Just curious if anyone out there would suggest or has experience dropping an elk with a .41 magnum. If so what bullet/load? Currently I load a 210 grain sierra jhc @ 1500 fps. would this do the job on an elk under 100 yards?? thanks for any replies.

I wouldn't recommend using the 41 on elk unless you were shooting something like the 265gr Cast Performance and shoot to break it down.

I've never shot an elk. But I won't use 210 JHP's on deer much less an elk.

I don't know, a 41 mag seems a bit small. I mean look at what most hunters consider a good elk bullet. Most of my freinds won't go with anything less than a 300 win mag, Now we all shoot much smaller cartriges than that, but My opinion is maybe start with a 375 win or 444 marlin.

Lars

Handgun hunting elk I would go no lower than .44 Magnum and using 320 grn WFNGC cast bullets. I'd also limit my range to 50 yards or less. I'd personally use a .375 JDJ.

it's important to remember that a mature bull elk will be roughly four times the size of a mature buck and in fact can push 1000 pounds and they are tough, they make a bear look like a wussy when it comes to packing lead.

I would not hesitate to shoot an Elk with my S&W 657 shooting the 265gr Cast Performance bullets. 100 yards would be my absolute max range tho. I have shot whitetails with 210 grain JHP but they would be too light for larger game. And with a revolver you would have the ability to keep applying lead at a high rate of speed if needed. Let us not forget about the huge bull moose that was taken with the 45LC on the front page of this site. You can do it..

thanks for all the replies. I thought it would be do-able with the right bullet. Is the Federal Hard Cast 250 grain load comparable to the 265 gr cast performance? thats the load i carry for bear protection.

I'll also say that once you fire the first shot, keep shooting even if it's at the hind end. Assuming of course the first shot was a hit. Put as much lead in that animal as you can.

Now, that's more like it!

Use the heaviest bullet for the caliber, keep your shots under
100yds and wait for a broadside shot. Put that first shot through
the lungs and the elk is yours. I can`t say how far he may go after the first shot but if you double lung him you should have a decent trail. Good luck and good huntin,JFS

The 250 Cast Core should work fine.



Gary's thoughts are words to live by in the elk woods.

In Kentucky the law requires to hunt elk with a handgun: the bullet shall produce at least 550 ft/lbs of energy at 100 yards. May want to check your state law and load energy.

Sooo, the warden carries a shooting-chrony with him in the woods ;-)

In Colorado it has to produce 500 ft lbs of energy at 100 yards with factory ammo.

Lars

Yep! He carries it in a holster right there beside his service gun and ticket book. I wonder what he would say if you got 549 ft/lbs at 99.75 yards?

Sign on the line

Are you required to use factory ammo?

I would use it at under 50 yards with a heavy loaded heavy hard cast. As well as what others have said, "Keep Firing" until you hear the click, then reload and be ready for another fire fight. An Elk can take alot of punishment before they will drop if you don't hit the sweet spot with your first shot. Even a double lung shot they can travel along ways in just a few seconds. Good luck to you. I would think about getting a .44mag or bigger just for the security in case the big boy is out a little farther then 50 yards though. rupe

If the brush in the Whitefish area is as heavy as it is in the Libby area, I would bet your shots would be under 50 yards.

No your not required to use factory ammo, I think thats just there way of regulating things. That way some city slicker doesn't think he can go bear huntin with to small of revolver I geuss.

Lars

check out my last post under the "ammo" thread

Depending on BC of the bullet the 210 grain at 1500 from the barrel meets Kentucky energy requriments. I used this sites ballestic caculator.

The 41 will giterdun, my whitetail load delivers 670 ft lbs @ 100 yards. It is only .019" smaller in diameter than the 44, with near the same capacity, and actually has better BC.

regardless of the energy using a hollow point out of a 41 for elk would be unethical, you will not get the penetration needed, in fact you would be lucky to reach one lung. I cannot overstate enough how different from a deer these animals are, their skeleton is massive compared to a deer and unless you thread it between the ribs and don't hit any other bones your in trouble which is why I stated before that if you must use a 41 then use the heavy hardcast. I think I mentioned before that the bull I shot this year I hit the final time at about 60yds with a 45-70 running a 350gr Hornady soft point at 1900fps and it went through one rib the heart a second rib but was stopped by the leg bone and that is alot more energy and penetration than you'll ever get out of a 41.

I agree with you on both points, but the same must be said for the 44, and even the 45LC.

Yup, when it comes to straight walled cartridges...

Big Animals need Big Hard Lead!

Agreed, I've even come to that conclusion with my 475's, I originally thought about the XTP but after taking my first bull with a slow heavy bullet I'm switching back to hardcast for the big stuff.

Like Rod said, Elk are beastly compared to deer. I saw a hot 300 win mag 180 grain partition hand-load hit a bull at 75 yards broadside, miss the ribs going in and not exit. They are tough and require a big ol hunk of lead. From my experience they don't bleed much from entry holes and they can run a ways after a solid hit. So an exit hole will create a much better blood trail. A 41 simply wont cut it. 44 mag is minimum IMO.

