This article by CBA member, Tom Acheson, was published in the May/June 1999, #139 issue of the Fouling Shot.
One of my winter time projects has been the reorganization of my reloading room. A big portion of the effort included the building of a set of bookshelves to store the many books and loading manuals that those who share the hobby of handloading know are easy to accumulate. While filling the shelves with the books, I spent some time going through my collection of CBA bi-monthly publications.
In Fouling Shot #72 (March-April 1988), I came across an article I had submitted, dis-cussing the use of cast bullets for deer hunting with the .41 revolver. It’s hard to believe that these past 10 years have gone by so quickly. Since our journal often includes articles on hunting, I thought this would be a good time for an update on my continued use of the .41 revolver for deer hunting.
The total number of deer I’ve taken with the .41 revolver is now 10. Nine of them were mule deer taken in Wyoming, and one was a Minnesota whitetail.
An S&W Model 57 .41 Magnum was used for the first three deer, and a modified Dan Wesson has been used for taking the remaining.
The Dan Wesson was originally chambered in .357 Super Mag., with the long cylinder. The factory barrel was removed and was replaced with a Douglas .41 caliber 1-14” twist, nine inch long barrel. A new case was developed to take advantage of the longer cylinder. Shortening the semi-rimmed .220 Swift case to 1.6” resulted in a wildcat case that met the need. This round is called the .41 Wyoming.
The twist rate of 1-14” was purposely selected so heavy bullets could be used. The larger case let me shoot heavier than normal .41 bullets to velocities appropriate for hunting. The 296-grain bullet can be pushed to 1325 f.p.s. in the .41 Wyoming, while the 325 gr. will do 1100 f.p.s.
Historically, the .41 Magnum was introduced as a law enforcement firearm, to fit between the .357 Mag. and the .44 Mag. In this role it did not experience broad acceptance. The .41 Mag. has been embraced by a number of metallic silhouette shooters, but is not as popular as the .44 Mag. and the .357 Super Mag.
Where the .41 Mag. has had reasonable success is in the deer hunting fields. Using the traditional 220-gr. bullet at 1250 f.p.s., this round is difficult to improve upon. It is an effective game stopper for those of the hand held short barreled hunting fraternity.
One criticism of the .41 Mag. was the lack of bullet designs and weights available to the handloader. For some reason, those people supporting this view seemed to ignore cast bullets. There are moulds of numerous shape and weight configurations available for the .41. And if there aren’t enough choices in mass produced moulds, you can have a Hoch or LBT custom made to your design. I know because I have too many of these moulds myself. It’s easy for an experimenter to get “hooked” in this area.
In the S&W, the SAECO 220 grain round nose/flat point works well on deer. Moving up to NEI or SSK you can get a 275-gr. or 295 gr. mould. My current bullet in the .41 Wyoming is a 325-gr. Hoch. The nose pour Hoch moulds produce high quality bullets.
While some of these moulds cast gas check designs, I employ poly wads in all my loads. Using as-cast wheel weight bullets (not heat treated), I have no leading problems, due in large part to good dimensional bullet fit and the “sealing” properties of the poly wad. Tom Gray’s lube has been used for two years in these loads and it works great.
Using an iron sighted revolver in open Wyoming mule deer country places a premium on being well practiced in the use of a revolver. For some a scope might work but I haven’t had the success I desire under these conditions using optical sights. Maybe a scope would work well from a deer stand, where the deer might be moving slowly, if at all.
One of my winter time projects has been the reorganization of my reloading room. A big portion of the effort included the building of a set of bookshelves to store the many books and loading manuals that those who share the hobby of handloading know are easy to accumulate. While filling the shelves with the books, I spent some time going through my collection of CBA bi-monthly publications.
In Fouling Shot #72 (March-April 1988), I came across an article I had submitted, dis-cussing the use of cast bullets for deer hunting with the .41 revolver. It’s hard to believe that these past 10 years have gone by so quickly. Since our journal often includes articles on hunting, I thought this would be a good time for an update on my continued use of the .41 revolver for deer hunting.
The total number of deer I’ve taken with the .41 revolver is now 10. Nine of them were mule deer taken in Wyoming, and one was a Minnesota whitetail.
An S&W Model 57 .41 Magnum was used for the first three deer, and a modified Dan Wesson has been used for taking the remaining.
