I bought a new 41 a year ago and it took 3 trips back to S&W--and almost a 4th--to get the kinks worked out. In my case, the trigger guard would stick in the open position, and it couldn't be closed. It also had a lot of feeding problems at first, perhaps owing to its newness. In any case, it's now working like a top--probably 1k rounds without a hiccup.
A couple of months after buying the new one, I bought a 79 vintage (right after they'd stopped putting the cocking indicator in)--the 7 & 3/8 barrel. It shot well at first, but then wouldn't go through a mag without several ftfs. I ended up sending it to David Sams and he gave it a thorough treatment--relined barrel, machined the breech face, reworked the safety, and it has probably 1500 rounds through it w/o a hiccup. Both guns are more accurate than I am. David Sams sent along the test target for the '79 and had 3/4 inch or less groups at 50 yards with a fixed rest.
If I got a new 41, then, I'd try to get it at a dealer so that you can to a field strip--or let them do it--to make sure that the trigger guard functions properly. It's been a common problem.
If I got an older one, I'd try to pay less than 1k for it so that you can send it to a good smith in case it needs work. I do like the older ones, especially in the 7 inch barrel. They're fabulous pistols once you get them dialed in.
