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Old 04-18-2017, 05:39 PM
growr growr is offline
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Default Dry fire S&W 41

A dear friend of mine has a M41 and was near phobic about NOT EVER dry firing his target pistol and another Master level NRA Bullseye shooter tells me he dry fires his M41 all of the time.....Which is correct on a 41?

Randy
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Old 04-18-2017, 05:52 PM
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I don't believe the model 41 has a recess on the face of the chamber. As such the firing pin keeps striking and potentially peening the face.
Not a good idea. Use a snap cap.
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Old 04-18-2017, 05:59 PM
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It's like smoking. Can you? Yes. Should you? No.
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Old 04-18-2017, 07:40 PM
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I will NEVER Dry Fire mine ever. You just do damage to the firing pin over time. Use something in there like a snap cap or drywall anchor in order to take No chances. These guns cost way too much money to be beatup on stupiditly. Treat them right and you have a lifetime tool.
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Old 04-18-2017, 07:49 PM
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Default Dry firing......

I posted this a while back:

Cock an unloaded 41. Pull the slide back 1/8th inn and slip a narrow piece of paper in to cover the breach face. Release the slide. Now pull the trigger! Retract the slide, remove the paper, note if there is any piercing mark left by the firing pin.

NO MARK OR HOLE!!.....NO harm done by dry firing!

Have fun......Ted.
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Old 04-18-2017, 09:48 PM
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Mine do not go into Battery on a 1/8th inch pull of the slide. Being a 1958 year model I have the small pin in the rear that tells me when it is. Some years may differ?
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Old 04-18-2017, 10:25 PM
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I had a new Model 41 in 1963 that I shot bullseye with in college. As I remember it came with a small (about 4"X5") target for dry fire practice. Since that was over 50 years ago my mind might be playing tricks on me. Any of the serious collectors here remember S&W putting such a target in with the paper work?
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Old 04-18-2017, 10:42 PM
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Originally Posted by 72AV8R View Post
I had a new Model 41 in 1963 that I shot bullseye with in college. As I remember it came with a small (about 4"X5") target for dry fire practice. Since that was over 50 years ago my mind might be playing tricks on me. Any of the serious collectors here remember S&W putting such a target in with the paper work?
Perhaps, but I don't recall seeing a dry fire instructional sheet in a S&W .22 auto box, HOWEVER, back then the designated procedure to protect your .22 firing pin and breech face was to keep a fired brass .22 case in the breech end of barrel at all times ... including in storage or to dry fire (only if you must and feel compelled to dry fire). There is no way a blind man can confuse a fired .22 case with a "live" .22 case which was another old topic of conjecture as to why or why not to keep a fired case in the breech.

Every one of my .22 semi-auto target pistols have a fired .22 case or the .22 cal plastic filler caps in the breech when stored. Only problem is after more than a few pulls the fired .22 case (and the plastic filler caps) do not extract so you have to use a cleaning rod from the muzzle end to push it through.

Do not "pluck" the .22 filler case out with a pen-knife or screwdriver.

Now they make bags full plastic .22 fillers for the breech on semi-auto's and revolvers that are dirt cheap but still have to push them out with a cleaning rod from the muzzle end of the barrel.

If ever in my life, I am considering purchasing a .22 Target pistol or revolver, once I see a misplaced firing pin strike or the breach area (recessed or not) hammered by the firing pin, I place it back down on the table and walk away.
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Old 04-19-2017, 12:11 AM
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Now they make bags full plastic .22 fillers for the breech on semi-auto's and revolvers that are dirt cheap but still have to push them out with a cleaning rod from the muzzle end of the barrel.
Yes. They do. They're called #4 drywall anchors.
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Old 04-19-2017, 06:00 AM
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I (also) would never dry fire my 41.
We could talk about it all day, but its practically a religious thing!
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Old 04-19-2017, 06:07 AM
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Rimfire. Never.
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Old 04-21-2017, 12:23 AM
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Originally Posted by 505Gibbs View Post
As such the firing pin keeps striking and potentially peening the face.
No "modern" rimfire has a firing pin that will reach the chamber edge if the hammer is dropped on an empty chamber. The Model 41 is a "modern" rimfire.

The only potential, but very unlikely, damage is from a broken firing pin that is stopped by its internal stop, rather than by the "soft" rim of a rimfire cartridge when the hammer is dropped.

To each his or her own, but I dry-fire my 1958 Model 41 occasionally, and have for decades without damage.

Last edited by JudgeColt; 04-21-2017 at 12:27 AM.
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Old 04-21-2017, 10:02 AM
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In the FAQ's section on the S&W website there is a warning concerning dry firing rimfire pistols and revolvers. They advise that this can cause damage to the firing pin. As always, some folks follow factory recommendations and warnings, others choose to ignore them.

FAQs | Smith & Wesson
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Old 04-21-2017, 10:07 AM
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I may be old school, but subscribe to the opinion that NO rim-fire hand gun should ever be dry fired without a snap cap.
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