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Ruger Blackhawk 41 mag

6K views 25 replies 18 participants last post by  Rodfac 
#1 ·
I have a line on a three screw Ruger Blkhwk in 41 mag I dont know much about this cartridge-can any one enlighten me and tell me about a Blackhwk in this caliber? thanks
 
#2 ·
To me, the 41 mag is just about perfect for whitetail deer. It is over 40 caliber. Can be loaded mild to wild. It is an inherently accurate cartridge. It is just right. I can hunt deer with it, while not loading to maximum. I think you will be real happy with a 41 magnum if you are a reloader. Here is a picture of my 41 mag bisley along with my simply rugged chest holster. More often than not she accompanies me into the deer woods.
 
#4 · (Edited)
If you reload, the .41 Mag is a great round. I do, and have two .41 mag handguns.

Why "if you reload?" Well, factory ammunition is not cheap. It's not what is considered a common round, so isn't carried in a lot of shops. Then, if you find it, they may not have many options because demand isn't as much as .45 Colt or .44 Magnum.

So, as great a round as it is for all its positives (nicer shooting with virtually all the power of the .44 Mag), the derth of factory loadings (and subsequent higher prices) is it's biggest handicap.

If you're not a reloader, I'd suggest looking for one in .45 Colt or .44 Magnum. I know that what you're looking at may be a great deal, but it may be like the Saint Bernard you get for free...price was great, but now you need to feed it! ;).

Since others are playing "Show & Tell":

El Guapo, my NM "Gunfighter" Blackhawk:



And my Redhawk:


Both have finished off a couple deer.

Aqualung
 
#5 ·
If you reload and cast bullets ... jump on it with both feet .
The worst gun deal I never made was passing up a chance to buy a 3 screw 41 magnum Blackhawk because I didn't know what a 41 magnum was and " Thought" I wanted a 44 magnum . I still regret not buyingt the 41 magnum Blackhawk and that was 50 years ago . A Model 58 S&W I got in a trade opened my eyes up to the 41 magnum world .
But to realize full potential you just about have to load your own and cast bullets open a whole new shooting door .
Don't do what I did ... buy it !
Gary
 
#6 ·
They must be great, because I have three of them ! I have a NM Blackhawk , a model 57 S&W, and a Taurus Titanium Tracker, and I like ‘em all. I can’t say it better than the ones above, it’s a good all around deer gun, or one to just punch paper or ring steel. But as already said, you probably need to reload to get the best value from them. Reloading cast bullets in medium powered loads is probably the best use of your money, and more fun too. Buy it !
 
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#23 ·
My go to handgun for Hunting was for 39 yrs- a .41 Rem Mag, first a 3 screw, then a 6' Model 57 Smith. Also an 8 3/8" Nickel. Just Bought a .44 Mag SBH Bisley Hunter.
I Owned one of the Very Earliest Marlins, in .41, but it Bulged My cases so bad, and had blotches in the Bore, such that I wanted to send it back in, but Marlin wanted nothing to do with Fixing it. as far as They were concerned there was nothing wrong with it-So I Sold it, at a loss.
I love the .41 !!! have helped sell over 7 of them to friends & Relatives, but letting folks shoot Mine. Most were very surprised at the accuracy and "Power" without the Heavy Recoil of the .44 Mag, even with "Full House" loads, You don't get punished for dropping the Hammer. The General opinion about Reloading for it is very True tho'..
Gl and Be safe
 
#9 ·
As the others have said, it is a great choice provided you can feed it. Look around to see if there is ammo available locally. Then consider if it is ammo you want to shoot (a steady diet of magnums can be tiring) and if you are willing to pay that much for ammo. .41 mag is not far behind .44 mag in it's performance (on either end of the gun), what caused it to be far less popular is very likely that you could not go buy boxes of '.41 Specials' and reserve the magnum ammo for special occasions.
I fell into the .41 world backwards, as a lifelong handloader I inherited everything needed to load my own ammo ..... so of course I needed to get a gun to shoot it in! My New Model Blackhawk is (slightly) newer than the gun you are looking at but has held up fine to a lot of use (judging by the holster and grip wear). I even load .41 Special ammo for it (you can buy the brass so marked these days), partly just because I can and partly to prevent 'misunderstandings' that could result from shooting the club plate rack with loads in 'magnum' brass. To that end, a '.41 Special' can be everything that a .44 Special is, that puts it in fine company.

Bruce
 
#13 ·
I fell into the .41 world backwards, as a lifelong handloader I inherited everything needed to load my own ammo ..... so of course I needed to get a gun to shoot it in!

Bruce
This is how I got into the caliber as well. My boss said to me one day "do you reload?". I told him I didn't, but wanted to get into it. He told me to come over to his place (we played golf together) and to bring my pickup.

He gave me two pallets of reloading gear and supplies...He'd inherited all of it from a really good friend and then got out of reloading and shooting. Included was all the stuff to load for .41 Mag and some loaded ammo. He lent me his S&W revolver to try it out. I did, and was hooked.

In the meantime, I was internet acquaintances with the owner of El Guapo, who was starting to thin his herd, so we did a deal. I sent him a lot of the gear and supplies that my boss gave me in trade for the revolver.

