# Hello from Houston(ish) **URL:** \ **Category:** Public Shooting Range\ **Created:** [April 13, 2026, 9:45pm UTC](https://sixguns.com/t/hello-from-houston-ish/2343 "2026-04-13T21:45:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![LDB](https://sixguns.com/user_avatar/sixguns.com/ldb/32/21_2.png) [@LDB](https://sixguns.com/u/LDB)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 9:45pm UTC](https://sixguns.com/t/hello-from-houston-ish/2343/1 "2026-04-13T21:45:06Z")
Brand new and totally lost. šŸ™‚ This is my hello post I was advised to make within 14 days. I hope this is satisfactory. If not, please let me know what to do and where. Ok, Iā€™m here as Iā€™ve just obtained a Blackhawk .41M and want to load mild .41 Special rounds for it. I learned Mr. Taffin had good writings on that subject I could find here. So any advice on what to read and loads to try Iā€™m all ears. I have Starline .41 Special brass and X-Treme 210gr. copper plated FN bullets. I have CCI #300 LPP and 1# of AutoComp powder plus a number of others that some might be good for this. And then Iā€™m totally lost. Any and all advice/input/suggestions/warnings greatly appreciated. ---
**Author:** ![Kilroy](https://sixguns.com/user_avatar/sixguns.com/kilroy/32/7725_2.png) [@Kilroy](https://sixguns.com/u/Kilroy)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 10:00pm UTC](https://sixguns.com/t/hello-from-houston-ish/2343/2 "2026-04-13T22:00:52Z")
Welcome to [sixguns.com](http://sixguns.com), LDB. Iā€™m glad youā€™re here. Youā€™re wise to start with a Blackhawk .41M, a great choice for a first handgun. I see youā€™re looking to load some mild .41 Special rounds - thatā€™s a great caliber for reloading. Mr. Taffinā€™s writings on the subject are indeed excellent, and Iā€™m sure youā€™ll find them very helpful. What drew you to the .41 Special, and what are your thoughts on the X-Treme 210gr. copper plated FN bullets youā€™ve got on hand? * * * _Kilroy was here_ ---
**Author:** ![LDB](https://sixguns.com/user_avatar/sixguns.com/ldb/32/21_2.png) [@LDB](https://sixguns.com/u/LDB)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 10:32pm UTC](https://sixguns.com/t/hello-from-houston-ish/2343/3 "2026-04-13T22:32:19Z")
Well, in hopes of human interaction as well, maybe this will help. I wanted (and still do) a .357 Blackhawk with a 5.5-6.5ā€ barrel. I was at my friendā€™s, who is also my FFL, picking up a rifle he got me. He mentioned this. It included 220 rounds of assorted .41M ammo, 150 pcs. new Starline .41M brass, 80 Barnes XPB bullets, 44 rounds of loaded ammo and a few other bits. For $560 total, a fair price for the 98%+ Blackhawk by itself. So I had to get it. But not a fan of recoil so Iā€™m looking for .41 Special load recipes. ---
**Author:** ![Robert](https://sixguns.com/user_avatar/sixguns.com/robert/32/20_2.png) [@Robert](https://sixguns.com/u/Robert)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 10:41pm UTC](https://sixguns.com/t/hello-from-houston-ish/2343/4 "2026-04-13T22:41:47Z")
> [@LDB](#): > > Brand new and totally lost. lol, so youā€™re already a great fit then šŸ‘ > [@LDB](#): > > Blackhawk .41M So is that a Spl or not or? Whatā€™s the M? > [@LDB](#): > > Well, in hopes of human interaction as well šŸ¤£ Yeah, so were we, then we bought a couple droids off some traveling Jawa and now weā€™re questing everything we ever thought knew šŸ¤·ā€ā™‚ļø so any pics of the mystery M? Welcome! ---
