snowbirdgohome

Just fed it a box of shells last weekend and I have to say i'm pleased. I had to wait a week to find the time, so I spent it online reading about the gun and the round. I purchased it with the intention of hunting javelina with it, and doubtless it's uses are numerous judging by what information I've read thus far. When I fired it the first time I could have sworn I was shooting my Grandpa's .357 blackhawk, yet on paper the performance is very much like .44 mag! I know the .41 mag only exists today because of handgun hunters interest in the round, although it was initially devoloped for law enforcement. What do you guys think of the round? (I know the gun is great!)

cwhitenton

My CCW is a Glock 29 so I'm a fan of the .41 as well. Try this site for some interesting hunting loads for your new baby: [link]http://www.buffalobore.com/ammunition/default.htm#41mag[/link]

idahoelkinstructor

I have owned a ruger blackhawk .41 Mag for many years. I bougth it for protection when fishing and bowhunting. In Idaho its legal to carry a pistol (for protection and small game) when bowhunting. With handloads the .41 Mag can equal some factory .44 Mag loads. I know several handgun hunters who kill elk with the .41 on a yearly basis. The .41 Mag is not that far behind a .44 mag. Remember also a .44 mag is realy a .429, and the .41 mag is .410, and the .41 can come in a smaller package. Not saying a .44 Mag is bad, but when I need more power than a .41, I use my .454 Casull. Good luck with your new pistol, its a good choice. I love mine!

nwla/whackmaster

The gun you just got your hands on is a fine handgun.Ruger has sold a ton of them.You're correct about the .41 mag being originally designed with the intentions of LE duty,and mostly finds a home now days in the hands of handgun hunters.I don't personally own a .41 mag,but have handled and fired several over the years.Basic differences between the .41 and .44 mag are recoil,muzzle velocity,muzzle energy,and probably the .41 mags weakest link being the limited number of factory loadings chambered for it.Even with that said,the .41 mag is still a super choice for a hunting handgun.I shoot S&W's myself in .44 mag,and 500 mag.Always great to see another handgun hunter come on this site.Welcome aboard snowbird...and good luck to you come fall.

glock29rd

if i had to choose beteen a 41 mag and 44 mag because i only had enough to buy one..

that would be a hard decision.. they both are damn great rounds. i would probably end up going with a 44 mag just beacuase i am a fan of real heavy grain handgun bullets but as soon as i had money to buy a 41 mag i would buy it also so the moral would be that
i would own both.........lol

James B

I have a Dan Wesson Pistol Pack which includes the 41 Mag with a 4, 6, 8 and 10 inch barrels. I have the same thing in 44 Mag. and also in 357 Magnum. I love all three but would have to pick the 44 Mag if I could just have one. This would be just because of the heavier bullets available for the 44. But this is America and so far at least I can have them all. The 41 drops deer like a bold of lightning.

snowbirdgohome

thanks to all for your responses. I'm pretty ear to ear about this gun and I plan to handload for it this summer to keep me shooting all winter!

Big Al C

snowbird, congrats on the new gun. I think you will be very pleased with it. I would like to own one some day.
With that being said though, if I had to choose just one centerfire for "everything" it would probably be either the .44 mag or the .357 mag. (with the edge going to the .357 this week) I say this mainly because of the wide availability of loads for these calibers. You can walk in any store in the US and find something that will work in one of those two. I would hate to fly somewhere to hunt and have my .41 mag ammo get lost. You cant just walk into any Wally World and find some. And this is a shame because the .41 is such a fine round overall.
Thank the good lord we live in a country where we are free to choose and try different guns to suit our individual likes.

Swampdog

I have a S& W 657 Classic Hunter.I would not take anything for it!!

Nomercy

From my experience, the .41mag compares to the .44mag .357mag about the same as a 16ga compares to the 12ga and 20ga....for the most part, it hits like the .44mag and kicks like the .357mag, with the difference in power noticed largely on paper only, unless you're stretching things out to the maximum capability of the round....The .41mag is a good deer round for close range, say within 100yrds for someone who shoots a lot (a requirement of ANY handgun hunting!!!), you'd likely never notice the difference in killing power between the two on deer, on bear, maybe, but that's basically because the .44mag is marginal at that point, so being a few dollars shorter with the .41mag guarantees you'll be short....for Javelina you'll be laying in the shade.

THe Blackhawk is a great gun as well, I'm a HUGE .44mag fan, so I've got a Super Blackhawk or two (ok, four of them), my only gripe about the gun is the square-back trigger guard that about breaks your middle finger, or at least skins it alive when firing full house loads....your standard blackhawk doesn't have this, so it's perfect.