Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns 41 or 45?

Is there any real differrence in the accuracy between the 41 mag and the 45lc? Sometime in the future I am interested in buying one of these two handguns and would like to do some hunting with it. I know there are better suited rounds for hunting, but these two are what is holding my interests and have been for quite some time now. Any advise or experiences would be graciously appreciated.

The only thing that will make a difference will be you. Both are capable of respectable accuracy.

There are a lot of shooters on the CF who are .41 or .45 Colt shooters or who shoot both. I shoot mainly .41 Magnum and having had .44 Magnum, .45 Colt and .454 also prefer the recoil and accuracy of the .41 over all the others.

Top end loads, that will do anything that needs to get done in North America, to me and many other .41 shooters recoil less than any of the other calibers. I had a very nice Freedom Arms .454 and even with "light" as in 260 grain bullets at 1650 fps, the recoil was not only unpleasant but was starting to damage my wrist and elbow. With the .41 I can run bullets up to 305 grains at 1300+- fps and they will shoot through anything I need to shoot through.

If you look there is another thread going right now about .41s....

Bob

I have and enjoy both, but would give the nod to the .45 if forced to choose. Wider selection of bullets, and ammo can be found anywhere.

I have both. Not much of a sample though.

The 41 mag is an old style Blackhawk. Easily the best shooting handgun I have ever owned.

The .45 is a 5.5" Bisley Vaquero. Quite accurate and has consistent throats, etc.

I find the .41 much more accurate especially with cast loads.
And frnkly, the cartridge has all the power I need for deer.

I wish I had purchased a Titanium Tracker in .41 instead of my .357.

Thanks for the replies. I am a handloader, so finding ammo is not much of a concern. Recoil of full house 44 mag loads dont bother me so I doubt i would have any issues from either of these. I never have shot anything larger than the 44 though so I don't know where my threshold is. I don't have the supplies or time for casting my own lead bullet so I probably will just buy jacketed bullets. Still on the fence so anymore comments are welcome.

I own both and both are accurate

I would seriously look at having at least one gun chambered in each caliber. They are both excellent choices, they both have their particular merits, and they are both capable of phenomenal accuracy in the right gun.

Whichever one you choose, I predict you'll buy the other soon thereafter. Good for you!

I have a number of both. Both in a good pistol will basically or can at least shoot one hole groups.
The .41 with the right bullets has the edge at distance i would think.

I like them both or i would'nt own a number of both.
I really don't shoot much jacketed through either one of them.
I cast. If you don't cast you can buy good lead bullets. And the .45 was made for those. For most screwing around stuff, i run a 210grain cast bullet out of the .41, and a 250grain cast out of the .45, both at about 1000fps.

If I were you I would go ahead and get the 45 Colt. Load it, shoot it and hunt with it. If you then still have the 41 bug you can always buy one of those as well. That is the route I took.

Either one will be plenty accurate once you find the right load combination. For both of those cartridges I would choose the Ruger Bisley platform.

Landrum

I would go with the 45 COLT. I don't reload.

If I were YOU ... I'd go with the 41 MAG!

Flip a coin and buy one. If you hunt around and get a chance to shoot both as part of the decision making process you will end up with both....

I have a 41 Special, a 44 Special and a 45 Colt. I'd not think twice about using any of them on any game available to me, including elk or moose. I can wring 1000 fps or a bit more from all of them, cast bullets in all three diameters are readily available (all that's needed), and one or two powders work admirably with all three at either end of the power spectrum. The 41 is a sort of "mildcat" because it is so easy to make, and a revolver chambered in the magnum will of course handle both.

The 41 carries a sort of elan, the 45 caries a century of nostalgia. Either one will make you proud.

"The 41 carries a sort of elan, the 45 carries a century of nostalgia."



I like that.

Strictly on those grounds, I've had much more success with the .41 Mag.

I think I am leaning towards the 41 for the better performance down range. (Not that they compare to a rifle). The only 41 I have handled was a s&w 657 5"ish. Felt like a nice handgun, just dont think I could go the $900 that it was priced. Anyone have any suggetions on a well made model that doesnt break the bank. I would rather go without than have one that doesn't perform well though. So I guess i am asking is there any out there that are accurate but not as expensive?

CDNN has a great buy on a SS Taurus right now.

http://www.cdnninvestments.com/

6.5" SS Raging Bull for S469.99

They are a little heavy for just packing but they are accurate and easy to scope.

Why not both? In fact, why not both in guns very different from one another? For instance, just staying within the Smith and Wesson family we find the:

Model 58, fixed sight 41 Magnum:



And the Model 25-5 45 Colt, 8 3/8" barrel:



Although there is a great deal of overlap between the two cartridges, that is, to my mind, immaterial. What matters most is the gun in which they are housed--what is its design and does that design fit the purpose for which you have chosen it?

That is more important than the headstamp if the choice is between the 41 Magnum and the 45 Colt, assuming one is a handloader or has the cash to purchase boutique ammunition such as Buffalo Bore.

I would love to buy both. But I have been off work since late sept. and will continue to be off until probably april after I heal from my next surgery. I am the sole supporter of a large family, so I wont be able to buy both. Atleast not anytime real close to eachother. Nice looking Smiths BTW. Really like that 25-5

For one gun, I'd go with the 45. Plenty of inexpensive cast bullets available and very economical to shoot. Using low pressure loads good 45 Colt brass, like Starline, will last forever. Just watch your crimps as too-heavy crimping can lead to cracks in the brass at the case mouth. I use a gentle taper crimp with my light 45 Colt plinking loads and those cases have seen more than a dozen loads since I bought them.