The Dan Wesson was originally chambered in .357 Super Mag., with the long cylinder. The factory barrel was removed and was replaced with a Douglas .41 caliber 1-14” twist, nine inch long barrel. A new case was developed to take advantage of the longer cylinder. Shortening the semi-rimmed .220 Swift case to 1.6” resulted in a wildcat case that met the need. This round is called the .41 Wyoming.
The twist rate of 1-14” was purposely selected so heavy bullets could be used. The larger case let me shoot heavier than normal .41 bullets to velocities appropriate for hunting. The 296-grain bullet can be pushed to 1325 f.p.s. in the .41 Wyoming, while the 325 gr. will do 1100 f.p.s.
Historically, the .41 Magnum was introduced as a law enforcement firearm, to fit between the .357 Mag. and the .44 Mag. In this role it did not experience broad acceptance. The .41 Mag. has been embraced by a number of metallic silhouette shooters, but is not as popular as the .44 Mag. and the .357 Super Mag.
Where the .41 Mag. has had reasonable success is in the deer hunting fields. Using the traditional 220-gr. bullet at 1250 f.p.s., this round is difficult to improve upon. It is an effective game stopper for those of the hand held short barreled hunting fraternity.
One criticism of the .41 Mag. was the lack of bullet designs and weights available to the handloader. For some reason, those people supporting this view seemed to ignore cast bullets. There are moulds of numerous shape and weight configurations available for the .41. And if there aren’t enough choices in mass produced moulds, you can have a Hoch or LBT custom made to your design. I know because I have too many of these moulds myself. It’s easy for an experimenter to get “hooked” in this area.
In the S&W, the SAECO 220 grain round nose/flat point works well on deer. Moving up to NEI or SSK you can get a 275-gr. or 295 gr. mould. My current bullet in the .41 Wyoming is a 325-gr. Hoch. The nose pour Hoch moulds produce high quality bullets.
While some of these moulds cast gas check designs, I employ poly wads in all my loads. Using as-cast wheel weight bullets (not heat treated), I have no leading problems, due in large part to good dimensional bullet fit and the “sealing” properties of the poly wad. Tom Gray’s lube has been used for two years in these loads and it works great.
Using an iron sighted revolver in open Wyoming mule deer country places a premium on being well practiced in the use of a revolver. For some a scope might work but I haven’t had the success I desire under these conditions using optical sights. Maybe a scope would work well from a deer stand, where the deer might be moving slowly, if at all.
I have taken my deer at distances ranging from eight feet to 125 yards. Needless to say, the eight-foot shot was the most exciting.
I had been glassing the base of a butte about ¼ mile away, and located a small group of deer. By using adjacent draws for cover, lots of patience, as well as working the wind I was able to get within eight feet of the buck in the group. As he began to stand up from where he had been laying,
I had been glassing the base of a butte about ¼ mile away, and located a small group of deer. By using adjacent draws for cover, lots of patience, as well as working the wind I was able to get within eight feet of the buck in the group. As he began to stand up from where he had been laying,
L to R: H&G 220 gr., Hoch 240 gr., Hoch 280 gr. Hoch 296 gr., Hoch 325 gr. I hit him at the base of the skull with the .41 Wyoming. The shot might have been impossible with a scope. Participating in silhouette competition with iron sights helps maintain the proficiency necessary to successfully take deer at longer distances, too.
The entry and exit wounds in deer taken with these cast bullet loads are usually the same size. I’ve been fortunate enough to place all my hits (except the eight-footer) in the ribcage area, behind the shoulder. Lack of expansion with these loads reinforces the importance of proper bullet nose shape for hunting.
Until my eyes begin to fail me, I’ll continue my deer hunting using the revolver. It offers an excellent challenge and pushes me to make a conscious effort to practice and prepare for each year’s hunt. This improves the total experience of the hunt, very little of which involves squeezing the trigger. But that’s a whole subject of its own.
The entry and exit wounds in deer taken with these cast bullet loads are usually the same size. I’ve been fortunate enough to place all my hits (except the eight-footer) in the ribcage area, behind the shoulder. Lack of expansion with these loads reinforces the importance of proper bullet nose shape for hunting.
Until my eyes begin to fail me, I’ll continue my deer hunting using the revolver. It offers an excellent challenge and pushes me to make a conscious effort to practice and prepare for each year’s hunt. This improves the total experience of the hunt, very little of which involves squeezing the trigger. But that’s a whole subject of its own.