Aqualung
 
#10 ·
I've been loving the .41 mag since I bought my 1st one forty odd years ago.
But - as pointed out above, you REALLY need to reload your own ammo to appreciate the cartridge. I've been a reloader and bullet caster for almost as long as I've had a .41 mag. My first one was an OM Blackhawk with 6-1/2" barrel (it was stolen, but replaced ASAP - check my avatar). Since that first one, there's been S&W's (57's & 657's), Taurus, and another OM Ruger Blackhawk, but with the 4-3/4" barrel. I even managed to snag a Marlin 1894 CCL. I really like my .38's, .357's, .45's (Colt & ACP), and .44's (Special & Mag.), but the .41 magnum - well, that's just one darned special caliber and in an OM Blackhawk - well, I'd not pass that by!

WYT-P
Skyhunter
 
#12 ·
My favorite flavor. I own a Bisley with a 5.5" barrel and a regular Blackhawk with a 7.5" barrel. The 7.5" has a brass frame. Also just picked up a Charter Arms Mag Pug in 41 Magnum.The remmington ammo off the shelf is about .60 a round, if you don't reload I would suggest this as a good starting point for shooting.
144527
144528
144529
 
#19 ·
I've owned and loved a 3 screw .41 Mag Blackhawk since 1973. Absolutely GREAT gun! I reload, and cast my own bullets, and have developed what I call my 'target' load with 7 grs of Unique, and a 215 gr cast SWC. My 'heavy' loads are usually with 19 grs of 2400 and a Speer 220 gr. half jacketed SWC. The Ruger LOVES those Speer bullets. That Speer will go thru just about anything if loaded up some, and is extremely accurate out of my Blackhawk. These old Ruger Blackhawks, if kept in good shape are hard to beat. And the .41 Magnum is what I consider the perfect caliber for hunting deer and similar sized game.
 
#20 ·
Fully agree that the .41 mag is the perfect handgun cartridge for deer sized animals. I don’t cast, but do reload cast as well as jacketed bullet loads for my three. In fact I’m gonna shoot my latest acquisition tomorrow weat permitting. Yep, a Ruger Blackhawk with 6.5” barrel. :)
 
#21 ·
I would jump on that one. I got my OM Blackhawk 3 years ago but had S&W and have reloaded for 41 mag for 8 years. The Blackhawk is to me the the best gun for the 41 Mag. Also got a Henry to go with it. Would recommend reloading as you will realize the versatility of this round.

144617
 
#22 ·
Ammo for the 41 Mag doesn't have to be expensive. I've had my NM Blackhawk for about 4 years now. One day while walking around a gun show I stumbled across a booth promoting Precision One. I bought two boxes of 50, and have never gone back to any of the other brands. Clean, accurate, and reliable. You can buy it online though their website: www.precisiononeammunition.com. 210 grain FMJ or Hollow point, 1350 fps, 50 rounds to a box. $26.99 for FMJ, or $31.99 for HP. Most online retailers are selling the better known brands for about twice that per round.
 
#24 · (Edited)
The .41 has been a favorite for me since '72...it was my first magnum purchased just after returning from my first tour in Vietnam. Then and now, it's always been a reloader's proposition in my opinion. The original loads were a full house, no nonsense MAGNUM, with a 210 gr JHP. It was a handful even in an 8-3/8" bbl'd Smith M57. For hunting deer, illegal then in Connecticut with a handgun, it would have done the job, but I was into a range gun for my own pleasure. A box of the law enforcement loads, leaded up my barrel that I got into bullet casting to try and sort it out.

Over the years I've found that Lyman's excellent 410459 size to 0.411" did the job on targets or game and did not lead up my barrel. I still have the Smith, now with a 6" bbl. on it courtesy of S&W's Service Dept and on their nickle too. It's as accurate as ever, and will do sub 2" gps at 25 yds from a rested position if I'm having no trouble with my glasses!

I've also owned and shot two NM Rugers, both 6-1/2" bbl'd, and found them every bit as accurate as the Smith. Currently I've got one of the Lipsey's 6-1/2" Flat Tops and a 4-digit 3-screw BH built in 1966. This last, a 4-5/8" bbl'd beauty is my treasure and I spend a good deal of time with it here on the farm. It too likes that cast 410459, as well as Hornady's 210 gr XTP. I generally carry it with the cast bullet, loaded to 950-1000 fps, a nice comfortable, all day at the range load that's superbly accurate. (Pic below dressed out in a set of stocks I made for it.)

If you intend to keep it, I'd suggest getting into reloading....without casting equipment, you can rely on Missouri Bullet Co.'s LSWC offerings for great accuracy at a reasonable price. Powders are easy: Bullseye, Unique, Win 231, Herco, WST, WSF, and for the recoil hardened: Accurate #9, 2400, and 296 all do very well.

For daily carrying in field or woods, the 4-5/8" bbl'd Rugers are nice and won't stick up into your short ribs when seated, and for deer stand use the 6-1/2" ones do nicely in a cross chest "tanker" type holster rig. In my use, I prefer a solid Tom Threepersons type of open top holster of the OWB genre, worn at 3-4 o'clock with a good gun belt.

HTH's Rod

 
#26 ·
Thanks for the compliment, Dry...it was in almost new condition when I found it...Rod
 
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