Found This at a Gunshow This Weekend... Never Heard of it!!

[Mr. 22]

So, there was a gunshow this weekend and I was cruising the aisles and came across these:

A set of single action revolvers from Herters that look like Rugers with a really tall front site in, get this... .401 Power Mag!! I never heard of it or saw these before. Did a little Google search and was pleasantly surprised. Made from 1961 - 1971 and touted as the biggest, baddest caliber on the planet (basically).

Anyone here with any experience with the .401 Power Mag.? I did a search on the forum and came up empty handed.

[neophyte]

They do look much like a Ruger Blackhawk

From the perspective of today's craze with .40 caliber handguns, the .401 Powermag is a case of Herter's being decades ahead of the market (so, clearly, were the visionary efforts of "Pop" Eimer and Gordon Boser). The sinusoidal market appeal of the .40 magnum, first born in 1924, revisited just before WW II, again in 1961, and in the mid-1980s (with the Bren Ten) may be coming into phase again. Wouldn't a Freedom Arms fivegun in .401 Magnum make a spectacular deer/antelope gun? "The .401 Freedom Arms" has a nice sounding ring to it, dontcha think? And the cartridge small enough to fit in the FA 97 platform! The .401 is a fine hunting cartridge and one whose time may have come (again).

[DANA]

I have one allmost new but no ammo

DANA

[Taurus Fan]

Originally Posted by DANA

I have one allmost new but no ammo

DANA

Sounds like a really interesting paperweight

[Paper]

Originally Posted by DANA

I have one allmost new but no ammo
DANA

That sucks Dana.. That would give me a perfectly good reason to find or convert brass to work, and make some ammo for that gun!!

Any idea what the cartridge is based on?

[Mooseman684]

Originally Posted by Taurus Fan

Sounds like a really interesting paperweight

Hey , it's NOT a TAURUS....LOL

[Paper]

10mmmanFebruary 23, 2004, 04:05 PM
If you have a loading press, 41mag shell plate, Dillion 10mm sizing die & case trimming tool you can make .401 PowerMag rounds from .41 Rem Mag brass. This works quite well.

1. Trim brass to .401 PM length (measure factory case.)
2. Warm brass (I put it in an oven @ 170 for 10 minutes.)
3. Bottom sizing die in press with the ram raised with no shell plate
mounted. Remove center stem from die.
4. Squirt 10mm sizing die w/ Hornady's One Shot.
5. Size brass all the way into the die, lower ram, use large (as large as will
fit into the sizing die) brass rod and hammer to punch out brass.
6. Check primer pocket and flash hole for deformation (I've never had any.)
7. Load ammo w/ .41 Rem mag shellplate, 10mm sizing die, bell die and
seating die
8. 10mm bullets & call Accurate Arms for .401 PowerMag loads.
9. Champhor (sp?) cylinder charge holes SLIGHTLY w/ a dremmel.


X

More info.. Herter Powermag conversion [Archive] - THR

http://www.singleactions.com/HERTERPOWERMAGS.pdf

http://www.gunblast.com/Fryxell_Herters401.htm

[Mr. 22]

Thanx for all of the info (you too DWFan for the PM),

Does anyone here have any up close and personal experiences with it? It looks like it would be a nice piece (or pieces, as he wants to sell them as a pair), and an interesting round - ballistically - to add to the collection and I see that brass and some loaded rounds are available... not cheap - but available.

Basically... if it goes 'BANG!'... I want it. It's a very interesting round and handgun. It has nice bluing and appears to be well built, I would think it would have to be to stand up to the .357 & .44 mag loads on the same frame. Limited production, I also have a bit of a soft spot where George Herter is concerned (well, his name's on it anyway - I see it was built by Sauer in Germany... not a bad thing!!). I may have to pull the trigger on this one, in more ways than one! May have to collect all 3 calibers (aw shucks!). I think that would be a pretty cool display... plus I'm a .44 fan and another chance to add to that arsenal as well. Can never have too many .44's!

Thanx Again!

[DWFan]

These revolvers are also ideal for rechambering to a hi-velocity .38-40. Brass can also be made from the .30-30, but with slightly lower case capacity. The Herter's PowerMags were made by Sauer & Sohn of Germany and are mechanically similar to the Hawes revolver and the present EAA Bounty Hunter.

