Gents,

The post on .44 magnum got me thinking about my S & W M-57 4". I love the .41 and sold most of my .44's. A very good friend just passed and he had four .41's including a minty 4" M-657. His brother has said they are mine if I want them! I'll probably take all four of them in different lengths and finishes. If there's any I don't want to keep I'll post them for sale here. My friend was a long time LEO and actually had several bad guys to his credit using a .41. None of them survived.

More as the story unfolds...

Wes

Cool!

I shoot .41 in the Desert Eagle.

LGS usually has ammo in stock and it is a good round for practice as well as dispatching critters.

Yep. I’ve got an early (I believe it’s a 2nd year) S&W model 57 6” and a later production 4” model 57-1. Wonderful cartridge and revolvers.

Shot my 300 lb hog with a.41

Another happy .41 Magnum owner here. Mines a 6" S&W Model 57-3.
Had a few .44 Magnum S&W's that just didn't turn me on.
Looking for a 4" now.

I just sold all three of my Grandpa's .41 Magnums to fund other guns for my collection (Marlin 1894S, Blackhawk, Stainless Redhawk 7.5"). They never got shot, I didn't like shooting any of them (especially the Blackhawk) because I have issues with revolver grips past .357, ammo around my parts for .41 was absurd, and I still have several other nicer guns from his collection to remember him by.

For some reason I shoot the 4 and 3/8 Blackhawk in .41 like it was meant for me. It’s immensely fun and accurate.

I also have a model 57 - 4 inch. I prefer shooting it over a .44 or .357 magnum. The .41 factory 210 grain loads don't have the jarring recoil. It can shake the bricks at a local indoor range.

My first new Smith was a 6 inch nickel 57 I bought many years ago with money I got from teaching a semester of adult ed. The $500 covered the gun, RCBS dies, and some components. I next bought a used blue 4 inch that I had Smith refinish in nickel. The next one was a nickel 58 I also had Smith redo. Once finished, it was too pretty to shoot and was sold.

For years, my standard load has been a 200-210 grain cast swc and 7.0 grains of Unique. It is accurate and easy to shoot. I haven't shot the guns for years, but I have no desire to sell them yet.

I chose the .41 because of articles I had read and it was easier to find and cheaper than a .44 Model 29. In hindsight, the .44 might have made more sense, but I have no regrets. I ended up with 2 29's eventually also.

I had a Model 58 for a while. Sold it. Terrifically stupid move on my part!

I am a Big 41 Magnum Enthusiast

This group photo is more than ten years old and shows perhaps half of my 41 Magnums



I have been shooting and hand loading for this cartridge since I got the 6" Nickel model 57 in the lower left corner of the photo

I have a few of the Scandium alloy frames Smith & Wessons which are a pleasure to carry all day long





The Mountain Guns with the tapered barrels and round butt frames are pretty sweet



My most recent addition to the herd is a Factory Engraved 4"

That’s a beautiful collection colt_saa.

I still have the nickel S&W model 57 6" barrel.41 magnum that I bought in 1984, and it is still a tack-driver and a delight to shoot. I still have a bunch of reloading supplies for it, but it's hard to beat the current Underwood Ammo loads in this caliber : either the 210 gr XTP (1560 fps/1135 ft lbs) or the 265 grain wide long nose gas check hard cast round (1350 fps / 1073 ft lbs). I always felt that this caliber was exceptional. I remember buying this model 57 because at the time it was the favorite of many professional bear guides in Maine.

I always thought it was a cartridge that didn't fit in, too big for small guns, unnecessarily shrunk down for the bigger guns.

IMO the Freedom Arms 97 is the perfect size gun for them.

I like the cartridge just fine, I have a Model 57 and a 657, but I came to possess them through very sad circumstances, so owning them is mixed emotions.

I owned a M57 6" and a M657 4". Sadly, I have neither now. I hand loaded for both. Used full-house factory .41 Mag ammo with both as well. Very fine guns and a very fine caliber. Unfortunately, there is no correlation between "very fine" and public acceptance. The .44 Mag survived and the .41 Mag became obsolescent.

While I never owned a .44 Mag, I have shot several of them. For me, the M29 was on the ragged edge of controlability while the .41 was just fine.

Shot a lot of woodchucks (overkill?) with the M57 6" using factory 210 JSP. Mostly 50 yard shots after crawling through the grass. Very accurate gun. Used the M657 on camping, canoeing, hiking trips in the Northern NY woods. Also as a backup to my 30-06 when deer hunting.

BTW, I'm one of those guys that still likes the .40 S&W.

Still have a 58.

I had a 41 Blackhawk that I played around with for a few years, but sold when I decided to simplify by calibers. Ammo and reloading components were just more plentiful in 357 and 44.

I have a pristine pair. A 57 and a 58

Have a 4” model 58, a few 4” Model 57’s and use the 357PD as my carry gun. Long live the 41 mag!

Gents,

Lot's of .41 lovers out there. That's good to see. I'd like to see S & W bring back a limited edition run of the .41 mag. Say in the "Classic" full underlug series in a 4" and 6" version. Bet they'd sell well...

Wes