S&W Model 41 Bolt questions

Having recently added a used 1978/79 S&W Model 41 to my target pistol collection, upon tear-down, cleaning and examination I have a few questions for the community.

The extractor hits the cartridge case a good distance up from the rim with the stock extractor. Is it a common procedure to fill and make a new pocket in the right side of the bolt to move the extractor tip to the junction of the rim and case of the cartridge for better ejection? (Middle arrow on attached picture) Did S&W have problems with extractor tolerances during production?

The headspace on the bolt seems very deep. Is it common to machine it to a shallower headspace for target ammunition? (Right arrow)

The bolt in my pistol and in some pictures of slides I have found in other forums shows the bolt face extended from the surrounding slide. Is this common or a production anomaly from drilling the bolt pin hole without having the bolt flush with the slide? (Left arrow)

The documentation that came with my Clark barrels talked about the alignment of the bolt and the barrel.  My plan is to send my back-up M41 to KC for his magic just to make sure..

Sa-tevp wrote:The extractor
The headspace on the bolt seems very deep.
The bolt in my pistol and in some pictures of slides I have found in other forums shows the bolt face extended from the surrounding slide. Is this common or a production anomaly from drilling the bolt pin hole without having the bolt flush with the slide? (Left arrow)

Extractors: It has a job to preform..Whether it's a 41, a Pardini or 1911.. Moving the extractor back is almost always required . The old trick on 41 's is to bend it, which locates the hook closer to the rim..Not exactly precise, and causes the hook to dig into the case. The hole in the breech block is what I use.. Remove metal from the rear of the extractor right angle "dog leg" which fits in to the hole, and tig a small dot on the front.. Adjust this process to get the desired position of the hook.
Headspace is always on the high side on production pistols... I showed a 41 in yesterdays picture at .050.  When shooting Eley, this block would have .009 headspace. Too much. Grind it off to aleast .043 which is a good basic depth.  
The step shoulder on the top of the breechblock should support and absorb the  repetitive impact forces.. If the pin is subjected to these forces it will break..Nearly all breechblocks extend beyond the slide face.. After many thousands of rounds, the constant impact imprints the barrel face, but is usually not a problem.

Thanks Jerry.

I figured if I could be specific on the questions I could elicit some answers. I just measured the step shoulder on the top of the breechblock to the slide at 0.004" gap. Looks like this pistol needs to see a BE gunsmith with the proper fixtures and tools. While researching the Model 41 I saw reports of few broken bolt pins on the Rimfirecentral and S&W forums.

All-in-all the Model 41 reminds me of comments about Jaguar XKE cars in the 1960's, that it was a $5000 car that would have been a great $6500 car if they had made them well. I plan to stick with smoothing out the M41 since I like the trigger, the balance with the 5.5" heavy barrel and the recoil.

Stephen

I really like Jaguars..wish I could buy a new one for $6500..
"edited for clarity"

Be carefull of what you ask for.

Mark IIs can be fun.

Quikdraw,

Yes, Mk II Jags can be fun, if you are a masochist!

Jerry

This is a rather new 41. The factory issues are many. I thought I would show some of the problems, and remedies that the 41 can benefit from. I think it is a great platform for 22 bullseye. BUT like anything mass produced in a factory, it will often need corrective measures. Some areas very important to function..
Below is a firing pin with TWO return springs.. Two is better than one, right??? Evidently the factory worker thought so.. Actually probably picked up one, but two had gloved together, and went unnoticed.

This  gun had major extraction, ejection problems.. The 22 rim is small, and it does not take much misalignment of the ejector to cause failures.  Here the ejector pocket in the slide is milled out to provide more upward travel.

The ejector often just rests on top of the magazine, and is short of making full contact with the case.. Here I have placed a small dot of tig on the bottom of the ejector bar, raising it higher into the new pocket we machined.. This weld is then faced off to place the ejector in full contact with the case..
I can't say enough about the effectiveness of the adjustment.

Close observation shows displacement of metal.. It is being caused be the slide dragging on the magazine disconnect safety.. Friction of any and all kinds is a killer for automatic weapons..

Here the offending area of the safety has been dressed off.

Highly polished smooth and friction reduced

The firing pin tip, shows a significant burr. This is removed and all edges smoothed and polished.  As the firing pin attempts to displace the brass, the brass must be able to 'flow' or move out of the way and allow the pin to penetrate.

The shaded part of the firing pin is a step machined on the tip. The outer edge of the rim will collapse upon itself: double up: stack solid and prevent the pin from penetrating any deeper.  This relief overcomes that and allows the pin to continue to penetrate a few thousands more.

Breech block truing and head space adjusted, along with firing pin protrusion.

The trigger transfer bar is being machine to allow better re rest and slightly more pre travel.

Factory hammer.. I guess a portion of a  half cock notch is better than none..

New hammer and strut, polished and ready to go.

Wow Jerry.  This gun was a disaster.  Some of those parts should have never made it into the assembly bins.

Jerry,
Thanks for posting the pictures.

A friend has a late 1980's/early 1990's model and we were surprised comparing the insides of the two pistols. His has many cast parts and several frame dimensions are different, such as in the hammer area.