.22 barrel length

[tom]

What are your feelings on the best barrel length for the S&W model 41.
thanks
tom
tafeduccia-at-bellsouth.net.49083.0

[jim]

: What are your feelings on the best barrel length for the S&W model 41.
depends on what you are comfortable with. Most custom smiths cut them back to 5.5 if they aren't there already
: thanks
: tom

.49087.49083

[geo. anderson]

IIRC the longer barrel is lighter than the short one, so the purpose of cutting a long one back is to further reduce the barrel weight. Not just to save buying a short one. Someone here probably knows for sure.

george-at-willowlane.net.49092.49087

[Lonnie]

Depends on what you want to do with the 41. The 7 will get you smaller groups (if properly crowned), higher velocity, and increased muzzle flip. In my experience and in my opinion, most of the barrels manufactured after the late 80's suffer from softer steel, non-concentric/larger chambers, and poor crowning. The 5.5's are not much better after the same late 80's era. If shooting iron sights, get the 5.5. If shooting a dot scope the vogue thing to do is get a 7 and cut it back to 5.5 or 6. The weight becomes about the same. The best of all barrels for the 41's were mounted on guns with just numbers for the serial number. The next best grade was attached to the A-prefix serial numbered guns. The last smattering of the good barrels were serial prefixed with TBYXXXXX to the UMXXXXXX range. The model 46's (plastic gripped, matte blued for military) had great barrels too, all of them. The most records for the 41 were accomplished with the 5.5, not the 7. Ruby Fox won the Silver with her 5.5 41 (barrel by Falcon Machining-not factory). The NRA Outdoor 22 record still stands with a 5.5 41. Iron-5.5. Dot-cut back 7. Field shooting only-7 iron sighted. Sorry for the long post.
lonniemeyers-at-hotmail.com.49093.49087

[Jack H]

A 7" barrel cut and crowned at 5.5" then mounted with the Weaver base and Ultradot comes very close to the weight and balance of the Hammerli 208s. Add an oversize trigger guard and a good ergo grip to finish the great combination. I got a 7" barrel from Gil Hebard and did just these things. The barrel was a current type with the Millett sight dovetail (which I cut off behind the Weaver base)
.49097.49092