.41 MAGNUM AMMO
I am interested in purchaseing a Ruger .41 Mag single action handgun for a back-up side piece when I am hunting, but, I find it hard to find and to purchase this caliber. Is the .41 Magnum caliber slowly fadeing into non-exsistance?____And what other caliber would you suggest?
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I hunt & shoot 41s a lot. I had not noticed that the ammo was difficult to find -- however, I reload most of mine. Eventhough I am a 41 fan, I would recommend consideration of a 44, especially if you do not reload. The variety of factory ammunition available for the 44 gives you a much wider range of choices than you will have with a 41. 0 -
I will echo what is said. I love the .41 mag but if you going to do any amount of shooting with it you really need to reload. That said, while most retail ammo dealers carry little or no .41 mag it is readily available through several specialty companies via mail order. The down side is cost. It's pretty hard to find a box of .41 for under $25. I am loading my own, with my own cast bullets for around $5.50 a box (plinkers). it's easy to load for and a basic reloading setup would pay for itself pretty quick evn using commercial cast plated or jacketed bullets. There is actually more selection for .41 loads than there ever have been since its conception. And dispite what some may say indications are the .41 will be around for a long time yet. It has actually seen some resurgence in the last few years.
If none of that is apealing to you the .44 or .45 colt might be a better choice. .44 special loads are probably close to the .41 and in a good gun anything from mild cowboy loads to slime stompers can be had in 45 colt.0 -
This one has a dedicated core following, which has been steady over the years. You might think of it as the revolver equivalent of the 10mm (or more correctly, the 10mm is actually the auto equivalent of the .41 magnum).
If the .41 were going to disappear, it probably would have already happened. I don't think its going to fade away anytime soon, but its never going to approach the popularity of .357 or .44 magnum.
As mentioned, ammo is expensive for this and can be hard to find (eg you're probably not going to get any inside a Walmart), so if you like to shoot it, you're going to have to reload.
If you LIKE to reload, its no harder than any other straight walled revolver cartridge, so that's a plus.
What other caliber?
That's easy. The most directly comparable caliber would be .44 magnum. The .44 magnum can do anything a .41 can do, and more, and if you don't reload, ammo for it is a lot easier to find.
Given the choice between the two, I'd pick a .44.
I'd skip .44 special in a hunting gun. While the round itself is good (and more or less ballistically similar to .45 LC or .45 ACP), .44 special ammo costs nearly as much as .44 magnum, so in my opinion, you might as well get a .44 magnum gun for the increased versatility.
Other reasonable alternatives for hunting would include .454 Casull (which is basically a magnumized .45 LC), and .357s.
.357 magnum rounds are going to be the most economical and readily available rounds, though they're going to fall short of true .41 or .44 magnum rounds. Still, if you use the hottest available commercial rounds (eg Buffalo Bore or Double Tap), they're still pretty powerful, roughly up there with .41 magnum.0 -
i agree with all the above and own several 41 mag's but also reload as was said. get a nice 41 and you will hooked for life. brass and components are availble easily.loads nice and not a pain. i love my redhawk but really like my smith 57's.don't be shyed away about it going anywhere like was said if it was it would have been gone a long time ago. good luck on your choice. kevin 0 -
The 41 Magnum has never been popular enough to be able to fade away - I think it was born already faded away. [:)]
I have more than a few and so long as you reload you'll be fine. Brass is easy to find and the 41 uses common handgun powders. Bullet selection is a bit tough, I've found t very difficult to find 170/180 grain bullets in stock, but getting the popular 210 grain is pretty easy.
If you're not going to reload you can still find 41 Magnum ammo, but you'll probably be limited to 3 types - the lead SWC 210 grain @ 1000 fps, the jacketed 210 JHP @ 1,400 fps and the specialty type heavy hunting bullets.0 -
The 41mag is a calibur of a few but it is a very fine round. I have had many 41's. I recomend you think reloading if you are going to ne a long time 41 fan. I am also a big fan of the 10mm. yep i do not follow the crowd. My 2 cents [8D] 0 -
I have a 41 mag that I reload, love it[:p] 0 -
Reloading is the way to go. try 10.3 grains of unique powder with a 300 large pistol primer and hornaday 210 grain xtp bullet. The 41 is so hard to find because everyone wants one. If I see them at a gun show, they will most likely be gone by the time the show is over. I just looked at a few sites and found several 41's for sale. Expect to pay top dollar though.I just bought a NIB marlin 1894 fg 41 mag for 549 last year and i have seen them on gb for over a grand used. You can buy a s&w 657 for around 750. This was supposed to be a law enforcement round when it was first manufactured but it never caught on with police departments.Several atemptes to bring this caliber back to life have failed.Taures is now offering this caliber but I have heard they are having trouble with the cylinders blowing apart.I own several taures and have had NO problems with them. I love my Smith 657 and have this in a 83/8 length. Good luck and I hope you catch the 41 fever like me. Oak41mag[8D] 0
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