Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns 41 Magnum Fans ???

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 ?

If your Blackhawk 45 is an original Blackhawk, then yes the 41 would have the same size frame. If you Blackhawk is the newer mid-framed style flat top Blackhawk then the 41 frame will be bigger. I am a huge fan of the 41 partially just because it is the forgotten magnum in the middle and I like off the wall stuff.I just bought a 41 magnum Blackhawk back that I owned years ago. It is a custom conversion on an old model mid-framed 357 to 41 mag by John Gallagher. I will load it with 250-265 grain cast bullets in 41 Special brass.

41 mag is an excellent cartridge that is easy shoot with good power

Owned a 41 mag Blackhawk since 73 it’s a sweet round. Actually has better ballistics than the 44 and considering recoil it was a darlin of the silhouette shooters.

I believe the old model Blackhawk .41 mag was on the smaller frame

That's what I'd like to have, more on the 357 frame size.

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

The .41 is usually a really accurate gun. The dimensions of the case, throat, neck, and barrel were always set in stone, unlike the old .45s which might have a .454 bore, or some of the ".44s" which might have bullets that are .427" or maybe .429 or 430" or whathaveyou, depending on who made it.

Since everyone was making them to the same specs, it's easier to get an accurate .41 than the others. I do not dislike the others, but it seems to me that the .41s are easier to get shooting really well.

Keep em coming guys, all this info is great.

I have a Ruger Blackhawk in 41 since 1979.

Liked it so much i got a Marlin lever rifle in 41.

Killed the first deer at 125 yards with it.

He fell so fast my asked me where it ran off to,he was watching with binos.

I really like the 170 grain Seirra bullet.

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.

Idaho Shooter, I am a handloader. I've been sitting here researching loads while watching the game. For my part of the country (southeast) the Sierra 170 jacketed looks like a great place to start.

Looks like I can get 500 pieces of new Starline for about a 100 bucks, in stock at Midway.

This.

41 mags generally have throats from .411 to .412, almost universally.

32s, 38s, 44s and 45s dont have that.

The .41 Magnum is a superb cartridge. I’ve been shooting and loading for this cartridge for 39 years, for Smith and Wesson Model 57 no dash revolvers. Nothing wrong at all with this round in the Rugers.

The .41 is about the perfect size for the N frame Smith, while I believe the frame is a bit light for the .44 (actually it’s a .429; only .019” difference in them). Easy to load for, quite well balanced.

My standard load is 17.5/2400, standard large pistol primers, 215 gr hard cast SWC. For bear protection, I load 20/296, magnum primer, 265 grain hard cast Cast Performance bullet. All have been wonderfully accurate...and my guns are still tight even with significant shooting of the former load.

nope larger frame

Yes that is a great place to start. If you expect targets at extremely short range, I would load the 170s just a bit short of maximum velocity. At fifty yds, push them hard.

Note of explanation: Many years ago, I shot the Berrys 210, Hornady 210 XTP, and Sierra 170 JHC into water. At max velocity from a 7.5 inch barrel and six feet vertical range, three samples of the 170 shed the jacket, and lost all but a small pellet of lead from the core. At a bit reduced velocity they fared much better.

The XTP core held together very well even though it shed the jacket with a maximum charge.

This was probably 12 or 13 years ago. If you desire more information, I have photos on the 'puter and notes in the logbook.

I am a bit confused with the early BH revolvers.
I know the three screw 357 was on the original "medium" frame. And the larger SBH was designed around the new 44 mag.

But the 41 was not a SBH? correct?

Is it a SBH frame without the dragoon trigger guard/grip frame?

And then the 44, 41, 30 carbine, and 357 where all on the same frame when the new model blackhawk was introduced in 1974.

The 41 mag came out in '64, so I assume there are some three screw blackhawks out there in 41.

I won't be pushing them super hard, this will be more of a work pistol than a hunting gun. I have a 454 hot rodded up for a hunting gun. I'll want a good service load with the least amount of trajectory drop out to 50 ish yards, without a huge amount of recoil.

