Yesterday's Weapons Forums

I'm pretty well caught up with stuff from Comrade Publisher so it was time to experiment with new loads for my S&W 41 mag. I'd already ordered Starline brass and Acme bullets (if Acme works for Wile E, I'll go with it, too )

These are the Lyman 215 grain gas check bullet with no gas check but coated. Looked in 3 manuals to find 18.0 grains of 2400 was under max & loaded 50 of those. Which are full house magnum. Took several rounds to get over the flinch!


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A long time ago, a friend cast me a pile of 41 caliber wadcutters that weigh right at 200 grains lubed. No data is available for that design, so I went with loads for the next heaviest bullet I could find. 8.0 grains Unique was well under max and hardly any flinching with that one.


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Our state run range is closed to at least July 1, but no worries - I went out on a deserted county road to put a rock in my target box & fell back 25 paces. No surprise, the 1st shot of both types went wild - groups of the remaining 4 are shown.

Top 4 are the wadcutter loads - hot ones below that. I think the wadcutter load is a keeper. Since there was no traffic, I set up the chronograph.

The 200 grain wadcutters with 8.0 Unique went:
1081
1029
Error
1030
1070

215 grain coated SWCs over 18.0 2400 went:
1375
1345
1382
1373
1368

Dug out my IHMSA (silhouette association) accuracy book to find 41 mag groups consistently begin opening up at velocities over 1350 fps. So I'll drop down to 17.0 grains/ 2400 after I shoot up all the 18 grainers.

My hand still tingles, but it was a fun afternoon! SW

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Slava Ukraini!!

so what do you shoot these in ? im not familiar with anything that shoots a 41 magnum

I'm running these through my S&W Model 57. Also have a 14" Contender bbl in 41 mag. This is one of the seller's pics - I took the Hogues off & added Pachmayr soft grips.

41 mag isn't quite as rank as 44, but it's still a handful.

It was made in '77 and from the box has a much better trigger than new S&Ws I've handled. For my money, I'll look for a nice older one before buying another new "classic".

I think mine dates from the time a lot of guys HAD to have a Smith magnum after watching Dirty Harry. S&W and distributors really took advantage of that and dealers had to buy a ton of junk from distributors to get new S&Ws.

Ironically, many of the guys who HAD to possess a big magnum revolver suddenly lost interest when they were rudely introduced to Mr Recoil. Which is the case here. I bet this gat hasn't had 2 boxes of mastodon whackers run through it.

But the more I mess with it, the better I like it! SW


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Slava Ukraini!!

OK , i remember that , never felt the need myself but i get needin a dirty harry handgun , i know a couple folks that did that - seldom shoot them and one is thinking of selling his off now after holding them all these years , glad to know someone is really thinking of shooting them , its really cool you load for yours ,

I bought my .44 S&W 29 in 84, shot the crap out of it for 3 yrs, loved it. Although the arthritis in my hands wasn't bad then. I shot it about 3 yrs ago and couldn't close my right hand for two days, bummer. Now I shoot .44 Specials mostly, and towards the end shoot some magnums.
I have a S&W 657 .41 mag, and at one time a 3 screw .41 mag Ruger, 4 5/8" BBL. Had to sell that to pay off the debts the X stuck me with, really do miss that gun.
.41 mag has always been my favorite and love shooting the 657.

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"Like a tank with it's tracks blown off, my turret still swivels and my cannon fires, so whenever the fight kicks off, I'll likely live or die right there, where the fight begins and ends"
John Connor