About the only difference between a Taurus and a Smith revolver will be fit and finish. They're both going to go bang when you pull the trigger and neither is ever going to blow up.
As far as the 41 Magnum, if it weren't for Dirty Harry, the 41 would be much more prolific.
Shooting 210 gr projectiles, the 41 at 1300fps delivers almost 800 ft/lbs of energy The 44 witha 240 gr is 100fps slower and delivers 50 ft/lbs less. At 50 yards, they're neck and neck. The only real advantage the 44 has is its capacity for heavier bullets. I believe you can load as much as a 280 grain and load it pretty hot too. In the end, it's tough to extract alot of versatility out of a magnum handgun unless you do your own reloading.