I just bought a mod 57 classic 6 inc 41 mag and I am thinking about using it for deer and pig hunting. What factory loads would you recommend for such purposes? I do handload but I am not setup for handgun loading at this time and would like to start practicing with the load I will be using. This will be the first time I will be hunting with a handgun and I will need as much time to practice as I can get.

Any of the 210JSPs well kill them just fine.

I shoot a 215 hard cast out of mine and they work well also.

I have shot a large amount of deer and groundhogs with my Raging Bull .41 Mag. Here's the story:
Rem. 210 gr. HP-softest of the bunch. Lot of shock effect, very good exits.
Horn. 210 gr. XTP- "harder" bullet, less expansion, smaller exits. Best for angled shots where penetration is needed.
Speer 210 gr. Gold Dot- pretty much like the XTP. Maybe a little harder with less damage and more penetration.
If deer are your primary goal, I'd do the Rem. 210 HP. Really good on deer.
A sleeper bullet if you can ever find them are the 210 and 170 Speer Half Jacket HP. The HP creates a big wound channel, but the back half stays together for penetration. Sort of a Nosler PT for handguns. They're not made any more, but I find some off and on in mom and pop gun stores.

Thank you gentlemen

I'm not one of those who views pigs as being "tanks on wheels" but I would suggest that you consider a hard cast lead bullet for hogs if they are going to be your primary game on that days hunt. Any of the above recced bullets will be good on deer and likely on hogs, but if you happened upon a big old boar and hit him in the shoulder shield, I'd want something with more penetration, such as some of the Buffalo Bore rounds, Grizzly, etc.

I am sure that all of the above rounds will kill deer or hogs, but on bigger hogs I like more penetration.

I have shot deer with (in order of preference):
210 XTP
210 JSP Remington
220 LBT WFN-GC from Montana Bullet Works

They all worked well. This order is also the order of exit wound sixe from largest to smallest. I have never recovered any of them.

Deer are not hogs, so I can not comment much there except to say that I would not hesitate to use either of the last two on hogs, if it was me.

quote:

Originally posted by Gatogordo:
I'm not one of those who views pigs as being "tanks on wheels" but I would suggest that you consider a hard cast lead bullet for hogs if they are going to be your primary game on that days hunt. Any of the above recced bullets will be good on deer and likely on hogs, but if you happened upon a big old boar and hit him in the shoulder shield, I'd want something with more penetration, such as some of the Buffalo Bore rounds, Grizzly, etc.

I am sure that all of the above rounds will kill deer or hogs, but on bigger hogs I like more penetration.

What he said!

I have shot a couple of deer with the Rem 210 in the 41 magnum, my favorite revolver hunting gun btw...I shot one deer thru the lower neck and that bullet ran 8 inches down his back bone and opened him up like a can of Tuna..It was damned impressive..a couple of more were broadside shots with complete penetration behind the shoulder wit about a nickel to a quarter size exit hole, about a 40 to 50 yard run and good blood trail...Ive been wanting to try a Keith hard lead wad cutter but have not had a pistol hunting trip in quite some time, plus sold my .41 would love to find a used model 57 with a 6" barrel in blue, at a decent price, just a hunter in shootable condition.

My last load was 20.5 gr of H-110 behind a Sierra 210gr HC. I believe it was about 1300 fps at the muzzle. It has taken down mule deer, whitetail, sika, axis, a good number of javelina, and a ton of New Mexico jackrabbits when I was back in college.

I am planning to get back into reloading for my Model 57. I am leaning towards a 170gr bullet, and 25.0 gr of H110. I should be looking at a muzzle velocity over 2,000.

quote:

Originally posted by Kensco:
My last load was 20.5 gr of H-110 behind a Sierra 210gr HC. I believe it was about 1300 fps at the muzzle. It has taken down mule deer, whitetail, sika, axis, a good number of javelina, and a ton of New Mexico jackrabbits when I was back in college.

I am planning to get back into reloading for my Model 57. I am leaning towards a 170gr bullet, and 25.0 gr of H110. I should be looking at a muzzle velocity over 2,000.

According to Hodgdon 26.5 grains of H-110 behind a 170 grain bullet out of a 10.125" barrel produces 1887 FPS.

Wouldn't that load be kinda hard on the frame?

You're correct. (Not sure where I pulled that velocity from; probably a very dark place. I've got an aggravating HOA issue on my mind.)

My Uncle has hunted Deer in Indiana with a Stainless Steel Ruger Redhawk 41 Mag with 7.5" barrel for almost 30+ years. Up until about 2 years ago he always used a Sierra 210gr Jacketed bullet on top of a max load of H110. He switched over to cast bullets 2 years ago. If I remember right he's using a local companies 250gr cast bullet and still using H110 to push them out the barrel. He uses the load in his marlin Lever gun as well.

I was surprised today to see that Ruger has revived the 41 mag in their chamberings . several of their revolver's are available in 41 now.