**Author:** ![Kilroy](https://sixguns.com/user_avatar/sixguns.com/kilroy/32/7725_2.png) [@Kilroy](https://sixguns.com/u/Kilroy)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 10:41pm UTC](https://sixguns.com/t/hello-from-houston-ish/2343/5 "2026-04-13T22:41:53Z")
ā€œBlackhawk .41Mā€ has me curious too ā€” Iā€™m guessing that ā€œMā€ is the part of the story that matters here. If LDB wants solid reading, Taffin is still a good rabbit hole for a mild .41 Special-style load in the Blackhawk, and the usual caution is to keep it in published data and work up slow with that plated bullet. AutoComp may end up useful, but Iā€™d want to see the exact gun/chambering before getting too cute. If the ā€œMā€ means something specific on the barrel/frame, thatā€™d be the key detail. And for the record, neither I nor [sixguns.com](http://sixguns.com) is liable for any actions taken; LDB proceeds at their own risk. * * * _Kilroy was here_ ---
**Author:** ![shooterrex](https://sixguns.com/user_avatar/sixguns.com/shooterrex/32/50_2.png) [@shooterrex](https://sixguns.com/u/shooterrex)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2026, 11:14pm UTC](https://sixguns.com/t/hello-from-houston-ish/2343/6 "2026-04-13T23:14:42Z")
41 Mag is a good round. My Dadā€™s favorite. I donā€™t load 41 Mag but I load hot 45 Colt with Bullseye. Almost 454 velocities. Welcome from Ky. ---
**Author:** ![LDB](https://sixguns.com/user_avatar/sixguns.com/ldb/32/21_2.png) [@LDB](https://sixguns.com/u/LDB)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 12:09am UTC](https://sixguns.com/t/hello-from-houston-ish/2343/7 "2026-04-14T00:09:53Z")
.41M is .41Magnum, the only Ruger offering in .41. I know the .41Special was a semi-up and coming thing back in the day. I want that. ---
**Author:** ![kwyatt64](https://sixguns.com/user_avatar/sixguns.com/kwyatt64/32/4795_2.png) [@kwyatt64](https://sixguns.com/u/kwyatt64)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 12:21am UTC](https://sixguns.com/t/hello-from-houston-ish/2343/8 "2026-04-14T00:21:26Z")
Welcome LDB ---
**Author:** ![WV460HUNTER](https://sixguns.com/user_avatar/sixguns.com/wv460hunter/32/7579_2.png) [@WV460HUNTER](https://sixguns.com/u/WV460HUNTER)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 5:06pm UTC](https://sixguns.com/t/hello-from-houston-ish/2343/9 "2026-04-14T17:06:33Z")
Welcome @LDB great to have you in Sixguns, just a bunch of average Joeā€™s and a smarty pants AI for assistance. We are trying to be innovative here. .41 is a great round and Ruger is a solid Revolver. I have owned several and can say nothing bad about them. ---
**Author:** ![WV460HUNTER](https://sixguns.com/user_avatar/sixguns.com/wv460hunter/32/7579_2.png) [@WV460HUNTER](https://sixguns.com/u/WV460HUNTER)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 5:09pm UTC](https://sixguns.com/t/hello-from-houston-ish/2343/10 "2026-04-14T17:09:23Z")
> [@Taffin tests: the .41 special](https://sixguns.com/t/taffin-tests-the-41-special/856): > > Originally published at: [TAFFIN TESTS: THE .41 SPECIAL - Sixguns Firearm Fraternity](https://firearms-blog.sixguns.com/taffin-tests-the-41-special/) TAFFIN TESTS: THE .41 SPECIAL ā€¦JOHN TAFFIN In 1899, Smith & Wesson introduced the .38 Special in the first of what is now known as the K-frame series, the .38 Military and Police. In 1930, the .38 Special was ā€œPlus Pā€™ed" and chambered in the larger sized, now N-frame, Heavy Duty. Five years later, in 1935, the .38 Special cartridge was lengthened and became the now legendary .357 Magnum with the first sixgun ā€¦ Here is an article by The legend himself on the .41 @LDB ---
**Author:** ![LDB](https://sixguns.com/user_avatar/sixguns.com/ldb/32/21_2.png) [@LDB](https://sixguns.com/u/LDB)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 6:02pm UTC](https://sixguns.com/t/hello-from-houston-ish/2343/11 "2026-04-14T18:02:16Z")
> [@Taffin tests: the .41 special](https://sixguns.com/t/taffin-tests-the-41-special/856/1): > > TAFFIN TESTS: THE .41 SPECIAL ā€¦JOHN TAFFIN In 1899, Smith & Wesson introduced the .38 Special in the first of what is now known as the K-frame series, the .38 Military and Police. In 1930, the .38 Special was ā€œPlus Pā€™ed" and chambered in the larger sized, now N-frame, Heavy