Filling a .41 Gap

Plus Pins, Lasers, Optics And
One “Gold-Standard” Luger.

By Payton Miller

The .41 Magnum is a fine handgun cartridge, but it has (from a factory ammo standpoint) one weakness partially responsible for keeping it in the “cult category.”

Back in 1964, the .41 Mag was developed as a full-blown entity in itself—without being the product of stretching a shorter, lower-power “twin” out—like the .357 Magnum/.38 Special or .44 Magnum/.44 Special arrangements. Remington, of course, initially came up with a powered-down version for LE (and, presumably, practice) purposes called the “Police Load.”

Of course, oceans of ink have been spilled over what happened next—namely the inevitable mixup between the Police Load and the high-octane hunting number. This resulted in no small amount of consternation among the law enforcement agencies––they had expressed an interest in the cartridge and the N-Frame M&P-configured duty revolver originally intended for the Police Load.

Actually “powered down” is a bit misleading; the duty load was considerably more powerful than most service rounds of the day and certainly more controllable than the blasty stuff—particularly in the Model 58 S&W. And when the Police Load was discontinued, what you had left to choose from off the shelf were potent big-game specialty items, typified by a 210-grain bullet at around 1,400 feet per second.

At any rate—conjecturing aside—the commercial fortunes of the .41 have waxed and waned ever since, despite the fact it really is as great a load as its followers claim. (Whether or not its perceived recoil is appreciably less stout than the .44 Magnum is open to debate). In last June’s “Handloading,” our own John Taffin discusses the trimmed-down .41 Special as a handloader-only option for the “less-is-more” school of thought.

But there’s another. The 210-grain HSM Ammunition Cowboy Action SWC hardcast is rated at 969 fps and is nearly a dead-ringer for Remington’s original 210-grain Police Load. From a 4-5/8-inch Ruger Blackhawk, I was averaging 920 fps with good accuracy at 25 yards and a point of impact at the same distance about 2 inches higher than Winchester’s smoking (as in 1,250 fps) 240-grain Platinum Tip HP. Oh, did I mention the “Cowboy .41” stuff is pretty darn pleasant to shoot?

At any rate, Montana-based HSM has some pretty interesting loads. One particular .30-06 offering features a 210-grain Berger VLD Match Hunting bullet at a little under 2,600 fps. We’ll give it a try down the line.

HSM’s .41 Mag Cowboy load delivered good results at 25 yards from this 4-5/8-inch
barreled Ruger Blackhawk. It features a 210-grain hard-cast SWC (inset, center).
It’s a nice compromise between Winchester’s thumping 240-grain Platinum Tip HP
(left) or lighter 175-grain Silvertip (right).

The Anti-Walk Pin from XS Sight Systems secures the trigger group
in your Benelli M1/M2 or Remington Versa Max.

Pin It In

My favorite do-it-all shotgun is an older (as in HK-stamped) Benelli M1 Super 90 Police. It’s got open rifle sights, a 19-1/2-inch barrel and a conventional, non-pistol-grip synthetic stock. The only time it ever embarrassed me during our always-informal lunch-hour skeet sessions was when the original trigger-group pin in the alloy receiver did an unnoticed bombs-away, leaving me with the entire trigger group in my right hand. This was intensely amusing to my shooting buddies, who were all using (smugly, I might add) guns of a more conventional sporting configuration.

If you own a Benelli M1/M2 or Remington Versa Max, and this sort of thing has ever happened to you (or if you’d simply rather it didn’t), check out the new Anti-Walk Pin from XS Sight Systems ($9.50). Just punch out the existing pin (if it hasn’t been lost!), install the XS pin from left to right, stick a dab of medium thread locker (VibraTite 122 is recommended) to the threaded screw and tighten with a No. 2 Phillips bit, but no more than 10 inch-pounds of torque. Simple. It’s one thing to lose the pin during a clay-busting session—that was merely a “teachable moment.” If it happens to you on a serious, long-ways-from-home waterfowl or upland hunt, well, that could be something else altogether.

Crimson Trace’s LG-350G LaserGrips features the improved Shock-Stop configuration;
a green laser and a beefier adjustment wrench, which is a real step up from its
hairlike predecessor.

