Recently I picked up a 6in s&w 57 41mag. I decided to try reloading recently and am pretty green at it. My dad gave me a bunch of 200gr speer JHP bullets, and i had some unique powder. Looking online wasnt very helpful but i saw on alliants websight they recommend 9.0gr of unique with a 200gr bullet but that was the only charge listed. I saw on another sight where they started at 8gr and went to 9gr with a 200gr pill. I loaded 15rounds up with 8.5gr but with lack of info am second guessing myself. What would y’all recommend? Thanks

As far as it being a safe load, you did fine (very good).

Depending on if your bullets are jacketed or cast you should see 1,000-1100 fps and you are under the maximum pressure limits.

Unique is a good powder at that velocity/pressure range. If you are wanting more, let me know, but 1,000-1,1100 fps. will do for 95% of what a 41 Mag is capable of. With cast bullets the returns are minimal and jacketed expanding bullets are about the only things needing full house loads to work as designed.

I was just wanting a plinker load this time, but in the future I would like to load some more powerful loads for hunting

The Speer 200 grain SWC-JHP "was" one of my favorite .41 bullets...unfortunately a few years ago Speer stopped making that whole line of bullets.

8.0 grains of Unique will run that bullet about 1025 fps from the 6" barrel as they run 950+- out of a 4". From a 4" barrel 9.0 runs 1100 and 10.0 1180 with bullets from 200-220 grains. I use those loads almost exclusively in my Smiths saving the really heavy loads for my Rugers and Freedom Arms single actions.

Here is the link to a commercial caster whose favorite caliber is .41...he has a bunch of HP and solid bullets for .41 at very good prices...

http://www.gtbullets.com/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=6


And since you are new to .41 here is a link that has lots of information and links to other .41 information...

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



...and welcome to The Cult...Bob

..and that 200 grain Speer bullet...they don't expand. The nose melts off and the remaining little cylinder just keeps going. They also cut nice round holes in targets...kinda like a jacketed Keith bullet.

Bob

8-9 grains Unique is a very pleasant load using 210 jacketed or 215 hard cast. For a hunting load I found accurate # 9 to give excellent accuracy and velocity. 17 grs # 9 behind a 210 XTP gave 1350+ out of my Blackhawk. Accurates web data is very good on the 41. Nosler isn’t bad, but limited.

I used to use 11.0 grains of Unique with a 225gr. cast bullet in a Blackhawk, and never bent anything. Your proposed load should be plenty safe.


It was a bit raucous, but gave me 1465fps. in the 6.5" barrel, and 1.5" groups at 25 yards. I should have kept that thing.

tag

Almost identical to my hunting load of 16.9g AA#9 under a Hornady 210g XTP. Very accurate and plenty fast, very flat shooting for a wheel gun load.

i have loaded a number of different powders in 41, and like the accurate, as well as 231, 2400, etc.
but my enabler, who has already posted on here, once said something to the effect 7.5 to 8.5 grains of unique covers most situations.
I still find that hard to beat.
i am sitting here looking at a box of cast bullets, 265 grain mould cast to 262grain solids out of the mould, and 247 grain with the deep cavity, powered by 9 grains of unique.

..perfect self-defense load Ron...

Universal Clays always metered better for me, burned clean, and used about 1 to 1.5 grains less. Same speed. I stopped using Unique.......YMMV

8 grs CFE Pistol, the 412429 224gr. or the NOE 237gr. Keith. Std primer.

Bob gives excellent advice on all thing 41, and per his advice Unique was the first powder purchased for my 41. But I tend to load very light plinking and target loads (650-700 fps) for the girls and grandkids which burn very dirty with Unique. I got tired of scraping carbon from the muzzle and cylinder face. Universal works very well in this application, as does Titegroup with 165 gr through 210 gr cast bullets

I typically use SR4756 (discontinued), HS-6, and Blue dot for 900-1000 fps loads with 210 gr cast or JHP.

I use W296/H110 for maximum velocity with 210 gr JHP, and the 250 gr cast which is usually reserved for the 7.5 inch Ruger SBH hunter.

per imput from you i bought a jug of universal and titegroup. Mainly have filled the .41special brass i finally ordered. I do like that .41special combination.

You have good taste in revolvers. Mine is my favorite handgun of all time. It will be in my Will. The lower power loads in this gun are pleasant to shoot, but they still pack a punch. Get you some 215 grain hard cast bullets and you can shoot cheaper. I bought up all I could find a while back and will probably never use them up, but that's ok, better too many then too few. I like Hornady jacketed bullets for hunting and rhino loads. There are also some heavier hard casts if you want to use them for hunting that have wide meplats. Your only restriction in these heavy bullets is length......they need to clear the front of the cylinder when crimped. I have some 255 grainers I haven't tried yet, but will work up a load for next deer season.

I'm sure there are a lot better powders now than Unique...but I have been trying to consolidate down to just a few powders and Unique filled the bill. Unfortunately with the addition of 10mm and .327 Federal to the stable I ended up with jugs of Longshot, Power Pistol, Blue Dot, AAC-7 and AAC-9...

So that plan was blown...Bob

Idaho - yes, I've long run H110 and W296 both for hi-vel stuff. Not knocking Unique, but "discovered Universal Clays" years back, and I felt it offered benefits...

Ron, that 41 Special always seemed intriguing, perhaps as much as the 44......I'd think you could run very respectable speeds in a modern albeit short cylinder wheelgun.

Bob, I can understand consolidating.