Bought S/W 41

[doddg]

In reading threads on the S/W site it is understood for whatever the reason everyone agrees that the CCI Standard Velocity is the benchmark for this gun in its application: it simply works.

 

[Clay Pigeon]

I have no publication of that information directly from Smith & Wesson; I suppose it may not exist. Are you satisfied by that?

Though, uh, a lack of publication is not a definitive indicator of falsehood of my statement. That information was from a couple Bullseye guys that have been shooting 41's for decades. Forgive me, but I trust them more than I trust you.

To my understanding, CCI Standard Velocity has been available since the mid 60's. The 41 was started in what? 57? In addition to my word-of-mouth introduction to the information, it seems pretty reasonable that S&W would have cut a chamber to place the SV bullet slightly into the lands of those 1960's pistols. Since the SV bullet has a quite long bearing surface compared to a lot of other "modern" target ammunition, it would seem that maybe they'd want to continue that trend toward what would have to be a slightly longer throat, or SV might not eject if unfired. At least... That's what my calipers and my Annie say.

My 41 is a 1958, complete with lazy-S original mag, and rare-ish uncheckered grips, which, out of respect, I have left alone. I have a different set I have modified to remove the thumbrest and rebate the magwell to allow flush reloads, I recut the checkering as well, as they'd been used a bit and it was no longer sharp. The chamber was in excellent condition, having (from appearances) seen less than a couple bricks of ammunition (though no, I don't have a number on the original throat length). It was the backup 41 of an older gentleman that bought it when he was a younger gentleman. 41's don't require much backup, though I replaced the recoil spring at about 4,000 rounds [of mine].

Are you an aficionado of the weapon?

-Nate

ETA: read your original post. Copy: the 1957 S&W; and 1965 intro of SV.

Thanks for your reply,
I really was hoping you had information that I had never read from S&W.
I asked the guys that I grew up shooting with about CCI 0335 and I just heard pfffft.., Remington green box target was the go to where i'm from decades ago.
But it is interesting as , I will pickup a few bricks and work through them in the next few month.
I dont know if i'm an aficionado but I bought mine in 75, I was given my grandfathers and my son has my fathers. I did the bullseye, high power game for few years myself.
My grandfather dragged me around a few middle east coast states when I was growing up shooting across the course and bullseye until I Enlisted. Got back into the game when my son was old enough to shoot. I own 2 model 41's both pre 78's and nothing special about them other than they have been shot. I have a few sets of adj Harretts packed away, I don't leave them one with me being left handed, folks always as to shoot them when I take one of them to the club to shoot.
My sons also is a pre 78 with a 5 1/2" barrel with the adj front sight and I would post pictures but I didnt see it in his safe so it must be with him at 29 Palms.
I got my time behind a 41 and a few wad-cutter autos.

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[G192127]

Drilling and tapping a unmolested 41 is like drilling and tapping your sister.(shouldnt be done).
It's akin to taking a soldering iron to a Glock and stippling it.
It doesn't add any value come sale time.
The 41 was designed to be a iron sight pistol. What, 5.5, 7.5,& the rare extendable front sight model...oh, yes, they drill and tap them now, but the balance is all jacked.
Take an honest look at what's winning- Hammerilli, IZH35, Walthers, Pardini- probated wrist pistols balanced for 1"tubes.
41's are GREAT pistols, but they lost a step when dots appeared.

 

[Clay Pigeon]

Drilling and tapping a unmolested 41 is like drilling and tapping your sister.(shouldnt be done).
It's akin to taking a soldering iron to a Glock and stippling it.
It doesn't add any value come sale time.
The 41 was designed to be a iron sight pistol. What, 5.5, 7.5,& the rare extendable front sight model...oh, yes, they drill and tap them now, but the balance is all jacked.
Take an honest look at what's winning- Hammerilli, IZH35, Walthers, Pardini- probated wrist pistols balanced for 1"tubes.
41's are GREAT pistols, but they lost a step when dots appeared.

A purist I see, If I was going to mount an optic on one of my 41's I would buy a Clark barrel and do it that way.

 

[G192127]

Someone with some sense!
+1 kudos to you, sir.

 

[natdscott]

A purist I see, If I was going to mount an optic on one of my 41's I would buy a Clark barrel and do it that way.

Or a Ray Vin if he'd do one for you.

 

[700 LTR 223]

The 41 was designed to be a iron sight pistol.

Probably safe to say that all handguns that were introduced in the 1950s were designed for use with iron sights. These days I can't see open sights well enough to target shoot and mounting a dot or low power scope allows me to still shoot up to 50 yards fairly accurately.

