Model #41 Jams

[Josh33]

I have a new #41 and from the start it would jam with the spent case jammed between the top strap and the live round try to chamber. This would require the spent case to be pryed out to clear the jam. CCI standard would only make it do it more often. The gun has been sent in to the factory twice. The last time back it worked great for about 500 hundred rounds. It has now started to not eject the first fired round out of the clip. This only requires racking the slide to clear it. It will then eject all the following rounds. I have four clips and it does it with all four.

Any help on solving this problem would be greatly appreciated.

 

[pawncop]

Welcome from Texas Josh33. Great forum for all things S&W, have fun, learn lots, share what you know.

Lots of possible causes for your malfunctions. Ammo can be a big reason, extractor problem, chamber size.

Would recommend a reliable gunsmith to evaluate the problem and if it is something major send it back to S&W.

Any mechanical device can have problems so this is not a ringing criticism of S&W but it is sure irritating to pay as much for the gun and it not be right.

 

[novalty]

Greetings from Maine. Welcome aboard!

Post your question over in the Semi-auto section, and you'll get more views. Also check out RimFireCentral.com.

 

[rbert0005]

I don't know what you mean when you say " not eject the first fired round out of the clip"

What is a clip, and what does it have to do with fired rounds?

I was told many years by and old 41 shooter to "put a drop of oil on the tip of the first round in the mag".
I don't have a clue as to why it does, but it worked like a charm for me.

Bob

Bob

 

[jstanfield103]

I have a S&W Model 41 with three different barrels. I had the same problem, took several steps to try and correct it. Finally a guy told me that it was a common problem, that the 41 were so tight in tolerance that they were prone for stove piping the way you explained. He told me to buy a 22 match reamer and ream the cylinder of the barrels. I have done that on the two barrels that I was having problems with and have put several rounds through them and no more problems. I now have a 41 that is a pure joy to shoot.

this is the reamer he recommended and that I did buy, and it is the one that I used.

.22 LR "BENTZ" SEMI-AUTO MATCH REAMER - Brownells

 

[BoDog]

With 41s you have to be a clean freak, I remove the barrel and clean it with brake cleaner and the rest of the gun with with qtips and
brake cleaner, then relubricate. Do the same with the magazine.
Tollerances on my 41 allow that to work.

 

[Constrictor]

I know this is an old thread but I have a smith 41 that jambs. I bought the reamer and the first step fits right in the barrel and is loose enough to cut nothing. Any ideas? The reamer also has a 3/8" step I'm not sure what would be used for.

I have a S&W Model 41 with three different barrels. I had the same problem, took several steps to try and correct it. Finally a guy told me that it was a common problem, that the 41 were so tight in tolerance that they were prone for stove piping the way you explained. He told me to buy a 22 match reamer and ream the cylinder of the barrels. I have done that on the two barrels that I was having problems with and have put several rounds through them and no more problems. I now have a 41 that is a pure joy to shoot.

this is the reamer he recommended and that I did buy, and it is the one that I used.

.22 LR "BENTZ" SEMI-AUTO MATCH REAMER - Brownells

 

[Barrie]

Try the drop of oil trick as I have seen it work on a no. of 41,s including my own. Hopefully it will help you also.

 

[civil1977]

I would put the reamer down. You can't put metal back on once it's removed. Makes me recall some old advice....always cut or modify the cheapest part first. That barrel is probably $300 by itself.

There are many other things to check or try.

1 Have you replaced the recoil spring?
2 How about a detailed strip and clean? Check for broken or worn parts. Oil and reassemble.
3 Remove the barrel and thoroughly clean the chamber. Then do the drop test by holding the barrel muzzle down and dropping a loaded cartridge into the chamber....it should fall completely in. Then turn the barrel over and the cartridge should fall out. If this doesn't work, the chamber is not clean.
4. What ammo are you using? These guns are pickey but most run well on CCI Standard Velocity.

 

[Barrie]

I totally agree with what Civil 1977 has written. Has to be very clean and the correct spring as well. CCI standard is the ammo to use as well and leave the rest alone.

 

[BDH]

I would presume a precision bolt-action rifle can get away with a tight chamber. A semi-auto needs a little bit more clearance which is why your reamer rattles around. Just return the reamer to Brownell's. My 41 is very picky about cleanliness and always runs better when keep it very clean.
Bruce

 

[dpettini]

Reamer fixed it, a small burr

Thanks for posting this -- got the reamer from Brownells --- used to have jams 1 in 10, tried the springs, cleaning, lube, and the other recommendations, didn't change the issue much. After using the reamer I put 350 rounds of standard velocity match ammo through it with no issues(one dud).

 

[jsolo61654]

Hi All:
I recently purchased a S&W 41 PC and thought I'd share my observations and thoughts.

First and foremost, I am not a gunsmith, nor am I a very accomplished shooter. I am what some call a "bullseye" shooter as my only goal is accuracy - that's my challenge. I'm the guy who buys all those expensive, over priced guns (while many of you wonder why anybody would pay so much for a gun... LOL)
and then spend countless hours shooting - in the hopes of putting an entire magazine of ammo through the same hole....!
Yeah right.... LOL

In any event; out of the box I was very disappointed with the 41. I could not get through a single magazine without an FTF, FTE, or stovepipe. I tried every type, and manufacturer of ammo I could (SV, HV), etc. Naturally I sent the gun back to S&W for repair. S&W was very responsive - they are excellent in that respect. I got the gun back in about 2 weeks with a note that they "polished the bore", replaced the extractor, and range tested the gun.

I shot the gun the next day.... same problem!
Could not get through a single magazine without a failure of some sort.
Talk about aggravating....!

I did finally solve the problem.....
Here are my observations and solutions.

1. It takes NO LESS than 1000 rounds to break in this gun. The tolerances are very very close and it takes time to break it in.

2. This gun MUST be "operating room clean" to operate properly.. .22 ammo is, as we all know,"dirty", and this gun simply will not tolerate it. Gotta keep it clean.

3. I found that the chamber is very tight. My gun would not pass the "plop test"... I had to lightly push the round in the camber to get it seated in the bore, and use a toothpick to get it out. My solution was to put a .22 Cal brass bore cleaner in my drill and run it in the first 1-inch of the bore for a few minutes... problem solved. I also polished the ramp which the bullet rises up on to enter the bore (forgive my lack of the technical terms).

These things seem to have resolved my problem!
I just finished shooting 300 rounds of CCI Standard Velocity LR ammo through the gun.... I did not have a single failure.

After cleaning it, I then shot another 200 rounds of ELEY .22 Match Pistol ammo through it. Not a single failure.

In fact; from a standing position, I shot 100 rounds of the CCI through a 1-inch hole from 7 yards. For me... that's pretty awesome.

Anyway; my conclusion is that this is most accurate rim fire gun I have ever owned and; was worth the absurdly high price.
I just takes a little time, patience, and TLC to get it where it should, and can, be.

Thanks for listening!
I hope this info is helpful to someone out there!

 

[andyo5]

You might try using a chamber brush to get any accumulation out of the chamber.

 

[Silent Running]

Just got a new Model 41 3 days ago.....

Sooo

Here is the deal. After 1 sessions of shooting 200 rounds of CCI standard velocity one day. Clean pistol... Day 2 shot 50 rounds to start....Then....The Model 41 functioned flawlessly.....no jams, no failure for ejects, no failure to feeds.....The Model 41 ran like a dream the next 250 rounds......

So I say to all.....these guns work.
Model 41 is a very tightly build pistol......I needs to be broken in........After that the pistol functions flawlessly...

 

[Silent Running]

Still functions Flawlessly....