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The .41 Magnum is a firearms cartridge introduced in 1964 by Remington.

Development

In 1963, Elmer Keith and Bill Jordan petitioned Smith & Wesson, Remington, and Norma to produce a revolver and cartridge in this caliber to overcome perceived shortcomings in the extant .357 Magnum and .44 Magnum caliber cartridges.

At the time, jacketed hollow point bullets were not commonly available in .357 Magnum cartridges; most were of the soft lead variety. The .44 Magnum had too much recoil and the revolvers chambered for it were considered too large and bulky for police use.

As originally envisioned, there were to be two loadings of the .41 Magnum, a full-power load and a reduced police load.

However, the police load as delivered was regarded as overpowered by most police agencies, many of which were still using .38 Special revolvers. The initial .41 Magnum police load fired a 210 grain semi-wadcutter bullet with a muzzle velocity of 1,100 feet per second (340 m/s), while the original specification was for a 200 grain bullet traveling at 950 feet per second (290 m/s).

Additionally, Smith and Wesson developed their revolvers for the new cartridge using their large N-frame, which did not address size and weight concerns. The law-enforcement targeted Smith & Wesson Model 58, introduced on January 10, 1964, weighed 41 ounces, compared with 34 ounces for Smith & Wesson's Model 10 in .38 Special.

These combined factors mostly eliminated the .41 Magnum from consideration for its intended market as a law enforcement weapon, although it continued to be touted as such and did find a place in some law enforcement agencies.

Smith & Wesson's other revolver in the .41 Magnum caliber, the model 57, was almost identical to .44 Magnum-chambered model 29.

The .41 Magnum has never had the success of either the .357 or .44 Magnum cartridges, but was still prized by some handgunners as a hunting cartridge. For the largest game, though, a .44 Magnum with its ability to use a heavier bullet is still preferred.