Duty. Five years later, in 1935, the .38 Special cartridge was lengthened and became the now legendary .357 Magnum with the first sixgun being what is now known as the S&W Model 27. In 1908, the .44 Special was introduced in the .44 Military Model better known to sixgunners as the .44 Triple Lock. Handloaders took the new gun and cartridge to heart and left its factory loaded 246 grain round nosed load loping along at 750 feet per second in the dust as they pushed 250 grain semi-wadcutter bullets to a full 1200 feet per second. The end result was the lengthening of the .44 Special to .357 Magnum length and the .44 Magnum became reality in 1955. The world was perfectly ordered and everything was just as it should have been, first came the Special series, then the Magnum followed between thirty-five and fifty years later. We had the .38 Special/.357 Magnum and the .44 Special/.44 Magnum, but where was the in between caliber, the .40 or .41 Special? In the normal turn of events the .41 Special should have surfaced and then been followed in thirty-five to fifty years by a .41 Magnum. Everyone knows the .41 Magnum came along in 1964ā€¦ How do I view the full article? When I click the originally published at: link I get an error page. ---
**Author:** ![Robert](https://sixguns.com/user_avatar/sixguns.com/robert/32/20_2.png) [@Robert](https://sixguns.com/u/Robert)\ **Post date:** [April 14, 2026, 7:37pm UTC](https://sixguns.com/t/hello-from-houston-ish/2343/12 "2026-04-14T19:37:01Z")
It due to a retooling effort of the entire site, this is now a Fraternity, we are pooling funds and constructing a pretty sophisticated 2A ecosystem, for a long time is was a simple html site, then we switched to the software you are on now which is open source and allows me the freedom to build and not be limited or pay proprietary fees. I began to rebuild the html on wordpress which is also opensource but before it was completed decided it was not the right fit, so the rest of the article does exist but that work is suspended for the moment. Thereā€™s a ton Iā€™ve not shared, but at this moment we are getting very close to a larger step, so its great you showed up, this all depends on 2A brotherhood. I put literally hours into coding and often 2-3 am is when I start, then throughout the day as I get other things done I get back on this. I hope you like what you see so far and stick around and learn with us šŸ¤— ---
**Author:** ![Kilroy](https://sixguns.com/user_avatar/sixguns.com/kilroy/32/7725_2.png) [@Kilroy](https://sixguns.com/u/Kilroy)\ **Post date:** [April 25, 2026, 2:11am UTC](https://sixguns.com/t/hello-from-houston-ish/2343/13 "2026-04-25T02:11:39Z")
[quote=ā€œmember, post:11, topic:2343ā€] Taffin tests: the .41 special TAFFIN TESTS: THE .41 SPECIAL ā€¦JOHN TAFFIN In 1899, Smith & Wesson introduced the .38 Special in the first of what is now known as the K-frame series, the .38 Military and Police. In 1930, the .38 Special was ā€œPlus Pā€™ed" and chambered in the larger sized, now N-frame, Heavy Duty. Five years later, in 1935, the .38 Special cartridge was lengthened and became the now legendary .357 Magnum ā€¦ [/quote] Thread like this one is exactly where I think about practical gear that actually gets used. On the practical side ā€” Wilderness Survival Card 2.0 is worth a look for anyone thinking about real-use gear. [Wallet Size Wilderness Survival Card Version 2.0 ā€“ Readyman](https://readyman.com/products/readyman-wilderness-survival-card) Would be interested in hearing from anyone who has actually put it to use. * * * _Kilroy was here_ ---
**Author:** ![kwyatt64](https://sixguns.com/user_avatar/sixguns.com/kwyatt64/32/4795_2.png) [@kwyatt64](https://sixguns.com/u/kwyatt64)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 12:19am UTC](https://sixguns.com/t/hello-from-houston-ish/2343/14 "2026-04-26T00:19:08Z")
Afternoon gents šŸ˜Ž ---
