If you have a lead for a 1966 M41 at a good price, buy it.
This is a 1968 M46 one of the few M46's with a 5.5 inch barrel.
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S&W would not drill and tap it because some of the parts are no longer available, but a Bud did the work for me.The recoil slide is has thinner arms than my M41, so that may be their problem. Could be others.
I asked Jack Weigand for the hole spacing, and just in case you need it, this is what Mr Weigand said:
M41 S&W base hole spacing
Here are the dimensions we drill the holes to.
Back of the mount is 0.0" (keep the scope mount away from the rear sight at least .010"
1st hole .3"
2nd hole .9"
3rd hole 2.56"
4th hole 3.425"
Each hole should be confirmed using the scope mount before drilling.
Jack Weigand
570-868-8358
Weigand C.H. Inc
www jackweigand.com
This is the box:
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Parts diagram
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On a pistol this old, replace the recoil spring. Mine had obviously taken a set and it was causing malfunctions.
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Now I asked the old Timers, and they told me to always use standard velocity ammunition. Some of these guys have been shooting the same M41 for several decades and their round counts could be close to 100,000 on their pistols. Someone who was shooting 5000 rounds a year would fire 100,000 rounds in twenty years. The Captain of the All Guard Team, his M41 had been in use a little less than 20 years, he had an exact round count in his data book.
I have a memory of calling S&W and I think they told me to shoot SV or HV. But you know, when I look at what shooters in Bullseye Matches are using, they are all using SV, and some of them are shooting very high dollar pistols. I think a replacement set of grips on this one is $400.
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In Smallbore Prone, the guys there don't want HV ammunition for wind bucking reasons, but velocities in pistols are slower than what the same ammunition provides in a rifle.Bullseye shooters may be primarily using SV because it has less recoil than HV. The guy next to me in the last Bullseye Match I shot this month, his 22lr has an inertial weight and watching him shoot, there was hardly any movement of his pistol due to recoil.
Now I have shot SV and HV in the Ruger, it is built like a tank.
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But, the M46/M41 is a better target pistol for several reasons. Firstly the trigger pulls are outstanding. And then the field stripping of a M41 is straightforward and simple. You pull the slide back, remove the magazine, pull the trigger guard down, and lift off the barrel. Then the slide is removed by pulling it back and over the frame. Unlike the Ruger, there are no blind hammer struts, barrel latches, and reassembly is simple.
Recently I priced M41's at the local gunstore, and a standard M41 was $1350 before taxes and they had a special model for $1590. And I can't recall seeing a M41 at the LGS before, they don't come around and they don't sit around. One dealer friend of mine who wanted a M41 was complaining about how rarely S&W makes the things. If you can get a deal on a M41 go for it. And shoot SV ammunition in it. I cannot imagine walking away from one of these pistols if you only want to shoot HV.