BLASPHEMY!!!

I hit this bull at 60 yards with a 444 grain flat point .50 caliber bullet and thought I missed. He showed no sign of being hit. They are tough animals!

this is what I kind of expected, those of us who hunt elk on a regular basis may chase one with a 41 or 44 if it's what we have to work with but we would do it without any illusions that we have severely handicapped ourselves beyond what you normally would be with a handgun, I'd actually feel more comfortable with my recurve. I'm not trying to knock the 41 and I don't want to disuade anyone from handgun hunting but I think it would be worse if someone went out with a false sense of security we had given them and can't figure out why after put 6 210gr JHC bullets into him he just ran up the ridge and stuck his tongue out at him as he headed for the next county. I know of guys that routinely hunt elk with 243's and 30-30's and they take their share of animals but they miss out on alot because they have to have the perfect shot and regardless of what you see on tv out here it doesn't normally work that way especially when your hunting the coastal rainforest like I am now or my previous stomping grounds around the park border to Crater lake national park, it's all straight up and down with big timber and heavy underbrush.

Wish I had the dilemma of what to use on Elk. Just Whitetails for me. IMO with firearms I would be leaning towards the big hole makers! If I had the chance to take one with my 44 I would like to be pretty close to the Elk. I have seen a plenty how tough Whitetails are, I could only imagine it being tougher for the Elk.

I've been fortunate enough to harvest two elk...one with a bow and another w/ a rifle.

The bow harvest was a cow at 40yds, through the heart...she was in a herd that was not spooked, took three steps, looked around and fell over.

The rifle harvest was a bull at 348yds, three shots were take and all connected. I was using a 30-06AI w/ 165gr Nosler Soid Base bullets at close to .300 Win Mag performance. First two went through the lungs, he just stood there looking acrossed the canyon wondering where all the noise was coming from. I held slightly higher and forward on the last shot and broke him down w/ a high shoulder shot.

Now...my opinion on using a .41 Mag for elk. I'd have it holstered w/ the heaviest cast bullet it would shoot and have a T/C .375JDJ, XP-100 7mmWSM, or something else as the primary gun. Should one walk in unexpectedly at short range (under 30yds) where I could only use the .41 Mag, I'd stick a bullet around the on side shoulder and try to brake the offside shoulder then start thumbing the hammer like crazy, once empty, find an opening and try to hit it again with the big gun.

Or...throw the gun over the elk's back to make him look the other direction, grab the big gun and hit him with the big lead!!

I like that strategy Dan! I'll have to give it a try!

Ha Ha, me too!!!

Top Secret Pennsylvanian hunting tactics, Sweet!

My computer has been down and it took me a while to be able to post. Being a .41 nut I have tried a lot of different bullets in the .41. If I were to hunt elk with one of my .41s I would use the Hornady 300 gr .411 bullet made for the .405. I had JD Jones lengthen the throat a bit in my fourteen inch contender barrel so I could keep the longer heavier bullets out of the area that is supposed to be filled with powder. Out of my barrel I send the 300 gr bullet down range at 1500 fps. This is pretty close to what a .454 will do out of a revolver. This bullet will also work out of my Redhawk but I haven't cronographed them from the Ruger. Forget about using these bullets out of the S&W, the cylinder is to0 short and the gun won't hold up to this kind of pounding. At the velocity you won't get any expansion or very little. When I want this bullet to expand I put it in my mini lathe and center bore the nose with a 1/4 inch tile bit bringing the weight to 275 gr.. This gives good controled expansion.

I know the original question was for the 41 mag revolver. A few have mentioned the Contender option. I would like to drop the 414 Super Mag into the mix. If you have a Contender or Encore barrel a rechamber to 414 would boost the performance a little with the heavier bullets and give a little more of an edge. Just a thought.

I know this is an old thread but here is my take.
The .41 mag is just fine for ELK!
The factory jhp in 210 gr. is not what I would call the a proper load for Elk. Having said that I do know of several Elk and Black bear killed stone dead with the Win 175 grain Silver Tip out of a 4" revolver!
Shot placement is foremost!
.44 VS. .41?
.429"or .430" Factory loads are normally a 240gr. at 1250 fps which gives approx.833
Atotal of 103 ft pouynds of energy difference
ft lbs.
.41 Mag gives a 210 grain at 1250 fps which gives approx 730 ft. lbs's of energy.
Now step up to a .41 with a 250 grain bullet moving along at 1250 and the .41 looks pretty good and the energy number show about 868 ft pounds.
It is shot placement no matter if you are shooting a .41, .44, or a 500!
Out here during the depression there was a community where there was but one rifle and it was loaned out so the folks could get some winter meat. It ran up a good number of ELK and PRONGHORN.
The rifle? It was a Winchester M94 in the .25-35.
Ammo was pretty pricey then so they had to pick their shots carefully!
When used properly the .41 as the lowly .25-35 will and can work if it applied properly!