When Michigan’s Shotgun Zone became the Limited Firearms Zone in 2014, it would completely change the complexion of deer hunting in southern Michigan, and other midwestern states with shotgun zones would soon follow suit with similar formats. A key feature is that only straight wall cartridges .35 caliber or larger, with a minimum case length of 1.16 inches and maximum case length of 1.80 inches are allowed. This is a straightforward approach which is easy to understand, and I do appreciate it.
This would easily allow handgun-related calibers to be used in rifles, and I started out my Limited Firearms Zone deer hunting adventures using a .44 Magnum carbine. A caliber which caught the attention of many deer hunters was the .450 Bushmaster which was designed in 2007 to be used with an AR-15 platform (case length is 1.70 inches, the same as that of a .223). However, it was a bit pricey and with limited options, including custom bolt-actions and single-shots. However, Randy Brown of Randy’s Hunting Center in Bad Axe worked with Ruger in 2016 to develop a very affordable bolt-action, and soon other firearms manufacturers were bringing out their own rifles in .450 Bushmaster, a very popular caliber which remains “King of the Hill” in the Midwest. I have tested several rifles with this round, not to mention using it for deer and bear hunting, and it is an outstanding and very effective straight wall cartridge.
I wasn’t surprised when other straight wall calibers came into being, with the .350 Legend being the first in 2019 and touting a flat trajectory and a mild recoil. In 2023, the .400 Legend and .360 BuckHammer came out, each touting their own unique performance levels. Last year, I began hearing about another new straight wall, called the .41 Great Lakes, which is a “wildcat” round (no commercial loadings yet) that was created by cutting off a .30-06 case to 1.70 inches, and straightening out the case wall to allow inserting a .41 caliber bullet. The end result is touted at outperforming the .450 Bushmaster while offering a very mild recoil.
Yep, folks, curiosity got the best of me, and I had to go, and check matters out firsthand and I recently set up a meeting with River Raisin Ballistics co-owners John Upp and Larry Miller of Adrian. Called the .41 Great Lakes Project, Upp and Miller collaborated in using their ballistic and shooting knowledge to come up with a unique cartridge which can use .41 caliber (pistol) bullets as well rifle versions, including very efficient solid copper. This was 5 years in the making until they were finally satisfied. I watched several online videos featuring the .41 Great Lakes blowing completely through cement blocks and even a bowling ball, as well as putting deer down at some impressive yardages.
My wife, Ginny, and I had a very picturesque drive on a beautiful sunny day through the hilly hinterlands near Adrian to reach the farm featuring the shooting range where I was going to examine and test fire matters. One local feature during our drive which caught my eye was some of the largest cornfields I have ever seen in the state, which I’m pretty sure played a major role in developing the .41 Great Lakes. When we arrived, John Upp had a shooting bench in place along with a couple scoped rifles laid out on a nearby table, one a tricked-out bolt-action owned by Larry Miller, and the other a vintage Savage Model 99 lever-action owned by their shooting friend Steve Kelly, that was the first rifle to be fitted with a .41 Great Lakes barrel (this is a conversion which does well with .308 and similar caliber rifles). I have a distinct fondness for Savage 99’s and was very honored that Steve brought his rifle for me to shoot.
It didn’t take me long to sense I was in good company with fellow shooters, and the fact all four of us were seasoned “gray beards” didn’t hurt a bit, either. In no time at all, I was seated at the bench with Larry’s bolt-action and getting the feel for matters before firing. I was using a simple bag-rest and like checking matters out just as would be the case in a hunting blind. I was pointed in the general direction of a couple hanging steel targets 185 yards away, which to the naked eye, were a tad on the small side and in the same size-category of a deer’s kill zone.
Well, folks, when you get classified as some sort of gun writer, it doesn’t hurt to show up and know how to shoot! Larry let me know his rifle had a 2.5-pound trigger pull (aka “squeeze”) which is my cup of tea (good triggers are everything and my rifles and hunting handguns all feature 2.5 or 3-pound pulls). I immediately went into the mode and said I was going for the white target on the right and said, “fire in the hole”, and let ‘er fly. The first thing I noticed was the very mellow recoil, which I put in the neighborhood of the .350 Legend which features a felt recoil of 8.5-foot pounds. The .45 Bushmaster has 22-foot pounds, and I was informed the .41 Great Lakes has only 7-foot pounds of felt recoil, which was obvious to me!
The only problem was, I didn’t hear that metal “clink” from a hit on the target (which is always music to my ears), and I asked if I had missed. Larry let me know I had a direct hit, but the target was just “plain steel” and that the bullet had passed right through it, and suggested I shoot at the heavy “magnum-rated” orange target on the left, and the clinking began per each shot. I soon switched to Steve’s Savage 99 which also proved to be an accurate piece and a true delight to shoot, as were both rifles featuring excellent optics. There is no doubt in my mind that the .41 Great Lakes will easily tackle 300-yard shots.
River Raisin Ballistics is in the process of making commercial .41 Great Lakes ammunition available soon as well as some rifles, and they mentioned the possibility of production rifles, such as the CVA Cascade bolt-action. In the meantime, custom barrels such as from Douglas are readily available, and can turn some beloved “only legal up north” old deer rifles into handy Limited Firearms Zone pieces.
This deer season I’m trying out my new Henry single-shot rifle in .360 BuckHammer, but next year might be a different story. The .41 Great Lakes certainly piqued my interest, because I saw firsthand it works as advertised.
Happy and safe deer hunting, folks!
than 40 years and has had his weekly radio show, “Tom Lounsbury
Outdoors” for more than 20 years. Tom grew up on a farm in
Michigan’s Thumb, and it is where his first outdoor adventures began
as a kid accompanying visiting pheasant hunters into the field during
the “pheasant hunting heyday” of the 1950’s and 1960’s. It is a passion
he still has to this day and being the 4 th generation to own the family
farm, he has put most of it into conservation programs with a focus on
wild pheasants, which in turn helps all wildlife.
Being an outdoor communicator, Tom appreciates all the outdoor
adventures he experiences in different places, and especially the
people he meets in which to share them.
- .41 Great Lakes – a new and truly amazing straight wall cartridge - November 15, 2024
- Buckshot – an often misunderstood and maligned deer round - November 6, 2024
- Arrowheads – A Steady Evolution - October 30, 2024