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

Dick, I live just 4 doors down from Kelly. When he had Cast Performance he and I put thousands of rounds per year down range together. He is the one turned me on to the 41 magnum. The 41 250wfngc has been my go to bullet for hunting. Lately though have been running a 240 "Keith" style from Rim Rock over 4227 that shows much promise.

DrillSergeant, Good luck sir.

Thank you, byron.

All this talk about the 41 and hunting has me aching (that's a joke) to get shooting again. An antelope and javelina that I took with the 41 were shot with the 200 grain Speer 1/2 Jacket Hollow Point. The antelope just twitched before falling; the javelina fell immediately. Of course, it doesn't take much to drop a javelina. By the way, for those who have never eaten these little guys, they are pretty tasty when cooked with Barbeque Sauce.

They don't make the 1/2 jackets anymore, but I love that bullet. The best 50 yard 5 shot group I've fired out of a large caliber handgun was with that bullet and the Ruger. Local shop was going out of business many years ago and I purchased every box they had. Still have a few boxes remaining. Shoot them lovingly and sparingly. Thought that it was too light and soft for elk. If you ever run across any of these bullets, they should not be used with low velocity loads, as the jacket may separate and stay in the barrel (according to the older Speer manual).

My standard plinking and practice load with the 41 is a 215 grain LSWC over unique. I do not cast, so purchase from manufacturers. Beginning to turn to coated bullets for these loads.

.411 coated 210 grn semi wadcutters from Bear Creek Supply over 8 grns Unique is the plinking load we run through my wife,s and my 41's. Excellent load for practice, and quite frankly I would not be afraid to use it on pronghorn.

Good stuff guys! Byron ,Kelly, RJM, jwp475 & a few others I could mention have a LOT of first hand experience with six guns & cast bullets & the real clincher, correct alloy & velocity! Good friend Mark Hampton recently wrote an article in American Handgunner using my powder coated 41 bullets in a Ruger Hunter & also a FA 41 magnum. The 230 gr bullet & also the 250 gr LBT WFN shot better or as well as every jacketed bullet he tried. His most accurate loads were the same loads myself & several others have used for years. 8 grs of Unique & 17 grs of 2400. Now if you're really mad at something just switch to H110/296 (identical twins) & dial up the speed, there you have it.

Dick

I would rather use a 41 mag, than a stick and string.

Fo sho.

Owned & hunted with a 41 back in the 80’s. Called to order a Ruger Blackhawk in 41 from my supplier. He was out but had a 45 Colt he’d let me have for $225 as it was on close out. That was my introduction to the Colt & I have loved it as much as the 41.

Don’t shoot the 41 anymore. It’s as good an Elk whacker as any other weapon.

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I cannot imagine Federal's 250 grain castcore 41 magnum load not taking down any elk if i do my part... of course they discontinued that load...

Dogger, Way back when, they used the Cast Performance 250 or 265 grn bullet. I'll have to ask Kelly. Either one will suffice I'm sure, if you hand load.

Drill- I have no experience with a .41. I have harvested a deer coyotes and javelina with the .357. I use a 125 jacketed hp, and a lot of 296. with a 41mag I would use a 210 jacketed bullet and a lot of 296. go luck in the drawing that is the hard part for elk in Arizona.

Idaho 1945,

You mention "my powder coated bullets". Do you cast for yourself or offer bullets for sale. I'm stocked up on 41's, but as soon as I start shooting again, will go through my stores fairly quickly. Latest purchase was coated 215 gr. SWC from Bayou Bullets. Haven't used them up, yet. My standard load for the 41 in this size bullet is over 9 grains of Unique.

You also mention that you load yours over 2400 and H110/296. Have you found excessive leading with your bullet and either of these loads, without a Gas Check?

By the way, had a doctor appointment this morning. While still too painful to hold a handgun (full extension with the weight is still too much) he did clear me to try .22 rifles; since my recovering arm is held close it is not as much of a problem. For more than 25 years, my sons and I have hunted squirrels with .22 handguns - only. That is some fast and furious shooting. I'll be cheating this year with a rifle, but looking forward to some shooting fun soon.

Still kicking myself for selling my 7.5" Smith M657 nonfluted stainless.... those revolvers command a premium these days...

41 Magnum is a great cartridge.

Dogger, 657-4? That is what I have. Nice gun.

I sold a 657 6" once, and a 57 4" - would Never again sell a good shooting 41

As I said above, Elk? 41 will kill them dead. Seems a few here agree, and done it time and again.

Practice and good hunting OP.

DrillSergeant, I've cast my own bullets since the 60's & I've been powder coating about 5 years, something like that. I certainly wasn't the first but one of the first & I've taken quite a bit of game with powder coated bullets now. For me, regular bullet lube is history!
Good bullet lube can run $3-$4 a stick & even the better lubes created smoke, no way around it. I've used many, many, many sticks off it. One year when I was competing in revolver class, USPSA I fired just over 54,000 rounds & I cast ever bullet with my Magma caster & lubed them on my Star machine. Never again.
Don't want to hi jack any further but I've gave away a lot of powder coated bullets to guys around the country so they could compare them to their regular bullets, make your own choice, that's what I did. Many times you can get away without using a gas check, there is a point where you will need one but it's far beyond regular lube.

Dick

Thread I started over on the Cast Boolit Forums...lots of good posts and links there...

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?276144-41-Magnum-41-Special-Load-Data-Center

The Federal 250 Cast Core and the CorBon 250 Hunter were both CP bullets. I think later some were also from Leadhead.

I got to meet Kelly one time while I was on a motorcycle trip out west in 2003. If I recall correctly he has a custom Gary Reeder .41 Magnum with a 5.5" octagon barrel. We later traded TC Contender barrels. He wanted my .35 Remington and I got a one of a kind .41/.445 SuperMag that Mike Bellm had made. I still have that barrel... Runs the CP 255 at 2070 fps...


Bob

DrillSergreant, I didn't do a very good job of answering some of your question. I seldom ever use H110/296 because I always get exits using 17 grs of 2400. Of my 11 revolver elk every one has been an exit, even though some were with the 44 & the 45 Colt. Just no need for me to go hotter in the 41 if I'm getting exits.
Also I very seldom use gas checks except for a few of the smaller calibers where I push them very fast. One is my 357 Maximum. I also have a 305 gr 44 bullet that I gas check, if I had it to do over again it would be a plain base. Again, powder coating is what I call the poor man's gas check.
Many times a gas check bullet will be more accurate than a plain base, not always but at times. Now, in the hunting fields can you shoot the difference, I really doubt it, just my opinion.

Dick