If it weren't for the .40 S&W..

[po18guy]

The .41 Special had already been invented in 1980. They could have called it a .41 Auto.

KISS.

.40+1 S&W? .40 Spinal Tap? I mean, compared to the .40, it goes to 11.

 

[Captain O]

.40+1 S&W? .40 Spinal Tap? I mean, compared to the .40, it goes to 11.

I have always had a soft spot in my heart for the .41 AE. The .410" bullets have an inherent balance/accuracy that is superb in a self-loading pistol. It works so well in the .41 Magnum Revolvers that the .41 AE is a natural.

 

[po18guy]

To me, 9s and 40s are like small block Chevys. Yeah, SBCs are really good - I built one back in the day - but everyone on earth had one. Pop the hood and it's all too familiar. All orphans are challenges, but I still love them. Except for the Renault I once owned.

 

[MrRob96]

To me, 9s and 40s are like small block Chevys. Yeah, SBCs are really good - I built one back in the day - but everyone on earth had one. Pop the hood and it's all too familiar. All orphans are challenges, but I still love them. Except for the Renault I once owned.

SBC? We all make mistakes in life. I just hope you learned from yours and moved on.

 

[po18guy]

SBC? We all make mistakes in life. I just hope you learned from yours and moved on.

Yeah. I was 19. What did I know? Still, for less than $600, I got a '61 Biscayne into the 14s with a 3:08 or 3:36 rear. That was pretty good back in '72. More recently had dreams of doing a 360 in an AMC Hornet hatchback, but ran out of time and money. So, I'm doing suspension, brakes and wheels/tires on an '88 Civic hatch that was given to me. But no coffee can pipe for me, no sir! I have a bright red Maremont Cherry Bomb to hang across the rear.

 

[MrRob96]

 

[po18guy]

View attachment 451250

I've heard of bucket lists, but bucket pipes? I know how to get his head out if it's stuck...

 

[Pete F]

Thanks! Are those bulged cases IMI or other? 210 is a pretty long bullet, and seating it to the correct COL may cause it to engage the taper to the web of the case, thus bulging the case. As to fishdude, I bought a polygon bore Jericho conversion kit from him for my son. Those are cheap, as the kits seem far less in demand than those for High Ppwers and clones. Fishdude was looking ahead over the past two decades or so, accumulating .41 AE components and is a true market capitalist. As limited as the market is, I simply don't like the rather opportunistic asking prices. Not on a pension and SS Disability, anyway.

Speaking of Starline, I have 20 of what must be some of their more rare cases: 7.62X54R. Just prior to the Eastern European dams bursting, they made a pilot run of cases as demand was growing. They sent me 20 to try. Timing is everything, and the supply of cheap S&B, PRVI and other brass cases killed the idea.

The only hassle with making AE from mag cases is the large primer in the .41 Mag cases. Not needed in the ultimate sense.

Sometimes, it is costly to love an orphan, as cute as they may be.

They were brand new IMI cases. I appreciated my brother loading them, but really wanted the bare cases for my reloads. My Dad had just passed and the reloading setup was still there for the .41 AE - Dillon 650. My Dad still had around 500 new cases. I think he rushed through them, because my Dad's didn't bulge. With the heavier/longer bullets, you have to be careful not to load too deep or too fast and make sure they are properly lubricated. My brother is a little ham handed. They still load fine in my TA90 convertible, but I wanted them for my ULTRA. I haven't tried the 210 grain bullets yet. I know they can be done because Reeds does them.

 

[Pete F]

Precisely. 45 ball is at 370ft. lbs. and is considered the standard. The Sierra manual shows their 170 grain at 1150 for 499 ft. lbs. Impressive. Can do that with 7.2 Unique. Don't remember what Col. Cooper had to say about it, but 40/200/1000 was his magic formula for success. Evan Whildin was a visionary and cartridge genius IMO. Can you imagine any of the new mini poly 9s, like a SCCY with a .41 barrel? A more shooter-friendly semi-auto equivalent to the Charter 44 Bulldog (had a couple of those).

I just emailed Rainier Ballistics again to see if they would consider a 170-190 grain plated slug. They are just down the road, so I may stop by. Berry's is probably out, since .41 is a rare bird even in revolvers.

If the AE had been called the .41 S&W Special, history would be changed. But, Smith had $$$ invested in the 40 and so the .41 suffered from "not invented here" syndrome, I would guess.

Does your Sierra manual list loadings for pistols, or UZI 16" carbines? My books list carbine loads and velocities only, although I have pushed the 170 grain to 1180 from a 4.75" barrel - hot load.

 

[po18guy]

Does your Sierra manual list loadings for pistols, or UZI 16" carbines? My books list carbine loads and velocities only, although I have pushed the 170 grain to 1180 from a 4.75" barrel - hot load.

