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.
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.
The 41 was designed to be a iron sight pistol.
Or a Ray Vin if he'd do one for you.
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.
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.
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.
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?
Post a pic of the firing pin?