Classic Law Enforcement Ammo - 41 magnum

[Tennessee Jed]

I've always been interested in historical guns and ammo used by law enforcement.  Particularly in guns and ammo that proved to be effective combinations for quick stops.

I remember reading as a kid about the 357 magnum 125 grain Remington and Federal rounds, paired with S&W, Ruger and Colt revolvers.  I was enamored.  That steered the course of my gun-journey.  To date, that's still my preferred round.  

So, I was recently reading about the 41 magnum as it was introduced for law enforcement.  The S&W model 58 must have been something to behold back in the day.  It really does look like a model 10 on steroids.  I read that the original round was a 210 grain LSWC at 1100 - 1150 fps.  I understand that recoil proved to be too much for some officers, but that San Francisco and San Antonio were really happy with the performance of the round.  I read a story somewhere that Buford Pusser himself (of the original "Walking Tall" movie) carried an S&W 57...well...that, and a really large stick.

Those ballistics rang a bell with me.  Sure enough, Speer's "short barrel" 44 mag ammo is a 200 grain Gold Dot traveling around 1075 fps.  Double Tap also has a 200 grain Gold Dot (for 44 Special) that travels at 1100 fps.  Sure seems awfully close (although I would think the Gold Dot is a much better performer than a LSWC).  

Does anyone have any memories of the 41 magnum as it was initially launched for law enforcement?  


 

  

[Doc Wesson]

Jed... man after my own heart... was planning a show dedicated to the venerable old .41 mag...history to modern day.. covering everything I know about it.. then some...

[Devereaux]

OH, man! The .41 Mag! I remember when it came out (and back then I didn't know much about ballistics or anything else other than guns were cool) I wanted one right off the bat. Never did buy one, but I like your comparison of ballistics.

I believe the 40-calibre handguns all have some similarities. The "old" .45 Colt was a heck of a round in its original format with black, and for all the years until the advent of the .357 Mag was THE handgun round (we will exclude stuff like the Walker and Dragoon). The .44 Special, as you apparently are well aware, was one heck of a wide coverage of types of ammo, from really tame stuff to Elmer Keith pre-.44 Mag stuff that was basically .44 Mag. I believe the .41 came out to try to bridge the gap between .357 and .44, but turned out to be too much like the .44. It is a neat gun, and an interesting round. John Taffin could probably expound on it for days, but then John Taffin could expound on anything if it shoots from a wheel.

Great gun and calibre to bring up, TJ!

[Tennessee Jed]

Thanks Deveraux. 

I did some more web-surfing on this topic over the weekend.  Saw a blurb on a forum from a guy who was with San Antonio PD when they adopted the S&W 58.  He said he recalled 26 shooting incidents with the 41 mag in LSWC form.  Said all of the incidents were stopped with one shot, but weirdly, none of the people shot died from their wounds.  Of course, this is just internet posting so who knows?  The poster could've been completely full of it.

Doc, I'd love to hear a 41 magnum podcast.