tend to offer faster followup shots when holding on to a tree and shooting one handed too. hehe. I know that.

Okay Gents....I am dying to pick up a SA Ruger for both recreational use and hog hunting. You may have seen some of my other posts where I address the 45LC and 44mag. Here's my conclusions: being a bit "recoil sensitive" to the 44mag, I image I'll be recoil sensitive to any 45LC capable of traveling 1000 fps or more. I can handle hot loads, I just don't enjoy shooting them. And the reality is that I like to practice with what I hunt with. If I'm going to hunt a hog with 45LC, I'll want to practice with hotter LC loads.

Which bring me to my point....how about the .41mag!? I've never shot/handled one, but it appears that it can almost mimic the ballistics of a medium powered .44mag, is flatter shooting, and has...what!...about 25% LESS RECOIL! Am I correct? And if so, is my decision to obtain a Ruger SUPER Blackhawk in .41mag the right choice?

Lay it on me......

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None of the cartridges that you mention are a bad choice, it really boils down to personal preferance. The .41 mag is a lot closer to the .44 mag then what you may think, and recoil from a single action platform can be stout. I've never shot a .44 mag or a .45 Colt so I have no idea what the recoil impulse of those cartridges are compared to my .41 Ruger BH. When I first received my BH the muzzle blast and recoil was causing me to flich like a mad man. Then a member here that goes by 1911tuner turned me onto 8.5gr of unique and a 215gr SWC. This load still has some punch to it as it is doing about 1100fps, and it shoots phenominally well. You can read up on the .41 mag if you go to the revolver forum and look for the .41 magnum association. I pesonally won't go beyond a 230gr bullet for the .41 mag. With with full tilt 210gr-220gr magnum loads I'm right at my recoil thresh hold.

I gave that Unique load as a point of reference. It does not take the heaviest possible load that you can stick in your particular firearm to kill most animals. The above load will more likely than not travel length wise through a pig and not cause undue wear and tear on you or the gun in turn. Here is a good example of what I'm talking about read for the load used, also be sure to scroll down to see the terminal damage done to the lungs http://www.rugerforum.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=69822&highlight=magnum

What you want is to be able to put your bullet exactly were you want, and then crush vital squeeshy organs as it exits the offside. The .41 mag will do this with ease so long as you can too. One plus about the .41 that I will lament on real quick is that it's cylinder and bore dimensions are more often than naught very good. Seeing as how it is the first true .410" handgun cartridge cylinder throats and barrel dimensions are always very close if not spot on. The same can not be said of the 44's and 45's they have been all over the place. IMHO this trait is why you don't hear about inaccurate .41's very much. It is easy to get caught up in the whole velocity thing. However when using cast bullets you gain very little when the velocity gets much beyond 1200fps. Go back and re-read the story in the link above if you find youself still in denial.

The down side of course is ammo availability, no you won't find it at your local Wally World. Then again you r not going to find good .45 Colt ammo there either. But if you look around it is not hard to find, and no it is not more expensive than the .44 mag or .45 Colt. If you reload however it is easy to overcome this slight aggrevation.

.41 will do anything .44 will do if properly loaded.

The .45 Colt loaded with an RCBS 45-270-SAA (270gr SWC) at 900-950 fps is a standard pressure (14 kpsi) load and is very effective on porkers without very much recoil at all compared to full-power .41 and .44 Magnums. In the April 2007 Handloader magazine, Brian Pearce lists no less than 17 powders that will work to create this load; averaging 920 fps from a 5.5" barrel Blackhawk.

.41 is like any other large bore handgun. You can load it for targets or for in this case boar. I don't see much difference in recoil between the .41, the .44, or the .45 LC. Of the three, the .41 is my favorite, however all I get to shot as far as large game goes is Whitetail deer. I never seem to see a bear in season.

Which bring me to my point....how about the .41mag!? I've never shot/handled one, but it appears that it can almost mimic the ballistics of a medium powered .44mag,

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I've shot both in S&W revolvers, and I think it mimics the recoil pretty well also. But thats just my humble opinion.

I'd go with the .44 with good grips and load it down if needed.

there isnt enough difference in ballistics between the two to justify buying a .41 unless you hand load. If you dont load it is much harder to find .41 magnum and "flatter" shooting is a relative term when it comes to hunting with a revolver.

Yep, the .41 Magnum is a handloader's cartridge.

Ballistically it splits the difference between the .357 and .44 and is a good balance of recoil and performance. Step up from the .357 without the recoil and blast of the .44.

All I can tell you is a 215 grain hard cast semi wadcutter with a max load of unique in a black hawk will shoot through both shoulder of a 150 lb sow at 30 yards. Shot to break bot shoulders to stop her . She had bad intentions for a bluetick gyp "retreiving" one of her piglets
Roy

Ain't much difference between the 44 and the 41 other than a thirty grains of bullet. Both kill deer size animals quite dead with good hits. Neither is the equal of a 30-30 from a carbine but who cares? My only fault with the 41 is the noise seems higher even than a 44...I think that is where a lot of my hearing went..back forty or fifty years ago with a 6 1/2" 41 Ruger. I'd take one in a heartbeat for hogs if you can place your shots well.