Damn, I just stumbled across a listing on Guns America for a Ruger 3 screw BH in 41 mag at my favorite toy store about thirty miles from the house.

Listing is from August and the gun is sold of course.

Check gunbroker. I see a NM SS bisley 5.5 in listed at $800 and a very nice 1968 3 screw blue model with 4 5/8" barrel at $850.

Hell, if I was flush with cash right now, I would already have that three screw in transit.

I am partial to the 41as it saved my life or at the least severe body rearrangements. Two cartridges I try never to be without a gun to shoot is the 41 mag and the 45/70

I wanna hear the story.

I've got a lead on one from a buddy of mine now, 7.5 inch BH. He's wanting to trade for a BH 45LC/ACP convertible that I have. I've asked for 150.00 boot, we'll see.

I knew an old timer who guided in the white mountains for 20+ years. He always carried a 41mag s&w. I know its stopped everything from bears to porcupines...

Might have a 41 mag......or two









[img]https://i.imgur.com/I8pWnJI.jpg?1[/img]

Not sure why that last pic won't appear. Just click on the link.

Cult caliber...if you know what's good for you, you'll stay with the .45 Colt....buy one .41 and you'll end up in the poor house...the fentanyl of the revolver cartridge world... Idaho Shooter...Ron...addicts all started by someone they call The Enabler....

For your reading enjoyment....

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?276144-41-magnum-special-data-center


And no, the OM Blackhawks in .41 were on the standard BH frame which is the .44 Magnum size frame, not the older Mid-frame flat top of the .357s.

If your friend with the 7.5" BH really has a 7.5", then the gun will be a Bisley or one of the stainless Hunter Models with SBH or Bisley gripframe. Standard BHs come in 4 5/8" or 6.5". There was also a stainless Bisley with a 5.5" barrel and a .44 Magnum size flat top in blue with the same length barrels. There was also one short run of standard BHs in stainless...

As to the 170 Sierra...best bullet for deer going. 26.0 grains of H110 runs in the 1600s from a 6.5" barrel. Gary Reeder's favorite .41 bullet for deer.

If you would like some cast HPs look at GT bullets...his favorite caliber is the .41 and he has a big selection...excellent prices. Matt's Bullets have a MP 190 grain WC HP that would make a great self-defense bullet....

You get hooked...don't say I didn't warn you...

Bob...aka The Enabler....

Thanks Bob. I searched every way I knew how and could not determine the actual frame size of the OM. Though I certainly had no reason to doubt 700LH.

I did stumble across one 41 SBH, which I think was an OM, in the dragon configuration. ETA:Uhm..let's make that dragoon.

RJM thanks for all the info, I appreciate you guys taking the time to help.

Savutti, nice collection.

I guess it's to the poor house I'm headed, I gotta have one now. Will confirm on barrel length later today, haven't seen it yet.

How about a little nostalgia for those that remember, Winchester original police loading, price on the box is 10.99 for 50. Don’t know why I haven’t shot em instead of packing them around for 40 years.

...fire 12 rounds out of the gun, look down the barrel and you'll remember why you have been carrying them around instead of shooting them...

Probably, never did like 296 powder in it, still don’t. Anymore I only use 3 powders Unique (once in awhile for nostalgia), AA 5 for plinkers and AA9 for full house.

Has nothing to do with 296. 296 is a great powder for the 41 mag in fact my favorite for too end loads

Count me a 41 freak. Three screw Blackhawk, Redhawk and a tender super 14. I'm a caster so make what I want. All sorts of fun. Shoot 210s to 240s.

I hunt with handguns a bit, have several .41mags and been impressed with accuracy & performance on game. Started with a 9" TC contender barrel from their custom shop, then added an 8" S&W 657.... then a 14" stainless contender by Bullberry.

Later i also added the .41mag to rifles, with the addition of a pair of marlin 1894's, and i finally had Match Grade Machine build a 16" .41mag contender carbine bbl.......the .41 is probably my most used straight-wall pistol cartridge.

