Elric
Well-Known Member
A bit of woolgathering, IMHO. NOTE: .386 is the proper diameter of heel of outside lubricated bullet to fit the .41 Colt shells. .406 is the size of the large diameter that fits the barrel.
The .41 Long Colt's Revolver by Maurice H. Decker.
Fur-Fish-Game, vol 25, No. 3, page 40, March, 1917
https://books.google.com/books?id=uB4AAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA2-PA40&dq="41+colt"&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiTtJOAp5zYAhUG02MKHe-CCKIQ6AEILDAB#v=onepage&q="41 colt"&f=true
THERE ARE times when in choosing a revolver for the purposes of hunting, frontier or self-defensive work one desires a weapon a little more powerful than the popular .38 Colt Special and Smith & Wesson Special (which are practically the same, save for a different shaped point of bullet) and yet not so heavy in power and recoil as the .44-40 and .45 Colt's, which burn up too much powder and lead to suit the fancy of some shooters. To meet this demand I would heartily recommend the .41 Colt Army Special six-shooter, handling the .41 Long Colt cartridge as a particularly dependable and reliable weapon. This caliber has during late years decreased in popularity and demand, although this condition is in no way the fault of its own when the original and true purpose of the .41 is understood. It has been supplanted in a measure by the .38 Special, which although inferior in power and stopping energy, the main consideration for a weapon destined for strictly business purposes, is a little more accurate for target work and possesses a slightly longer range. Before target shooting was the main legitimate use to which the six-shooter was put and when the one-hand gun had reached its highest degree of efficiency in the hands of the plainsmen and frontiersmen of earlier times the .41 was the most popular revolver caliber of less power than the standard .44-40. Revolvers, pistols and derringers of all styles and makes where adapted to its use and when the wearing of one's weapon upon his belt in plain view began to be frowned upon by the civil authorities, derringers and double action revolvers of .41 bore were in extensive use, particularly by the citizens in mining and railroad camps and towns.
Formerly the Colt people put out a double action weapon which was identical in style to the present Single Action Army gun with the exception that the handle was cut away and curved at the bottom. This gun without ejector and with 2 ½ and 3 ½ -inch barrel, made an ideal pocket weapon, as it was short, light and powerful. The cut-away handle was especially designed for pocket use, as it enabled a quick draw without catching in one's clothes. This weapon was carried and used by "Billy the Kid," a noted outlaw and gunman of early days. He carried his guns in strict opposition to the regulation rules of the six-shooter, which called for a holster swung low upon the right side of one's belt and tied down to one's trousers with the handle pointing backward in readiness for a "quick draw." This gentleman preferred to pack his gun in army style, upon the left side with the handle pointing forward and from all accounts this departure from precedent was entirely successful. He had a very ingenious trick of handling his gun which was claimed to be his own original invention and at which he was an adept and genius. In a tight place he would surrender without hesitation and when commanded to hand over his weapon, he would hold it out to his captor butt foremost but with his finger in the trigger guard and his hand grasping the barrel. As his adversary reached out to grasp the revolver he naturally would be slightly off his guard somewhat relaxed in vigilance. In a twinkling Billy would release his grip upon the barrel of his gun and by using his finger in the trigger guard as a pivot would twirl the weapon over and when the stock settled down in his palm pull the trigger and drop his opponent. This operation required only a second's time, the operation being so speedy his victim was down before he realized what was happening.
A caliber which has proven entirely successful in regard to power on the frontier as the .41 has, will certainly be satisfactory for any practical use to which a revolver could be put in modern times. There are two extremes in revolvers and their results. On one side we have the .32 and .38 sizes, which possess a slight recoil and are speedy and easy to handle, but which are deficient in killing and stopping power. Upon the other hand are the heavy .44 and .45 calibers, which possess certain knock-down powers, but which are of heavy weight and recoil and somewhat difficult for the average shooter to use with convenience. The .41 occupies the middle niche and offers a valuable combination of power and fast handling features, with a light recoil. The large caliber and heavy bullet embody terrific shocking powers, which are highly desirable from a defensive point of view and the Colt Army Special, to which it is adapted, is unequaled for a smooth-working, fast handling, medium-priced weapon of established durability. Two different loadings of the .41 Long cartridge are presented to us by the two popular cartridge companies. The U. M. C. is a .41-22-195 load, while the Winchester is a .41-21-200. The average velocity of these loads is about 729 feet per second and the muzzle energy some 230-foot pounds. The actual diameter of the .41 bullet is .386, making actually a .38 instead of a .41 caliber.
The New Colt Army Special which is the revolver I would advise this caliber to be obtained in, is an improvement over the old New Army which for years was one of the most popular and effective modern double action revolvers made. It comes with either 4, 5 or 6-inch barrel, six-inch is the most desirable for all work but pocket use, six shots, about 36-inch ounces in weight and with 6-inch barrel; measures 11 ¼ inches over all. The action is unusually smooth and easy of operation, with a perfectly smooth, easy trigger, pull devoid of all "creep." I do not believe there is a revolver made that excels this model in appearance or accuracy. Taking all considerations it would be hard to imagine a one-hand weapon more compact or powerful, with slight recoil and faster handling features. The 41 shell can be easily and economically reloaded, the cost being around 25 cents per box of 50 and with an Ideal tool, No. 8, one can obtain plenty of practice with a powerful revolver load at a minimum of cost and trouble.