I would not trust the 170 gr. 41 mag. bullets on anything bigger than a groundhog.
I have shot several javelinas with the 180 gr. bullet out of a .44 mag. Failed to get enough penetration to kill. I had to borrow my companions .44 loaded with 240's to clean up the cripples, which only had surface wounds. 2" of penetration.
Wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes. I initially thought that the 180 gr. out of a .44 mag would be more than ample for a 40 pound animal but it wasn't.

Bullets DO make a world of difference !!

I'm tired of all the talk about 'expansion" I started out with a M29 with Speer 225 JSWCHP and recovered only one .That went through 30" of deer. And many have used over the years a hard cast bullet without problems.
For BG hunting certain words shouldn't be seen - expansion , overpenetration .
Allit takes is to get the bullet into the animal and into and damage vital organs !!

Agreed. Too many hunters make too much over energy dump in preference of penetration. I don't feel I'm guilty of that with wide meplat solids . I don't want my bullet to expand. Just to keep doing what it's supposed to. Smash/cut a big hole and penetrate straight. I want an entrance and exit. But also as wide a hole as I can get.
On the flip side, a Longer hole might be better. I dunno, time will tell.

Elmer Keith was right on with the 41rem mag it's awesome in the model 57 and Ruger Blackhawk which you can get used at a bargain price .I like the hornady xtp ,they are super accurate .The 175 grain Winchester silver tip is awesome too for deer .I have a bunch of 265 grain hard cast for hogs !

While I haven't taken a deer with a 41, I did take a hog with one. I used a cast performance 250 WFN boolit loaded with win 296. I took the shot at 6 yds. The hog went forward 25 ft and fell down and died. There was a good blood trail if one would have been needed. Impressive performance. The hog weighed about 200 lbs IIRC

Since you don't reload, I would also suggest the Federal Vital Shok loads with the 210 grain Swift A-Frame. These are not cheap, but will certainly work. I have also shot the Cast-Core 230 grain from Federal. It was super accurate, but I have no on-game experience with it.

Ive killed more Javalinas with a 22 L.R. pistol and rifle..Never thought them to be tough or dangerous..just noisy and fast..A 41 or 44 will blow a big hole through them and deer.

have had good success with the hornady .210 xtp bullet

I'm not sure that a model 57 in a 41 would do it. It might, but then again I've never tried it. If you wanted a 41 that I know would work, maybe look at a S&W 41 mag classic hunter that has about a 6 inch barrel on it.

quote:

Originally posted by Ram Rod:
I'm not sure that a model 57 in a 41 would do it.

And why would that be?

I am curious about that as well. My 57 has been doing it for a long time with full power loads.

41is only .019 smaller than a 44 mag. It has ample power for medium game hunting. .02 ain't much.

There are no flies on the 41 Rem Mag cartridge. In fact I consider it superior the 44 Mag cartridge because of increase in velocity and slightly smaller bullet diameter. I have both, and find the 41 mag to be my favorite hunting handgun chambering in a revolver.

The best factory ammo IMO is the Remington 210 gr. Lead simi-wadcutter. I have taken wild boar up to 300 lbs with one well placed shot to the heart/lung area dropping them in no more than a ten yard run. Big muledeer drop in their tracks with the same placement.

When I used to run bear and loin dogs I carried a 41 mag Ruger Blackhawk , and a little double rifle with only 18 in barrels made on a Browing BSS 20 ga shotgun action also chambered for 41 mag for treed black bear, and lion. Either one of these two firearms dropped them out of the ponderosa pines like a limp rag.

Today I still carry the Blackhawk in a tanker chest holster under my rain gear in Alaska around camp as well as when hunting with my rifle. SO no matter what I am doing in Alaska that 41 mag Blackhawk in on me!

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quote:

little double rifle with only 18 in barrels

Could you post a picture of this

quote:

Originally posted by p dog shooter:

quote:

little double rifle with only 18 in barrels

Could you post a picture of this

I may have a picture of it someplace, but that has been 35 years ago, and the little rifle went to the friend, and partner in the dog hunting who bought me out of the dogs and the little rifle.

I also had a BSS 20 actioned double rifle chambered for 30-30 that was the same as the 41 mag rifle but both are long ago gone.

They were both great little shooters and easy to carry all day following dogs in the New Mexico mountains.

I have boxes of pictures that date back to the 1940s You know, needle in a hey stack, but maybe.
PS: I have a little 20 ga Luarona double with 18 in barrels that I have been thinking about taking it to Aaron Little to see if he will MONO-BLOCK it for 41 Mag because I have always regretted letting the BSS 41 mag get away.
....................Mac

quote:

I have always regretted letting the BSS 41 mag get away

That's the case with many of the ones I have sold.

I prefere the 41 mag to the 44 mag, if for no other reason than recoil, and it kills deer and bear as well as the 44 mag. I've not shot a lot of game with pistols but have shot several deer with the 41 and it sure works within pistol range..That said, being in the hunting business for many years I have witnessed many animals shot with pistols and rifles. I can only pass that on for what its worth one way or the other.