Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Elk Hunting .41 Magnum for Elk?

Seeking advice from hunters who have been successful hunting elk with a handgun.

I have taken Deer, Pronghorn Antelope and javelina with a handgun and want to try my skills on an Arizona elk (if I am drawn). While I have larger calibers available, I love the .41 Magnum and would like to use it on elk. Longest shot was about 20 yards. Of course, there is no comparison in size or weight between the deer/antelope and elk.

I have bullets ranging from 170 JHP to 200 gr JHP - 215 gr LSWC - 250 WFNGC & 265 WGNGC (and others). All shoot well in my customized 6 1/2" Reeder Ruger Blackhawk. Thinking that the heavier weight lead bullets would work.

What do you think?

Don’t have a .41 but have a .357 and loaded with 158 Keith style slugs it’s a freaking penetrating machine. I would think a 210 gr Keith style slug would be the best of both worlds in velocity and penetration.

Why? Don't you have a decent rifle?? Stunt shooting at the elks expense??

Of those listed, if your gun spins them well, I would use either of the 2 heaviest and limit shots to 100 yds. The 41 will kill Elk dead.

I strongly resent your reply. I do not engage in 'stunt shooting'.

My choice of a handgun is my business. You are implying that I either cannot handle it correctly or that I would not cleanly take an animal, but rather wound it. Neither is the case.

I have previously taken large game with a handgun. Each with a single round properly placed. Many have taken elk with handguns and I am interested in the replies of those that have experience with handguns and large game.

Please don't reply. I have no interest in engaging in a battle of words with you or anyone who denigrates the skills, abilities or motives of others.

Moderator, please handle this as you think best. Thank you!

Post your question down the "Handguns" sub-forum. You'll likely get better responses there. Also, reach out to members "Idaho1945" and "RJM".

I don't have a .41 anymore but I would have no qualms about trying the .41 with either of the two heavier bullets and very little hesitation to use the 215 grain bullet if the flat point is fairly broad. I'd keep it within 75 yards and I'd prefer to be within 50 yards. Plan your route through cover to facilitate that goal. Should be fine.

Tom

Thank you very much for the advice. I appreciate it.

Think I'll end my question here and try it on another site. Not interested in more contentious discourse. I will try the recommended members, however.

Thanks again, jds44!

Here's an old thread on the topic:
Elk and the .41 Mag

You should only reply to a question like this if you have experience doing something like this, NOT an opinion. Of course the 41 magnum. will take elk & do it with ease. My first & last elk were taken with the 41 magnum, one shot with an exit on both. One of them broke both front shoulders, the other was an exit after penetrating almost 3/4's of a large cow elk.
In between there have been several with the 44 magnum & the 45 Colt, but this is about the 41 magnum. A good friend of mine center punched a large bull moose as it faced us straight on at, I think 64 yds, center chest. The bull turned & went about 20-25 yds & down. Penetration was something like 3 FEET! He was dead before we could walk to him.
Could a rifle in any caliber do better, maybe, maybe not. I've always used a 230 gr Keith bullet I make from an old Saeco mould & in the last 7-8 years an LBT WFN 250 gr slug has worked great, used it to break the front shoulders on that last cow. I think she was 70+ yds, she never took another step.
In over 50 years of killing big game with the 41 magnum I have never recovered a single bullet & I've killed a lot of game with it. If you've used it & don't like it, fine. If you haven't used it you're in for a big surprise, it's very effective. Throw out foot pounds of energy, that's meaningless, run a 250 gr LBT WFN through an animal & you'll be amazed at the damage, & you'll eat backstraps if your shooting is up to par.
Want to see 10 kills with the 41 magnum, I can show you 10, want to see 20, I can show you 20, want to see 30, I can show you 30, want to see 40, I can show you 40. One year I took 11 animals with the 41 magnum from elk to bears & hogs to deer in 4 different states. Take over Bob, I'm getting tired!

Dick

Please do not bail out over one negative reply.

I have only taken pronghorn with a 41 magnum, but I have taken pronghorn, deer, elk and moose with a iron sighted revolver. Hope to do something about that soon.

If you use one of the heavier cast slugs you will be blessed with success as long as you do your part.

Good hunting!

Byron

yes, stunt shooting, at 20yds like he stated......come on!

..you have more than enough gun with a .41. Even a big bull isn't made of steel.

Shot placement and bullet construction are most important...how many elk run off and die every year from those that fancy themselves long range riflemen and break a leg with a .300 Mag....

From the 6.5" barrel you should be able to run the 250 close to 1500 fps with 20.0 grain of H110. It runs 1305 from a FA 97 with only a 4.25" barrel.

