Poll: Your favorite Magnum cartridge?

[gmerkt]

I'm voting for .41 as my favorite, although I no longer have any arms in that cartridge. When I downsized, I kept .357 Magnum as a matter of practicality.

 

[gmerkt]

Poor little .32 H&R Magnum. Which is a fun little cartridge and I prefer it to .327 Fed Mag. But I had to choose one for the vote and it got overruled.

 

[orygun]

Sentimental favorite, 41 Mag. There are many reasons for it to be a top pick, although, like @gmerkt , I haven't owned a 41 Mag for several years.
The 500 is a cannon and like @CountryGent , I found shooting one was a hoot!
I just got a 44 Mag today and was able to put a few rounds through it. It's cool, but I think if I was picking just one to use for the majority of uses, 357 Mag.

 

[Omni]

Excuse my ignorance but I'd like to know why people are such fans of the more obscure .41 magnum when .357 and 44 magnum are available? Seems like a compromised caliber with much less versatility than the others. I imagine it's supposedly a Goldilocks 'just right' kind of thing but it reminds me of .40 S&W for semi-autos.

 

[ARFrog]

What happened to the .264 win mag choice????

Back-up choice:



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[oremike]

Excuse my ignorance but I'd like to know why people are such fans of the more obscure .41 magnum when .357 and 44 magnum are available? Seems like a compromised caliber with much less versatility than the others. I imagine it's supposedly a Goldilocks 'just right' kind of thing but it reminds me of .40 S&W for semi-autos.

Once you shoot one, then you'll know. And I like 40 S&W as well. I think in either case a bigger bullet going the same speed hits harder, every time.

Edited to add: before this gets all off the rails, It's good to have choices and it's ok for different people to have different opinions and make different choices.

 

[Omni]

Once you shoot one, then you'll know. And I like 40 S&W as well. I think in either case a bigger bullet going the same speed hits harder, every time.

Using that logic why not choose the 44 mag with an even bigger bullet going the same speed?

 

[Bobbygun]

Using that logic why not choose the 44 mag with an even bigger bullet going the same speed?

See post #8. He said he voted .44 magnum. Doesn't mean he can't still be a fan of the .41 magnum.

I voted .44 magnum as well, but would like someday to shoot/own a .41 magnum.

 

[2Wheels4Ever]

I like them all, but I started my real shooting/reloading with .357 mag. I've shot it more than any caliber (other than .22) and it's always a fun day on the range when you have plenty of .357 mag plink with.

 

[CLT65]

I like them all. My first revolver was a Dan Wesson .357 Magnum, and my next one was a S&W model 29 .44 Magnum. Over the last 35 years I've shot a lot of .44 Mag, and I think it's probably my favorite, but I also think that the .357 Magnum is more all-around useful.

As I get older, I also find myself shooting more .357 and less .44 Mag, especially since I bought a Model 28 Highway Patrolman. It's a big gun, and as such it's a really easy shooting .357 mag.

I've never owned a .41 mag, but if I did I'm sure I would like it too.

 

[oremike]

Using that logic why not choose the 44 mag with an even bigger bullet going the same speed?

For me and with the guns I own the 6" Ruger Blackhawk's are easy to carry on my hip when going walk about. I've got them in 32 H&R, 357 Mag, 41 Mag, 44-40 and 45 Colt. I do have a 30 Carbine as well but it's a 71/2" barrel. Given these choices and since this thread is about magnums for general duties the 41 is my choice, if you discount "magnum" then the 45 Colt would be my choice for my walk about gun. The 44 Mag is IMHO in a different class and made for more serious work/ protection. Big, heavy, very accurate and hard hitting. It's what I carry as a back up to a rifle when hunting. So in my world different tools for different jobs.

 

[OldBroad44]

I enjoy shooting .44 mag most. .357 mag is second. I'll admit the extra increment of macho with the .44 mag appeals to me and adds to the shooting fun.

With .44 mag I stick with full sized guns, 6" barrels or longer. They are my favorite for woods carry. Also my favorite for a walk around our neighborhood (which has resident cougars, as well as occasional nonresident courses and bears, being adjacent to MacDonald Forest). If I ever get back into handgun deer hunting I'd use one of my .44 mags. It can handle anything we have in Western Oregon. I think the amount of recoil I get from a 6" .44mag is as much recoil as I want to deal with.

When I carry concealed I use a 686 snubby carried in a fanny pack which is actually designed for cameras and camera equipment. It has three large compartments separated from each other and the outside world by foam panels. My edc goes in the middle compartment. Yes I know carrying off person is not ideal. But the option is not carrying at all. Working in plant breeding involves lots of bending over examining plants and making hand pollinations. .And sometimes hours crawling around on tarps examining and recording and sorting dry bean plants or squash or ears of corn. Hot work that calls for light weight clothing. Any gun carried on the hip would be totally obvious. In addition, most of my friends are huggers. And not all are people comfortable with guns.

 

[oremike]

Being an enabler I see Smith and Wesson has re-introduced the Model 57 41 Mag and to sweeten the deal is offering a $75.00 rebate if bought before the end of April.

 

[carlos65347975]

327 Federal Magnum

I shoot the Ruger SP101 with a 3" barrel

 

[bcp]

256 Win. Mag.

Bruce

 

[orygun]

Excuse my ignorance but I'd like to know why people are such fans of the more obscure .41 magnum when .357 and 44 magnum are available? Seems like a compromised caliber with much less versatility than the others. I imagine it's supposedly a Goldilocks 'just right' kind of thing but it reminds me of .40 S&W for semi-autos.

Waaaay more power than the 357 and not much less than the 44, with less recoil. Also the trajectory of the 41 is a bit better than a 44.
The down side is that almost all guns are 44 size and are even heavier (a little) by having smaller holes.

FYI, I also prefer a 40 over a 9mm. But I prefer a 45 over either of those.

 

[homeuser6]

i have pin gauges and noticed far greater uniformity of chamber, throat, and groove dimensions in 41 mag compared to 357 or 44. i have gauged and slugged many of all three.