M41, failure to extract/eject

[DrakeOwens]

You most likely have something in the chamber causing the ammo not to enter but....... and this is a really wild shot, did you happen to check the barrel and make sure it's not a .22 short? Just trying to rule out all possibilities!

Hey Tom! Side of barrel says 22 Long Rifle CTG. Thanks.

 

[Tom S.]

Hey Tom! Side of barrel says 22 Long Rifle CTG. Thanks.

Well - that rules that out then!

 

[DrakeOwens]

Spoke to the gunsmith(you outta see this guy, 6'8" 400lbs of tooth and claw, my .22 feels completely inadequate). Told him all about it and he's going to start with polishing the chamber and using an ironing tool(he didn't call it that) just to be sure. He was very surprised to hear that it handled CCI SV pretty well but failed to extract every time with Federal Target. He is backlogged so he asked me to wait a couple of weeks to bring it in so I'm going shooting tomorrow and Monday. Of course I want to have it working perfectly now but I also want to take things slowly and work on one thing at a time and not muddy the waters by trying several things all at once. Hopefully I can get my hands on an extractor spring in the next few weeks.

 

[leinster lad]

The edges of the extractor ramp look a bit beaten up as well.
Could be hindering the smooth operation of the extractor claw.
The "ripple" on the ramp should def be polished out, and a really good clean of the chamber with a wire brush should see an unfired round just drop in.
As I said before, I have heard that some people have put a .22 brass brush in a cordless drill and given the chamber a good rotary scrubbing.

Gently does it !

 

[DrakeOwens]

The edges of the extractor ramp look a bit beaten up as well.
Could be hindering the smooth operation of the extractor claw.
The "ripple" on the ramp should def be polished out, and a really good clean of the chamber with a wire brush should see an unfired round just drop in.
As I said before, I have heard that some people have put a .22 brass brush in a cordless drill and given the chamber a good rotary scrubbing.

Gently does it !

Hi leinster lad. I tried that thing with the wire brush on a drill and it did indeed fix the issue with the rounds not falling all the way into the chamber. Unfortunately it did not fix the failure to extract problem. I'm still waiting for parts, the extractor spring is out of stock everywhere I look. Does anyone know if it's possible to get them directly from S&W? I can't find them on their webpage(navigating their store page is awful) but I did buy a nice pistol case! Hope that the winter weather in WA isn't keeping you away from the range. BTW are you originally from leinster and do you still follow the Boys in Blue? Thanks.

 

[Tom S.]

Hi leinster lad. I tried that thing with the wire brush on a drill and it did indeed fix the issue with the rounds not falling all the way into the chamber. Unfortunately it did not fix the failure to extract problem. I'm still waiting for parts, the extractor spring is out of stock everywhere I look. Does anyone know if it's possible to get them directly from S&W? I can't find them on their webpage(navigating their store page is awful) but I did buy a nice pistol case! Hope that the winter weather in WA isn't keeping you away from the range. BTW are you originally from leinster and do you still follow the Boys in Blue? Thanks.

The gun is still in production through the custom shop, so if you call S&W, they "should" be able to hook you up with a spring.

Glad you got the chamber issue resolved!


EDIT: There is an extractor and spring listed on GB. $30 - a bit stiff (no pun intended) but if the problem turns out to be the extractor, you'd kill two birds with one stone.

 

[DrakeOwens]

The gun is still in production through the custom shop, so if you call S&W, they "should" be able to hook you up with a spring.

Glad you got the chamber issue resolved!


EDIT: There is an extractor and spring listed on GB. $30 - a bit stiff (no pun intended) but if the problem turns out to be the extractor, you'd kill two birds with one stone.

Uhhh, what's GB?

 

[Tom S.]

Uhhh, what's GB?

GunBroker.com

 

[DrakeOwens]

Took a look at the one on Gun Broker, I'll try calling S&W tomorrow. Thanks.

 

[DrakeOwens]

I just got off the phone with S&W and they are sending me a new extractor spring and it was FREE!!!

 

[leinster lad]

Let us know how this unfolds Drake.
I'm glad that you got the tight chamber issue fixed easily.
Like I said before, "blow-back" operated pistols work when a variety of factors come together in a balanced way.
Sounds like yours has a number of different "imbalances", and you have solved one of them.
Keep at it, it will be worth it
BTW kudos to S&W for supplying the spring for free.
I have heard that the Volquartsen extractor claws are the best.
Midways have them here...

Volquartsen Exact Edge Extractor S&W Model 41

for about 12 bucks.

Would be well worth getting one ( or two )
I would love one, but unfortunately they don't ship to Aus.....

 

[Rowlf]

The Volquartsen extractor is better than the S&W but still needs fitting. It touches the brass closer to the rim but could be fit better with a spot of weld on the leg that fits in the bolt face. The backside also needs to be relieved if you want the extractor to be able to cam over a round in the chamber.

 

[Barrie]

Drake it won't belong until you will have this gun working like a brand new one. Good for you.

 

[TheoW]

Drake...When you have the bolt out, the firing pin removed and the extractor disassembled, wash the bolt recesses with naptha. After reassembly, a live round should be held on the bolt face by the extractor and NOT SHAKE LOOSE! Reassemble the gun. At the range, insert a FULL magazine, pull the slide back, allow it to move forward slowly to pick up a round and and insert that round into the chamber without any problem.

Good luck!,
Ted.

 

[kidcom]

Drake...have you considered taken the ultimate step and that is to disassemble the 41 down to the last screw, thorough clean every part then reassemble it? You'll be amazed as to how well your 41 will function after doing it. When you purchase an older 41 and disassemble it, you'll find that a lot of crud has accumulated inside these pistols.

Album Archive - S&W Model 41 Disassembly
Album Archive - S&W Model 41 Assembly

 

[DrakeOwens]

We got the bad news over the weekend that the Chabot Gun Club in Castro Valley, CA is going to close on Labor Day. We lost our lease because the East Bay Regional Parks District demanded millions of dollars for an unnecessary lead abatement program(pure politics, pure something at least). I started going to the club on my tenth birthday with my dad in 1965. Since I moved back to the US from New Zealand to take care of my dad, he and I have been going regularly. At 87 he doesn't shoot anymore but we really enjoy going to the club together. When the club closes I will be taking my Model 41 to my gunsmith(Imbert and Smithers in San Mateo) for a thorough cleaning, recoil spring, new extractor and extractor spring(kudos to S&W for sending an extractor spring free of charge!). I will have put about 10,000 rounds through it so far this year. Then dad and I will be going to the San Leandro Rifle and Pistol Range, adequate but not nearly as beautiful as the Chabot Gun Club. I'll have to wait to see what effect the work at the gunsmith has on my problems. The weird thing to me is that it only happens with the first one or two rounds and yesterday I noticed that it is more likely to happen when the pistol is cold. Once a few rounds have been fired no problems but if I leave it sitting for a few minutes like during target change then the first couple of rounds may be a problem. It's weird. Anyway if you're local to the San Francisco Bay area and want to say good by to one of the most beautiful ranges around our last day will be Labor Day Sept. 5th.