I happen to be a 41 nut case myself, there are several here that get used often. Took a fat doe a few months back with my old model shorty. Got my first 41 in 1967, a 4" model 57. And I still have a 4" model 57! The 5.5" bisley see's the most use.

Dick

Swifty...not sure what powder WW was using for the 210 lead load back then but it definitely wasn't 296... Those loads are only going 960 fps from a 4" but the bullets are so soft that they lead up all the rifling in just a couple cylinder full...

RJM, you were correct, sumbitch never put a tape on it I guess, just thought it was a 7.5, it is a 6.5, but I now own one. I let him beat me up on the trade a little, but he knew he had what I wanted worse than he wanted what I had. Oh well. I guess I'm gonna order some brass and boolits tomorrow. I got about 5 different choices of powder in stock. Wish I could post a pic on here, but I don't know how. This format ain't easy for us dumbasses.

You have enabled me. 😁😁

If anyone needs 41 mag dies, I have an RCBS set. Free for shipping to you

PM sent, be glad to buy em from you.

I have owned a 4 5/8" OM Blackhawk for 25 years and have not shot it since 2000. I have a special run (Lipsey's?) RB 3" 657 with factory "etching/engraving" that I picked up at the Buda Cabelas 8 or 9 years ago that I have never shot. Too good of a deal to pass up. This thread makes me want to get the Smith out.

I would like a Flat top 41.

4 5/8ths.


I have a flat top 44 special and a 45 colt.


I love those things.

was in the back pasture looking for a missing heifer. found her upside down in a gully. she fell and couldn't get her legs under her and died
while checking her out a pissed off young black bear boar came boiling out of the brush, I stumbled back and tripped over a log, which broke my leg. the bear came over and as he stuck his head over the log I gave him a 210 just ahead of the hinge of his jaw. he had his mouth open and I got his last breath along with a lot of blood all over me. scared the wife when I came hobbling in. I carry a cell phone with me now so I can get someone to come pick me up when crap like that happens. .

Damn, glad you had it with you. About the worst I have to worry about when checking cows is buzzards when calving, and an occasional coyote.

the gunwriter Brian Pearce has some excellent articles on the 41. He writes for Handloader magazine... also check out the web for Paco Kelly and John Taffin's articles on the 41

https://www.leverguns.com/articles/paco/41heavy.htm

https://americanhandgunner.com/discover/the-41-magnum/

Because i have both rifle and pistol i load for the pistol and shoot them in the rifle.

The 170 grain sportmasters pick up some speed in the longer barrel.

That is quite the gentlemanly offer.

And a gentlemanly response.

A bunch of really great guys on this forum.

Ed, you really should.

I was shooting my MG last Sunday with a 21 year old nephew from Washington state who has had little exposure to firearms. (Though his Dad has taught him to keep the bugger picker out of the trigger guard, which I appreciated and complimented the young man on)

The young man obviously has no taste. He was actually drooling over a four inch SP 101 in 327, and dreaming of owning his own. Though, in fairness, the SP carries a nice action/trigger job and is almost as nice to shoot as is the MG.

Revolver and I think the ammo was made in 1968.



Sorry bout the rushed phone picture, pizza is in the oven

Flat top 41 mag / 41 Special dual cylinder Ruger but the barrel is 5 1/2".

Replied .You got them.

Thanks again.

Dibs !

Beauty. Who built it??

I have an old model shorty and some 265 Gr GC bullets loaded and ready to go. Should be a fun gun!!

I’ve owned and shot several 57’s/657’s over the years, but mostly over the years it’s been 44 magnum 29’s/629’s and RedHawks. You guys are gonna keep it up until I will have to go back and get another 41 magnum!

I've owned four .41s over the years, two Ruger Bisleys, one Redhawk and a Freedom Arms 97 6 inch. The FA is the only one I still own and it gets fed a steady diet of hard cast 210s at about 1000 fps. If that's not enough oomph, I need a rifle. I've never owned a .45 Colt or a .44 Magnum - the .41 was the first magnum revolver I ever bought and I never saw a need for another magnum caliber. I do still have a .44 Special Ruger Bisley 5-1/2 inch, but that doesn't really do anything the .41 won't except provide a slightly heavier bullet at slightly greater (.019 inches) diameter.

