Smith and Wesson M41 ammunition sensitivity?

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NIGHTLORD40K

NIGHTLORD40K

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I have a lead on a gorgeous 1966 5.5" M41 for a good price, but the seller is trying to tell me that it will only function with LRN standard velocity rounds.

This gun certainly seems beefy enough for HV ammo. Would a spring swap be in order, or is it just a bad idea? Do these usually feed truncated and HP bullets?

I already have a M422 (which takes the same magazines), and it feeds anything I stuff in it. Not sure I want to drop this kind of cash on a finicky eater.......
 
Last edited:
Depends on if you can fully believe any gun seller. One time at a gun show, I bought a Mosin Nagant for about $75 bucks, and I asked the guy, does it shoot well? Oh yes, yes it does, he said. Even threw in a box of ammo (surplus wrapped with paper and string) with the sale, the same ammo he shot it with. I checked out the box after I left and loaded up the car. It was a box of 8mm Mauser.
 
Years ago I ran across one with a cracked/welded slide. Not sure if that was common. Mine runs great on CCI SV. It's moderately priced and more accurate than I can hold. No need to push the "old girl."
 
Keep the chamber clean and buy a recoil spring buffer if your going to shoot a bunch of bulk high velocity ammo.
You can buy various power recoil spring weights to tune the pistol for various rounds. Its a easy pistol to take down and clean.
I used to shoot Steel Challenge with a Model 41. Used a lot of bulk Auto Match, CCI Blazer. Its not the best pistol for that game.
When 22LR ammo was hard to find, it was a challenge to keep track of the springs for the ammo I was able to buy for the various games I was trying to play.
 
You can find standard velocity LRN for easily and for reasonable prices. Typically a seller won't try and limit the appeal of a gun without good reason.

The model 41 is meant to be a target grade gun. There are tons of .22's out there for half the cost that can shoot any type of ammo available. CCI Standard Velocity works great in most .22s. Just stock up on some of that...
 
My 1970s 5.5" M41 didnt run well with standard velocity. When it came back from S&W , it was no better. Tried Win, Rem & CCI standard velocity.
Cant be having alibis in time & rapid fire matches. Sold it.

I dont think high velocity will hurt a M41.. its not a High Standard.
 
Never tried Hi Vel. As Bullseye Pistol competitors, most always use standard velosity. Mostly because of less recoil for timed and rapid.

S&W M41 owners manual, online.
Use only commercially manufactured ammunition with internal bal- listic pressures which are in strict accordance with the specifica- tions of the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute (SAAMI). If you are uncertain, contact your ammunition supplier for verification. • Smith & Wesson has found wide variations in primer sensitivity between different brands and types of 22LR ammunition. Smith & Wesson recommends that before you put your 22LR handgun into regular use, that you fire several boxes of your brand of ammunition through it to determine reliability of ignition. If “failure to fire” occurs, try different types or brands of 22LR ammunition until a reliable loading is found.
Click to expand...
and
Use of hyper-velocity ammunition in this pistol may affect wear characteristics and may result in the need for more frequent ser- vice and/or replacement of parts.
Click to expand...
 
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.

HTsKjB7.jpg

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:
r6qrx7C.jpg

CVBKIry.jpg

Parts diagram

jzh0Cpa.jpg

On a pistol this old, replace the recoil spring. Mine had obviously taken a set and it was causing malfunctions.

LV7Wg0a.jpg

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.

xZF2djR.jpg

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.

m7LLcAh.jpg

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.
 
Slamfire said:
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.

View attachment 868451

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:
View attachment 868452

View attachment 868453

Parts diagram

View attachment 868454

On a pistol this old, replace the recoil spring. Mine had obviously taken a set and it was causing malfunctions.

View attachment 868455

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.

View attachment 868456

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.

View attachment 868457

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.
Click to expand...
Yep, looks just like that one, 5.5" heavy barrel. I would mostly be using SV rounds, assuming I can find them, but like knowing the occasional HV wont kill it.

Im going to bring in a few trade goods tomorrow and see if we can make a deal.:D
 
The trick to spring replacement, seen on S&W board.
The factory spring is "closed" at both ends and can be installed either way.
The Wolff has one end closed and the other "open."
Common practice in 1911, etc., is closed end rear, open end muzzle.
The M41 needs a closed end forward, the rough tip of an open end can gouge the guide rod. So put a Wolff spring in "backward."
 
I have a twenty year old Model 41. The 5.5” sets on it most of the time. Also have the longer barrel with a 2 power Burris scope. With both barrels I can shoot just about anything except the Mexican agula. I think that is how you spell it. Mini mags, blazer, CCI standard, anything that says Federal, Remington golden and Target all function just great.
 
I don't remember any High Velocity ammo being available when I still had my 41 but it certainly was ammo sensitive. IIRC it did like Remington but did not like CCI and Federal.
 
Just use CCI SV in it, It functions the slide and very accurate, No, HV ammo once in a while will not kill it. HV is usually just a lighter bullet like 36 gr, So there is no real reason to use it, It will also depend on how much use/wear is on the recoil spring
 
My opinion, a .22 LR pistol that's sensitive with ammuntion defeats a MAJOR advantage of .22 LR guns: the mass availability of ammo you can use in it.
However from a collectors standpoint, nothing wrong with a earlier Smith & Wesson semi-auto. Don't know how much you plan on shooting it, but it'd be a decent range toy on a rainy day.
 
Heir Kommt Die Sonne said:
My opinion, a .22 LR pistol that's sensitive with ammuntion defeats a MAJOR advantage of .22 LR guns: the mass availability of ammo you can use in it.
However from a collectors standpoint, nothing wrong with a earlier Smith & Wesson semi-auto. Don't know how much you plan on shooting it, but it'd be a decent range toy on a rainy day.
Click to expand...

I have a revolver and a plastic automatic for the junk ammo, my M41 gets CCI SV which is fine for Steel Challenge and the local Tribal Rules shoot.
I have read that there are Bullseye Masters that need M41 barrels relined with a premium tube or just trade them for something foreign, but it is a lot more than a "range toy" for us Sharpshooters.
 
Jim Watson said:
it is a lot more than a "range toy" for us Sharpshooters.
Click to expand...
Perhaps calling it 'range toy' is a bit neglectful of it's reknown competition status.. However the OP didn't indicate desire to be using it as a precision pistol.
This said, I think he should buy it, as he has interest and seeing such a legendary pistol for a decent price is something you don't find too often.
 
Ya, not doing the competition thing, just want it for more serious personal plinking and because of the overall quality of the gun.

Plus it will fit in nicely with my collection of old Smiths.

At the same time, I dont want to invest a ton of time in tuning, maintainance, and searching for special ammo for any of my guns. An occasional spring swap is fine.
 
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