Two Model 41 guns missing the ejector plunger?

[mikemyers]

When I took my S&W Model 41 apart to clean the firing pin and other parts (which turned out to be filthy) the "hook" came off easily, and a totally clogged ejector spring was behind it, completely filled with what looked like old grease. This part of my gun hasn't been cleaned in maybe 7 years, maybe forever. At the time, I didn't notice that there was supposed to be a plunger at the end of that spring.

Yesterday, in helping my brother clean his Model 41, there was also no extractor plunger. We noticed that, while putting the gun back together, and closely examining the instructions on how to do the cleaning.

Question - is there ever any reason to assemble the gun without this ejector plunger? My gun has been shooting since I re-assembled it without the plunger.

Late yesterday I ordered a new plunger and a spare for me and another one for my brother. I'm just curious why the last people who worked on the guns left them out - my best guess is that they got lost, and new parts may not have been available??

 

[rolandj]

Strange how small parts go missing after disassembly of firearms. The spring probably sent the plunger flying off into who knows where!!! Also strange that the spring had enough power to hold the extractor in without the plunger for all those years. The good part of your story is you have a replacement on the way. Read many times about folks disassembling in clear plastic bags so they don't lose parts like that, so it must be good practice to do so.

 

[mikemyers]

Someone in this forum recommended I disassemble guns inside a clear plastic bag sold for cooking turkeys. I got a box of them, and that's what I took my Model 52 apart in. Those springs stayed in place, maybe because I knew they were coming out and my hand covered them.

Yesterday both of us were watching for the spring (the only thing I expected to come out), and the spring only stuck out 1/8" or so. Neither of us saw the plunger come out, and the spring didn't move all that much.... What you wrote makes sense, and we looked all over in case we missed it.

When I took my 41 apart, it was on the kitchen table, and with my hand where it was, had a plunger come out, it should have hit my hand. Maybe you're right, and somehow I didn't notice..... I'm pretty sure though that when we removed the ejector, that should have released the spring, and that's when the plunger should have come out, if it was there..... Anyway, I ordered two new ones for myself, so I will have a spare if I do manage to lose it. Back to my Model 41, I've been shooting it for the past several weeks, without the plunger. It has been working, but the ejector sometimes doesn't, but that was the problem for the past year, long before I took the gun apart for this....

......and all this reminds me of yesterday, taking the rear sight apart on my Model 17 - that plunger is so tiny, if I did lose track of it I would never find it, and ditto for the spring.

 

[Nesmith]

Incorrect reassembly?

It could be that the plunger and spring were installed incorrectly the last time it was taken apart. Installing the plunger first, then the spring, would compress the spring to its normal working length, allowing it to keep the extractor in place. You might want to check the recess for the plunger. If there is not a plunger hiding in the recess, it is a possibility that the original spring was replaced with a longer spring. Just thinking out loud.

 

[rolandj]

This will all be water over the dam soon as you and your brother get the new plungers installed.

 

[mikemyers]

True - I'm visiting with him now, and I hope it arrives before I head home. I might need to spend a day or two more than planned. When I get home, I expect to find my parts, will install within a day or so. I should also find my new parts for the rear sight to get my Model 27 going.

As noted above, I will verify nothing is in the hole for the extractor spring. Who knows, maybe the part is in there, at the bottom.

 

[leinster lad]

As noted above, I will verify nothing is in the hole for the extractor spring. Who knows, maybe the part is in there, at the bottom.

This is what I was thinking. Remember that these are very simple machines. Take your time and get to know how each part works and interacts with other parts in the gun.
Simple, but very cleverly engineered !
Good luck !

 

[kidcom]

Have Plunger Will Travel {:•)

 

[mikemyers]

I'm still going to fix it as soon as I get home, but yesterday afternoon, I took the gun out to my brother's small shooting range, so he could make a video of me shooting it, so I can look for things I'm not doing properly. The gun didn't seem to care one way or another about the plunger - it worked flawlessly.

I shot once, then my brother told me to stop, so we re-did it, and I fired the remaining four rounds. Then we did it again with the second magazine, and I shot off all five rounds. I hope the gun shoots this well after I install the plunger!

 

[leinster lad]

I fitted a Volquartsen Volquartsen Exact Edge Extractor S&W Model 41 extractor to mine a couple of weeks ago.
Looks, fits and feels very nice !
Down at the range and 50 / 50 perfect cycles.

 

[6string]

I used to shoot at the Bullseye matches at Mid-Carolina. Once, and only once, the newly resurrected USC Pistol team (South Carolina!!) made an appearance. Their pistols were a bunch of dirty, neglected M41s and M46s. Literally, every 5 shot string was bogged down with one alibi after another. During lunch, I tried to help them out by field stripping and cleaning their guns.
What a mess! I recall one didn't even have an extractor!
There was a school of thought that extractors in .22 semiautos were unnecessary. The blowback would take the empty back and the ejector would do the rest.

I am not suggesting I agree with the idea, just passing on what was once considered a good practice.
Maybe the same thing with the plunger?

Jim

PS: the USC team was so embarrassed by their dismal showing and lack of preparation that they never came back, nor did I ever hear of them again.

 

[mikemyers]

'6string' --- any logical reason why a person might remove the plunger, but leave the spring?

(As I said earlier, the gun seems to function perfectly with the spring, and without the plunger.)

Maybe years ago, taking out the plunger was "a thing" that shooters did deliberately?

 

[mikemyers]

Are there any special tricks to get all the parts into the gun? With only two hands, it's difficult to get everything lined up to go back into the slide.

The bolt needs to be tapped a little to get it to move. Then there's the spring, the plunger, and the extractor. The first two are looking for a way to go flying. Is there a tool that makes this easier?


Update: I just found this link - will try it his way:
[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9aIFhBFeRI"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9aIFhBFeRI[/ame]

 

[mikemyers]

I fitted a Volquartsen Volquartsen Exact Edge Extractor S&W Model 41 extractor to mine a couple of weeks ago.
Looks, fits and feels very nice !
Down at the range and 50 / 50 perfect cycles.

I have one on order, should be here by early next week. You wrote you shot 50/50 shots with no problems - was your gun doing that before you installed it, or did it improve the performance and eliminate the failure-to-eject problem?

By the way, I used the installation method shown in the video I posted a few responses earlier - looked too simple to be true, but re-assembly really was that easy (once I got all the parts out, and cleaned the slide as best I could). Since then someone has suggested using a drill bit to go into the extractor hole, where I would turn it by hand and hopefully clean out the hole. I think some gun cleaner will help. A tiny q-tip would help, if I knew where to get one - maybe something else would do it even better.

After doing all the work, and installing the new S&W extractor, I still had some FTE problems. Took the gun apart and put in the old extractor, and it still had issues, even more often. I'm hoping the Volquartsen extractor fixes it once and for all. I'm searching for other things to try as well.....