Took My Ruger Blackhawk 44 Special and 41 Mag to the range today

IronEye said:

Thanks to all for the good info and the concern expressed.

The tier three loads are listed in that article were intended for 44 Specials that were converted from 357 Blackhawk revolvers.

Ruger really has made a mess with the different frame sizes. There have been "Ruger/Thompson Center only" loads listed in the reloading handbooks for many years. In particular there are listings for 45 Colt. Unfortunately those "Ruger Only" loads may no longer be safe in Rugers. When is a Vaquero not a Vaquero? When it is a "New" Vaquero. When is a Blackhawk not a Blackhawk? When it is a Flattop Blackhawk.

I believe that the current run of 44 Special guns are on the smaller Flattop frame. These may or may not be safe with the tier three loads.

Confusing. Reloading is not for everyone. Error on the light side. Approach heavy loads with caution. If you want a magnum buy a magnum. Stay safe.

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Biggfoot44 said:

Note that Striper69, the OP , is in Iowa , so Md's DNR rules do not apply .

Yes , Md's big game handgun regs are arbitrary both as to mathematical Energy , and to bbl length . My handguns usually go hunting with me in Virginia , where the requirements are much more realistic . ( 350ftlb , 4in bbl )

Myself , and the Late Shooting & Handloading Partner #1 both had great accuracy with Berry's in .41 Mag , albeit with the 210gr, haven't tried their 180gr .

Felt recoil is subjective, yada, YMMV, yada, etc . But for me, from either 6.5in or 4 5/8 in Blackhawks , it is pleasant enough to not require Mag Na Porting . But if you are so inclined ; less muzzle flip , indistinguishable noise , slightly more visable flash , depending on the load, and ambient lighting .

Not withstanding Md's regs , a .44spl with 240gr cast @ 900-ish is indeed more than capable for Bambi .

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IronEye said:

I just bought a used Ruger Blackhawk in 41 Magnum 4.62". Built in 1990 from the serial number. I have never shot a gun that was Magnaported before - looking forward to trying it out. Can pick it up next week.

Sometimes that's what happens when you walk into a gun shop to just pick up some primers.

I have been shooting some warmer 44 Special loads through my Taylor & Co. Cattleman. These are still listed as being under the 15.5K max but are a step up from the cowboy action loads. That gun is not as strong as a Ruger. I figure the Ruger 41 Magnum can fill in at the range when I want a little more power and just reserve the Cattleman for mostly cowboy loads from now on.

I suspect that there will be little effect from the Magnaporting when shooting hard cast lead bullets at lower velocities. Except from the increase in noise that is. I'm not quite sure how i would be able to tell without having an unported 41 mag to compare against.

Brian Pierce had a nice article in Handloader from a few years ago on the 44 Special. He listed three pressure levels and discussed the guns that were safe at each level. I seriously considered a Ruger in 44 Special until the 41 Magnum "fell in my lap".

I'm not sure anything that you hit with .410 or a .429 bullet of the same type, velocity and weight would be able to tell the difference.

Man, oh man is 41 Magnum ammo expensive. You need to handload or have a fat wallet. I picked up a box of Winchester 240gr hunting ammo at the shop. $38 for 20 rounds. Yikes. Platinum Tips says the box. Must be real platinum.

BTW: LAXAmmo currently has 41 magnum for $44 per 100. Copper plated 210gr bullet at a listed velocity of 966FPS. Also have 250 rounds in an ammo can for $111. Both of these are new ammo.

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IronEye said:

I believe that the current run of 44 Special guns are on the smaller Flattop frame. These may or may not be safe with the tier three loads.

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