Scott, First of all a Ruger Blackhawk is a fine weapon. And the 41 S&W Mag. Caliber is an excellent caliber. I use to carry a Model 57 S&W 41 Mag. 4" Revolver as a young Sheriff's Deputy years ago. It is a superior round compared to many others. The reason I think it never caught hold is the 357 Mag caliber weapons had a good foot hold in the market and the fact that you could shoot 38 S&W rounds out of the 357 Mag. weapons. So that one fact dictated the prominence of the 357. But as stated the 41 Mag. is an excellent round. And no doubt about the quality of the Ruger Blackhawk. I had one in 44 Mag. Cal. in the past. Great weapon and fun to shoot! 03
I have a .41 Magnum Ruger Blackhawk with 6.5" barrel. It is GREAT! I've had mine since 1987, used it to take hawgs and deer. Accurate, plenty powerful, even for black bear. It is my #1 choice to carry for SD when I go camping and hiking. Oh, yeah, camping for me is to throw a li'l tent in the back of my wagon along with a propane camp stove, some water and milk in a cooler. I don't call driving a motor home to the KOA campground camping. The Blackhawk has saved my bacon a couple of times when people wanted my money and I didn't want to share. It has thousands of rounds thru it and is as good as new. .41 mag was first produced in 1964 and intended for use by police. However, the 4" barrelled S&W Model 58 that it was implemented in kicked so hard the cops didn't like it, and stuck with their .357's. So the .41 mag became a really useful hunting cartridge because it has a flatter trajectory than a .44 magnum due to less drag, and has been available in Ruger Blackhawks and Redhawks, S&W Model 57's and 657's, Dan Wesson 41VH and 741VH, Taurus Trackers, and even in Desert Eagles. The main drawback now is availability and price of ammo. But if you load your own ammo, it can be a most worthy caliber.
