Revolvers, .357 Mag or the .41 need some insight

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Trying to decide on which one to carry, I like the .357mg cause everyone knows it, but I like the .41 cause its not as common, which could be good and bad. I have holsters for them and what not, theyre both right side belt holsters. The only thing is the 41 is a single action, while the 357 is double. Anyway, it may sound stupid to everyone but would like some opinions. 357 is Dan Wesson, and 41 is Sturm and Ruger

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There is so much more choice in ammo with .357, besides, how can you give up compatibility with the .38 spl for target practice with the same gun?

Part of the desirablity of the .357 is that it is considered pretty much the most desirable self defense round, (with all due respect to the .45)

I believe it is because of ammo development more than weapons development.

For comparison, the .44 magnum is actually less desirable for self defense, obviously not because it offers less power, but because most rounds were developed for hunting and defense against large animals. I believe .41 ammo is developed with the same purposes in mind.

For self defense, most .44 rounds tend to overpenetrate due to the fact that they were designed to kill large animals.

I could imagine the .41 offfering a verynarrow choice of off the shelf ammo.

(Remember to always use off the shelf ammo in self defense)

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The .41 Magnum was introduced in 1964 as a patrolman's sidearm and was intended for use more in the open areas of the central U.S. than the more urban environs. It never really caught on.

The .357 is your better choice for a personal sidearm. Very good assortment of ammunition for this caliber and the guns chambered for it are excellent. A proven defensive caliber, the .357 also makes a decent hunting handgun for small to medium game. I killed a whitetail deer with a 6 1/2" Ruger Blackhawk .357 years ago using handloads.

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I would carry that D-A .357, and a speedloader, a single action takes too long to reload for a defensive carry gun if you don't stop the threat with the first 6 out of it.

Southern Boy, Do you need any supplies for that .41Mag, I have brass that has been cleaned, sized & primed, a box of 100 Hornady XTP JHP's, Lee Dies with the factory crimp die.
I used to shoot a Desert Eagle in .41, And all the brass has been loaded once from new (not fired rounds reloaded, but new unfired brass loaded to my specs) and prepped to be loaded again but I sold the gun.

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Nutczak wrote:

I would carry that D-A .357, and a speedloader, a single action takes too long to reload for a defensive carry gun if you don't stop the threat with the first 6 out of it.

Southern Boy, Do you need any supplies for that .41Mag, I have brass that has been cleaned, sized & primed, a box of 100 Hornady XTP JHP's, Lee Dies with the factory crimp die.
I used to shoot a Desert Eagle in .41, And all the brass has been loaded once from new (not fired rounds reloaded, but new unfired brass loaded to my specs) and prepped to be loaded again but I sold the gun.

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I don't own a .41 Magnum nor have I ever owned one. The only revolvers I currently own are two Rugers, one in .357 Magnum (Security Six) and one in .44 Magnum (Ruger Redhawk).

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SouthernBoy wrote:

The .41 Magnum was introduced in 1964 as a patrolman's sidearm and was intended for use more in the open areas of the central U.S. than the more urban environs. It never really caught on.

The .357 is your better choice for a personal sidearm. Very good assortment of ammunition for this caliber and the guns chambered for it are excellent. A proven defensive caliber, the .357 also makes a decent hunting handgun for small to medium game. I killed a whitetail deer with a 6 1/2" Ruger Blackhawk .357 years ago using handloads.

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+1

Southern boy has provided the best advice so far, and is right on target for the genesis of the .41. It was a real popular caliber in Missouri for a while among the game enforcement guys. Since you already own both firearms this is not a purchasing choice and you should make the selcetion based on your specific defense needs.

you mentioned ...

I like the .357mg cause everyone knows it, but I like the .41 cause its not as common, which could be good and bad.

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The fact is that what people "know" is not relevant to your selection process, and the carry of an unusual caliber has many more drawbacks than advantages.

