What makes the s&w model 41

so desirable?  Is the grip angle close to the 1911?  I know from what I’ve read they are accurate.  Just curious what makes it all that!  I love the way they look.

Nice sights, good trigger, accurate, grip angle is similar to the 1911, Mine is reliable. well made, enjoyable to shoot, feels good in the hand and a choice of barrel lengths.  Also they have been made for a long time so parts are available.  All of these opinions and 5 dollars will get you a fancy coffee at starbucks;)

Forgot about that good trigger.  Think I’m gonna hit up someone on league night and ask to try one.

Is there a year that is more desirable than others?

I hear barrels can be an issue.  Is there a target specific barrel? Field barrels?  I know nothing about the 41

I don't know actually. From what I have read here over the years and seen on the line years ago was that more problems are associated with 41's than with HS or any other top target 22lr.

The phrase "put some oil on the top round" is considered a standard operating procedure with the 41. There are guys here with brand new PC 41's that need work, we are talking $$$ "custom fitted". I just shot with a guy yesterday that has two of them off to a gunsmith. I don't get it how people see them as good pistols. 

Just one man's observed experience.

Yikes! So if one had a 1500 budget for a rimfire..what would you look for?  Just window shopping right now

Personally I would look for a High Standard Victor, ML series with a known history. I've had two of them that ran like swiss watches. They can be found WELL below $1k. 


I have always seen more H-S on the line than 41's and the 41's always had more problems. The only top shooters i've seen use 41's were associated with the USMC team. Basically they had armorer support, if you live near a current or former 2112, then maybe they are for you. The other guy I knew that used one regularly was also a gunsmith and he no longer shot matches. Jon Eulette probably owns that 41 since it was his mentor Bob Brown. Just my experience.

Couldn’t pay me to shoot a 41 with all the current guns on the market or a Victor

Super valuable information..maybe I can find a used GSP. Yeaaaaaa

Chris Miceli wrote:Couldn’t pay me to shoot a 41 with all the current guns on the market or a Victor

Exactly. For $1500 a person could find a used Pardini SP or even a good condition Hammerli 208 among other pistols without the "put some oil on it" reputation.

Yeah, I started with a 41. Sold that for a Hammerli 208. Sold that for a Pardini. Each move was a big step up in reliability & fun.

robert84010 wrote:

Chris Miceli wrote:Couldn’t pay me to shoot a 41 with all the current guns on the market or a Victor

Exactly. For $1500 a person could find a used Pardini SP or even a good condition Hammerli 208 among other pistols without the "put some oil on it" reputation.

Would love to find one at that price

I’m not hung up on the 41 so much now.  However, for some reason I want a nice rimfire that’s not a conversion or ruger.lol.  However, I shoot the heck out of my rimfire conversion.I love it

I believe they charge too much for a pistol with a vowel on the end of the name. There are a lot of "Made in the USA" pistols that will take a shooter to HM. These would all do it.

I’ve got two 41s, and two HSs, a Victor and a Clark conversion. All have excellent triggers. Ive never had any issues with the 41s,  I like one,of the 41smbetter than my 208 and definitely better than either HS. 

MY HSs are fiddley because of no feed ramp.magazines are an issue, and since the gun is no longer made, parts can be an issue.  Not a huge deal, but also, the slide and Mag releases are ackward (backward). 

The only 22s I like better are my Euro Olympic pistols with rwo stage triggers and mag forward design.

That’s reassuring!  I’m hoping to shoot one this week at my league shoot.  I really like the grip angle, I find I struggle with my ruger because of that angle.  The 1911! Fits and feels perfect to me.  I have tendinitis pretty bad in my shooting arm and the wrist angle agrivates it pretty bad.

tuned high standards run flawlessly and shoot very well. key word tuned

Chris Miceli wrote:tuned high standards run flawlessly and shoot very well. key word tuned

We can say that about a lot of 22's.  41 included.  Jerry Kieffer believed the 41 was one of the best when done right.

I just did not care for mine, the trigger was a crisp clean break  at 2  pounds but that's about all I can say. Reliability was extremely poor and for me the ergonomic feel and recovery in TF and RF were nowhere near a 1911 with a Marvel Unit 1 let alone the Pardini SP or Benelli MP90. To me it was just better than my my Ruger MK III with the volquartsen trigger and sear upgrade and the factory magazine disconnecter removed. It was nowhere near that much better to try to compete with it-I would have used the Ruger because it was more reliable!  I'm glad I sold it.

I’m starting to see the chocolate and vanilla debate.  Well I plan to try one and see how I like it.  Won’t take me long to either turn up my nose or fall in love.  Might take a practice night to do it but I’m going to ask and see what happens.  I know a few weeks back a fella i was shooting next to was having fits with his pardini.  We walked to check targets and he said, maybe you should shoot this cursed thing.  I did and promptly cleaned the target!  I swear he was about to throw that pistol down range after that.  Too bad he didn’t offer to sell or give it away..lol

Smiths, like any product go through fits of management directives; their metrics determine your satisfaction. 1960s guns (with cocking indicators)were flawless in my opinion however, their chambers were sometimes tight for modern cci ammo. Bangor Punta guns 1970s Axxxx s/ns were said to be up and down in quality but mine was great. 1990s production were nicely blued,  3 letter s/n like TBCxxxx  had new machines and were good. Took me to Master. 
Subsequent models were parts guns, no longer hand fitted. These were blacked and had edm dot printed s/n and lettering. More issues with those. Doesn't mean you won't get a good one. The 41 is similar to the H208 but actually has newer features. Used 41s used to be common, and relatively inexpensive, no more. Shop around and try some. Don't worry about the barrel lenght. The 7 1/2 are good and the 5 1/2s are heavier. They like cci and rarely run with softer euro ammo or the max tolerance Aguilla.

SMBeyer wrote:

Chris Miceli wrote:tuned high standards run flawlessly and shoot very well. key word tuned

We can say that about a lot of 22's.  41 included.  Jerry Kieffer believed the 41 was one of the best when done right.

But his shooters use a Pardini and a 208s

All of these opinions and 5 dollars will get you a fancy coffee at starbucks;)

+1.
I have a 41 amongst others and it runs just fine and shoots way better than I can hold. You know what they say about opinions....."Opinions are like @'s, everyone has one!" .
Try everything you can lay your hands on, buy what you like and your pocketbook can afford.

bruce martindale wrote:They like cci and rarely run with softer euro ammo or the max tolerance Aguilla.

Bruce, KC made my 41 into a very dependable pistol.  It eats anything now, and I prefer shooting the SK Std+ in it - which feels gentler on the pistol.  It's a shame because I'm well set with CCI SV and SK is double the price.

To the OP, make sure to test a 41 that the owner has made dependable.  If you shoot a Jam-'O-Matic, like mine was at first, you might come away with the wrong impression.

The trick for softer ammo is in the breach block back side radius. It is fixable but you have to remove the rivet that secures it.

The Nelson and Marvel conversions are so good now that with a trigger job, they rival the Euro guns and are likely only restricted by your ability to shoot them well. Well under your budget and identical feel to your 1911 obviously. That said, my 215s and MG-2 are fantastic, reliable, and fun.

Joel

+1 for the 41. Mine ran great when I got it and KC made it even better. Mid 80s example. However......I shoot a Pardini now.