41 Mag versus 44 Special

[kmitch200]

For personal defense, what decision criteria would cause someone to select a 41 mag over a 44 special?  I'm not quite seeing the niche for the 41.

For personal defense I don't think choosing 41 mag would be wise.  They are rather brisk in the recoil dept.
A 44mag carrying 44spl would be MUCH better!!

[alfsauve]

I just got my .44 Special Bulldog back from Mag-Na-Port, and it is a great little self-defense revolver.
Michael B

I feel like I'm walking with royalty.  I bought my wife one way back when we first got married.  She loves it. 

[tombogan03884]

 It seems like the .41 magnum is in that "oddball" category with the .38 Super. No matter HOW good it is for it's intended purpose it never caught on to the extent that others like .357 and .44 Magnum did. Because of that it's only available in a limited number of models, and making ammo a much more specialized product, this also increases the price of both firearms and ammo above what you would pay for more mainstream products.

[PegLeg45]

I think the main advantage the .41 magnum had was a somewhat flatter trajectory at standard handgun ranges. It was supposed to be a 'best-of-both-worlds' cure for those that wanted more than a .357 mag and less than the .44 mag. It did what it was designed to do and found favor among hunters and (I think) metallic silhouette shooters. It mainly, as others have pointed out, fell out of favor because the .44 special made more sense.

Just my .02 cents worth.......(48 more opinions and I can buy a soda water).......    



In 1963, Elmer Keith and Bill Jordan, with some help from Skeeter Skelton, petitioned Smith & Wesson, Remington, and Norma to produce a pistol and ammunition in .41 caliber which would fall between the extant .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum cartridges in ballistic performance, and at the same time address perceived shortcomings with those loads.

The .357 Magnum suffered from restricted terminal ballistic effectiveness in the early 1960s, as jacketed hollow point bullets were not yet commonly available, and the manufacturer's standard loadings consisted of simple lead bullets. The powerful .44 Magnum, primarily a heavy hunting round, was considered overkill for police use, generating too much recoil for control under rapid fire. In addition, the revolvers chambered for the .44 were considered too large, bulky, and heavy for police carry. Keith's original vision called for dual power levels in the .41, a heavy magnum load pushing a 210-grain (14 g) JHP at a muzzle velocity of 1300-1400 feet per second (ft/s), and a milder police loading which was to send a 200-grain (13 g) semiwadcutter downrange at around 900 ft/s. These plans went awry due to an ongoing fascination in the firearms community with high-powered cartidges; Remington was swayed by its influence and instead of following Keith's blueprint chose to emphasize the performance of the new cartridge. As a result, the .41 "Magnum" load was released at an advertised 1500 ft/s, and even the "light" police loading was introduced with a 210 grain lead semi-wadcutter "warmed up" to about 1,150 ft/s. Unfortunately, the police load as delivered was regarded as overpowered by most law enforcement agencies, many of whom were still using .38 Special revolvers.[4][5] Additionally, Smith & Wesson simply adapted their large N-frame revolvers for the new cartridge, which did not address size and weight concerns. The Model 58, targeted for the law enforcement market, was introduced on July 10, 1964. Weighing in at 41 ounces, the Model 58 compared unfavorably with other popular revolvers available at the time, such as Smith's own 34 ounce Model 10 in .38 Special. These combined factors mostly eliminated the .41 Magnum from consideration for its intended market as a law enforcement firearm, although it continued to be touted as such and was adopted by a few law enforcement agencies. Smith & Wesson also produced a high-end, premium revolver in .41 Magnum caliber, the Model 57, almost identical to the .44 Magnum-chambered Model 29.

Market reception

The .41 Magnum never enjoyed the popularity and success of either the .357 or .44 Magnum cartridges, but is still prized by handgun hunters as it generates noticeably lighter recoil and provides a flatter bullet trajectory at long range than the .44. Nevertheless, the .44 Magnum still catalogs a greater variety of heavier bullet weight offerings which are more effective on larger game, and also boasts a slight edge in power when using the heaviest factory loads, or if pushed to the edge by handloading.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.41_Remington_Magnum

[tombogan03884]

 It was used by the Ga. Sheriff who shot and killed tax protester Gordan Kahl back in the early 80's

[Sponsor]

[Frisco]

I have a 5" Model 57 Smith .41 Mag...it is my absolute FAVORITE, and I do mean FAVORITE whitetail deer (Michigan variety...big corn fed hummers), and Arizona javelina round.  It is a flat-shooting-accurate-as-all-get-out wheel gun, that is easy to pack all day long.  That being said....I don't like it for self defense.  Over-penetrative for SD, and since I reload my hunting rounds where I WANT more penetration....I don't consider it a first choice for two-legged varmints.

For SD...I will take the .44 Special in a Smith & Wesson, for SD a 180gr LSWHP on top of 7.5gr of Blue Dot for about 900fps.  It is easy to shoot all day, and accuracy is phenominal out of my mid-60's vintage Model 24 with a 4" bbl.  I find that the LSWHP expands from about 850fps and above in pigs, so, presumably they would also expand just as well in a two-legged varmint.

I do NOT have a problem with using reloads for SD if I am carrying one of my primarily "outdoors guns".  Their use in an SD situation would be easily defensible in court even if the prosecution tried to paint me as an evil manufacturer of uber-deadly ammo by simply stating that they were intended for plinking or hunting during the outing, and were only called upon for SD because it was the only ammo I had with me, as it worked in both my lever action carbine, and my revolver, and was intended for the peaceful and recreational shooting I had mentioned before. 

That is if, for some reason, I don't have a handy Glock in 9mm through 45ACP.

Still...something about a big ole' thumper in a round thing makes me all warm and fuzzy.