The .357 Mag has been around for a long time. It is a well proven defense round and it come in a wide range of flavors. The particular firearm you have is of high quality and when set up right is very accurate. You cannot go wrong with that firearm if you are going to carry a revolver.

That said I usually don't carry anything these days if the caliber starts with a number smaller than a 4, but that is because I want to see the hole in anything I shoot and my eyesight is not what it used to be.:what:

Welcome to the forum

Carry on

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Hawkflyer wrote:

SouthernBoy wrote:

The .41 Magnum was introduced in 1964 as a patrolman's sidearm and was intended for use more in the open areas of the central U.S. than the more urban environs. It never really caught on.

The .357 is your better choice for a personal sidearm. Very good assortment of ammunition for this caliber and the guns chambered for it are excellent. A proven defensive caliber, the .357 also makes a decent hunting handgun for small to medium game. I killed a whitetail deer with a 6 1/2" Ruger Blackhawk .357 years ago using handloads.

Click to expand...

+1

Southern boy has provided the best advice so far, and is right on target for the genesis of the .41. It was a real popular caliber in Missouri for a while among the game enforcement guys. Since you already own both firearms this is not a purchasing choice and you should make the selcetion based on your specific defense needs.

you mentioned ...

I like the .357mg cause everyone knows it, but I like the .41 cause its not as common, which could be good and bad.

Click to expand...

The fact is that what people "know" is not relevant to your selection process, and the carry of an unusual caliber has many more drawbacks than advantages.

The .357 Mag has been around for a long time. It is a well proven defense round and it come in a wide range of flavors. The particular firearm you have is of high quality and when set up right is very accurate. You cannot go wrong with that firearm if you are going to carry a revolver.

That said I usually don't carry anything these days if the caliber starts with a number smaller than a 4, but that is because I want to see the hole in anything I shoot and my eyesight is not what it used to be.:what:

Welcome to the forum

Carry on

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Thanks, hawk. I love the .357 for a trail gun where the possibility of running into something as large as a black bear is remote. My 1976 Security Six is in stainless and the quality is beyond question. Plus it's a collector's gun.

However, for my personal defense sidearms, I also like something that starts with a .4 - the .40S&W specifically, and in one of the modern loads from a major manufacturer. I say this because I want some firepower in the form of both a nice hard hitting round and a quantity of friends waiting in the magazines.

I would never feel undergunned with a .357, unless I have just sent the last round to target and have no speed loader handy (that's called an oops, I should think). Over the years, I have bought and sold a lot of defensive handguns in search for that elusive "perfect gun", only to find out that age and experience has taught me there ain't no such thing. But there are some that are pretty darned close to that aloof claim. So I am pretty happy with my chosen carry arms and just hope both them and I can do our jobs should the time ever come when we're both called upon to fess up, though I also hope that time never comes.

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All good choices. And I agree with the likelihood of finding a perfect carry weapon. You can get close, but there is always something a particular firearm is not good at that another would be.

For .357 I have a GP-100 4" and I carried it exclusively for many years. It was very accurate and a natural pointer for my hand. Remind me over coffee sometime and I'll tell you a good story about that gun. Now I carry either a Para .45 auto, a EAA Witness in .45 or a Lew Horton S&W .44 Mag 3". Of course I would be remiss if I did not confess to carrying that S&W .500 in the avatar over there if I will be out wandering in serious wilderness areas.

Regards

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Hawkflyer wrote:

All good choices. And I agree with the likelihood of finding a perfect carry weapon. You can get close, but there is always something a particular firearm is not good at that another would be.

For .357 I have a GP-100 4" and I carried it exclusively for many years. It was very accurate and a natural pointer for my hand. Remind me over coffee sometime and I'll tell you a good story about that gun. Now I carry either a Para .45 auto, a EAA Witness in .45 or a Lew Horton S&W .44 Mag 3". Of course I would be remiss if I did not confess to carrying that S&W .500 in the avatar over there if I will be out wandering in serious wilderness areas.

Regards

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Sounds good. You name the time and place and I have the time.

