The .41 or the .44?

[Pistolenschutze]

How about some opinions on the .41 v. the .44 magnum revolvers as backup field carry weapons. If you look at the specs, the .41 (in a Mod 57 Smith) v. the .44 (in a Mod 29 Smith) are so close that the difference is practically meaningless. I have a Mod 29, but I've always been intrigued by the Mod 57and the .41 caliber in general. I remember when those revolvers were first offered in the mid-1960s. At the time they were marketed toward state patrolmen, mostly as a more effective weapon than the .357, especially with a 210 grain bullet loading. This caliber never really caught on, but I wonder if it has simply had a bad press.

[cohoskip]

I had a S&W N frame .41 Magnum 8 1/2" barrel. It was a real hand cannon.
I liked it because it seemed to kick no more than a .357 but left a hole almost as big as a .44 Magnum. Ammo is 175 or 210 grain...

[AngelDeville]

I'm on the lookout for a revolver in .44 mag, but if I ran across a nice Dan Wesson in .41, it would be coming home with me.

[LDBennett]

Pistolenschutze:

I have S&W's in both 44 and 41. When loaded to max for each, the 44 mag hurts to shoot unless you have gloves on and are a big recoil fan. The 41, mag on the other hand, recoils less and is not that unpleasant to shoot. If I had to pick one over the other it would be the 41 for max loads. But.....

I reload 44 Mag down to 44 special levels. My model 629 has a 4 inch barrel (retrofitted for ease of handling from a 8 3/4 inch original barrel) and is an absolute sweetheart to shoot that way. Its no more than a big push and the thing hits whatever you point at. Talk about a devastated soda pop can! It is one of my favorite guns.

But the thing is, you GOT TO HAVE BOTH!

LDBennett

[Smokin Guns]

Pistolenschutze,
I will try soon to post up pic's of both...and the target results...

[Pistolenschutze]

Originally Posted by LDBennett

I reload 44 Mag down to 44 special levels. My model 629 has a 4 inch barrel (retrofitted for ease of handling from a 8 3/4 inch original barrel) and is an absolute sweetheart to shoot that way. Its no more than a big push and the thing hits whatever you point at. Talk about a devastated soda pop can! It is one of my favorite guns.

But the thing is, you GOT TO HAVE BOTH!

I completely agree with you on the .44 Special level downloads, LDB. I often do that myself. In a heavy N-frame revolver like the Mod 29, it makes the .44 Mag a pussycat to shoot and extremely accurate. When I take the 29 out to the range, I will usually put 18-24 rounds of full power through it, then switch to the softer loads for more comfortable practice. I often do the same thing with my .357s as well, loading down to about .38 special +P or ++P levels for ordinary practice.