S&W Model 41

[Wheelgunner]

Is a new S&W Model 41 the same as the old ones? Or, will it have some form of new fangled safety?

Are they worth the money?

Wheelgunner

 

[exavid]

I don't know if they're worth the money or not but in my Bullseye shooting group the Model 41s don't seem to score any more than those of us with Buckmarks. We've compared the size of ten shop groups from a rest at 50' between the Brownings and the S&W and really don't see any significant difference. There is a big difference in price for sure. They are without doubt fine guns but no more reliable than some cheaper ones like the Buckmark.

 

[Wheelgunner]

I don't know if they're worth the money or not but in my Bullseye shooting group the Model 41s don't seem to score any more than those of us with Buckmarks. We've compared the size of ten shop groups from a rest at 50' between the Brownings and the S&W and really don't see any significant difference. There is a big difference in price for sure. They are without doubt fine guns but no more reliable than some cheaper ones like the Buckmark.

exavid,

Thank you for the information. It is great to know.

Take Care

Wheelgunner

 

[mohavesam]

Is a new S&W Model 41 the same as the old ones? Or, will it have some form of new fangled safety?

Are they worth the money?

Wheelgunner

The "old ones" were, as are current production: fitted by hand They are not "parts bin" guns. There are reportedly two real gunsmiths assembling each and every 41 that gets sold. To my understanding, the design has not changed and most parts remain interchangeable with minor fitting sometimes required, gun-to-gun.

Are they worth the money? = Of course - but NPR (Never Pay Retail).

As to other gun comparisons; I don't believe they are a magic pistol, but both of mine outshoot most iron-sighted 22LR rifles at pistol range. The factors remain shooter ABILITY and practice, practice practice with the given gun. Mine are not for sale. 8) 8)

 

[WIL TERRY]

I HAVE OWNED THREE S&W M41 22 target pistols, one 7 1/2" and two 5 1/2" models. NONE of the three would shoot with the Ruger MKII 6 7/8" target pistol I bought used way back when for $140.00. The seller thought the MKII did not shoot very well but it's first test group for me off the sandbags at 25 yards put all ten rounds of RPGOLDEN in one .75". Then it got better with what it really liked. Had JD do a trigger job on it and away I went taking no prisoners in the local money matches, never lost a one, no brag fact !
The three M41's were all picky as a million dollar hooker as to their diet or even the lot numbers of different 22LR cartridges.
ALSO, none of the COLT MATCH TARGETS [ four of 'em ] would shoot with the Ruger nor did the singular BROWNING CHALLENGER I owned for a while.
As far as I am concerned Ruger owns the 22 pistol market lock stock and barrel.
And so it goes...

 

[Montelores]

A friend of mine who shoots benchrest (in .22LR and other calibres) will only use match-grade .22LR ammo.

Eley, Norma, Lapua, etc.

And he will test boxes from different production lot numbers to see which lot groups best in his rifle; that will be his competition ammo.

He claims that's the only way to determine if the production lot numbers will be consistent in his rifle. He reloads his centrefire ammo with great consistency - bullet size, weight, exact powder load, case dimensions, etc.

Apparently, the difference between bulk ammo (the "cheap" stuff) and higher-priced match ammo is huge.

Every gun has it's own preference.

He has some of his target from local matches on his bench - one single hole for 5 shots.

I did say "rifle," but he says the same applies to handguns.

Hope this helps -

Monty

 

[Kevin]

I have one. I bought it used. It is a long story, but it ended up going back to S&W for a new slide. Now it will absolutely shoot any brand of ammo without fail and is accurate far beyond my Buckmark Contour 7.25 and slightly more accurate than both of my Mark II's.

One thing they did at the factory without asking is to make the gun so it will not fire without a magazine inside. With the old slide it would fire a round without a magazine. Nice safety feature I suppose, I don't know if it makes any other difference.

But to answer your question, I am not aware of a "new model" or version or whatnot. Heck I don't even know when mine was made. It must have been older because the "magazine to fire" safety-feature on guns in general, has been around a while hasn't it?

 

[Cholo]

I've shot exactly one M-41 and it had the most amazing sights I've ever used. It was maybe a '60 vintage. I don't see iron sights well anymore, but I did with the 41. Comparing it to my MKll's with iron sights, I could shoot the 41 better offhand, though I'm not a great shot by any means. With that said, I have a MKll Competition I mounted a 2x6 scope on. With Winchester Power Points, and on a good day, I consistently put 10 shots in a ragged hole you couldn't put your little finger in at 25 yds. off a bench. I didn't save the targets but I guess the average groups were well under 1/2". I still have a brick and a few boxes of that ammo that I'm saving for that gun or if I accuracy test another .22 off a bench.

The bottom line is that I can't see a 41 doing better than that even with its preferred ammo. It is a beautiful gun, but for the $, why would I want one if it couldn't do better than my Competition? I have 2 other MKll's, but I've never benched them. I have no reason to believe they would be worse than my Competition if I used a scope set on 6x.

 

[exavid]

One thing I like about the Buckmark is that you can change the standard 6lb. trigger to a 2lb. pull in about 15 minutes. Just flip over the sear spring and viola. About fifteen of us who shoot bullseye at my club now have done the "Heggis Flip" as it's called. I don't recommend it for anything but target use but for that it's great. The standard 6lb. trigger is most likely better for general plinking or defense use unlikely as that is.
For anyone interested here's how it's done:
http://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=174356&page=4

 

[Wheelgunner]

Thank you all for your responses. The information is greatly appreciated.

I've never owned a .22 calibre handgun, but still own a number of centrefire handguns that, with my arthritis, are just too painfull to shoot. That said, I can't bring myself to part with most of them yet. A revolver was considered, but I think an autoloader would be more forgiving.

I'm considering an all steel gun for the weight and one that is easy to break down for cleaning, etc. I understand that stripping the Rugers can be a challenge.

At this time, I'm still shopping, but I would love something that I could actually shoot. An all steel 1911 would be nice, but I cannot find one. I came across a nice Colt Ace awhile back, but it was WAY over my budget.

Thanks Again.

Wheelgunner

 

[Kevin]

Well if you can find a Model 41 the grip angle and feel is very similar to a 1911. Browning also makes a .22 version of a 1911. It is a bit smaller though but supposedly is a good gun.

I have not heard of the Buckmark conversion for the trigger pull. I will look into that. Thanks exavid.

 

[Cholo]

Wheelgunner, I believe the difficult disassembly of the Ruger Mkl and MKll's is greatly exaggerated. It was tricky at 1st. It's nothing at all now, and I don't tear them down much anymore. They just keep on ticking. I'm not a Ruger snob and own many other brands. I just think you can't beat a MKll for accuracy and dependably...and price!

 

[buckeyeshooter]

I had a very early 41. Recently sold it because I like the model 18 so much better!