Practice & target
Full-metal-jacket, plated, lead, and wadcutter bullets describe different constructions. Grain weight is projectile mass; it does not state a powder charge or guarantee recoil.
THE CARTRIDGE LIBRARY · REVOLVER & LEVER-ACTION RIFLE
.41 Remington Magnum
A rimmed .41-caliber magnum revolver cartridge with both traditional and expanding factory bullet designs. Its name is often shortened to .41 Mag.
2A Ledger reference desk · Sources checked October 18, 2026
Read the dimensions
- Overall · min–max
- 1.540–1.590 in
39.116–40.386 mm - Case length · max
- 1.290 in
32.766 mm - Jacketed max
- 0.410 in
10.414 mm - Lead max
- 0.411 in
10.439 mm - Rim diameter · max
- 0.492 in
12.497 mm
Know the exact name
At a glance
- Cartridge family
- Revolver & lever-action rifle
- Bullet specification
- 0.4100 in / 10.414 mmJacketed max
0.4110 in / 10.439 mmLead max - Factory examples
- 3 loadsSelected, sourced examples below
- Weight in cited examples
- 190–210 grGrains measure mass, not powder charge
.41 Remington Magnum is identified by its complete cartridge designation. The resource-table alternative is 41 Rem Mag. A caliber number, bullet diameter, or family resemblance on its own does not identify ammunition compatibility.
.41 Action Express is a separate semiautomatic-pistol cartridge and is not another name for .41 Magnum.
Dimensions: open the exact dimensional drawing ↗. The displayed number is jacketed max; lead max, rather than an assertion that every manufactured projectile or barrel has this exact diameter.
Origins & evolution
Background & development
The .41 Magnum appeared in 1964 after prominent handgunners, including Elmer Keith and Bill Jordan, urged Remington and Smith & Wesson to consider a new revolver cartridge. Part of the original argument centered on a practical police cartridge between existing choices, with a relatively moderate service load rather than only maximum magnum performance.
The first ammunition offerings complicated that aim. The powerful initial loading approached the .44 Magnum’s territory, while the reduced police-style load came later. Police adoption never matched the advocates’ hopes, but hunters and recreational handgunners found a different reason to value it. That gap between the proposed service role and the audience it actually acquired is the core of the .41 Magnum story. It became a specialist sporting cartridge with a loyal following, rather than the broadly adopted police standard its early advocates had envisioned.
Historical sources: Sierra: .41 Remington Magnum cartridge history ↗
Construction changes the story
Loads, variations & specialty offerings
Expanding factory bullets
JHP, XTP, FTX, HST, and similar product names refer to particular designs. Muzzle energy alone does not show expansion, penetration, or reliability in a particular firearm.
Specialty load families
Reduced-recoil, subsonic, monolithic, and heavier-bullet offerings are product-specific. A +P marking is a pressure category where standardized, not simply a heavier bullet. Follow the maker’s exact product and firearm guidance.
In the cited .41 Remington Magnum examples, bullet weights are 190, 210 grains. These are the weights actually present in this source selection, not a claim that every possible loading is listed.
Bullet construction background: Hornady: anatomy of a bullet ↗. Exact product descriptions and velocities are cited in the factory table.
From the factory catalog
190 grains
1,620 fps
FTX®
210 grains
1,230 fps
JHP
Compare all 3 cited factory load records
| Maker / product | Bullet mass | Published construction | Muzzle velocity | Test barrel | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hornady9078 | 190 gr 12.31 g | FTX® | 1,620 fps 494 m/s | 10 in | Hornady · PDF p. 191 ↗ |
| FederalC41A | 210 gr 13.61 g | JHP | 1,230 fps 375 m/s | 4-V in | Federal · PDF p. 60 ↗ |
| Hornady9077 | 210 gr 13.61 g | XTP® | 1,545 fps 471 m/s | 10 in | Hornady · PDF p. 191 ↗ |
Explore the published data
Ballistics you can inspect
Select a legend entry to add or remove its line. Hover or tap a plotted point, or use the position slider. With the graph focused, arrow keys move the inspector. Solid dots identify source points; dashed connectors show estimates between them. Load construction, pressure category, and test setup can differ even at the same grain weight.
