Why I No longer Own A .41 Magnum

[WrongHanded]

My one and only adventure into .41 Magnum...


...left me last weekend. She never got fired until I'd made most of the modifications you see, and she never saw a factory cartridge.

There are two good reasons I let it go.

1: Any time I decided to carry something more powerful than a .357 Sig, .357 mag, or 10mm, I had a choice. If I didn't want to take the .44 Mag Redhawk, I could choose this .41 Mag pushing a 225gr LFN or WFN to around 1250fps. Or I could choose a SBH Bisley loaded with .44 Mag 300gr WFN at around 1200fps, that weighed only slightly more.

The SBH Bisley always won. And it left the .41 unwanted and unused.

2: I have a friend who is starting reloading and really wanted a powerful woods walking/hiking/camping handgun. So I gave it to them. With all the ammo, reloading components and dies I had. It wasn't a sale, it was a gift. And I'm confident it will see far more use and attention as a result. Perhaps it will become a family heirloom in time.

The .41 Magnum is an interesting cartridge. But I have no niche for it fill. Bye bye .41, I'll see you around.

 

[.38 Special]

I love a good caliber war!

I personally have nothing against the .41 Magnum. But like you, I think its niche might be too narrow for practicality. The best that can be said about it, maybe, is that it's as good as a .44 Magnum, and so if a fellow happens to have a .41 instead of a .44, he's golden. For those of us who already have a .44, though...

 

[adcoch1]

What a wonderful gift, and the perfect use for an unused handgun. It'll probably end up your friend's favorite. Good move.

 

[Blkhrt13]

I need friends like you!

 

[Hartkopf]

And I thought I knew you!!!! The 44 Magnum always seems to be the reason the 41s go.

If I had it to do over, I would have bought 41 Mag in place of my 357 Mag and 454 Casul (and 45 Colt) in place of all my 44 Mags.

 

[Walkalong]

Well, if you weren’t showing it any love, you did the right thing, I’m sure it’s in a far better place, getting the love it needs.

 

[WrongHanded]

I certainly enjoyed it for a good while. I think once I got a 10mm, the practicality of choosing the .41 over the 10mm for woods wandering reduced somewhat. Not the the 10mm is as powerful, but if I thought I needed the extra power enough to deal with reduced capacity and speed of followup shots, I could see no practical reason not to go straight to the .44.

I do still like the cartridge, but I don't have the "room" for it amongst all the others. And yes, my friend's need was a big part of the reason for the decision. I was not going to put it on consignment, or sell to someone I didn't think would make good use of it.

 

[Bazoo]

A fine looking gun and a good story to boot. It’d certainly be my favorite if it was mine.

 

[JCooperfan1911]

While the “Forty-One Cult” will constantly try and defend this caliber as the greatest thing since pre-packaged mechanically divided pieces of grain based baked foods, the truth of the matter is it does a great many things that any other caliber such as the magnum .44 or even a warmly loaded Colt’s .45 in a full strength Blackhawk can do, but in lighter packages. Nearly all .41 guns are built on .44/.45 frames. More meat in the barrel, more meat in the chambers, more weight overall. Not an efficient package.

 

[Bazoo]

While the “Forty-One Cult” will constantly try and defend this caliber as the greatest thing since pre-packaged mechanically divided pieces of grain based baked foods, the truth of the matter is it does a great many things that any other caliber such as the magnum .44 or even a warmly loaded Colt’s .45 in a full strength Blackhawk can do, but in lighter packages. Nearly all .41 guns are built on .44/.45 frames. More meat in the barrel, more meat in the chambers, more weight overall. Not an efficient package.

A little extra weight is appreciated when shooting warm loads, but not noticed when packing. I’ve carried both the super Blackhawk, and flattop 44 Blackhawk, both with 4 3/4” barrels, and while the latter is touted with the selling point as a bit lighter (and thus easier to pack), it makes no difference when comparable rigs are used to carry them. At least none to me.

 

[Mosin77]

It’s a good upgrade over .357, with less punishment than full house 44 mag loads. I understand the logic very well for a duty gun shooting factory ammo.

