Holt Bodinson, friend and very fine gun scribe was the International Executive Director of Safari International in the 1980s. The Kelly’s were recovering from my retiring under disability from DEA when Holt and I became good friends. He was able to get me at the time, an EMF Colt SA clone in 357 at a very reasonable price...(those days are gone forever...as the song goes) and I shot the gun at some very horrendous velocities in 357....I don’t know if Holt remembers the day I fired one of my loads over his Chrono from the clone 357, but he was surprised to see the velocity of the 150 grain bullet was 1699 fps from the short barrel. Pressure???? Don’t ask!

So I knew years later when I got the itch for a small framed 41 mag that the clone would handle it. I had a barrel that was taken from a 41 mag. Marlin levergun manufactured in the late 80s or early 90s...just before they discontinued that caliber the first time. With borrowed reamers I rechambered the cylinder...that wasn’t as easy as it would have been if I had bought a rechambering reamer with a 357 pilot from Clymer. But trying to save a few bucks as usual, cost more in time and labor...if I ever do it again I’ll buy the reamers.

Since I own a 20 inch bed lathe (Frejoth) the barrel work was a snap. At the time I had a milling machine with an indexing jig for cylinders, I also trued the cylinder face. Since the cylinder was first designed for the 45 colt’s rim sizes, the 41 rims were not a problem...Like they would be on a Colt Python or some such. After the gun was put back together I ran about two hundred commercial rounds thru it. It functioned flawlessly. I then blue pilled all the chambers with 50,000 psi loads once....then fired another hundred or so commercial loads thru it. No change in point of impact....no tolerance changes that I could find, the top strap is what I was worried about most...nothing.

My best loads for this gun are 170 grain (SRA) jacketed H.P. over 20 grains of Accurate #9 for 1668 fps from the short barrel. Sierra markets this bullet as a power jacketed slug...so it is not frangible like most light bullets for the caliber in magnums. It is the finest deer load I have from medium sized hand guns. I even have to admit it is better than my beloved 357 mag loads for deer. It kills about like the 357 magnum leveraction rifle deer loads do. SRA’s power jacket 220 SN over 18.5 grains of #9 gives 1410 fps...and is the full power load of choice. Second place with this bullet is 2400 and 17 grains, for around 50 fps less. Cast Bullet Performance sent me a bunch of 280 grain slugs in LBT design back a few years ago...over 18 grains of H110 they break 1240 fps, and it is the load for large game. That bullet doesn’t want to stop...what a penetrator.

The various 240 grainers are OK but they are neither fish nor foul for me..a 44 mag will do better with them...so it’s either the 170/220 or 280s in the 41 mag that I like most. I keep all pressures below 40,000 cup in this gun. Usually closer to 36,000 to 37,000 cup. Next year it will be 10 years old...and thousands of rounds later, I am still puzzled at why Colt supposedly had to heat treat their single action to bring about a 41 magnum. Pictures of the gun are in my book...my scanner is being bitchy this morning....

It’s because we know that accuracy and power always make up for high capacity handguns in less powerful chamberings. Before you shout...I am not saying there is not a place for the nines and 40s and such...but it is limited for the person who is really more of a hunter than law enforcement, because we need the longer range potential of sixguns, and on much large animals then people size sometimes. Besides I ran an enforcement agency for a number of years and was privy to the shooting statistics of the Justice Department agencies for over two decades...I can tell you what is effective and what isn’t....

So I have taken game with this little gun...but only as chance opportunities. I don’t take it hunting...it’s just with me. But I have used the 41 magnum, mostly Ruger S/As and a Ruger Redhawk (no it’s not for sale), on large game though. A very fat elk doe...several more black bear than I deserve...one extraordinarily large pig, several average sized boar, several dozen deer...lots of feral dogs and yotes...and vermin of all kinds. I have always found it as effective as the 44 mag when it was loaded correctly for the game being hunted. Would I do this conversion again...no, why? I don’t need another one. Would I recommend it? Yes....if you can find a gunsmith that knows what he it doing, and can get 41 barrel stock...we got lucky with the Marlin barrel. The other way to do it...is to get a hold of a Ruger 41 S/A barrel, and fit it.

If you have not noticed gun lovers are strange people....arguments over the merits of one caliber vrs. another are replete with opinion, arguments over the merits of one gun design over another are just as voracious sometimes. I still think that a round like the GNR series with the 44 mag case as the parent necked to the 41 would be awesome. But that is all part of the fun...if you can’t go shooting then heck...talking, trading, arguing are second best...some even think reloading is second best ....ooops here comes another argument.....