Why the 41 Magnum?

[Mistered]

The .41 Mag was originally conceived as a LEO offering on the pretense the .357 wasn't enough and the .44 was too much.
The problem might have been is that the gun that it was designed for (the Mod 57 S & W) and was the same size as the Mod 29 in .44 Mag and might have been seen as too large to be practical.
The .41 exists as sporting/hunting/hobby round for those who have guns chambered for it.
While a great round in the tradition of S & W magnum it just never gained a foothold like the .357 or the .44.
This is not unlike a lot of great rounds such as the .38 Super. Realistically the .38 Super should have worldwide appeal but the 9mm overshadowed it as the predominate military/LEO caliber.
Another reason could be is the Military required a .45 caliber round for the handgun and well, fast forward to the 1911 popularity of today.

[GunnyGene]

Underwood tested the velocity of their 41 ammo in a 6.5 inch Ruger...I asked them about that a while back.

Powder as slow as Lil Gun is needs a gas check on lead...4100, being a little faster burning, will likely behave better with plain base lead.

Edited to add: They may have said 7.5 inch Ruger...I can't find the email to verify, but it was either a 6.5 or 7.5 inch Blackhawk for sure.

6.5" BH. I asked them the same question several years ago, when I was researching factory ammo.

[Vaquero]

You guys might want to do a search on the use of LilGun in revolvers. It burns very hot. Lots of talk about forcing cone erosion along with other issues I have some but dont use it much and wont use it in my FA

I have never used it myself.

RP

[Ridgerunner665]

You guys might want to do a search on the use of LilGun in revolvers. It burns very hot. Lots of talk about forcing cone erosion along with other issues I have some but dont use it much and wont use it in my FA

I have never used it myself.

RP

I haven't used Lil Gun either, but I researched it quite a bit when I first got the 41 Blackhawk...I had a pound of 296 but was looking for something less of a flamethrower.

I ended up with 4100 and have been satisfied with it...got a pound to test it, I now have 6 pounds of it.

[Slugnut]

Just a quick note, the Hornady reloading manual 8th. edition states, the max velocity for the 41mag. 210g. XTP bullet is 1450 fps. I would assume, anything above the 1450fps. will not give the desired penetration and probably "explode" on contact. JMO. The max velocity on my reloadings is 1500fps. with good penetration, but 1300-1400 fps. (210g XTP) gives the best accuracy in my Ruger SBHH and Henry BBS.

[GunnyGene]

I have to disagree regarding max MV for 210gr XTP. I don't reload, but I've shot a lot of Underwood .41mag XTP and never had a problem with penetration, or with accuracy. Here's what Underwood advertises (from a 6.5" barrel):

Technical Information

Caliber: 41 Remington Magnum
Bullet Weight: 210 Grains
Bullet Style: Hornandy XTP Jacketed Hollow Point
Case Type: Brass

Ballistics Information

Muzzle Velocity: 1560 fps
Muzzle Energy: 1135 ft lbs

In addition, I recently ran their ammo over a chrono from my BBSC (16.5") and obtained a pretty consistent MV (avg. 1738fps), and as you can see from the target it was a pretty tight final group @50yds.

See this thread:

http://henryrifleforums.com/viewtopic.php?f=42&t=7562

[Ridgerunner665]

Yeah... those XTP's made for big revolvers are pretty dang tough.

[Ridgerunner665]

Good discussion with pictures of bullets recovered from game (mostly hogs).

http://singleactions.proboards.com/thre ... ft-bullets

[Ridgerunner665]

Also... when I set up a blind or stand I always do so 25-75 yards away from the trail I'm hunting.

But deer being deer they do sometimes come from the wrong direction and end up right on top of you...I used to bow hunt late season in a ghillie suit, I have had a doe step over my legs while I was leaned up against a tree before, could have poked her in the ribs with my finger.

From the carbine, the 210 XTP has slowed down to 1500 fps at about 60 yards...Hornady says 1500 fps is within the operating window, the box says 1500 fps down to 700 fps... but from what I've seem they don't expand much, if at all, below 1,000 fps...1,200 fps is a safe bet for good expansion on game.

210 XTP at 1,725 fps


I'm confident a high velocity 210 XTP behind the shoulder, through the heart/lung area, would drop any whitetail in the country like a bolt of lightning.

[Ridgerunner665]

There is always the Swift A frame bullet... but at $1.10 each I believe I'd go with the Cutting Edge Bullets 220 grain HG solid for the same money.

https://cuttingedgebullets.com/41-220gr-handgun-solid

I used the CEB 190 HG solid in 10mm, that bullet will penetrate right on through the space/time continuum.

All that said... I'm using the XTP for the foreseeable future, because I have like 10 boxes of them.