Unfortunate cartridge offerings ...

[DeanMk]

So long as I draw breath...


... the .41 Remington Magnum will never die!


So there.

That's the spirit!

 

[DeanMk]

Sure miss old Skeeter.... Many an idle hour I spent reading his articles...

Me & Joe and that Colt Bisley that never shot straight....tales of being a Deaf Smith County Sheriff.... =)

 

[Mike_M57]

Me & Joe and that Colt Bisley that never shot straight....tales of being a Deaf Smith County Sheriff.... =)

Always loved reading his Hipshots column in Shooting Times magazine. One of my favorite Skeeter Skelton stories was about a horse vs. bicycle race called "Me & Joe and the Milliron Dun".

I've still got the chili recipe he put in one of his columns. The very first time I tried making his chili, swear to God, the fumes from the kettle started to strip the varnish from the cupboard overhead!

Best damn chili I've ever had.

 

[DeanMk]

Wish I still had it, but I used to have a Shooting Times from the late 60's, featuring a NEW member to the staff....Skeeter Skelton.
He tested the Beretta folding shotgun in that issue.

 

[po18guy]

Basically, it was better marketing.
The .41 ae was misunderstood from the start.
It was supposed to be the auto pistol equivalent of the LAO version of the .41 Mag, which was milder than the "hunting" version of that round.
The concept was pretty sound; Fairly large and weighty bullet driven hard enough to churn up about 500 lbs. ME.
If you chamber that cartridge in the right gun, it can be fairly controllable and very effective.
It's basically Skeeter Skelton's old .44 Special load, applied to an auto pistol, which was replacing revolvers at the speed of light at the time.
...on the other hand...
The .40 S&W was actually developed as a "training round" version of the mighty 10mm.
The 10 mm already had quite a bit of noteriety behind it, so when the .40 came along, it just rode those coat tails right into handgunning stardom.
Combine that with the fact that the .40 was in the same power range as the venerable .45 acp, and that its slightly smaller size made it a better candidate for staggered high capacity magazines, and *Presto*, you got yourself a downright legend in the making (star stuck gun writers, not withstanding).
In the meantime, anyone who catches wind of one always asks, 'What's a .41 Action Express?".

The lesson learned here is, the next time you think you've really got something, once you develop the idea, make sure you do your due diligence and put a Full Court Press on the marketing aspect, or your great idea may languish as a simple wish.

Unrewarded genius is a proverb. Evan Whilden (RIP) was somewhat of a visionary - but like prophets, they are often not respected in their own time or place. From the Sierra website regarding cartridge types:

Rebated
Currently undergoing a revival in the WSM and ultra mags, the rebated case is characterized by a rim that is noticeably smaller in diameter than the case body. The intent of this design is normally to offer increased case capacity without altering or enlarging an existing bolt face. The .41 AE is perhaps the best example of the rationale behind this particular head design. Developed by Evan Whilden, then with Action Arms, the .41 AE utilizes the same case head dimensions as the popular 9mm Luger. By increasing the case body
dimensions enough to accept a .410" diameter bullet, Whilden gave a substantial boost in performance to 9mm handguns. By keeping the same head dimensions, converting a standard 9mm to accept the more powerful .41 AE was simply a matter of switching barrels, magazines and recoil springs. No costly modifications to the slide or extractor were required.

As to marketing, "SMITH & WESSON" had more pull than some fellow named Whilden.

 

[po18guy]

As to .223: "It was developed in 1957 by Remington Arms and Fairchild Industries for the U.S. Continental Army Command of the United States Army"
As to the .308: "During the 1940s, the .300 Savage became the basis for experiments on behalf of the U.S. Military that resulted in the development of the T65 series of experimental cartridges."

I have a rifle in each caliber, but have tax dollars to thank for the cartridges.

 

[DeanMk]

As to marketing, "SMITH & WESSON" had more pull than some fellow named Whilden.

...and yet, if no one's ever heard of it, how are they going to know to try it out.
Thus my comment on Marketing.
Sure, a major manufacturer can get the word out to the masses quicker and easier, than a single guy, but in this day of "connectivity", I've seen a few individuals sway their specific market just because people thought they had a cool idea.
.....maybe we should give the ol' .41 another try....

C'MON EVERYONE! GIVE THE .41 ACTION EXPRESS A TRY.
IT'S A REALLY COOL CARTRIDGE!!!

...Ok, let's see how that works.

 

[po18guy]

I think, as good as it is, it is a terminal orphan. IWI, Taurus, Tanfoglio, UZI and a few others chambered guns for it, but that was it. I was lucky enough to snag a conversion kit for my son's IWI Jericho for just over $100. And for about $140 IIRC, I bought a Browning HP conversion kit with 50 loaded rounds and about 200 brass.

 

[CamoDeafie]

terminal orphan

Issat what happens when you shoot parents?

 

[3MTA3]

So long as I draw breath...


... the .41 Remington Magnum will never die!


So there.

It's been dying since the 1980's... I'm not holding my breath waiting for the funeral service. Every once in a while people figure out that a cartridge between 357 and 44 mag is a pretty sweet spot.

 

[2506]

8mm Remington magnum.

 

[VanceInWA]

I nominate 6.8 Western.

Diddo. I do think the cartridge stands on its own merits, but it's always just sitting on store shelves, no takers. Every time I see those boxes of 6.8 Western gathering dust I just shake my head and think "loser." Not sure why it has been rejected by so many...

 

[VanceInWA]

View attachment 1175699
View attachment 1175700

WTF???

 

[VanceInWA]

A couple runner-ups for your consideration:

>> 376 Steyr

>> 277 Sig Fury

 

[WillametteWill]

Anyone remember the 40 Guns & Ammo Magnum??? Anyone? Anyone? Bueler? Circ. 1977
https://revivaler.com/40-ga-pistol-cartridge/
I remember reading the magazine issue when it came out. Why do I forget if I tied my shoes but remember reading that article?

 

[po18guy]

WTF???

Wretched excess.

 

[3MTA3]

WTF???

Ultra long range squirrel shooting

 

[po18guy]

Just because...



And even Glockheads can get a barrel in .50 GI.

 

[3MTA3]

Diddo. I do think the cartridge stands on its own merits, but it's always just sitting on store shelves, no takers. Every time I see those boxes of 6.8 Western gathering dust I just shake my head and think "loser." Not sure why it has been rejected by so many...

It truly doesn't make sense that it isn't doing well.

 

[DeanMk]

A couple runner-ups for your consideration:

>> 376 Steyr

>> 277 Sig Fury

Too bad the Steyr round wasn't more popular.
The gun that was built around that cartridge seems like its pretty nice.