Sierra lists their 5" 1911 9mm conversion gun as the test barrel used. Still, Sierra has a tradition of slightly hotter loads than the others, IME.

 

[Pete F]

Sierra lists their 5" 1911 9mm conversion gun as the test barrel used. Still, Sierra has a tradition of slightly hotter loads than the others, IME.

I would love to have a 1911 in .41AE. It would be worth the extra cost for the ammo.

I have a newer Sierra manual and it doesn't list .41 AE at all. I would love to find an older Sierra manual that included .41 AE.

 

[po18guy]

I would love to have a 1911 in .41AE. It would be worth the extra cost for the ammo.

I have a newer Sierra manual and it doesn't list .41 AE at all. I would love to find an older Sierra manual that included .41 AE.

It's just a 9mm Government or Commander with a conversion barrel. Finding the barrel would be the challenge, I think. Bar-Sto might be coerced into making one, but it would probably not be cheap.

 

[po18guy]

They were brand new IMI cases. I appreciated my brother loading them, but really wanted the bare cases for my reloads. My Dad had just passed and the reloading setup was still there for the .41 AE - Dillon 650. My Dad still had around 500 new cases. I think he rushed through them, because my Dad's didn't bulge. With the heavier/longer bullets, you have to be careful not to load too deep or too fast and make sure they are properly lubricated. My brother is a little ham handed. They still load fine in my TA90 convertible, but I wanted them for my ULTRA. I haven't tried the 210 grain bullets yet. I know they can be done because Reeds does them.

Speaking of which, Lee makes a "bulge buster" die in .41. Redding also makes their dual-carbide sizing die in .41. Not cheap!

 

[Pete F]

Speaking of which, Lee makes a "bulge buster" die in .41. Redding also makes their dual-carbide sizing die in .41. Not cheap!

I have a set of Hornady .41mag/.41AE and found a unused set of discontinued Lee dies because I wanted the taper crimp.

The case bulge is at the bottom of the inserted bullet, about half way down the case. The bulge buster is for bulges at the bottom of the case where the sizing die doesn't reach. It must also be used on an empty case. When I saw them, I got excited thinking that it would smooth out a bulge in a loaded bullet.

 

[po18guy]

I have a set of Hornady .41mag/.41AE and found a unused set of discontinued Lee dies because I wanted the taper crimp.

The case bulge is at the bottom of the inserted bullet, about half way down the case. The bulge buster is for bulges at the bottom of the case where the sizing die doesn't reach. It must also be used on an empty case. When I saw them, I got excited thinking that it would smooth out a bulge in a loaded bullet.

True. A standard carbide die "should" take care of the 210 gr bullet bulge. The problem is that to do it right, you have to pull the bullets, then resize the cases. Redding's solution is neat. A slightly larger carbide ring at the base so as to leave the web of the base at original specs, and a slightly smaller one up at bullet seating depth. Ingenious, if expensive. I was lucky enough that when I bought the .41 "kit" from a Colt Forum member, he tossed in a Lyman taper crimp die.

Haven't loaded any yet, but I might have Lee make me a custom seater to fit the Sierra 170s without mashing the noses. Flat nose/plated and RN bullets will seat fine with the round-nose Lee seater that came with the set.

I note here that the .41AE case in the Action Arms barrel is fully supported, with none of the risk of the Glock (and some other) chambers.

 

[Pete F]

True. A standard carbide die "should" take care of the 210 gr bullet bulge. The problem is that to do it right, you have to pull the bullets, then resize the cases. Redding's solution is neat. A slightly larger carbide ring at the base so as to leave the web of the base at original specs, and a slightly smaller one up at bullet seating depth. Ingenious, if expensive. I was lucky enough that when I bought the .41 "kit" from a Colt Forum member, he tossed in a Lyman taper crimp die.

Haven't loaded any yet, but I might have Lee make me a custom seater to fit the Sierra 170s without mashing the noses. Flat nose/plated and RN bullets will seat fine with the round-nose Lee seater that came with the set.

I note here that the .41AE case in the Action Arms barrel is fully supported, with none of the risk of the Glock (and some other) chambers.

I've never had a problem with case bulge that I would need the bulge buster or Lyman.

I don't remember what my Dad used for .41 dies, but his and the Hornady dies work great on the Sierra 170 grain bullets and the Remington 200 grain (also soft nose hunting bullets) - no mashed noses. I don't know if I will use the Lee dies except for the taper crimp (yeah an extra step, but probably worth it). I will play around with it when I get my reloading bench reassembled after the remodel.

Your Lee die set came with a round nose seating die, or is it Lee's standard? This is my first set of Lee dies. You can always use a dremel to open up the top of the seater to keep it from deforming the Sierra bullet and still work on the other bullets.

 

[po18guy]

It seems shaped for ball ammo.