A family friend has two 41 Magnums and wants to sell on.

One is a Smith & Wesson Classic 57 that he bought brand new last year. The other is a Ruger Redhawk that he bought new around 1990.

Both pistols look brand new, and have been shot very little. He does more buying and selling than actual shooting.

Which is the better pistol??

Thanks for the advice.

The Smith 57! The Ruger has a really strong frame but the S+W 57 is a Classic piece + beautiful to behold.When Bill Jordan designed this cartidge in 1957 he went to S+W for a reason. If you decide on the Ruger I would love to have the man's contact on the Smith.I don't need another but they are that good.

The 57, but depends on the barrel length and what you plan on doing with it. If you plan on shooting longer distances or hunting, go with the longer barrel. If they are the same length I would take the 57.

Like Hay-Man said....
Unless there's a difference in bbl length vs your intended use, All other tings being equal...the S&W would be the first choice without hesitation.
Once you have joined the ranks of .41 mag fans and start loading for it....get yourself a 10in. Contender bbl, put a Red Dot on it and REALLY see what she'll do.

Buy both

Easy come..easy go. My buddy decided to give his extra 41 Mag to his father.

His S&W 57 is a really nice pistol. Now I want one really bad, but the 44 mag seems so much more practical. The factory ammo sure is a lot more available and cheaper. This is a big deal for me since I don't reload.

TBD

In the long run, you will be much better off to have a 44 Mag revolver than a 41 Mag revolver.

There are many more factory ammo choices and you can find 44 Mag at many stores. 41 Mag ammo is very hard to find.

I love my 57. Great feeling gun and really manageable with the .41mag. I see the greater utility to the .44 in terms of factory ammo choices, but just find the 41 more appealing to me. Probably because I love odd calibers!

Tx. Blue,due to current conditions you might want to consider getting into reloading. 44 or 41. I like my 6",had to sell my 8 3/8" during divorce.ser.# 75,sore subject even now. I bought a set of moulds from another member here a few months back that casts a 220 G. Keith Style.Have'nt had time to cast a bunch up but I do have a good supply of
linotype
+ am looking forward to the results.