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Nutczak wrote:

I would carry that D-A .357, and a speedloader, a single action takes too long to reload for a defensive carry gun if you don't stop the threat with the first 6 out of it.

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+1

Not that the rest of the commentary is bad. I just think that everything else being equal, the rapid follow-up shots of a double-action, plus a faster reload are important in a defensive revolver.

If single-action was the pinnacle, nobody would have bothered with a double-action.

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Citizen wrote:

Nutczak wrote:

I would carry that D-A .357, and a speedloader, a single action takes too long to reload for a defensive carry gun if you don't stop the threat with the first 6 out of it.

Click to expand...

+1

Not that the rest of the commentary is bad. I just think that everything else being equal, the rapid follow-up shots of a double-action, plus a faster reload are important in a defensive revolver.

If single-action were the pinnacle, nobody would have bothered with a double-action.

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Fixed it for you - its subjunctive, don't you know.

Yata hey

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Grapeshot wrote:

Citizen wrote:

Nutczak wrote:

I would carry that D-A .357, and a speedloader, a single action takes too long to reload for a defensive carry gun if you don't stop the threat with the first 6 out of it.

Click to expand...

+1

Not that the rest of the commentary is bad. I just think that everything else being equal, the rapid follow-up shots of a double-action, plus a faster reload are important in a defensive revolver.

If single-action were the pinnacle, nobody would have bothered with a double-action.

Click to expand...

Fixed it for you - its subjunctive, don't you know.

Yata hey

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Some people complain this forum doesn't have spell-check. Little do they know. I don't think they've been paying attention.

Why, all I have to do is hit "send." If there is a spelling or grammatical error, it is discovered immediatelyandhelpful corrections offered. Along with commentary, thank you very much.

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Well thank you all, I do like the .357, I need to go down the semi auto road one of these days, just dont have the cash for it,I dofeel insecure about it cause everyone else i know that carries, carry semi, but anyway Another Question, Apparently these .357 Models were sold with 3 barrels, and were interchange-able, Mine has a six incher, they have 4's and 2's i believe but cannot find them anywhere out there, anyone know what im talking about?

Thanks

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Mo.Co. Original wrote:

Well thank you all, I do like the .357, I need to go down the semi auto road one of these days, just dont have the cash for it,I dofeel insecure about it cause everyone else i know that carries, carry semi, but anyway Another Question, Apparently these .357 Models were sold with 3 barrels, and were interchange-able, Mine has a six incher, they have 4's and 2's i believe but cannot find them anywhere out there, anyone know what im talking about?

Thanks

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Yea, in fact the pistols were originally packaged in a nice aluminum case with the barrels, gun, and tools. If memory serves there were 4 or 5 different barrel lengths that were standard fair. These were a real nice setup.

Unfortunately Dan Wesson fell out of popularity because of accusations that his designs were stolen from S&W. All of the court fights finally broke the company financially. You might check Brownell’s for these parts, but other than that look around at gun shows.

Someone else may have some ideas where you can find the barrels.

Regards

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Hawkflyer wrote:

If memory serves there were 4 or 5 different barrel lengths that were standard fair. These were a real nice setup.

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My DW 357 pistol pack contained four barrels 2, 4, 6 and 8 , two sets of grips, target and carryit alsocame with a nice brief case and barrel tool.


The .41 mag was intended to be "the end all be all" patrolman's sidearm/caliber but it was plagued with a poor bullet design and being the late comer to the Magnum arenadidn't stand a real chance.

The210gr LSWCover penetratedand the JHP didn't expand (common problem) and over penetrated.
A similar problem plagued the 10mm.

The NV Highway Patrol issued S&W M57's for many yrs but the load was neutered and it barely out performed .38spl and had more recoil.

Bullet design has improved this calibers performance but it is stillharder to find and usually more expensive than most common calibers when found.

Double Tap, Buffalo Bore, Corbon, Remingtonand Winchester all makes ammo.


IMHO, a DA just makes more sense as a daily carry piece in city/urban areas regardless of caliber.



