TargetTalk

Hello: We started an informal bullseye competition at our range and I am currently using a Ruger for my rimfire weapon. It is doing well, but I have started wanting a Model 41. Are there tips I should know when looking for a used gun? Are some years prefered over others? Any hints would be appreciated to help in my search. Thanks in advance.

Mike

I would want to try the trigger before I bought if possible because they seem to vary. Early models if I remember right had cocked indicators. Otherwise just about everyone is happy with one. I like mine and the only negatives I have heard is they are heavy and the grips are big for real small hands. A lot of times they won't feed any standard velocity ammo except CCI. Mine wouldn't feed anything either until I broke an extractor and after someone replaced it, virtually all ammo works. The smith gave some kind of explanation that the shape of the extractor is what causes lighter ammo to not eject properly. He must have known what he was doing.

I was in your situation. Handled the Smith. Seemed awful heavy to me. I was shooting a Ruger target 6 7/8 tapered barrel. When I gunned up I purchased a used Hammerli SP20 RRS. Haven't looked back since. Wonderful target pistol. My scores went up 50 pts. right away. And still going up. Get a used one.It was blind luck I ended up with the Hammerli. The Hammerli,Pardini SP and the Walther GSP expert are all excellent pistols. Won a Gunbroker bid on the Hammerli. Get the ones with the reciol reduction stuff in them. These pistols are not that much more than the Smith 41. You won't be sorry.

I started with a Ruger, then moved up to a M41 which I shot for many many years. A friend had a used Pardini for sale at a good price, and I bought it. Never went back to the M41. I thought the M41 was a good gun until I started shooting the European guns.

I'll second what Fred says.
I shot a 41 for years and struggled with grips, different barrels, the old under-barrel weights. The gun will shoot, but for me is not a good fit. I spoke with Don Nygord on several occasions and he led me to the Pardini. I've never looked back.
If you believe in the idea of a "forgiving" gun vs a "punishing" gun, that's how I'd compare a Pardini to a 41.
I will add that the 41 is very expensive these days. For the money you can get a better pistol.

Thanks everyone. I think a Pardini will be the way for me to go.

Make sure you get one with the recoil reduction stuff.

I still have my Model 41 but only shoot it occasionally now. Have gone to a Sig 1911 with a Marvel Conversion unit. If you already have a 1911 with a decent trigger you might consider putting a Marvel unit on it.

oldcaster wrote:Mine wouldn't feed anything either until I broke an extractor and after someone replaced it.

I suspect this is an issue with my Smith 41. I bought used so don't have history on the machine. It is very sensitive, sometimes doesn't eject or extract properly.
Do you know what type of ejector he used to replace the stock?

I have a 41 that I'm very happy with. I had herret's to make a set of grips to better fit my hand and it is a joy to shoot. I like the weight of the gun to because it does'nt jump around in timed and rapid fire so much. I haven't cared to much for european guns that I have seen or tried.

Who (other than S&W or the Clark units) Makes barrels for the smith model 41? Does PacLite make one of their aluminum units for the Smith?

Only S&W "manufactures" a barrel for the 41. The Clark barrel is purchased by Clark from S&W as an unchambered blank. They complete the machining, chambering and finishing themselves.
There are a few other companies that offer custom 41 barrels, but I believe they bore out S&W barrels and reline them with match grade rifled barrel liners such as those by Lothar Walther. Falcon Machining is (or was) one such company. I've heard of a few other gunsmiths doing this work. I seem to recall Alex Hamilton of Ten Ring Precision possibly doing this. Sorry I don't have more info. You could ask Dave Wilson who haunts the targettalk site. His match grade .32 barrels are highly respected.

Jim

6string-

Thankyou for that information. I have not seen it anywhere else.

motorcycle_dan wrote:

oldcaster wrote:Mine wouldn't feed anything either until I broke an extractor and after someone replaced it.

I suspect this is an issue with my Smith 41. I bought used so don't have history on the machine. It is very sensitive, sometimes doesn't eject or extract properly.
Do you know what type of ejector he used to replace the stock?

There's an art to tuning a M41 extractor. An old gunsmith tuned my M41 extractor over 30 years ago and the gun was 100% until I finally sold it two years ago. Can't remember anymore what he did, but I think he made a sharp tip and put some relief so that it would bite cleanly into the rim of the cartridge case.

anymore. They did for a long while but Smith dried up on them, couldn't get one for it seems like two years...........They are now using, to the best of my knowledge, bbls supplied by another known aftermarket bbl mfr.

I have one and the tight chamber can be a bit problematic if I don't use a drop of oil on occasion. Top round in mag of course. With that, no alibis whatsoever.

As per the Clark website.

M41 barrels are machined from custom oversized Shilen blanks.

Clarence

Excellent Model 41 maintenance link:
http://guntalk-online.com/Model41mainte ... tm#toppage
Includes exact instructions on the extractor tuning procedure.