.41 Special loads?

[Gatorade]

Well I got word from my Grandfather (Gunfather ;) ) Seems he has a couple .41 Magnums but always wanted it in a .41 Special load like he read about years ago. Guess he wanted .41 Special real bad, but since he is into his 90's he resolved to never have it. Then he read Starline has .41 Special brass so he ordered it. I am the reloader in the family so I got the call to purchase everything else needed to load some .41 Special with a reimbursement check fast on its way for any materials I need to purchase. I got the dies, bullets and everything needed on its way but am looking for recipes. I have found some internet loads but no data from the manufacturers. I was wondering if anyone has actually loaded any and has any advice on loads that would go easy on a 90+ year old hand. He may only get to shoot it once or twice but I will make sure he has all he needs when he wants to go. Any load advice would be appreciated.

[Lonestar grips.]

I never had much use for a 41 so I've never reloaded for one but I know a lot of guys that like them. you might find this helpful.

http://sixguns.com/tests/tt41spec.htm

[Gatorade]

I never had much use for a 41 so I've never reloaded for one but I know a lot of guys that like them. you might find this helpful.

http://sixguns.com/tests/tt41spec.htm


I found the Taffin Tests load data but not that whol article. I will read that over. The only thing is they mostly use shortened .41 Mag brass to 1.160 but Starline is 1.155. May not be a big deal but something to consider.

[NAMVET72]

What bullet weight are you going to use?


Clyde

[Gatorade]

210gr XTP JHP

200gr Hunter Supply LFN

As far as powder, I have W231, Bullseye, H110, H335, Trail Boss and just ordered a pound of Unique.

[Lonestar grips.]

I found the Taffin Tests load data but not that whol article. I will read that over. The only thing is they mostly use shortened .41 Mag brass to 1.160 but Starline is 1.155. May not be a big deal but something to consider.


unless you're going to run top end loads the small difference in brass size shouldn't really affect the pressure at all. and even if it did as long as they are shot from a Ruger or Smith chambered in 41Mag then you should be fine.



you probably already saw this but just in case.

http://www.shootingtimes.com/ammo/ammunition_ready_for_the_41_special_040711/

[Gatorade]

unless you're going to run top end loads the small difference in brass size shouldn't really affect the pressure at all. and even if it did as long as they are shot from a Ruger or Smith chambered in 41Mag then you should be fine.



you probably already saw this but just in case.

http://www.shootingtimes.com/ammo/ammunition_ready_for_the_41_special_040711/

He specifically wants low end loads. He has Magnum factory ammo but he thinks if he shoots even one his hand will be sore for a week. So when he saw the Special he was thinking it would be reduced enough that he could actually shoot a box or so. I have some data and I was thinking about loads that were 10% less than starting loads for the Magnum. I was just worried that with the smaller case if I it would be higher pressure even with a reduced charge. I have never shot the .41 Magnum so I am not very familiar with it.

[wxl]

Have loaded 41 Special but need to find that data.

Good starting point below

http://www.shootingtimes.com/ammo/ammunition_ready_for_the_41_special_040711/

http://www.sixguns.com/tests/tt41spec.htm

[Gatorade]

Zane mentioned that Handloader magazine had a 2 part discussion on the .41 Special. I searched Barnes and Noble, Walmart, and Publix down here but I can't find Handloader on the news stand. I am thinking about subscribing but won't get that set up in time to get these issues. If anyone has these two articles please upload a pic of the pages or msg me and I will help get it posted. There is not much information out there about the Special load, most are trying to make hotter Magnums.

[Lonestar grips.]

I may be able to get my copy tomorrow, if I do i'll send you the info.

if you're a handloader/reloader it would still be a good idea to subscribe though. it and Rifle are the only magazines I read anymore. lots of great info from people that know what they are doing.

I believe they even have a digital version of the magazine in case you don't want to wait for the printed version.

[Lonestar grips.]

it also wouldn't hurt to join Lee Martin's single action forum. lots of 41 fans there that would be willing to answer questions if you have them.


http://singleactions.proboards.com/thread/18078/41-special-eat-crow-again

http://singleactions.proboards.com/thread/13040/41-special-loads

http://singleactions.proboards.com/thread/16406/finally-shot-41-special

http://singleactions.proboards.com/thread/15860/bowen-41-special

http://singleactions.proboards.com/thread/14299/41-special

http://singleactions.proboards.com/thread/13213/41-special-occasion





Bob (RJM) is a 41 addict and posts a few special loads in this thread.

http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php/topics/11436207/41_Special#Post11436207

[Gatorade]

I may be able to get my copy tomorrow, if I do i'll send you the info.

if you're a handloader/reloader it would still be a good idea to subscribe though. it and Rifle are the only magazines I read anymore. lots of great info from people that know what they are doing.

I believe they even have a digital version of the magazine in case you don't want to wait for the printed version.

Thanks! I thought about ordering as a back issue but those would be more than a whole year subscription.

[Lonestar grips.]

handloader load data coming in a few days.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9QqNAPru64

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbA3DkNoJj8

[Gatorade]

Well as I said earlier I went to Barnes and Noble and WalMart but came up empty on trying to find Handloader. There must be close to 200+ magazine titles on the shelf between the two stores an Handloader wasn't one of them. Imagine my suprise when yesterday while grocery shopping with the family for Thanksgiving supplies at a different Publix than we usually shop, there on the magazine rack was Handloader! I grabbed it and thumbed through and sure enough Part 2 of the .41 Special was in there! Says December 2016 and I think they come out every other month so I got really lucky as this issue may not be on the stands much longer. Now that I know where it is I can pick up a copy at the store. I always love buying Gun magazines at stores so that it forces sellers to keep shelf space devoted to it!

Thanks for the heads up Zane! I already loaded up a couple hundred soft shooting rounds for my grandfather. Went with 5gr of Unique over a 200gr LFN bullet. So he should be good to go. Now I will also have data to load full power loads.

While working up that soft load for my grandfather I got the chance to shoot 20 full power .41 Magnum loads to get a feel for how it is and that is quite a round! I think the Ruger I have is a 6" barrel and even with all that weight it ended up pointing almost straight up after the first shot! I managed to control the recoil after that but it was deffinatly some work. The soft Special loads I laddered down gave a similar point of impact at 10 yards but with 4gr less powder so I was happy.

One thing that I didn't notice till I got home and cleaned the .41 Magnum brass was that two of the brass were split down the side. If those were handloads I would have pulled all the bullets and started from scratch because that would have been a very bad sign of over pressure. However this was factory Winchester Super-X that my grandfather supplied for me when he loaned me the Ruger. The 20 round box has a Woolworth price tag of $10.99 on it and there hasn't been a Woolworth around here since the mid 80's. So the ammo was probably at least 30 years old but that shouldn't be that much of a factor. Needless to say I was very suprised that there were two case splits. I will keep an eye on that brass as I reloaded them at .41 Mag with 9gr of Unique, with Hornady XTP bullets and think they would be great on Hogs!

[Gatorade]

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y196/Gator_b8/AR/D2CE4F29-A654-4713-B59E-7FB90312B87C_zpsfdmliq7n.jpg

Pic of one of the .41 Mag brass that split.