I personally use Win 240gr PTHP's for my three41's a S&W M58, Taurus 415SS2C and Marlin 1894C, and have zero complaints with regards to bullet performance.
The few Mule deer and coyotesI have taken didn't seem to notice I was using a obsolete (ISPO) caliber.

I may at some time buy/consider a load with alighter weight bullet for urban SD.

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Did his original point get missed? He has BOTH already. This is not a which is better to buy but which to carry. Answer: Whatever is comfortable on your hip.

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The Wolfhound wrote:

Did his original point get missed?  He has BOTH already.  This is not a which is better to buy but which to carry.  Answer: Whatever is comfortable on your hip.

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Yea ... We all knew that. Did you read the WHOLE thread? We answered that question and moved to another.:lol:

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WheelGun wrote:

There is so much more choice in ammo with .357, besides, how can you give up compatibility with the .38 spl for target practice with the same gun?

Part of the desirablity of the .357 is that it is considered pretty much the most desirable self defense round, (with all due respect to the .45)

I believe it is because of ammo development more than weapons development.

For comparison, the .44 magnum is actually less desirable for self defense, obviously not because it offers less power, but because most rounds were developed for hunting and defense against large animals. I believe .41 ammo is developed with the same purposes in mind.

For self defense, most .44 rounds tend to overpenetrate due to the fact that they were designed to kill large animals.

I could imagine the .41 offfering a verynarrow choice of off the shelf ammo.

(Remember to always use off the shelf ammo in self defense)

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WHY WHY WHY do people always say to use off the shelf ammo. Can one person show me where someone was convicted of anything because they had hand loads in their gun? NOT ONE!!! What if you are carrying a gun that is hard to find ammo or if I had my 45/120 in my hands when attacked and that was hand load only up til very recently.

So I use hand loads that make my gun more reliable and more accurate. Not illegal nor does it show I was using hand loads for nefarious reasons. I hit the X better with hand loads which makes me much safer.....and that's what its all about right? right? right?? right!?!?!:banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead:

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Mo.Co. Original wrote:

The only thing is the 41 is a single action, while the 357 is double. Anyway, it may sound stupid to everyone but would like some opinions.

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Doesn't make much sense to for self-defense to carry a SA when you have a DA.

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It's not about what you have... The gun does not make the man (or woman).

- It's how you use what you have. A guy who is skilled with a single action will be able to defend himself just as well as a skilled guy with an Automatic. The same fundamental applies to all of life's scenarios. Driving, Sports, Art, Music, even fashion and "being cool"... it's really more about being able to work the issue, not let the issue work you, knowing how to apply the skills you have through the tools available. Driving a Lamborghini does not make you a good driver, just means you have the money to spend. That kid in his Turbo Honda will probably dust you because he actually takes the time to refine his technique, apply his skill to his individual car, and doesn't expect the car to do his driving for him. Same for a firearm. If you expect to have the upper hand in a gunfight, then you need to be the one who lands the shot first. Follow up shots need to be just as accurate, and with a relative speed. I would be happier landing two shots quickly, than missing 8 times at lightning speed. -Count on your skill to save the day, not on your tools. I do acknowledge the point of diminishing returns, where at some point the quality of that tool will in and of itself fail the mission. Picasso did not use crayons, Doc Holiday did not use a bb-gun. But barring those extremely silly comparisons, and in the realm of acceptable tools, skill will far outweigh the capacity of the tools in and of itself.

- I carry a Single action 45... final thought ... your either quick, or dead.

-:dude:Bat

P.S. I will however admit that single action six-gunning is NOT for everyone, and to the average, a good double action revolver, or Auto may be better suited... I personally feel that a Mid size double action revolver is the perfect beginners firearm: Simple to operate, relatively safe to manipulate and operate, and almost never jams. To define a skill-set line of easiest to> hardest to be proficient at, I'd go: DA Revolver > SA Auto > DA Auto > SA Revolver.
.. Just my personal thought here.