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Why We Don't Have A .41 Keith
by Tom Ferguson
Family member Jim Taylor was kind enough to share this article on the 41 Magnum written by Tom Ferguson. Ferguson was a San Antonio police officer and gun writer who passed away several years ago. Prior to Ferguson's death, Taylor obtained permission to reprint this very interesting article. Maybe the quality control issues are not nearly as new a problem as some think. —Jim
The San Antonio, Texas Police Dept. was not a happy one in 1973. For some time there had been discontent over the issue gun and load which was the S&W M10 heavy barrel .38 Special, and Winchester Western 200 gr. roundnose ammunition. Many of us felt the gun itself was a good one with excellent handling qualities, but the choice of ammo was among the poorest of all .38 loads then on the market. The heavy bluff-bowed slug was pleasant to fire due to low velocity, but it had two faults: it shot high in M10s, which had been factory regulated for 158 gr. loads, and it had poor terminal ballistics. Penetration was low and so was shocking power. Only a precisely placed hit at close range could save an officer in a gunfight.
