I came on here asking advice for a first handgun purchase 15 years ago, and got some great useful advice. I soon became the happy owner of a Ruger SBH bisley hunter in 41 mag with a 2x20 Nikon Monarch scope. It weighs 56 ounces and will tame the fiercest loads I can build. I was just shooting some 250s through it yesterday.
Those of us with large fat fingers can like the bisley grip as it will still allow the pinky finger to grip the revolver. That may or may not be a consideration for you.
With lots of help from these forum members, I was guided into the purchase of a 6 inch 657, and then a 4 inch Taurus titanium tracker in 41, and then a Marlin 1894 FG carbine in 41, and finally the Holy Grail, sold to me by a fine member here, the S&W 657 4 inch Mountain Gun.
I still like the SAs, but have learned to prefer the DA revolvers. I like to carry the Tracker, but prefer to shoot the Smith Mountain Gun.
Do you hand load. This is almost a necessity for the 41, and casting really expands your horizons. I cast a 175 gr, a 210 gr, and a 250 gr for the 41. I have not done the trial, but am positive the 250 gr flat point over 20 gr of H110 would shoot through an elk, end to end, from either the 7.5 inch hunter or the carbine.
By the way, Marlin no longer chambers the 41, and a nice example is hard to find. But Henry is making the Big Boy in 41 mag.
The Hornady 210 gr XTP opens reliably over a wide range of velocities, and stays together surprisingly well even when pushed toward 1400 fps.
The Sierra 170 JHC can be pushed a bit faster than the 210 gr bullets, and recoil a bit less. It is highly recommended for deer hunting.
I shoot a lot of Berry's 210 gr plated bullets over 12 gr of HS 6, or 12 gr of SR 4756, or 12 gr of Blue Dot before Blue Dot became not recommended for the 41 mag. These each make a pleasant shooting load capable of serious work if need arise. I can shoot them from the light weight Taurus if needed, and they are actually pleasant to shoot from the Mountain Gun.
But where I really stretch the loading envelope is with the 165 gr cast or 175 gr cast bullets. I load either one with 5.0 gr of Titegroup, or 5.7 gr of Universal to a COAL of 1.482 to approximate internal volume of the 41 special wildcat.
This yields a muzzle velocity less than 800 fps and produces recoil similar to 38 special loads in a Blackhawk revolver.
Starline makes great brass for the 41. My brass all reads W-W on the head because I found it and bought 700 pieces when I bought my first revolver.
It really hurts me to say this, because I love to proselytize to the "Cult of the 41 Magnum". But if you are not a handloader, my advice would be: stick with the 357 or 44, for either of which ammo is much more available.
Look for a response from Bob, AKA RJM. He is a bit of a 41 mag guru. Or search the history of Handguns forum for posts by RJM. One can learn much.