 

[Clay Pigeon]

Or a Ray Vin if he'd do one for you.

Thanks, Seems he's down right now from the hurricane. Hopefully he gets back online and in production soon.

 

[Twangbanger]

Drilling and tapping a unmolested 41 is like drilling and tapping your sister.(shouldnt be done).
It's akin to taking a soldering iron to a Glock and stippling it.
It doesn't add any value come sale time.
The 41 was designed to be a iron sight pistol. What, 5.5, 7.5,& the rare extendable front sight model...oh, yes, they drill and tap them now, but the balance is all jacked.
Take an honest look at what's winning- Hammerilli, IZH35, Walthers, Pardini- probated wrist pistols balanced for 1"tubes.
41's are GREAT pistols, but they lost a step when dots appeared.

My Vortex Venom, at 1 ounce, does not "jack" the balance of my M41. Like my FAS602, it doesn't even know it's there. I shoot them both the same (but the Smith is the more accurate in a Ransom rest...still not as good as my Ruger, but that's another story). I can shoot 200's in timed and (occasionally) rapid if I try. And since I'm using it as a shooting tool, not shooting it for resale, I don't have to worry about the pontifications of the Foghorn-Leghorn, "Look here boy, you gotta have a gun with the cocking indicator, else it doesn't have any resale" know-nothings. I bought it in 1990, at a gunshow for $550 with my own money when I was a college student, so I figure I can do whatever the damn hell I want to it. It went to collegiate nationals in Colorado Springs twice and Prado once before I grew "old" and started shooting NRA. The nice, soft trigger release is a help, to me, in calling shots and putting bullets in the center; it feels like my .45, just lighter. It doesn't have that perfect "45 crossover" grip frame of a Hi-Standard, but, I can readily obtain magazines made by the same company who made the gun. And that maintainability is a factor since my son, the gun's next owner, absolutely loves it - especially with the dot on it. It's like a squirrel rifle in your hand.

No, a Model 41 is heaven with a dot on it. If Smith really intended it to be shot with open sights...they'd have made one that stays on the damn gun (our friend above may not be a precision shooter, but even he's figured out that little issue ). My gun is a part of me, it's "jacked" like me...and it's not for sale, like me.

 

[Clay Pigeon]

My Vortex Venom, at 1 ounce, does not "jack" the balance of my M41. Like my FAS602, it doesn't even know it's there. I shoot them both the same (but the Smith is the more accurate in a Ransom rest...still not as good as my Ruger, but that's another story). I can shoot 200's in timed and (occasionally) rapid if I try. And since I'm using it as a shooting tool, not shooting it for resale, I don't have to worry about the pontifications of the Foghorn-Leghorn, "Look here boy, you gotta have a gun with the cocking indicator, else it doesn't have any resale" know-nothings. I bought it in 1990, at a gunshow for $550 with my own money when I was a college student, so I figure I can do whatever the damn hell I want to it. It went to collegiate nationals in Colorado Springs twice and Prado once before I grew "old" and started shooting NRA. The nice, soft trigger release is a help, to me, in calling shots and putting bullets in the center; it feels like my .45, just lighter. It doesn't have that perfect "45 crossover" grip frame of a Hi-Standard, but, I can readily obtain magazines made by the same company who made the gun. And that maintainability is a factor since my son, the gun's next owner, absolutely loves it - especially with the dot on it. It's like a squirrel rifle in your hand.

No, a Model 41 is heaven with a dot on it. If Smith really intended it to be shot with open sights...they'd have made one that stays on the damn gun (our friend above may not be a precision shooter, but even he's figured out that little issue ). My gun is a part of me, it's "jacked" like me...and it's not for sale, like me.

It is your horse, I just wouldn't machine one of mine to put optics on it.
But full disclosure I would like to shoot one with a dot on it.
I look at pre and post 78 pistols as another dash on the end of Smith's model number.
It's a 41 who really cares.
I've never the sight problems that some have with the 41's but I did have one loose a piece of the magazine release and lock the mag in it.

 

[doddg]

Probably safe to say that all handguns that were introduced in the 1950s were designed for use with iron sights. These days I can't see open sights well enough to target shoot and mounting a dot or low power scope allows me to still shoot up to 50 yards fairly accurately.

1. That's somewhat like my world: I can see the sights, but can't see where my rounds are hitting at just 50". 30' is OK with 40' being problematic.
2. I can't imagine shooting 50 YARDS! WOW!
3. I was shooting at an outdoor range at 66' last summer and it was humbling.

 

[G192127]

Who's doing good 41 mods now? I've never tapped my sister but I'm starting to get in line with your thinking!
Maybe some front slide serrations and mount a tac lite under the bbl? It's mine, I can do what I want with it.