[Mooseman684]

I do believe you can Make Brass cases out of .41 Magnum brass IF you can find a set of Dies for it...Trim cases down .009 in length and then size them down (.005 smaller in Diameter) . I have load data for 160, 180, and 200 Gr. bullets.

Rich

[DaTeacha]

C-H 4D Tool and Die, owners of the rights to the CH line of presses and such, is alive an well, located in Mount Vernon, Ohio. They have rack after rack of oddball and interesting dies and are willing and able to make dies for whatever you want. They are not a large outfit, but are very good people to work with. They can probably make you dies to make your own brass from whatever you choose to start with as well as dies to reload your newly made cases. If you're serious about making your own, I would definitely contact them to see what they can do.

[big shrek]

Originally Posted by Mr. 22

So, there was a gunshow this weekend and I was cruising the aisles and came across these:

A set of single action revolvers from Herters that look like Rugers with a really tall front site in, get this... .401 Power Mag!! I never heard of it or saw these before. Did a little Google search and was pleasantly surprised. Made from 1961 - 1971 and touted as the biggest, baddest caliber on the planet (basically).

Yet another example of how Ruger has used other folk's designs to make their weapons.

Herter's went out of biz back in the 70's after the 1968 Gun Control Act killed the Mail-Order gun biz. There were quite a few casualties of that bill.

" In 1978, Herter decided that the future lay in retail, not mail order. He opened several mega-stores across the northeast, but do to the gas shortage at the time, the stores closed soon there after. In the end, Herter sold his company for only $300,000 (originally being promised 3 million) after turning down several offers over the years from other companies."

The Herter's after that made duck decoys, waders, & clothing.

Although there's also a report that Herters got in trouble for importing illegal feathers for their lures...and the ATF really cracked down on their gun biz in response.

Herter's also imported some nice rifles with Mauser actions...made by BSA & Parker-Hale.
Here's a shot of Nate45's

[delford]

And Cabelas uses the Herter name on their russian import ammo.

[DWFan]

If you Google "Accurate Arms 10mm Magnum load data" you'll find a pdf file. The 10mm Magnum is simply a .401 Herter's PowerMag shortened .030" without a rim. The same load data can be used for both cartridges. Dies for the PowerMag can be found on Midway's website.
So if you have a 10mm S&W N-frame (M610?) and chamber it to 10mm Magnum, you actually made it a .401 Herter's DA revolver....or you can chamber your 10mm S&W to use 6.8 SPC brass cut to a 1.285" length and use actual PowerMag dies.

[big boomer]

I have seen the old powermags they were ahead of their time.
RCBS has a kit to make shells out of 30wcf brass but even better is Buffalo arms has brass so you can reload for them.

[twtalbot]

Originally Posted by DWFan

These revolvers are also ideal for rechambering to a hi-velocity .38-40. Brass can also be made from the .30-30, but with slightly lower case capacity. The Herter's PowerMags were made by Sauer & Sohn of Germany and are mechanically similar to the Hawes revolver and the present EAA Bounty Hunter.

I seem to remember an old Gun Digest article about this. I don't remember if the author rechambered his revolver or had a new cylinder made.

[mitchr]

Originally Posted by Mr. 22

Thanx for all of the info (you too DWFan for the PM),

Does anyone here have any up close and personal experiences with it? It looks like it would be a nice piece (or pieces, as he wants to sell them as a pair), and an interesting round - ballistically - to add to the collection and I see that brass and some loaded rounds are available... not cheap - but available.

Basically... if it goes 'BANG!'... I want it. It's a very interesting round and handgun. It has nice bluing and appears to be well built, I would think it would have to be to stand up to the .357 & .44 mag loads on the same frame. Limited production, I also have a bit of a soft spot where George Herter is concerned (well, his name's on it anyway - I see it was built by Sauer in Germany... not a bad thing!!). I may have to pull the trigger on this one, in more ways than one! May have to collect all 3 calibers (aw shucks!). I think that would be a pretty cool display... plus I'm a .44 fan and another chance to add to that arsenal as well. Can never have too many .44's!

Thanx Again!

I think youu just talked yourself into it!!