If I ever find a reasonably priced Marlin lever in .41, I'd certainly pick it up. Sadly, they've gotten silly expensive.

Gone.

i think i have two 41blackhawks in the safe now, one i think late 60's the other early 70's
One of them i think without looking is pretransfere bar safety. Might be wrong on the dates.
first one i had a while, second one a friend owned a gunstore and he took it in.
bought it on the spot, the 41 did it, but it had been sold out of a liquor store in flagstaff, next to the campus of Nau, where i went to school.
it traveled all over northern arizona with the guy.
had an old style holster with it.
great to shoot.
our mutual friend the enabler got me started on 41's.

Ah, there you are. Where ya been?

Damn it. You guys have got me jonesing to try a 4 5/8 Bisley Blackhawk in 41. I will have to start looking for a likely candidate. There is still room in the safe, I think.

how it works with 41's.
i saw mention of a ruger bisley in 41. guess what i was trolling for on the net last night? with that 7 plus inch barrel.
it never stops.

and i had to look in the safe. both of those blackhawks are three screws, no transfer bar safety. my personal opinion is they are smoother than the later ones with the safety.
one when i found it had a set of crappy to me aftermarket stocks on it. i replaced with what look like ruger stocks, but not specific to the revolver or period. would like to find a set of original stocks.
given these are around 60years old, they look like they were made last week.
hard to beat that old ruger quality.
another one i haven't tripped across is a 8inch barrel 57.

i do believe i saw a couple last night while searching the net.

i resisted the urge for quite a while, but the enabler finally won out talking about the .41special. when i got the brass from starline and loaded it, was just perfect for the 41, particularly the smaller guns like a taurus etc. seems to match quite well with the 58's too.
one of the atvantages of a 41 to me is there is such a range of bullet weights and velocity, if you reload. from quite mild to elephant stompers.

He is proficient, skilled and relentless. Lol.

..who me?


FYI...there are no factory Bisley Models in .41 Magnum with a 4 5/8" barrel...only a 5.5" stainless, 7.5" blue and a 7.5" stainless Hunter...

...find a nice 4 5/8" gun and then find a Bisley frame and hammer...they are around...

I have a friend that has one, it is 8-3/8's, he won't even talk about selling it.

Yes, I knew that. I anticipated having to shorten a 5.5" SS.

Is there a reason it would be preferable to retrofit Bisley components to a 4 5/8" gun instead?

I ask only because my one and only attempt to swap Bisley components did not go so well. I have the two SS Single Sevens in 4 5.8". I wanted to convert one to Bisley for my heaviest loads.

So when I saw the 5.5" SS Single Six available, I purchased one expressly for donor parts. The 'Smith also believed they were identical frames and it would be no big deal to swap the parts. But when we got them apart, he found there was a slight difference in the thickness of the grip frame and also the mounting holes were slightly misaligned.

I understand the factory can supply raw gripframes to be hand fitted to the individual gun. I just assumed it would be much less expensive to have one shortened, crowned, and the front sight reset.

Speaking of custom work on Rugers, does anyone know who could add real sights to a Vaquero? I have one that I absolutely love, just wish it had some real sights on it.

Dave...you are correct it would be easier to shorten an existing gun to 4 5/8" the problem of course being finding one... There are tons of 4 5/8" guns out there in blue steel and as far as I know putting a Bisley gripframe on one is no major problem... Best place to ask is over on the SingleAction Forums...those guys do it all the time...

mirage...try Jack Huntington at JRH Precision... I've had two guns modified by him and he is one of the masters... And again if you ask over on the SA Forums those guys know everything about SA mods and who does the best job.

...and nice guns bartman...

Bob

I have a Standard 7.5 inch blued Bisley 41 mag if you are looking for one to cut down. I just found a fluted cylinder 41 magnum Bisley and it's going to replace my current Bisley. My non fluted is a tack driver but I've always wanted a Bisley 41 with the fluted cylinder. PM me if you are interested.