Except that nowadays it’s a handloading proposition, so if you are hand loading for it anyway, you may as well get the 44mag, which can be downloaded to special levels or somewhere in between, use 44spl brass, and has more overall power if necessary.

But if you have the gun and are setup to load for it, it’s really not a bad choice for 99% of real world use.

 

[LaneP]

Very generous of you, and I'm sure he's extremely appreciative. I've never touched off or even held anything chambered for .41 Magnum, but between my .357's and .45's, I don't think it would get the love it deserves.

 

[.455_Hunter]

The Model 58 is still a gem, no matter how it gets compared.

 

[d'zaster]

OP, you're a good friend indeed.
I bet your buddy is stoked.

 

[bannockburn]

WrongHanded

Kudos to you sir for your abundant generosity and kindness of such a gift to your friend in need!

 

[Pat Riot]

@WrongHanded that was a very nice thing you did. Good for you. I am sure your friend is very happy with his gift.

 

[WrongHanded]

The Model 58 is still a gem, no matter how it gets compared.

Now if S&W were producing a modern stainless version of the M57 or M58, I'd still be interested in the cartridge.

Edit: With a 4" barrel. For portability.

 

[bannockburn]

WrongHanded

Now if S&W were producing a modern stainless version of the M57 or M58, I'd still be interested in the cartridge.

Had them both and still miss them both!

 

[wcwhitey]

I have zero experience with the .41 Magnum but always thought of it as a good idea in the Law Enforcement arena kinda like the .40 or 10MM. But like you I have had some guns that although nice just didn’t get used as I originally intended. I will say you are a great friend, I hope it is appreciated.

 

[bangswitch]

I was always attracted to .41 Magnum because nobody else seemed to be. There's something about an "orphan" cartridge that demands it be adopted. I'll keep my "unwanted children", feed them from my own reloading garden, clothe them in the finest leather holsters, and keep them safe in my....safe..

The Model 58 is still a gem, no matter how it gets compared.

Indeed they are, and like any rare gem, deserve appreciation.

Now if S&W were producing a modern stainless version of the M57 or M58, I'd still be interested in the cartridge.
Edit: With a 4" barrel. For portability.

They're still out there, and available. I still prefer blued revolvers.

 

[stanley_white]

2: I have a friend who is starting reloading and really wanted a powerful woods walking/hiking/camping handgun. So I gave it to them. With all the ammo, reloading components and dies I had. It wasn't a sale, it was a gift. And I'm confident it will see far more use and attention as a result. Perhaps it will become a family heirloom in time.

This makes me smile to read.

-Stan

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

If anything, the .41 is a better match for the N-frame Smiths than the .44 Mag. since that platform was never really meant for such powerful cartridges.....hence the "Durability Package" upgrades to the 29/629.

 

[Mosin77]

If anything, the .41 is a better match for the N-frame Smiths than the .44 Mag. since that platform was never really meant for such powerful cartridges.....hence the "Durability Package" upgrades to the 29/629.

I once had the chance to play with, drool over (and buy if I wanted) a gorgeous boxed N-frame Smith in .41 magnum. It was, like all N-frames, a beautiful example of the gunmaker’s art, but I was afraid that it would have the same fragility as the .44mag (by reputation -they’re probably plenty tough in real life.) so I decided to pass. I think it sold for around $900 shortly thereafter, which seemed like a fair price for a new in the blue satin presentation box S&W. I couldn’t see that it gave up anything to the model 27 or 29 in the fit and finish department.

 

[wbm]

Some guy named Bill Jordan liked the 41. But what did he know?

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

I once had the chance to play with, drool over (and buy if I wanted) a gorgeous boxed N-frame Smith in .41 magnum. It was, like all N-frames, a beautiful example of the gunmaker’s art, but I was afraid that it would have the same fragility as the .44mag (by reputation -they’re probably plenty tough in real life.) so I decided to pass. I think it sold for around $900 shortly thereafter, which seemed like a fair price for a new in the blue satin presentation box S&W. I couldn’t see that it gave up anything to the model 27 or 29 in the fit and finish department.

Couldn't agree more.