41 Magnum

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feathers73

Bearcat
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Feb 21, 2009
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I've been looking at a 4 5/8 41 mag blackhawk. Never shot 41 mag. What's it like say compared to 45 ACP in terms of recoil? Thanks
 

LightningMan

Bearcat
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feathers73":29n02ute said:
I've been looking at a 4 5/8 41 mag blackhawk. Never shot 41 mag. What's it like say compared to 45 ACP in terms of recoil? Thanks

Can't really say but I would think the 41 mag "power wise" would have much more, similar to a 44 mag. I remember have a S&W 4" barreled 41 mag. and it kicked plenty, even more so than the 7 1/2" barreled 44 mag. Ruger Super Blackhawk I had. LM
 
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If you find a short barrelled 41 you will regret it if you don't buy it. But then, I am a 41 fanatic. :D It does more closely resemble the 44 mag in performance and recoil but a lot of it depends on the round you shoot out of it just like any other gun. Factory 210 grain bullets are not a problem to hang on to in my opinion. When you start stepping up to the 250-265 grain loads like those from Corbon or Buffalo Bore, you do have to pay a little more attention. No matter what, it isn't anything a normal adult can't handle by working up to those levels if you want to. You can also load it to very mild 41 Special specs and shoot it all day long.
 

Knuckles

Buckeye
Joined
Jan 8, 2007
Messages
1,229
Sounds like a real nice find... recoil is like a "hot & heavy" .357mag... definitely lighter than .44mag, but it ain't no pussycat like a .45acp... IMO.
 

surveyor47

Single-Sixer
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BUY BUY BUY!!!!!

The 41 Magnum is a GREAT round. Recoil. Depends. A 215 grain cast lead SWC over about 8.0 grains of unique is in near pussycat range at 950 fps, what used to be call the Police Load. A nice mid range load is a 215 grain cast lead SWC over IMR4227, for about 1100 fps is extremely accurate and hits hard. A 210 grain jacketed soft point over a hunting load, such as H110 at 1300 fps is close to 44 Magnum.

Blackhawks are heavy and tend to roll upward, mitigating recoil to a great extent. The 41 is easier to shoot in a single action than the 357 in a double action of similar size.

Try it. You'll LIKE it.
 

Double Maduro

Single-Sixer
Joined
Nov 6, 2001
Messages
193
Location
Portland, Oregon
My 13 year old granddaughter fired a couple rounds through mine and while she wasn't crazy about it had a big smile on her face.

Recoil is subjective, what is tolerable for me may not be for someone else of my size or larger.

The .41 offers balistics quite close to the .44 and shoots a little flatter, a great hunting caliber.

If you don't buy it, let us know where it is.

DM
 

surveyor47

Single-Sixer
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Messages
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New Orleans, LA
I mentioned a 215 grain cast SWC and IMR4227 powder as a mid range load at 1100 fps. A few months back a 12 year old boy fired several cyliner loads of that at the 12 inch diameter 100 yard gongs and hit nearly 50% of the time. The boy had never fired a handgun in his life. The boy only quit when my ammo box went empty.
 

mohavesam

Hawkeye
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Rugerville, AZ
With practice and competence using a 41RM, the question becomes Why do I need 357 and 44 handguns anymore?

Aside from collecting S&W N-frames of course!
 

Axehandle

Buckeye
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North Alabama
You "need" a 41 mag Ruger... Ammo can be hard to find.. 500 Pieces of Starline brass and a good bullet mold can fix that....

Let's plan to meet at Larry's and pop some 41 caps.... I have 4 5/8 and 6 1/2 inch Blackhawks, a 41 Hunter, and a 4.25 FA 97..... What would you like for me to bring? 0900 Saturday good for you?
 

flhr62

Single-Sixer
Joined
Feb 23, 2007
Messages
307
Location
ga
Buy it. But like someone else said, as far as recoil goes, you will know its not a .45 acp
 

G2

Hunter
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UT/AZ
mohavesam":1ivee7hd said:
With practice and competence using a 41RM, the question becomes Why do I need 357 and 44 handguns anymore?

I find myself asking that same question. Have all but givin up on the .357.

Mine is a 5.5" Stainless Bisley (Acusport) and I see myself leaving my .357 & .44 flattops home now. It has become my favorite gun in the .357,.41,.44.
P1010002modified.jpg


Compare it to my 7.5" .45 Colt Blackhawk and then thats where things get confused a bit. Very Mild to Wild.

.41, not the crack of the .357 and not the wrap of a .44.

No "real" comparison to 45acp.

Nice offer Axe.
 

surveyor47

Single-Sixer
Joined
Jul 29, 2001
Messages
312
Location
New Orleans, LA
IF you own a 41 Magnum, the real utility of the 357 is actually the +P38 Special in a small frame concealed carry gun. The 41 will do the job for anything not requiring concealed carry.

If I had owned a 41 first, I may never have owned a 357. I
DO own a 44, but use it very little, rendering it a "nice to have".
 

Shoot44

Single-Sixer
Joined
Oct 11, 2008
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150
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The Ozarks
Well, I now have a 41, an older 7.5" RH, and just love it. BUT.... that is no reason to get rid of my 357 Anniv flat-top, OR my 44 SBH Hunter. They're just all a tiny bit different IMHO. And that's a good enough reason to have all of them!
As mentioned, it's not as 'sharp' as the 357, and not as 'heavy' as the 44. As the story goes: 'not too hot and not too cool; JUST RIGHT'.

And I concur that I can handload it down below 357 loads, and right up to almost the max 44 mag loads. And my RH shoots almost every load I have put in it very well, to boot. (It didn't like 170 grain bullets at moderate velocities at all, but when cranked up to more speed, the groups came right back down.)
Great caliber!
 

Grumpy

Bearcat
Joined
Oct 5, 2008
Messages
12
Location
Eastern Pa.
Having both .357's and .44's, I have become a .41 fan for life. I would describe the recoil as more of a push as opposed to the snap of a .44. If you get a chance to try it I know you'll like it. :D

P1010042.jpg


One of my Favorites......
 

DGW1949

Hunter
Joined
Apr 10, 2005
Messages
3,916
Location
Texas
feathers73":2ku96mg2 said:
I've been looking at a 4 5/8 41 mag blackhawk. Never shot 41 mag. What's it like say compared to 45 ACP in terms of recoil? Thanks


Just to answer your question....

A factory-loaded 41 Mag cartridge produces MUCH MORE recoil force than does a factory loaded 45ACP cartridge. And then there's the additional noise, muzzel blast and flash to contend with....all of which are worse out of the shorter-barreled guns.

Some folks has a need for a big booming handgun. And then there's them that don't, but enjoy all that sort of stuff anyway.
If you don't fit into either of them two groups, my suggestion would be to stay away from the 41 Mag...unless you are a hand loader, and can make do with loading your own lower-powered cartridges.

Hope this helps.

DGW
 

Merle1948

Buckeye
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Mercer County, PA
feathers73":ppgi894o said:
I've been looking at a 4 5/8 41 mag blackhawk. Never shot 41 mag. What's it like say compared to 45 ACP in terms of recoil? Thanks


In my opinion it has about half again as much recoil, but I did not find it unmanageable.

It was a lot more comforting than a 45 ACP out in bear country.

:) :) :)
 

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