I am completely new to this forum and to pistol shooting. I am in Australia where it takes quite a while to get a hand gun licence.

I have recently purchased a Smith & Wesson Model 41 with serial number A214992. Can any one decode that serial number for me?

Welcome from the mid-summer part of the world! .

S & W semi-automatic pistols of the modern era (1950s on) started out with serial numbers with digits only. In 1970 the letter A was added at about number 115,000. Your number indicates it was made in 1973, but the factory tracks "birth dates" by the time that it shipped or sold and left the factory, which may not coincide with the production date.

There are several model 41 fans here from your area and they may be along shortly. Enjoy!

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

Larry1954 Welcome to the Forum from Canada. You bought one of the best target pistols in the world and will enjoy shooting it. We highly recommend CCI-SV ammunition for it. Never use High output ammo in this gun as you do not need it and it only beats the gun up for NO reason at all.

Many thanks for the welcomes. And thanks, Alan, for that information about the year of manufacture of the gun.

I figured that the gun might not be a recent production year. I bought it from a deceased estate and whoever owned may have owned it for some time and obviously did not part with it by choice.

Thanks for your advice, Barrie, about ammunition. Yes, I have been using CCI SV and that is the ammunition they use and recommend at our local pistol range.

I does seem a fine gun and I have so far enjoyed shooting it. I wondered whether it would feel a bit heavy at first, but that does not seem to bother me.

Larry there is a weight inside the end of the barrel which can be removed quite easily. I also have a false Nose on mine which changes the weight sligthly behind it. As my barrel is from 1958 its a 7 and 3/8" long barrel. The longest one ever produced for it and I like the balance of it myself. You will have many great years of shooting pleasure out of your M41 as they were built to last almost forever.

Thanks for that information, Barrie, about adjusting the weight of the gun.

I have not had any serious problems with the gun so far, except sometimes it fails to feed, but I think that may be the magazine and I will need to buy some more magazines for it anyway (only have the one).

As a novice pistol shooter I am still trying to improve my accuracy. From what others at the pistol club have told me and from what I have read the problem is probably jerking the trigger which means the gun moves in the course of the shot, but that is apparently a common problem with novices. Some say that you should practice dry firing to improve your trigger technique, so I have ordered some snap caps for that.

As said, Should be 1973

I can say that Serial No A1947xx shipped in August 1973

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Sceva
OGCA SWCA NRA

Thanks for that, sceva.

Congrats Larry and welcome to the forum. As Barrie said, you acquired a fine pistol. Enjoy.....

I have recently purchased a Smith & Wesson Model 41 with serial number UEH3123. Can any one tell me what year it was manufactured?

Thanks

Here's fodder for those who like the guessing game:

#28447 was shipped September 16, 1961----regular, everyday Model 41.

#A132971 was shipped June 11, 1971----extendable front sight variation.

#A 304813 was shipped January 31, 1977----Model 41-1 (and part of the last production group manufactured---also known as "Special Production Variation"----also known as made up from parts about to be scrapped).

Oh, and for those who have neither the time nor the inclination for the guessing game, get a letter.

Ralph Tremaine

And now that you have me posting on a two year old thread, you may have better luck starting a new one.

HI, I am selling a few guns for a neighbor whose husband recently passed away. One is a S&W 41 and I need to know the date of manufacture. Looks like a 5 1/2" barrel, serial is A670857, when would this have been produced? Looks to be new, not a mark on her but only has 1 magazine. Unfortunately for me her son took lots of stuff back to his home in NJ (we are in GA) so no idea if there were more mags or even paperwork, all I have is the gun, 1 mag and the box. Any idea of value? Thanks, Jim G