The .41Magnum Cartridge: Underrated and Unappreciated

By Robert Farago

Doug Gilmer writes [via Ammoland.com]

The .41 Magnum ammunition is the most underrated, and unappreciated of all magnum handgun cartridges. While still maintaining a healthy following, it is widely overlooked. This is unfortunate, it is a widely capable handgun cartridge. It is a far better big game cartridge then the .357 Magnum and a better defensive cartridge then the .44 Magnum. With the right loads, there is not much the 41 Magnum ammo cannot do . . .

Famed shooter Elmer Keith and lawman Bill Jordan persuaded Smith & Wesson and Remington to develop the cartridge in 1963. Fellow lawman Skeeter Skelton jumped on the 41 bandwagon believing it to be a better cartridge for law enforcement than either the previously introduced .357.

Interestingly enough, both the .357 and .44 magnums had forerunners, the .38 Special and .44 Special, from which the magnum loadings were developed. The .41 Special would come later.

The .41 Magnum saw law enforcement use in the Smith & Wesson models 57 and 58. It found favor in San Antonio, San Francisco, Detroit. and in many North Carolina jurisdictions. While a proven fight stopper, like the FBI’s 10mm, the .41 would prove to …Read the Rest

Source:: Truth About Guns