I was flipping through the S&W41 thread and noticed that the factory made barrels for 22 short? What's the scoop on these? How many were made? How well do they function? Where can I get one?

I realize you would probably have to have a new mainspring and magazine.

I'd love to see some pictures of barrels, magazines and targets!

Thanks,
QD

They do exist, I think under the 41-1 designation but that might be wrong. Dave_n

Yes, the .22 short version was the Model 41-1 and you could also get a .22 short conversion kit which consisted of a .22 short barrel, slide, recoil spring, 5 shot magazine, and slide stop/ejector. Neither the gun nor the kit have been made since 1973 and they are quite pricey, if you can find one. There were less than 1,000 Model 41-1 complete guns made. The magazines alone typically sell for $100+.

The .22 short barrels look like any other Model 41 barrel with the exception of the .22 short markings. I believe the 7 3/8” barrel with muzzle brake was the most common barrel in .22 short. Very few 5.5” heavy barrels were made in .22 short. I’ve never seen the 5” field or 5.5” EFS barrels in .22 short but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

If you find a .22 short barrel, you'll need more than just a new spring and magazine to make it work. You'll need the slide and slide stop/ejector too. I believe the slide is aluminum....the lighter weight was needed for the gun to cycle. I believe the barrel and slide also have a protrusion and recess which mate together when assembled and this prevents either from being used with a standard barrel or slide.

I've read that the .22 shorts do function well and are accurate in these guns, but I haven't tried one myself yet.

I have a couple of the 5 shot magazines. Here are a couple of pictures which show the differences between the these mags and the regular Model 41 mags. Regular mag is on top in the first picture and on the right in the second.

Very, very cool. I hope to see some targets!