Could you sell me a .41 mag over a .44 mag?

[Anonymous]

Some of you make interesting points for the .41, and I have to be honest--I have a soft spot for "under appreciated" calibers, as my favorite rifle is an old tang safety M77 in .257 Roberts.

As far as performance goes would it be safe to say that you could load a .44 down to .41 levels, but a .41 couldn't safely be loaded to even moderate .44 levels? I know a .41 isn't a .44, but what I'm trying to reconcile in my mind is if the differences are worth the trade offs.

Another question for the .41 shooters--what bullets are you using?

Thank you for your insights so far.

 

[Sugar River]

Nah, I couldn't sell you, unless you come shoot 'em.
41s all.
Pete

 

[Zeus]

From the Federal websight:
http://www.federalpremium.com/default.aspx

I don't see much difference, except the 44mag has a little more energy.

...Jimbo

Is it just me or does that 41 chart have another 600 instead of 500 on the energy chart. If that doesn't tell you that its an amazing cartridge, nothing will, it drops down a little in energy and then goes back up to 600, amazing! There ain't a whole lot of difference in the two when they are loaded the same though. I don't think you are losing anything going to the 41, I love them but I also dearly love the 44 and 45 so I'm no help. If you don't reload, a 44 may be easier to find ammo on the shelves but if you reload, its not a big advantage in my opinion.....As far as bullets, factory----I don't know if its still made or not, but the Platinum Tip 240 grain bullet clocked 1290 from my 7.5" hunter and was a tackdriver. Performed amazingly well on whitetail, the one I recovered weighed 238.7 grains and expanded to .72". The deer from that shot traveled about 5 yards and fell over. Cast bullets, I liked the 265 WFNGC bullet, very accurate and smoking out of the 41. Sixshot and Mr. Hoover have me wanting to try the 250 WFN, I have some courtesy of those two but haven't had a chance to try them. I was with Sixshot when he used one on an elk this Fall and it performed perfectly. The 230 Keith is also a great one. GS

 

[Bucks Owin]

I used a .41 mag as a pig gun while guiding. It appeared to penetrate better on the front of the skull and gristle plate. Had several failures with a .44 Blkhk.

Yep, I've read that the .41 has excellent penetration, in some loads better than the .44....(maybe it was Taffin?) FWIW, Dennis (Who figures .41, ".43" or .45 Rugers will do the job if the shooter does his part!)

 

[Greebe]

Just get a .45 Colt and be done with it. :twisted: Or you could just do like the rest of us and buy one of each caliber.

Like I said earlier, if you are going to load your own, you will be happy with either. If you want to be able to buy ammo anywhere, then get a .44Mag. If you want more bullet choices get the .45Colt. If you want something unique go with the .41Mag.

I personally don't own a .44Mag because having a .45 Colt and .41Mag will do everything it will and more. Plus the .44Mag is just too ordinary for me.

Basically you should just buy any one of them now as you will end up buying more later.

Greebe

 

[Onty]

Some of you make interesting points for the .41, and I have to be honest--I have a soft spot for "under appreciated" calibers, as my favorite rifle is an old tang safety M77 in .257 Roberts.

As far as performance goes would it be safe to say that you could load a .44 down to .41 levels, but a .41 couldn't safely be loaded to even moderate .44 levels? I know a .41 isn't a .44, but what I'm trying to reconcile in my mind is if the differences are worth the trade offs.

Another question for the .41 shooters--what bullets are you using?

Thank you for your insights so far.

See these articles:

http://www.leverguns.com/articles/paco/41magnum.htm

As for bullets, my old supply died out. Now, I am thinking of bumping up 40 cal bullets, most likely one of those 200 gr.

http://www.leverguns.com/articles/paco/41heavy.htm

 

[Tommy Kelly]

I have a lot of different big bore handguns. I have a 41 4 5/8" ruger that is a great little gun. I really enjoy it. I have 6 44 mags. a 454 casul and a 500 S&W. I like them all and in my opinion the 41 mag is a great little pistol that in a blackhawk and for a reloader would give a 44 mag a run for the money. With factory ammo it is a smooth shooting pistol that is easier for someone that doesn't shoot much to master with less recoil and fine accuracy. Like some of the others I guess my favorite cal is the 45 colt in a blackhawk. I have 2 4 5/8" 45's one is the convertable the other is not. With the blackhawk you can outdo the 44 mag with the 45 colt but there are others out there not as strong as the blackhawk so most factory ammo is loaded down to the weaker gun levels safety standards. A reloader with a blackhawk can get a lot more power out of a load designed for the blackhawk. Most loading manuals have a seperate section for ruger pistols that are well above regular load levels. With the 45 you can go from mild to wild depending on what your needs are.

 

[deac45]

From the Federal websight:
http://www.federalpremium.com/default.aspx

I don't see much difference, except the 44mag has a little more energy.

...Jimbo

What surprised me was the trajectory comparison...particularly when I think of how many times I've read or heard the 41 "shoots flatter" than the 44. Interesting...

deac45

 

[Jimbo357mag]

Is it just me or does that 41 chart have another 600 instead of 500 on the energy chart.

Be careful looking at those two ENERGY charts. They are not the same at all. But the velocity and trajectory charts are almost identical between the 41 and 44. I was sure to get the standard load and the same JHP bullet in both cases.

...Jimbo

 

[Shoot44]

As far as performance goes would it be safe to say that you could load a .44 down to .41 levels, but a .41 couldn't safely be loaded to even moderate .44 levels?

No it wouldn't be correct to say that. A 'moderate' 44 cartridge will develop around 700 - 800 ft-lbs of muzzle energy. My hunting 44 handload is a 200 grainer at 1500 fps for 1000 ft-lbs. The hottest 44 load I've shot is a 180 grainer at around 1700 fps, which gives a bit over 1100 ft-lbs.

But I have shot 210 grain FACTORY 41 loads that generate just a hair less than 1000 ft-lbs. So if it's muzzle energy that you are discussing, YES, a 41 CAN be loaded to well ABOVE "moderate" 44 levels. Can't match a 'max' 44 energy level, but pretty darn close. Doubt that 100 ft-lb difference really matters that much to the deer. If it did, I'd probably use the hotter 44 mag load to hunt with.

I hunt with my 44 SBH Hunter, but my 41 RH is a really sweet shooting revolver, probably a bit more inherently accurate than the 44, but both are better than I am, so . . . .

I like them both, but always tell folks that IF you reload, the 41 can be loaded from down below 357 levels up to almost a max 44 level. What's not to like about that???

My advice: get both.

P.S. While those charts are interesting, they don't show the MAX levels of either velocity OR ME for either cartridge!