Taurus 415 41 Mag.

[Nomadicone]

Anyone have experience with the Taurus 415 41 Mag. I'm looking for a big bore packer for close range protection on the trail. I am a big fan of the 41 Mag. so I'm familiar with the cartridge. While I don't plan to load it hot on a regular basis I'm assuming since there is no such thing as 41 Mag +P that this is built to hand normal 41 Mag pressures. Since it is built on what I understand is the equivalent of the S&W K frame I'm guessing a steady diet of hot loads will be hard on it.

Any input is appreciated.

 

[Budda]

.41 for bear? or wolf? or chipmunks?

If it is a "bear" gun...I would go for at least a .44 mag. And even that is way too small on a Griz.

But if you plan to shoot it alot. and carry it a little. then the .41 is marginal at best on a bear.

Better do .460, .480 or .500 for a griz gun, Shoot it a little and carry it alot.

 

[Nomadicone]

Nope around here about the biggest I'm going to run into is a mountain lion. For black bear country I have less packable but more powerful handguns.

 

[Webleymkv]

I've not shot a 415, but I did own a 445 for a while (same basic gun but in .44 Spl rather than .41 Mag). The 445 was the most unpleasant gun to shoot that I've ever had the poor judgement to try. It wasn't really so much the recoil, but the muzzle flip with anything but very light handloads (you could see the bullet in mid-air on a sunny day) torqued the gun in my hand so badly that it would lacerate the thumb of my shooting hand after 50 rounds or so. The only other gun that ever came close to being as unpleasant was my dad's S&W M29 with full-power .44 Magnum ammo and grips that were far too small for my hands. I eventually sold the 445 in order to finance a S&W M66 with a 2 1/2" barrel. The M66, even when loaded with full-power .357 Magnum ammo, is worlds easier and more pleasant to shoot.

Given the above experience, a gun the same size with the extra bump and snort of a .41 Magnum is not something I have any desire to experience. If you don't mind a Taurus, the 617 is the same size but is a .357 Magnum (which is plenty of gun for cougars) and has a seven-shot cylinder.

 

[caz223]

I own a 425, and while I believe it's not a bad gun, I buried it in the bottom of my safe, and haven't seen it in many years.
The rubber from the grips embeds under your skin after less than a box of ammo. The gun is ported, but it still is a handfull.
It's not accurate, it's not fun to shoot, it's not particularly ergonomic, and it has guidelines in the owners manual about the power level of the ammo you run through it. IIRC, it's 210s at 1300 FPS and no more.
It's never failed to go bang, and at close range I can't argue with the effectiveness, but*

*If I were to recommend a trail carry piece, I'd SO recommend a Glock 20 over it. The G20 is FAR more versatile.
This pains me, as the mighty .41 mag is my favorite caliber.

 

[GeauxTide]

I'd look for a used 57/657 or a new Ruger Blackhawk. If memory serves, I've owned about 8 over the years and still own a 657 and a Bisley. They easily digest the heaviest loads. As mentioned above, the Taurus is a medium alloy frame piece with steel inserts. I wouldn't choose this line of Taurus revolvers.

 

[Nomadicone]

Actually the one I looked at was all stainless steel. Yep the N frames hold up well but I'm interested in something more packable.

 

[bigStag]

S&W 57 mountain gun

 

[dgludwig]

I've had a Taurus model 415 (in s/s) for several years now and like it a lot. The model 415, chambered in .41 Magnum, has a 2 1/2" ported barrel (as opposed to the 2" long, non-ported barrel on the .44 Special) and I've found the revolver to be very controllable in terms of recoil and muzzle "jump" with repeat shots. The factory "ribbed" grip, in addition to the ported barrel, is a help in controlling recoil. This revolver is one of my favorite "big bore packers for close range protection when on the trail". One downside is that the only speedloader that I know of that works with this revolver is the Maxi-Fire-a not especially fast device for speedy reloads in my experience.

 

[tahoe2]

S&W 57 Mtn Gun

I agree with BigStag. Spend the money now for the Smith & forget the Taurus.
A .41 mag will handle a black bear, with factory 210grns ammo or you can load up 250 or 265 cast bullets for even better penetration.