Talyn
Emissary
The 41 Magnum was developed at the request of two well-known industry icons, including Bill Jordan and Elmer Keith. Jordan served as a World War II combat veteran, then a Border Patrol agent, and was an amazing exhibition shooter.
Industry legends Elmer Keith and Bill Jordan teamed up to convince Smith & Wesson and Ruger to work with
Remington to develop the 41 Magnum in 1963, with the first guns and ammunition appearing in 1964.
www.riflemagazine.com
He talked with his old friend Elmer Keith about it, and together they cornered Smith & Wesson, Bill Ruger, and Remington at the 1963 NRA annual meetings and convinced them to develop a new cartridge. Jordan originally wanted the new cartridge to contain a .40-caliber bullet weighing around 200 grains and with a muzzle velocity of 1,200 feet per second (fps). He wanted it in a medium frame sixgun for daily duty carry and light enough to facilitate the fast draw.
Somewhere in the discussion with Smith & Wesson and Remington, Keith suggested a cartridge with dual loads, which he called “medium” and “full power.”
Bill Ruger was included in the development of the 41 Magnum and began producing the Blackhawk in 1965. This gun was built on the large 44 frame, but it featured a shorter cylinder than the Super Blackhawk 44 Magnum, and came standard with flutes, an aluminum grip frame, and 45⁄8- and 61⁄2-inch barrel lengths. As a result, the 41 weighed nearly 10 ounces less, or a practical 38 and 40.5 ounces for the 45⁄8- and 61⁄2-inch barrels, respectively.
Other notable shooters and industry icons have praised the 41 Magnum as a big bore sixgun cartridge for field use, including Bob Hagel, Skeeter Skelton, Jeff Cooper, John Taffin and many others.
Industry legends Elmer Keith and Bill Jordan teamed up to convince Smith & Wesson and Ruger to work with
Remington to develop the 41 Magnum in 1963, with the first guns and ammunition appearing in 1964.
41 Magnum | RifleMagazine
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www.riflemagazine.com
He talked with his old friend Elmer Keith about it, and together they cornered Smith & Wesson, Bill Ruger, and Remington at the 1963 NRA annual meetings and convinced them to develop a new cartridge. Jordan originally wanted the new cartridge to contain a .40-caliber bullet weighing around 200 grains and with a muzzle velocity of 1,200 feet per second (fps). He wanted it in a medium frame sixgun for daily duty carry and light enough to facilitate the fast draw.
Somewhere in the discussion with Smith & Wesson and Remington, Keith suggested a cartridge with dual loads, which he called “medium” and “full power.”
Bill Ruger was included in the development of the 41 Magnum and began producing the Blackhawk in 1965. This gun was built on the large 44 frame, but it featured a shorter cylinder than the Super Blackhawk 44 Magnum, and came standard with flutes, an aluminum grip frame, and 45⁄8- and 61⁄2-inch barrel lengths. As a result, the 41 weighed nearly 10 ounces less, or a practical 38 and 40.5 ounces for the 45⁄8- and 61⁄2-inch barrels, respectively.
Other notable shooters and industry icons have praised the 41 Magnum as a big bore sixgun cartridge for field use, including Bob Hagel, Skeeter Skelton, Jeff Cooper, John Taffin and many others.
