| .41 Remington Magnum | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 .41 Remington Magnum cartridge, scale incm | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Type | Revolver | |||||||||||||||||||
| Place of origin | United States | |||||||||||||||||||
| Production history | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Designer | Elmer Keith Bill Jordan Skeeter Skelton | |||||||||||||||||||
| Designed | 1963 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Manufacturer | Remington Arms | |||||||||||||||||||
| Produced | 1964 | |||||||||||||||||||
| Specifications | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Parent case | None | |||||||||||||||||||
| Case type | Rimmed, straight | |||||||||||||||||||
| Bullet diameter | .410 in (10.4 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Neck diameter | .434 in (11.0 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Base diameter | .434 in (11.0 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Rim diameter | .492 in (12.5 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Rim thickness | .060 in (1.5 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Case length | 1.290 in (32.8 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Overall length | 1.590 in (40.4 mm) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Case capacity | 34 gr H2O (2.2 cm3) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Rifling twist | 1-181⁄2 in | |||||||||||||||||||
| Primer type | Large pistol | |||||||||||||||||||
| Maximum pressure (CIP) | 44,000 psi (300 MPa) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Maximum pressure (SAAMI) | 36,000 psi (250 MPa) | |||||||||||||||||||
| Maximum CUP | 40,000 CUP | |||||||||||||||||||
| Ballistic performance | ||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||
| Test barrel length: 6.5 inches (170 mm) Source(s): Ballistics by the inch[1][2] | ||||||||||||||||||||
The.41 Remington Magnum, also known as.41 Magnum or10.4×33mmR (as it is known in unofficial metric designation), is acenter firefirearmscartridge primarily developed for use in large-framerevolvers, introduced in 1964 by theRemington Arms Company, intended forhunting andlaw enforcement purposes.
In 1963,Elmer Keith andBill Jordan, with some help fromSkeeter Skelton, petitionedSmith & Wesson, Remington, andNorma to produce apistol andammunition in .41 caliber which would fall between the extant.357 Magnum and.44 Magnum cartridges inballistic performance, and at the same time address perceived shortcomings with those loads.[citation needed] While as early as 1955 Keith had suggested a new, medium-powered ".41 Special" cartridge, this idea was passed over in favor of the higher-powered "Magnum" option, and the Special survives only as a customwildcat cartridge, bearing roughly the same relation to the .41 Magnum as the.38 Special does to the.357 Magnum and as the.44 Special does to the.44 Magnum.[3]
The .357 Magnum suffered from restrictedterminal ballistic effectiveness in the early 1960s, asjacketed hollow point bullets were not yet commonly available, and themanufacturers' standard loadings consisted of simpleleadbullets. The powerful .44 Magnum, primarily a heavy hunting round, was consideredoverkill forpolice use, generating too muchrecoil for control under rapid fire. In addition, the revolvers chambered for the .44 Magnum were considered too large, bulky, and heavy for police to carry.[4]
Keith's original vision called for dual power levels in the .41, a heavy magnum load pushing a 210-grain (14 g)JHP at amuzzle velocity of 1,300–1,400 ft/s (400–430 m/s), and a milder police loading which was to send a 200-grain (13 g)semiwadcutter downrange at around 900 ft/s (270 m/s).[4]
These plans went awry due to an ongoing fascination in the firearms community with high-powered cartridges; Remington was swayed by this community's influence and instead of following Keith'sblueprint, chose to emphasize the performance of the new cartridge. As a result, the .41 "Magnum" load was released at an advertised 1,500 ft/s (460 m/s), and even the "light" police loading was introduced with a 210 gr (14 g) lead semiwadcutter "warmed up" to about 1,150 ft/s (350 m/s). However, the police load as delivered was regarded as overpowered by mostlaw enforcement agencies, many of which were still using .38 Special revolvers.[4]
Additionally, Smith & Wesson had simply adapted their large N-frame revolvers for the new cartridge, which did not address size and weight concerns.[5] TheModel 58, targeted for the law enforcementmarket, was introduced on July 10, 1964. Weighing 41 oz (1,200 g), the Model 58 compared unfavorably with other revolvers available at the time, such as Smith's own 34 oz (960 g)Model 10 in .38 Special.[citation needed]
These combined factors mostly eliminated the .41 Magnum from consideration for its intended market as a law enforcement firearm, although it continued to be touted as such and was adopted by a few law enforcement agencies.[4]
For a handgun cartridge, thebolt thrust is considerable atC.I.P. conform maximum loads and an important factor in weapons design. The greater the bolt thrust, the stronger the locking mechanism has to be to withstand it. Smith & Wesson produced a high-end, premium revolver in .41 Magnum, theModel 57, identical to the .44 Magnum-chamberedModel 29.[citation needed]Magnum Research'sDesert Eagle division produced a .41 Magnum in their semi-automatic Mark VII. Sturm Ruger also produced theirBlackhawk single-action revolver in .41 Magnum.[citation needed]
A couple of manufacturers have produced lever-action rifles chambered in .41 Magnum.Marlin produced four variants of itsModel 1894, but no longer offers any model chambered for it.Henry Repeating Arms introduced a .41 Magnum variant of their Big Boy Steel model in 2016.[6]
The .41 Magnum never enjoyed the popularity and success of either the .357 Magnum or .44 Magnum cartridges, but is still prized byhandgun hunters as some feel it generates somewhat lighter recoil and slightly flatter bullettrajectory at long range than the .44 Magnum.[7] Nevertheless, the .44 Magnum still catalogs a greater variety of heavier bullet weight offerings which are more effective on larger game, and boast a slight edge in power when using the heaviestfactory loads, or if pushed to the edge by handloading (heavier bullets or bullets of different types).[8] Marshall and Sanow called the .41 Magnum "one of our most unappreciated calibers".[9]