Why I No longer Own A .41 Magnum

[bigmike45]

My love affair with the .41magnum started over 3 decades ago, purely by accident. When Ruger introduced the Redhawk in 1980, I wanted one so bad that I put my name on a list to get one when they trickled into my LGS and I actually waited over 10 years to get mine. Well it finally showed up and.......wait a minute! The gun was mis-stamped. It showed .41magnum on the barrel??? I asked the owner of the LGS about the mistake and he said it was their mistake not Rugers. I knew nothing about the .41magnum and was going to refuse it, but the owner gave me a book that told the caliber's story. I was intrigued so for a discount price and a box of shells I took it home. It's been with me ever since, topped with a 2x Leopold EER Handgun Scope. I have taken all kinds of game with it but my favorite was a book Fallow Deer at just over 100yards. I always wanted a 4" version of the same gun, but Ruger only offered it in 5.5" and 7.5". After 15 years of looking I found a 5.5" and bought it and the work began. I shortened and re-crowned the barrel to 4", radiused the grip frame corners and the grip panels to match, de-horned and bead blasted the gun, milled a slot in the top rib for a new front sight and a trigger job. It is my "anytime I am in the field gun". I also have another .41magnum that I carry, a Taurus 415 with a ported 2.5" barrel. My latest acquisition is my Henry Big Boy Brass Carbine. If I had to be able to only keep one caliber, it would be my .41's.

 

[RealGun]

Are you upset that I've mentioned the 10mm?

I mentioned it in this case because I find it interesting that Keith and Jordan didn't really get the LE service cartridge they wanted. But then it showed up in an auto loader decades later.

I don't see how it becomes relevant in so many threads except in your mind. I caught on to the trend and am calling it out as simply hijacking to something you would rather talk about.

 

[WrongHanded]

I don't see how it becomes relevant in so many threads except in your mind. I caught on to the trend and am calling it out as simply hijacking to something you would rather talk about.

I see. Well you carry on then. And so shall I.

 

[Palladan44]

The .44 magnum is much more similar to the .41 than the .41 is with the .357

.357 (.053 less than .41 mag)
.410. (.019 less than .44 mag)
.429

With this in mind, the .41 magnum is like the .32 Win Special is to the .30-30. (Only smaller and not slightly bigger) and less common. From an advantage standpoint the .44 Mag makes the .41 practically redundant in my eyes. That doesn't mean I don't think it is a very cool caliber.

The .32 Special, the 7mm-08, the .264 Win Mag, the 16 Gauge, the .280 Rem, and the .41 magnum are all very cool and highly effective calibers, and honestly probably optimum in many ways...but they are all eclipsed by calibers that are very similar and seemed to catch on a bit better. They all have loyal followers, and for probably good reason.

 

[GeoDudeFlorida]

I think if I had come across a RBH .41Mag 6-1/2" with the RSBH/Dragoon grip frame before I bought my .44Mag 7-1/2" RSBH, I probably would have opted for the .41Mag. The Dragoon grip with that square trigger back and wider heel just fits me so well, and the heft of the 7-1/2" barrel balances so nicely, it was kind of a no-brainer to get it. The .41Mag BH I looked at when trying to find a replacement for my original .357Mag BH had a 4-5/8" barrel. My first .357 BH had the 4-5/8" and I found the sight radius lacking - but it handled quick! It was a tough call, at the time, but, I already had the .44, didn't need the bigger power of the .41, and the .357Mag I found has a 6-1/2" barrel, was $200 cheaper (at the time) than the .41Mag 4-5/8", and - side-by-side - the .41 was bigger and heavier than the .357 BH. Even with the shorter barrel didn't swing as quick for me as the old .357.