401 Herter Powermag

Historical Notes:

This is a proprietary cartridge developed by Herter's Inc. of Waseca, Minnesota in 1961. Herter's was a mail order gun, ammunition, and loading supply house that once offered a series of excellent products to the gun trade. The 401 Powermag was chambered in the Herter Powermag single action revolver. The cartridge is similar to the 41 Remington Magnum, but the two are not interchangeable. The case of the 41 Remington Magnum is .005 inches larger in diameter and .009 inches longer than the 401 Powermag. Since the 401 Powermag preceded the 41 Remington Magnum by three years, it is difficult to escape the possibility that it served as the inspiration for the Remington Magnum. On the other hand, the wildcat 400 Eimer existed in 1924. It is also similar to the 401 and the 41 Magnums, so it is difficult to decide who influenced who.

General Comments:

The 401 Powermag is an excellent self defense or field cartridge. It is capable of doing anything the 41 Remington Magnum can do. It has been used successfully on everything from small game and varmints up to deer and black bear. With the availability of the commercial 41 Magnum and the many fine guns chambered for it, there isn't any need for the 401 Powermag, even though it was, and still is, a fine cartridge.

Source: Cartridges of the World

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