41 mag......good all around revolver round?

[OlongJohnson]

It's sort of a boutique cartridge these days with a strong cult following. Handloading is going to be the way to go if you plan to shoot it more than once every couple of months. With that being said, I'm a rather big fan of .32 Mags and have managed to justify keeping those around, so you'll find a ready participant in your enabling experience here.

I've gone down the rabbit hole a few times on .32 Fed Mag, and can't convince myself I have to have one...or, have always managed to convince myself I don't need one.

At any bullet weight, the .32 Fed Mag achieves basically the same velocity as a 9mm loaded to that same weight; a 90gr .380 HP at 9mm +P pressure will get moving. I handload and have a 5.3-inch barrel 9mm.

Light bullets from a .357 will do everything the same weight bullet will do from the .32, and a lot more. The only advantage is a slight external ballistic edge, flatter shooting for varmints at range. And arguably, the smaller cased rifle-ish rounds blow away the .32 in that department.

The only reason I can see for needing the .32s is to put six rounds where you can only fit five rounds of .38/.357.

There's a guy on Ebay selling a .32 H&R Contender barrel who wants you to convince me I'm wrong.

[1slow]

I recently bought a S&W #58, 4" barrel fixed sight .41 Magnum. I just think it is a neat revolver.

In the 1970s I was told that in a N frame the .41 Mag made sense because of thicker cylinder walls. No idea of the importance of that.

I mainly shot 4" model 29s in S&Ws or Super Blackhawks and Redhawks.

[Alpha Sierra]

In the 1970s I was told that in a N frame the .41 Mag made sense because of thicker cylinder walls.

Whoever told you that is an idiot who thinks he's smarter and more knowledgeable than Smith & Wesson's engineers and metallurgists. He's not.

[1slow]

Whoever told you that is an idiot who thinks he's smarter and more knowledgeable than Smith & Wesson's engineers and metallurgists. He's not.

I tend to agree, I think the top strap is a limiting factor as well as cylinder walls. I new a lot of people who shot 29s. The consensus seemed to be that like K frame .357s they would shoot lose with a lot of full power magnum ammo.

[Stephanie B]

I got to shoot a buddy's Model 57 recently. Nice gun and it felt a bit less sporty than my Model 29.

I liked it. But as others have said, unless one is a handloader, it is better to pass on a .41 magnum in favor of either a .357 or a .44. Or, possibly, a GP.100 in 10mm.

[Alpha Sierra]

I tend to agree, I think the top strap is a limiting factor as well as cylinder walls. I new a lot of people who shot 29s. The consensus seemed to be that like K frame .357s they would shoot lose with a lot of full power magnum ammo.

I just don't put a lot of stock on those anecdotal stories. What's "a lot" of full power magnum ammo?

Lots of people confuse correlation with causality.

[JAH 3rd]

My two thoughts have been echoed by others. The .41 magnum gives a bit more metal around the cartridges in the cylinder as well as the barrel. Whether it makes a difference, I dunno. Secondly, a .44 magnum has the option of shooting a .44 special. I believe some thought the .41 magnum was supposed to be the ideal cartridge for police work but the N-frame S&W was heavy on the hip and the recoil was pretty stout. The S&W model 58 had the fixed sights where the model 57 was the twin of a model 29 except for caliber.

[BillSWPA]

My two thoughts have been echoed by others. The .41 magnum gives a bit more metal around the cartridges in the cylinder as well as the barrel. Whether it makes a difference, I dunno. Secondly, a .44 magnum has the option of shooting a .44 special. I believe some thought the .41 magnum was supposed to be the ideal cartridge for police work but the N-frame S&W was heavy on the hip and the recoil was pretty stout. The S&W model 58 had the fixed sights where the model 57 was the twin of a model 29 except for caliber.

The .41 magnum may have been ideal for some very serious shooters, one of whom was 6 feet, 7 inches tall. It didn’t work so well for others for exactly these reasons. We have at least one retired LEO here who used some powerful revolvers, and has hand and wrist damage as a result.



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[revchuck38]

I enjoy my 4" nickel M57-0. It works well as a defensive revolver loaded with 175-grain Silvertips and the recoil is about the same as with an M27 or M28 with full-power .357 Mag 158s due to the 57's heavier weight. It's a nice field revolver loaded with 210-220 grain LSWCs at 900-1000 fps. And what's not to love about a 4" nickel N frame? It's my barbeque gun, if I ever go to a barbeque.

[Alpha Sierra]

I enjoy my 4" nickel M57-0.

We gotta see it. Don't deny us.