I've owned about every caliber of pistol, but never a 41 Magnum. I'm thinking about getting a Ruger Blackhawk. Just something to keep in my farm truck as an all around sidearm. For those that have em, do you like em, are they to much gun for what my intended use is? Is the frame the same size as my Blackhawk in 45 LC ?
I think it is a good choice but my input may be questionable, my all around handgun is a Super Blackhawk .44 with the 4-5/8" barrel. I got my first .44 just before my 21st birthday. Never been without one 'cept for a short period in the early 1990s when I had a pair of .41s, both Blackhawks, one 4-5/8" barrel, one 6-1/2" barrel. I'd spent some time with a friend's .41 before I bought mine.
I don't see a big difference. The .41s lighter bullet should recoil less but the .41s are lighter because the grip frame is aluminum rather than steel. It's a "wash" IMHO. Unless you have a need for the 300 grain class of .44 bullets, a .41 is as good as a .44 ... and a .44 is no better.
Size .. depends on the vintage of your .45. If it is not a flat-top, they'll be identical. The .45 should be lighter by the amount of metal represented by a .45 hole vs a .41 hole .. and 6 times that in the cylinder.
If I were starting from scratch with no .44s in the safe, without major $$ in components, etc on hand, I would go with the .41 over the .44 for day to day, and up through deer, and get a .454 for the big stuff like elk. Not that I couldn't kill an elk with a .41 and some careful component selection, but it is **easy** to find correct components for elk hunting for a .454.
So in a way I'm saying 'do it", but on the other hand, before delving into the .41, I'd have to ask whether I expect it to do things I can't do with a .357 which is really much easier to feed.
Tom