I hope the front sight is tall enough. Back in the early 90s I had a 4-5/8" barreled Blackhawk .41 and the rear sight was screwed down hard to get it on target with 210s.

Tom

I had a 5 1/2 standard blackhawk in the 1980s. I shot the heck out of it. I think those had an aluminum frame, because in my mind it was moderately light weight. Naturally since I liked it so much, I sold it for a 7.5 inch unfluted bisley. I really never had the same appreciation for the weight and long barrel, so that revolver is a safe queen. I have other shorter bisleys, and I really like those, but they are in 4 5/8 44 special, 3 1/2 44 mag, and 5 1/2 45LC.

Thanks for the offer. But my wants do exceed my means at the moment. I am fully involved in a rifle project for this winter. The next revolver project is probably a year away.

Mart, if you want I'll send you the tool to chuck the engraved cylinder in a drill press so you can dress off the engraving on the one you have. Have it reblued and you have a 7 1/2" bisley that looks like it wears a SBH cylinder.

Thanks Robb but I have a fluted cylinder 41 on the way and it looks like my non fluted is spoken for. I'm going to have the fluted 41 shortened to 5.5 inches and a few other custom touches done.

Well I finally got to shoot my new 41 today, pretty dang sweet gun, Ilike it. I gotta find a solution to putting some type of high viz sight on the front. I guess machining the blade off and drilling the front base is my only option. Anyone else have another solution? These 54 year old eyes ain't what the used to be.

I'm another one who wishes that BHs had the same interchangeable front sight blade system that the Freedom Arms guns have.

I'm just wondering if any of the big name gunsmiths can mill the base of a Ruger to take the FA blades... Most of them simply mill off the blade and mortise out the base, drill for a cross pin and then pin a new blade in place. I would imagine that the FA base is milled from the bottom of the base.

I know Clements does that conversion on blued guns. Simple pin to take blades. He also provides blades of different heights. The stainless guns come with the pinned front blade. Wish Ruger did their blue guns like that.

Also, if you get it converted, there’s a guy on Rugerforum that makes a nice patridge type blade for them. I have a few that I installed on my newer 5-shot 454 and 480’s.

41 mags are sweet especially the S&W M57

Stationed in Kaiserslautern, Germany as a lieutenant, I bought a 6.5” Blackhawk in .41 Mag at the Vogelweh Rod and Gun Club for $275 in 1989. The Club had lots of the original of the original lead police loads. I shot a bunch of them and they were very accurate from my revolver. I now shoot that load’s modern twin; the HSM Cowboy Load featuring a 215 gr LSWC at 975.

"I now shoot that load’s modern twin; the HSM Cowboy Load featuring a 215 gr LSWC at 975."

...the difference being that the Remington and Winchester bullets were sawged and the HSM being cast....

Bob

Love the .41 mag, took my first buck with a m57 and 210 XTP . Great round

this thread got me to dig out a couple of 41magnum three screws i had stashed away.
got kind of a pleasant surprise on one of them.
I knew it had been carried all over northern arizona, and well cared for, looks like a new gun.
it was bought at ruff's liquor store next to the N.A.U. campus in flagstaff.
I looked up date of manufacture today, 1972, the year i graduated from N.A.U. kind of a graduation present i think. I use to buy a lot of beer in that liquor store, the gun was probably in a display case at the time.

Until recently, I had a stainless Ruger 45 colt/45 ACP convertible NMBH. A fellow on the single actions forum made a base that accepted Freedom Arms inserts. Andy Horvath put it on for me. It was pretty sweet.

My 41 needs are met by the duo of a 4-1/4" Freedom Arms M-97, and a Smith M-657 no dash 6".
Originally the FA was paired with an M-57 4".
Both of those guns shot great. With different loads.
I'll say the Smith was picky because the FA shot most everything great. But not the one load the Smith shot the best. Not wanting to dink around with ammo mix-ups and such, the M-57 went to a new home. This M-657 likes all the loads the FA likes, so it's a match.
There is one 44 magnum still in my safe. that M-329PD is only staying because I've given up on finding an M-357PD for a reasonable price. Or at almost any price.
It's a purpose built sidearm that gets a lot of carry hours.