Read the original values as accessible tables
.41 Remington Magnum: velocity by barrel length
| Exact load | Source | Published points |
|---|---|---|
| Federal 180 gr. Barnes Exp. Vital-Shok | BBTI | 2: 934; 3: 1133; 4: 1238; 5: 1353; 6: 1425; 7: 1473; 8: 1494; 9: 1561; 10: 1582; 11: 1605; 12: 1617; 13: 1635; 14: 1627; 15: 1665; 16: 1664; 17: 1645; 18: 1660 |
| Winchester 175 gr. Silvertip | BBTI | 2: 680; 3: 918; 4: 1072; 5: 1185; 6: 1247; 7: 1294; 8: 1336; 9: 1371; 10: 1430; 11: 1462; 12: 1472; 13: 1482; 14: 1494; 15: 1495; 16: 1474; 17: 1480; 18: 1498 |
| Winchester 240 gr. Platinum Tip | BBTI | 2: 835; 3: 1027; 4: 1098; 5: 1195; 6: 1246; 7: 1280; 8: 1327; 9: 1359; 10: 1386; 11: 1400; 12: 1422; 13: 1427; 14: 1412; 15: 1442; 16: 1440; 17: 1460; 18: 1442 |
| Cor Bon 180 gr. DPX | BBTI | 2: 917; 3: 1114; 4: 1242; 5: 1317; 6: 1394; 7: 1413; 8: 1467; 9: 1501; 10: 1547; 11: 1548; 12: 1583; 13: 1566; 14: 1572; 15: 1585; 16: 1595; 17: 1611; 18: 1629 |
| Cor Bon 170 gr. JHP | BBTI | 2: 825; 3: 1030; 4: 1181; 5: 1244; 6: 1325; 7: 1361; 8: 1378; 9: 1402; 10: 1425; 11: 1464; 12: 1493; 13: 1505; 14: 1490; 15: 1489; 16: 1482; 17: 1466; 18: 1486 |
| Speer 210 gr. Gold Dot HP | BBTI | 2: 884; 3: 1118; 4: 1268; 5: 1363; 6: 1445; 7: 1500; 8: 1567; 9: 1589; 10: 1629; 11: 1626; 12: 1683; 13: 1692; 14: 1710; 15: 1717; 16: 1706; 17: 1739; 18: 1745 |
| Buffalo Bore 170 gr. JHP | BBTI | 2: 985; 3: 1325; 4: 1481; 5: 1625; 6: 1678; 7: 1810; 8: 1871; 9: 1907; 10: 1958; 11: 1996; 12: 2001; 13: 2022; 14: 2085; 15: 2054; 16: 2093; 17: 2109; 18: 2124 |
.41 Remington Magnum: factory velocity downrange
| Exact load | Source | Published points |
|---|---|---|
| 190 gr Hornady FTX® | Hornady | 0: 1620; 50: 1432; 100: 1272 |
| 210 gr Federal JHP | Federal | 0: 1230; 25: 1170; 50: 1120; 75: 1080; 100: 1040 |
| 210 gr Hornady XTP® | Hornady | 0: 1545; 50: 1383; 100: 1244 |
How to interpret the comparison
Changing bullet weight also often changes bullet design and propellant choice. Two curves are comparisons of the listed products, not a controlled experiment proving that bullet weight alone caused the difference. Catalog downrange points are projections under the maker’s conditions; barrel-study points are recorded observations in the study firearm.
Direct answers
Common questions
What is .41 Remington Magnum?
A rimmed .41-caliber magnum revolver cartridge with both traditional and expanding factory bullet designs. Its name is often shortened to .41 Mag.
What diameter does .41 Remington Magnum use?
The cited dimensional standard lists 0.4100 inches (10.414 mm), jacketed max; 0.4110 inches (10.439 mm), lead max. This drawing convention is different from a casual caliber nickname.
Are similarly named cartridges interchangeable?
.41 Action Express is a separate semiautomatic-pistol cartridge and is not another name for .41 Magnum.
Are the graph values measured or estimated?
BBTI points come from the cited cut-down barrel study. The downrange view uses the exact manufacturer catalog records shown in the source table. Dashed connectors and intermediate inspector values use linear interpolation between the displayed source points. Calculated energy uses the listed bullet mass and velocity.
Does higher energy mean the best load?
Energy is calculated from mass and velocity. It does not establish accuracy, expansion, penetration, pattern density, recoil, or suitability for a particular firearm. Use the exact product documentation and firearm manual.
Trace the facts
Sources & methodology
Skives & petals: read the jacket construction →
Compiled by 2A Ledger from the linked standards, manufacturer publications, and identified test records. Checked October 18, 2026. Historical tests and older catalogs retain their original dates; a listing here does not establish current availability.
- SAAMI: dimensional drawing · PDF p. 53 ↗
- Sierra: .41 Remington Magnum cartridge background ↗
- Hornady · PDF p. 191 ↗
- Federal · PDF p. 60 ↗
- Ballistics by the Inch: archived measured barrel data (2020 archive) ↗
- BBTI: study index and source records ↗
Diameter figures preserve the cited drawing convention. Inch–millimeter conversion uses exactly 25.4 mm per inch. Factory specifications describe the maker’s test setup; your firearm, ammunition lot, temperature, and measuring method can produce different results. This is an educational factory-ammunition reference, not a reloading manual.