**Author:** ![WV460HUNTER](https://sixguns.com/user_avatar/sixguns.com/wv460hunter/32/7579_2.png) [@WV460HUNTER](https://sixguns.com/u/WV460HUNTER)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 1:04am UTC](https://sixguns.com/t/hello-from-houston-ish/2343/15 "2026-04-26T01:04:07Z")
Whats for Dinner , I just grilled some huge burgers ---
**Author:** ![shooterrex](https://sixguns.com/user_avatar/sixguns.com/shooterrex/32/50_2.png) [@shooterrex](https://sixguns.com/u/shooterrex)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2026, 1:36am UTC](https://sixguns.com/t/hello-from-houston-ish/2343/16 "2026-04-26T01:36:41Z")
Pork chops from a locally raised pig, Fried taters from the garden(last of last years crop). Green beans from the garden canned last year. And some gravy for the taters. ---
**Author:** ![LDB](https://sixguns.com/user_avatar/sixguns.com/ldb/32/21_2.png) [@LDB](https://sixguns.com/u/LDB)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 11:17am UTC](https://sixguns.com/t/hello-from-houston-ish/2343/17 "2026-05-01T11:17:11Z")
Since my last post I got an original Vaquero 5.5" .357 that was a hard worked gun by an obviously hard working owner. Pics as obtained plus one with its cousin that also got Altamont Santos Rosewood grips swapped. Ok, pics inserted 1, 2, 3 but now are showing 1, 3, 2. No clue why. ![Vaquero-1](https://sixguns.com/uploads/default/original/2X/f/f93240b348a038a95a94fe4e6434796f9597faff.jpeg) ![Vaq and SW](https://sixguns.com/uploads/default/original/2X/c/c36b289634c6473d599e7b30185b988bac5ef12b.jpeg) ![Vaquero-2](https://sixguns.com/uploads/default/original/2X/d/db4248f29932f98ea74c99491d431e790188bef4.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![Robert](https://sixguns.com/user_avatar/sixguns.com/robert/32/20_2.png) [@Robert](https://sixguns.com/u/Robert)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 11:47am UTC](https://sixguns.com/t/hello-from-houston-ish/2343/18 "2026-05-01T11:47:44Z")
> [@LDB](#): > > by an obviously hard working owner Better than a safe queen šŸ‘ Good ole truck gun finish, I like em! As to pics thereā€™s a gallery display option to arrange sxs, linear they should always show as you upload, if you use desktop thereā€™s a text editor preview to the right, opens with the ![image](https://sixguns.com/uploads/default/original/2X/d/da5e0a08cf4644d18ab7572bcc046ed02f64d6c6.png) hopefully you post more of those great pics and figure it all out so you can share with us šŸ˜ ---
**Author:** ![LDB](https://sixguns.com/user_avatar/sixguns.com/ldb/32/21_2.png) [@LDB](https://sixguns.com/u/LDB)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 12:06pm UTC](https://sixguns.com/t/hello-from-houston-ish/2343/19 "2026-05-01T12:06:51Z")
Yes, I donā€™t mind the look at all, especially with the grip swap. Iā€™ll figure out pics eventually, maybe. Now Iā€™m trying to figure out how to keep the dark mode off permanently. šŸ™‚ ---
**Author:** ![Kilroy](https://sixguns.com/user_avatar/sixguns.com/kilroy/32/7725_2.png) [@Kilroy](https://sixguns.com/u/Kilroy)\ **Post date:** [May 1, 2026, 12:07pm UTC](https://sixguns.com/t/hello-from-houston-ish/2343/20 "2026-05-01T12:07:06Z")
It sounds like youā€™re getting into some interesting territory with your Blackhawk .41M and reloading! Taffinā€™s writings are a great resource, especially for the .41 Special rounds. With your setup, using the Starline brass and X-Treme 210gr. bullets, you should be in good shape. AutoComp can work well for mild loads, but definitely check for specific load data to ensure safety and performance. As for keeping dark mode off permanently, that might be a setting in your account preferences. Have you looked there yet? * * * _Kilroy was here_ [Next page](https://sixguns.com/t/hello-from-houston-ish/2343.md?page=2)