 

[Clay Pigeon]

Who's doing good 41 mods now? I've never tapped my sister but I'm starting to get in line with your thinking!
Maybe some front slide serrations and mount a tac lite under the bbl? It's mine, I can do what I want with it.

#CheckonYouTube

 

[doddg]

Finally was able to get back to the range for some more testing with the S/W 41.
I was out of town, wife spent a few days in the hospital, and I didn't go off having fun for the week she was still in pain. (she's fine now)

It was 2-3 FTF per magazine when I was using HV CC1 ammo (1270 FPS).
After switching to SV, the FTF went down to 1 per mag. using CCI SV (1070 FPS).
I ran another 10 mags through this evening and used a new S/W mag I had ordered with the same results:
1 FTF per mag in 8 mags and 2 FTF in 2 mags.

I thought about posting pics of the ends of the shells, but trust me, on most you can't see anything or tell there was any strike at all and only on a few could you tell it had "kissed" the rim at all.
The firing pin spring? The firing pin itself worn?

Oh, the journey.

I'm sure someone around local works on these and since it is mechanical, it's just a matter of restoring a mechanical piece back to working order.
Someone with experience will know what the history of weakness has been.
I don't know whether it means I have a 41 that has had 50k rounds of ammo in it, or a simple matter of a worn spring?
The gun came in the original box with what looks like the original paper in it.
It did have a scope and rail that came with it, so the previous owner obviously put some rounds through it.

My only experience with light strikes was with a Ruger GP100 .22LR revolver, and a local I've used for gun repair (ZR Tactical in Noblesville) said it had a serious problem, and couldn't fix it and when I sent it to Ruger they said the same, but righteously sent me a "like new" revolver to replace it: thank-you Ruger!

Strangely enough, the old mags are "notchy" to load, and so is my new one I just received today from S/W, although maybe a little less notchy.
My other "expensive" .22LR target gun, a Colt, is the same way.
My "normal" (less expensive) two Ruger Mark 4s, two S/W 22A-1s, Beretta Neos, GSG and R.I.A semi-auto mags are nice and smooth: go figure why the more expensive guns don't have smoother mags to load up.

A 20', 30' and 40' range time comparing the Smith 41 against some of it's competitors:
Ruger Mark 4, Browning Buckmark, and two Smith 22A-1 (supposed to be selling one of them but I love them both).

 

[mcapo]

Finally was able to get back to the range for some more testing with the S/W 41.
I was out of town, wife spent a few days in the hospital, and I didn't go off having fun for the week she was still in pain. (she's fine now)

Glad your wife is doing better!

Do you mean failure to feed or Fire?

 

[mcapo]

Post a pic of the firing pin?

 

[doddg]

Glad your wife is doing better!

Do you mean failure to feed or Fire?

1. Sorry: failure to fire, therefore my comments about the light strikes, or more accurately, no strikes on the rim.
2. I just had a thought: I can't believe I didn't check the shell casings on the ones that did fire for the "hit" on the rim.
3. Actually, I think I did that the 1st time I took the 41 to the range, but not sure, but I vaguely remember that it was barely hitting.
4. I'll verify that next time I go to the range which will be Sunday pm.

 

[doddg]

Some comments on the S/W forum:

Finally got to start shooting my 41. Purchased in Dec it is a 60,s era 7 3/8 barrel #293×× . Ever 15 to 20 rounds i get a failure to fire after waiting 45 seconds to make sure its not a missfire i eject the round upon inspection there is no mark on the casing.
I put that round back in the mag rack it and it fires. Is there a adjustment that can be made or do i have to replace the firing pin.


Until someone else comes along I'd speculate its either the spring and or gunk that has built up in the firing pin cavity causing the firing pin to hang up - just my $0.02. : )
Flush the cavity with a cleaner degreaser and blast it out with air.

You should probably drift the retaining pin out of the slide and remove the firing pin, firing pin spring, extractor & it's spring, and the breechblock itself. Clean everything and reassemble. There's lots of nooks and crannies for gunk to build up.
The 41 can be pretty finicky without being provoked!

In the event you need parts, Brownells currently has the firing pins and f.p. springs in stock.


http://www.brownells.com/schematics/...41-sid667.aspx


I've seen the firing pin springs break, and cause the symptom you described above.

 

[mcapo]

Try Numrich for SW parts.

A new firing pin and spring can't hurt....

 

[doddg]

Post a pic of the firing pin?

The pics below, after googling it, is the extent of my 30 second knowledge of firing pins.
Yes, I feel inadequate.