I run the 265 with 21.0 grains but have not clocked them yet. I also have a Reeder Custom .41 5.5" and that is the bullet in HP form that I will be using for deer in a couple of weeks.

That said, Dick runs his 230 Keith at much less velocity and still gets "over penetration" if there is such a thing with a hardcast bullet...

Good luck to you..

Bob

There was an article in hand loader magazine a year or two ago about heavy for caliber cast bullets. If memory serves the 41 mag bullet weighed in at 265 grains. The listed loads were safe in a contender so they would work in your blackhawk for sure. It turned the 41 mag into a hammer. I have meant to order a few boxes of them to try out on elk. If your interested I will dig through the back issues and shoot you some data from the article

With either the 250 WFNGC & 265 WGNGC........no problem at all.

I am a former CEO of Cast Performance Bullet Co, and I have seen many many many reports of those 2 bullets used on elk, and larger game from all over the USA as well as many other countries. On elk you will find that it's nearly impossible to keep one from exiting the body even on quartering shots and even if you break bone.

Shooting elk, or even larger game with a powerful handgun is no more a "stunt" then killing them with archery equipment.

It's about the skill of the shooter. If you can hit a 8" target with your handgun 100% of the time at (X) range, you are very well armed with that gun at (X) range what ever that may be FOR YOU. When I was younger I was able to do that on demand without fail at about 125 yards. I could do it about 75% of the time at 150 yards which is why I would not shoot at 150 yards. I once killed a horse with an LBT 187 grain bullet from a 6" M28 Smith and Wesson at about 90 yards, and the horse fell within about 8-10 seconds. The bullet exited the body. Your 41 is quite a bit more powerful then that 357 mag was.

I have killed many many head of game with handguns in many places and running the gambit from 80 pound antelope does to to 1750 pound buffalo. I have used 357 magnums, 45 autos, 44 Specials, 44 magnums and 454 Casull. I personally have never hunted big game with a 41 because I had the 357s and the 44s, and I had no niche for the 41, but a know many hunters who have used the 41s all over America as well as quite few used in Africa.

If you load an LBT cast bullet made from the correct alloy, you can shoot clear through moose and even buffalo, so elk would not be a problem. In my experience a shot with an LBT 180 or 187 grain bullet of 357 caliber or larger, fired at 1200 FPS or better has been a faster killer then any broadhead I ever saw used, shot from any bow, of any draw weight, at any game.

And a well placed broadhead is quite effective!

Now I point out 1 more time, I am speaking of the terminal effect of the bullet. But the real issue here is the man. As with any hunting weapon, this has to assume the degree of skill from the shooter that is required will be met. No firearm is powerful enough for elk hunting if you miss, and no amount of power work very well if you gut shoot. I believe that is "a given" and I also believe from your 1st post you know and accept that.

But if you put a good 41 cal LBT through the vitals of an elk you will be getting out your knife pretty soon afterwords.

Remember, 100% hits into an 8" target is your ethical limit of power (recoil) and range. Work within that limit and you can kill anything you want to kill with a good powerful handgun.

Cool topic and pretty danged informative! Idaho1945, awesome, just plain awesome! Thank you for the info and experience!

Speaking of LBT, when I went to Africa, Kelly offered to give me some free cast bullets in several calibers & I used them instead of my own & give him some photo's on my return. I see him every year at the NRA Center in Raton, New Mexico, great guy, very knowledgeable & we always have a great time.
As mentioned, I've never recovered a 41, 44 or 45 bullet from any of the 11 elk I've taken with cast bullets or from my bull moose. All were one shot kills.

Dick

Thanks to all for the replies. Great input. I guess I wrote too quickly about abandoning this site. Just became a little ruffled. My bad.

The recommended link is good Shaq, as are the individual responses. By the way szihn, the 250 and 265 grain bullets are from Cast Performance. Bought them some time ago from the Pistol Parlor (Gary Reeder's shop in Flagstaff, AZ). I will load them over healthy doses of H110/WW296. Will try them as soon as my shoulder is fully healed (recent rotator cuff surgery). But, I am on the comeback trail and absolutely convinced that I'll be using the handguns soon.

My 41 is an 'Old Model' Ruger that Reeder beautified for me. He also completed an old Model Ruger 44 Magnum at about the same time; this was back when I could afford his work. His work now commands about three times what I paid. I also have a 4" S&W Model 57 that is absolutely gorgeous and fun shooter, but not a hunting weapon.

Again, to all who replied - my thanks. If I'm drawn and fortunate enough to get close, I follow with photos. If not, I'll just enjoy the new loads.

Your post demonstrates your stupidity on the subjectt

I like a wide meplat semi wadcutter in 230 grains, they will penetrate like no tomorrow and will run well over 1300 fps from a 4” barrel.