You will find some older 3 screw .41 magnum Blackhawks, but like the ones in .45 Colt they will all be on the larger 44 magnum frame.

41

Mirage, I was in the same boat as you with the 41 until I finally took the plunge and bought one. My 7 1/2" 657 has had great effect in the field using 210gr XTP handloads but it was`ent until I had FA`s build me a 10" model 83 in 41 that the true potential of this cartridge showed itself. Two New Mexico mulies and two Maine bobcat are some of the game taken with the 41. One of the mule deer was a single 70yd shot shooting a 210gr Swift handload.. I`ve found the 41 Mag to be an almost perfect cartridge for 90% of American game....

41 fan here too.
Have a ruger redhawk that's been with me for 20years or more
Have owned a few others as well,wish I had never sold the s&w 57.
The super blackhawk hunter was a shooter too.
Liked the blackhawk 4 5/8 barrel, but someone offered to much money for it one day.

JJ, I bought one about a month ago, BH 6.5, my eyes are getting so bad up close that I mounted a Red Dot on it. I've been shooting it almost every day. I'm really impressed, I ordered some 175 cast hollow points from GT Bullets out of Ga. I've already shot over 400 of them and ordered some more. That bullet over 7 grains of Titeload is a hell of an everyday load for small stuff, 100 yards is real easy to ring 6 inch plates.

the only problem i have found is they breed in the gun safe. I started with a m57, that has way expanded to different manufacturers, barrel lengths and so on.
i have loaded from 170 to 300 grain in that caliber. for me, around 230 to 240 grain at about 1000fps rings the bell most times.
current fascination is with a totally impractical gun the m357pd. they didn't make them for very long, and particularly the nightguard version.
i am afraid if i ever trip across one, the money is gone and it will reside in the safe for me to look at.
i have an enabler that posts on here. he told me years ago some variation of about 8 grains of unique covers about all the bullets a 41 will use.
he is right. having said that i have used a number of different powders.

i keep meaning to pull one, a redhawk, out of the safe to measure the barrel, i think it's five or five 1/2inch.
it's also blued, with a interchangable front sight, with three different colors

IF you can find some of them, the old Speer 220gr. Half-Jacket bullets are awfully accurate bullets. When I first got my 6.5" Blackhawk, I put together some loads from a Speer manual using Blue Dot and those 220s. Mind you, I just bought the gun, and just picked a load out of the manual and assembled them, without shooting any factory ammo at all.

Some friends put a milk jug full of water out at 100 yards, and not knowing any better, the first cylinder load ever fired out of the Blackhawk were aimed at that milk jug. I hit it with the third shot, and the succeeding three shots hit it, too. I was a fan after that.

Later on, after I started casting, I used the Lyman #410459 mould (the Keith bullet), and a stiff load of Unique, and it would regularly shoot into 1.5" at 25 yards. That was one nice-shooting Blackhawk. I don't remember what I swapped it for, but no doubt it was a poor trade.

Thinking back on it, I don't think I ever shot any factory ammo through the Blackhawk. No reason to do so, with it shooting my own loads so well.

I've always had an affinity for the S&W Model 58.

I actually prefer my 58 to the 57 or the Blackhawk. It wears a set of Jordan Troopers. Outstanding revolver.

Just for you .41 Magnum Fans!


https://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/18620429#Post18620429


As usual I dropped on out of the first shot group on the left.





215 grain hardcast SWCs at a moderate 1210 FPS from a 5" barrel.

Easy shooting, but still packs a wallop! Great combo.

Mackay, as always, great shooting.

This thread is a pleasant blast from the past. Thanks for retrieving it.

You bet!

I have had a good number of guys ask about .41s so I figured I would bring this up here.

Plus that is RJM's converted Model 27 that I am using as a test gun.

Super cool piece for sure!