Model 41 stovepipe jams

Mmazz2007 · Apr 22, 2016

Hi all, I am new to forums so please forgive me if I don't know what I am doing.
My wife just inherited a model 41, serial #95xxx. We shot it today and it failed to eject at least once a mag. It was a stovepipe sticking out of the ejection port and it faced left and right at different times. I used CCI standard, American eagle and federal. They all jammed. The gun is in excellent condition and father-in-law never shot it. He had said he didn't shoot it because it jammed a lot.
Thanks

Aussie Collector · Apr 22, 2016

Welcome the the forum. A sad way to receive a gun or anything for that matter.

You will no doubt be recommended to try a drop of oil on the first round in the mag. I personally don't like this as I have seen so many bulged barrels from oil, very unlikely in a 41 but I still don't like it. This can and does fix the problem. The other option is to try wax lubricated ammunition.

There are a lot of things that can cause problems with the 41 or any pistol for that matter. Here are but a few.

Grime, powder, lead, carbon and oil/grease buildup. Strip the gun and clean the slide and slide contact points. Check the recoil rod and spring, cleaning them, buildup can effect the slide action and cause either feeding or ejection problems. Also look for burrs or pitting on the recoil rod. Wipe with a very lightly oiled cloth and put back together.

Dry firing is detrimental to the Model 41 and most .22 caliber pistols for that matter. The problem with dry firing is the firing pin striking the breech face, peening over the edge of the chamber this then contributes to ejection and feeding issues as the case is tight in the chamber. Remove the barrel and look at the chamber for any signs.

Smith & Wesson changed the ejector cut to allow the round to be ejected earlier to reduce the chance of ejection issues. Your model 41 should have the newer shorter cut, still worth checking. The cut on the stop should be in the middle.
Good luck

Ceapea · Apr 22, 2016

Yeah, my 41 (1996 vintage) has been back to S&W twice. It works for a few mags, then starts all sorts of failures. Mostly stove piping, and failure to reset the sear and/or trigger. The gun turns into a single shot pistol after the first round. Then, I need to cycle the slide by hand, just to the point before ejection, to get another round off. Sometimes I even get two or three rounds to fire in succession!!
My 41 is a $900 paper weight. I refuse to sell a non-working, problem ridden gun to someone else. I wish that the previous owner would have felt the same!
I would NEVER own another, nor recommend a Model 41, to anyone!!! I have heard, or read about more problems with that pistol, than I have heard or read about it's accolades. The fact that you have to baby them, and (in my case, when I did manage to get a few mags to run completely through) clean the pistol thoroughly every 50 or so rounds, makes it WAY too finicky for me. I have a Beretta 87 Target that will run hundreds of rounds without a hiccup (no cleaning in those 100's either) as well as an inexpensive Beretta Neos that eats ANY ammo without fail. The 87T will run with the 41 all day long in the accuracy department. Not so much for the Neos. But both will provide countless boxes of trouble free shooting/plinking whereas the 41 CANNOT! Junk!!
Good luck.

Troystat · Apr 23, 2016

Some 41's seem to be troublesome, mine is a very happy camper and does not have any bad behavior, first try a good cleaning and an new recoil spring. There are some good tutorials on tuning the extractor out there you might check that out if the new recoil spring does not fix it. Also try CCI standard velocity that seems to be the least troublesome ammo for most. Good luck these are really nice pistols

Ceapea · Apr 23, 2016

Troystat said:
Some 41's seem to be troublesome, mine is a very happy camper and does not have any bad behavior, first try a good cleaning and an new recoil spring. There are some good tutorials on tuning the extractor out there you might check that out if the new recoil spring does not fix it. Also try CCI standard velocity that seems to be the least troublesome ammo for most. Good luck these are really nice pistols

I'm not sure if you're talking to me, or the OP. Or both. I have a new recoil spring, provided by S&W. No improvement. Also, while I have tried almost 12 different kinds/brands of ammo, CCI SV is what I settled on using after posting about my many problems with this gun. Almost all responses from the forums, and S&W, said to use CCI SV. No improvements.
It does look nice, just sitting there...just not $900 nice.

Barrie · Apr 23, 2016

Have you haad the springs changed and how old are the magazines in this gun as well. I suggest trying a new magazine and see what happens. The spring in it could be tired or dirt is jamming it up as well. Really give it a good cleaning with the new mag also. Yes CCI Sv is the best food for your M41

Mmazz2007 · Apr 25, 2016

Thanks for the replies. The gun has been completely cleaned and we tried different ammo. All the same results. Saw where the chamber could be really tight and it was suggested to put a brass brush in a drill and use it in the chamber. Tried it, didn't make a difference.

Barrie · Apr 25, 2016

You almost have to use CCI SV ammo or Blazer ammo only in this gun. If that dosen't work virtually nothing else will until you figure what is wrong with it. They are the very best food you can ever feed these guns at any time.

Tom S. · Apr 25, 2016

Mmazz2007 said:
Thanks for the replies. The gun has been completely cleaned and we tried different ammo. All the same results. Saw where the chamber could be really tight and it was suggested to put a brass brush in a drill and use it in the chamber. Tried it, didn't make a difference.

Unless the chamber was extremely dirty, this would have no effect. Now if you were to add lapping compound, it could polish out any roughness, but that's not something I world recommend for an inexperienced person.

armorer951 · Apr 25, 2016

If you have an extra old recoil spring you might try removing a coil or two at a time and test fire the gun as you shorten the spring in small increments.
With standard velocity ammo, the gun may operate more reliably with a slightly shorter/weaker recoil spring. The recoil spring in my mid-70's vintage model 41 is approx. 6-7 coils shorter than the new spare OEM spring I have. With this lighter spring, the gun works well with CCI standard velocity ammunition.

Krogen · Apr 26, 2016

Barrie said:
You almost have to use CCI SV ammo or Blazer ammo only in this gun. If that dosen't work virtually nothing else will until you figure what is wrong with it. They are the very best food you can ever feed these guns at any time.

Probably applies to the vast majority of 41s.... However, every pistol is a law unto itself - and mine is an outlaw!

It's a 1967-ish model and CCI SV has always been temperamental in the pistol. This is with any of the 3 barrels. All the typical efforts at cleaning, lubing or re-springing have helped, but not to 100% reliability. What has worked is SK Standard ammo. The lube is quite "greasy" and may have the same effect as the old trick of putting a drop of oil on the top round in the magazine. With SK Standard, my problems vanished. As a bonus, the pistol is more accurate than with CCI SV. Admittedly, I'm hard pressed to benefit from that accuracy when shooting from my hind legs.

Barrie · Apr 26, 2016

I was at my range earlier this evening and was firing my M41 with CCI SV, Even mine had a few stovepipes this evening but I know its getting dirty again. Overall its shoots the best with this brand in it at all times.

johngalt · Apr 27, 2016

Mine was troublesome until I finally sent it back to S&W. They worked their magic, it now runs like a champ with CCI SV.

Model 41 stovepipe jams

Mmazz2007

Aussie Collector

Member

Ceapea

Member

Troystat

Member

Ceapea

Member

Barrie

Member

Mmazz2007

Barrie

Member

Tom S.

armorer951

Krogen

Barrie

Member

johngalt

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