Green & Grab-able

Since I started using them from the beginning, I’d always taken Crimson Trace LaserGrips for granted. Their operational simplicity, ergonomics and, I guess you could say, “holster-friendliness” have put them in their own class. Grab the gun in a natural firing position, squeeze into the synthetic grip, pick up on the laser dot and break the shot while disturbing said dot as little as possible.

Two new offerings for J-Frame revolvers are identical except in terms of the laser element. The LG-350 features the original red dot (and is about a C-note less expensive), while the LG-350G’s is green. The choice for me is simple—I prefer green because it is easier for me to see in both low or no light conditions as well as daylight.

But what’s really a step up is the Shock-Stop grip configuration. The company has redesigned things, employing softer, cushioned sections front and rear to absorb recoil better, and a more rigid midsection for increased stability as well as recoil-absorbing interior chambers running up and down the spine of the grip. Everyone who shot it thought it was superior to the earlier models in terms of comfort—no small consideration when you’re lighting off Plus-P .38 Specials (or, heaven forbid, a .357!) in an alloy—or steel—snubbie. Another thing about the newer series—they’ve redesigned the windage and elevation adjustment wrench. The old L-shaped one was tiny, almost hairlike, and easy to lose. This new one is far heftier and features a plastic handle.

Steiner’s new HX Series 10×42 binoculars (bottom) feature
improved ergonomics, a new lens coating and a bump in magnification
over Payton’s old 8×42 Peregrines (top).

Good Glass

I’ve always been a big fan of Steiner binoculars. For the last 10 years or so, I’ve used a pair of roof-prism 8×42 Peregrines, which I felt gave me all the power I needed with the enhanced “over 35mm” light-gathering characteristics of a larger exit pupil. But a lot of the stuff I use binoculars for these days has given me second thoughts. In short, sometimes more is “more better.” So I got my hands on the company’s HX Series 10×42’s.

They’re sleeker than my old Peregrines, with an improved Fast-Close-Focus focusing wheel and a water-shedding molecular lens coating said to repel water, fingerprints, dirt, dust and snow. The smaller field of view (326 feet at 100 yards vs. 377 for the 8×42’s) necessitated by the boost in power is pretty easy to live with because I use binoculars frequently in lieu of a cumbersome spotting scope at the range. But there’s still plenty of field for scanning distant hillsides for deer, hogs or what have you. Personally, for offhand use, as far as binoculars go, I can’t see going beyond 10X—heck, I’m shaky enough at that level. But that’s just me. If you require enhanced low-light capability, there’s also a 15×56 and a 10×56 option in the HX lineup.

Sinister Provenance

A Mauser-manufactured gold-plated Luger featuring stunning “oak-leaf and acorn” engraving would be valuable enough. However, this particular one bears this inscription on a presentation plaque on the left grip panel:

His Excellency
The Honorable Ambassador Franz von Papen
In deepest dedication
On 11th November 1940
Given by Joachim von Ribbentrop
Foreign Minister of the German Reich.

As this ornate Pistole 08 might indicate, both men were pretty high up on the Nazi food chain; von Ribbentrop being the more well-known thanks to the Molotov-Ribbentrop Non-Aggression Pact between Germany and the Soviet Union which took place on August 23, 1939. This was the jaw-dropping agreement which freed up both Hitler and Stalin to invade Poland from both ends at the beginning of WWII (the “deal” was abruptly terminated on June 22, 1941). Both von Papen and von Ribbentrop stood trial at Nuremburg—the former getting a lengthy prison sentence; the latter getting the hangman’s noose.

The historic provenance of this Luger put it on the top shelf bid-wise at RIA’s April Premier Auction. It went for $97,750. For information on Rock Island Auctions, contact them at 7819 42nd St. W., Rock Island, IL 61201, (800) 238-8022

Crimson Trace Corporation
9780 SW Freeman Dr.
Wilsonville, OR 97070
(800) 442-2406
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/crimson-trace-corporation/

HSM Ammunition
4406 Rathbun Lane
Stevensville, MT 59870
(406) 777-2106
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/hsm-ammunition/

Steiner Optics
92054th Ave., Suite 200
Greeley, CO 80634
(970) 356-1670
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/steiner-optik/

XS Sight
Systems, 2405 Ludelle St.
Fort Worth, TX 76105
(888) 744-4880
https://gunsmagazine.com/company/xs-sight-systems-inc/

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