Being a 41 fan, you are forgetting that it is simply kool to own and shoot one!

I woulld take a 41 mag over the 44 mag anytime. I simply shoot it better.

I have both and can't tell much difference in recoil between the Dan Wesson .41 mag and the Anaconda .44. I had a Virginian Dragoon in .44 and the single action grip made a bigger difference in felt recoil than the difference in caliber. I can tell you that when I'm sorting brass I have to pay attention because the difference between .410 and .429 isn't as much as you might think.

I can tell you that when I'm sorting brass I have to pay attention because the difference between .410 and .429 isn't as much as you might think.

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Very good point for safety there. Always check the head stamps. You damn near need a caliper to tell the difference.

To me, .41Mag out of a s/a revolver (Bisley or plow-handle) recoils less than a .44Mag out of a d/a revolver. JMO, of course.

My hunting load of 17.5gr of 2400 under a 215gr LSWC "Keith" averages over 1300fps out of my 5.5" Bisley Blackhawk. Stout? You betcha, but nowhere near the punishment of the .44Mags I've shot. I did buy some Unique to try out, to tone things down a bit & work on improving my accuracy.

.45Colt is nice as well. BIG bullet, moderate pressure. Bud's 4 5/8" Blackhawk was pushing 260gr pills at an average 1280fps. Recoil impulse is entirely different than the high-pressure mags. More of a shove, than the kick of the high pressure rounds. You definitely know yer shootin' a "man gun", but not at all punishing.

So, yeah. The .41 is way cool & will put down anything you'll find in the lower 48. I love mine & ain't partin' with it anytime soon.

.45 Colt is also a great choice, but like the .41, ammo is expensive & scarce. If, like me, you ain't rollin' in the $$$, you'll have to reload in order to shoot much. My hunting loads for the .41 are running me right at 17.5 cents/rd, versus $1.55/rd for commercial ammo, if/when I can even find it.

also a .41 fan

I have two of them a Blackhawk (4-5/8" bbl) and a S&W Mountain Gun (4" bbl).
Recoil is stout with full power loads, 210 grn JHP @ 1300 fps. The BH grip is more forgiving and rolls more in my hand, and I put a little sticky pad (Limbsaver) on the Smith.
I also use a padded shooting glove, (I'm a wuss) which greatly improved my accuracy. I handload, as I can't afford factory ammo for this one ($40 bucks/50 round here),
my practice loads are 215 grn cast @1080 fps, recoil is mild. Although I haven't taken any game with them yet, but I know they are plenty capable as any 44 mag as long as I do my part.

Being a 41 fan, you are forgetting that it is simply kool to own and shoot one!

I woulld take a 41 mag over the 44 mag anytime. I simply shoot it better.

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Well, yeah. I don't know how I'd shoot it since I have neither, but I do like the semi cult status of the .41 and am a handloader. See, this is what attracted me to the .45 Colt originally. Seems funny now that CAS is all the rage and there's .45 Colts everywhere, but when I bought that gun, hot .45 Colts were a handloader's bailiwick, Buffalo Bore didn't exist, and it was sort of cultish, too.

Damnit!!!! Now you guys have me thinking about getting yet ANOTHER Ruger!!! You all better hope my other half doesn't learn any computer skills and learns how to track you fellers down!

This .41mag Blackhawk looks mighty tempting. Wonder if I could order it in a Bisley style? Cant seem to find one listed. I like the feel of Bisley in my hand. Even better than my other Redhawks and Blackhawks.

Well as has been mentioned the factory ammo thing is a bit lacking, but if loading your own, it's a non issue.

I have all three calibers on Redhawk platforms, and with 85% of the loads I shoot there isn't a hill of beans difference in the recoil or performance. They will all shoot better than I can hold them out to further than I have any business shooting them, but I work on that every chance I get.

I just started pouring my own last fall and have found a whole new world to explore with them all, from mild to wild. My staple load for the 41 for over 20years has been 20.5grs of 296 in Win cases Win WLP primers and the Remington 200gr SJHP. It runs right at 1300fps form the 7.5" barrel, recoil is pleasant, and easily shoots around 2" at 50yds from a rest and sometimes offhand if I can keep my cool. I have had no issues with hogs up to 200# out to 75yds. If I did my part the hog hit the dirt plain and simple. For commercial cast I have tried the Montana Bullet Works H & G-258 and their Lyman-410610, to both shoot exceptionally well sized to .411" form both my Ruger and my friends S&W 657 over a medium dose of AA-5, running right at 1200fps they shot equally, putting 4 out of 6 rounds into less than 1" at 25yds rested, and the other two simply cutting the outer ring of the initial hole. All 6 rounds were under 1.5". For simply picking a load from the book, and shooting production cast bullets I felt this was great performance.

With the 44 and 45 Colt, keeping the loads in the same basic velocity range only bumping up to the 240gr and 260gr cast in the Colt, I have found the downrange performance to be equally as good and the recoil is indeed very easy to absorb. This said recoil has never really been an issue with me, until I got my 454 a few years back. That one indeed had a learning curve for sure.