The .41 Long Colt's Revolver by Maurice H. Decker.
Fur-Fish-Game, vol 25, No. 3, page 40, March, 1917
https://books.google.com/books?id=uB4AAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA2-PA40&dq="41+colt"&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiTtJOAp5zYAhUG02MKHe-CCKIQ6AEILDAB#v=onepage&q="41 colt"&f=true
THERE ARE times when in choosing a revolver for the purposes of hunting, frontier or self-defensive work one desires a weapon a little more powerful than the popular .38 Colt Special and Smith & Wesson Special (which are practically the same, save for a different shaped point of bullet) and yet not so heavy in power and recoil as the .44-40 and .45 Colt's, which burn up too much powder and lead to suit the fancy of some shooters. To meet this demand I would heartily recommend the .41 Colt Army Special six-shooter, handling the .41 Long Colt cartridge as a particularly dependable and reliable weapon. This caliber has during late years decreased in popularity and demand, although this condition is in no way the fault of its own when the original and true purpose of the .41 is understood. It has been supplanted in a measure by the .38 Special, which although inferior in power and stopping energy, the main consideration for a weapon destined for strictly business purposes, is a little more accurate for target work and possesses a slightly longer range. Before target shooting was the main legitimate use to which the six-shooter was put and when the one-hand gun had reached its highest degree of efficiency in the hands of the plainsmen and frontiersmen of earlier times the .41 was the most popular revolver caliber of less power than the standard .44-40. Revolvers, pistols and derringers of all styles and makes where adapted to its use and when the wearing of one's weapon upon his belt in plain view began to be frowned upon by the civil authorities, derringers and double action revolvers of .41 bore were in extensive use, particularly by the citizens in mining and railroad camps and towns.
Formerly the Colt people put out a double action weapon which was identical in style to the present Single Action Army gun with the exception that the handle was cut away and curved at the bottom. This gun without ejector and with 2 ½ and 3 ½ -inch barrel, made an ideal pocket weapon, as it was short, light and powerful. The cut-away handle was especially designed for pocket use, as it enabled a quick draw without catching in one's clothes. This weapon was carried and used by "Billy the Kid," a noted outlaw and gunman of early days. He carried his guns in strict opposition to the regulation rules of the six-shooter, which called for a holster swung low upon the right side of one's belt and tied down to one's trousers with the handle pointing backward in readiness for a "quick draw." This gentleman preferred to pack his gun in army style, upon the left side with the handle pointing forward and from all accounts this departure from precedent was entirely successful. He had a very ingenious trick of handling his gun which was claimed to be his own original invention and at which he was an adept and genius. In a tight place he would surrender without hesitation and when commanded to hand over his weapon, he would hold it out to his captor butt foremost but with his finger in the trigger guard and his hand grasping the barrel. As his adversary reached out to grasp the revolver he naturally would be slightly off his guard somewhat relaxed in vigilance. In a twinkling Billy would release his grip upon the barrel of his gun and by using his finger in the trigger guard as a pivot would twirl the weapon over and when the stock settled down in his palm pull the trigger and drop his opponent. This operation required only a second's time, the operation being so speedy his victim was down before he realized what was happening.
A caliber which has proven entirely successful in regard to power on the frontier as the .41 has, will certainly be satisfactory for any practical use to which a revolver could be put in modern times. There are two extremes in revolvers and their results. On one side we have the .32 and .38 sizes, which possess a slight recoil and are speedy and easy to handle, but which are deficient in killing and stopping power. Upon the other hand are the heavy .44 and .45 calibers, which possess certain knock-down powers, but which are of heavy weight and recoil and somewhat difficult for the average shooter to use with convenience. The .41 occupies the middle niche and offers a valuable combination of power and fast handling features, with a light recoil. The large caliber and heavy bullet embody terrific shocking powers, which are highly desirable from a defensive point of view and the Colt Army Special, to which it is adapted, is unequaled for a smooth-working, fast handling, medium-priced weapon of established durability. Two different loadings of the .41 Long cartridge are presented to us by the two popular cartridge companies. The U. M. C. is a .41-22-195 load, while the Winchester is a .41-21-200. The average velocity of these loads is about 729 feet per second and the muzzle energy some 230-foot pounds. The actual diameter of the .41 bullet is .386, making actually a .38 instead of a .41 caliber.
The New Colt Army Special which is the revolver I would advise this caliber to be obtained in, is an improvement over the old New Army which for years was one of the most popular and effective modern double action revolvers made. It comes with either 4, 5 or 6-inch barrel, six-inch is the most desirable for all work but pocket use, six shots, about 36-inch ounces in weight and with 6-inch barrel; measures 11 ¼ inches over all. The action is unusually smooth and easy of operation, with a perfectly smooth, easy trigger, pull devoid of all "creep." I do not believe there is a revolver made that excels this model in appearance or accuracy. Taking all considerations it would be hard to imagine a one-hand weapon more compact or powerful, with slight recoil and faster handling features. The 41 shell can be easily and economically reloaded, the cost being around 25 cents per box of 50 and with an Ideal tool, No. 8, one can obtain plenty of practice with a powerful revolver load at a minimum of cost and trouble.