While I don't use my vintage Model 41 for bullseye anymore (eyes, etc), we use it for fast shooting steel plate matches. I have been having an unacceptable number of FTF/light primer strikes, 1-3 per 100 rds. I regularly clean those hidden away internal areas of the pistol including underside of grips. The firing pin/spring moves freely. I generally use CCI/Blaser. Could the hammer be striking the pin before it is completely in battery or possibly the bolt is 'bouncing' off the barrel breach at the moment of firing pin strike. I replaced all our Model 41 recoil spring a couple years ago, it would be an easy fix if that is the problem. Anybody have any ideas? Thanks.

Sharpen the end of the firing pin slightly. They do wear and flatten a bit. Then replace the spring if you still get FTFs.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

Dpsix,

Remove the barrel and drop a round into the chamber. If it does not completely enter the chamber without assistance, so that the rim is seated on the face of the breach, you need to clean the chamber. When you invert the barrel, the round should drop out without any assistance.

New mainspring (hammer spring) is available from Brownells

When I replaced the recoild sprint there was a 2" difference (the old spring had set).

GOing to replace the mainspring this weekend.

Also, I had many FTF with remington match ammo. Nice hard strikes and dented rims. The ammo just sucked.

When I have a light strike, you can bearly tell the case has been struck. The rounds that go off have good solid hits. After a shooting session and I have cleaned the guns (I clean em every time I use em), a loaded round will drop into the chamber and fall out when the barrel is inverted. All three of our 41's have recoils springs lenghts of 4 9/16", I'll order new one's this week. I will remove the bolt and make sure nothing is hidden in the firing pin recess. I'll start taking notice if a certain magazine is to blame, all the mags are numbered. I bought this 41 new almost 50 years ago, I think it was $110 then, and I hate to see it not function as it should. Thanks for the suggestions.

That's a common misperception, don't be fooled by the light imprint on a dud. You may have a light striking hammer but it hits the same every time. It's no different then on the rounds that fired; the "good solid hits" you're seeing are becuase the round went off and was set back hard against the firing pin and breech bolt.

Take a gun that never miss fires and snap the hammer on a fired 22 case but not on the original dent. It will not look like a good sold hit either, it will look just like what you're calling a "light strike".

What happened is that all your strikes are light but right on the "cusp" of the needed impact that will and will not ignite the primer compound. So some go off and some don't.

Try a spring from one of the other guns that has no FTFs. They may be the same relaxed length but not the same compressed strength. If you're gun still misfires after trying each of the other two springs, the spring is not the problem. There's something specific with the gun. Try a firing pin from one of the other guns that doesn't misfire and see if that fixes the FTFs. I think you need to go thru a process of elimination before spending any money on parts.

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Jim
S&WCA #819

The 41 also suffers from the firing pin hitting the barrel when dry fired.

I have seen .22s that do this have a firing pin dent in the barrel deep enough to give FTF because the case isnt supported by the barrel where the firing pin strikes....

Two good points! I haven't seen that on a 41 but I sure have on old Winchester pumps like the 1890 so it could happen to any gun with enough rounds thru it and a strong enough hammer spring or dryfiring.

By the way, what's a shovelwrench?

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Jim
S&WCA #819

To update. Since the FTF have mostly been at 'rapid fire' steel plate matches, I loaded up ten mags, went out back and fired them off as quick as I could pull the trigger. I had 7 FTF with the unfired cases having almost unperceivable firing pin marks. Went back to the house and turned in the trigger overtravel screw, something I don't recall ever messing with. Back outside with the last 40 rounds on hand, fire them off as quickly as possible and no malfunctions. Hopefully problem solved, if not I will post an update. Thanks for the great information.

Very interesting! As if the trigger release was so slight that perhaps the trigger sear was actually dragging on the hammer surface enough to slow down the hammer fall.
I stand corrected about the light firing pin strikes in this case. Almost unperceivable is a very light strike. What led you to turn in the trigger overtravel screw, were you getting failures to release the hammer?
Thanks for the update,

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Jim
S&WCA #819

Many years ago my wife and I shot bullseye. She started having problems with her almost brand new Model 52, trigger pull became lousy, hammer following slide. We discovered that the gun had been adjusted (or not adjusted) without any overtravel, to the point where the sear wouldn't sit flush on the hammer full cock shelf. The hammer and sear were ruined and I replaced them. Many 1000's or rounds went thru the gun afterwards and never another problem. We still have our 52's but rarely use them anymore. Anyway, that's why I turned in the overtravel screw on the 41. I took a WAG and it seems to have worked for whatever reason. Thank you for your interest.