ammo for M41 pistol

[heinzjuergen]

Since more than thirty years I have used two M41 for our German sports-pistol competitions. I have read al lot about the ammunition it requires. Mine shoot dependable only with REMINGTON TARGET. CCI seems to be the standard, but these also stay in the barrel or get squeezed in between, what is very frustrating during a competition. Remington seems not to be imported at the moment to Germany. Does anybody have similar problems with his M41? Heinz

 

[RGVshooter]

Hello, and welcome from Texas!

I stopped using Remington after encountering problems with them leading my barrel and inconsistent reliability with their .36grs golden bullets. I use a S&W Victory .22 pistol and I have friends that use the model 41 and we all mostly use Federal American eagle, Federal champion standard velocity or CCI mini mags. Even federal Auto Match works very well.... If I had to choose just one, I would pick federal American eagle .40grs solid standard velocity

 

[Barrie]

Heinzjuergen Welcome to the Forum from Canada also. Glad to have you with us. Usually CCI SV is the standard for the m41's. The vast majority of us do not shoot the Remington brand at all in them as they are a very dirty bullet to use and cause leading in the barrel also. I would suggest cleaning your gun really good, especially the barrel for any lead and re=try the CCI-SV again.

 

[Bullseye 2620]

Heinz,

Something is obviously not working correctly.

Eley maintains two test ranges in Germany, one in Munich, and the other in Fellbach, near Stuttgart. My advise is to contact the range manager, Denis Weingart, and make an appointment to have your Model 41 tested with several different batches of Eley competition ammunition, 40 grain, standard velocity and pressure (see example below). No competitor in the US whom I know would ever use high velocity ammunition in a Model 41. It is not good for the pistol, and is rarely as accurate as standard pressure ammunition.

You may reach Herr Weingart here: Germany - ELEY .22LR Ammunition

Welcome to the Forum!

 

[Old_Cop]

I used RWS R50 in the late 80s when the USAR was paying the bill. Excellent ammo.

 

[heinzjuergen]

Heinz,

Something is obviously not working correctly.

Eley maintains two test ranges in Germany, one in Munich, and the other in Fellbach, near Stuttgart. My advise is to contact the range manager, Denis Weingart, and make an appointment to have your Model 41 tested with several different batches of Eley competition ammunition, 40 grain, standard velocity and pressure (see example below). No competitor in the US whom I know would ever use high velocity ammunition in a Model 41. It is not good for the pistol, and is rarely as accurate as standard presssure ammunition.

You may reach Herr Weingart here: Germany - ELEY .22LR Ammunition

Welcome to the Forum!

It feels great to have such a friendly an prompt answer, thank you so much.

 

[heinzjuergen]

Heinzjuergen Welcome to the Forum from Canada also. Glad to have you with us. Usually CCI SV is the standard for the m41's. The vast majority of us do not shoot the Remington brand at all in them as they are a very dirty bullet to use and cause leading in the barrel also. I would suggest cleaning your gun really good, especially the barrel for any lead and re=try the CCI-SV again.

thank you so much for your prompt advise. Most of shoot CCI. I had super results from the German SK Schönebeck, but suddenly it failed too.

 

[heinzjuergen]

Hello, and welcome from Texas!

I stopped using Remington after encountering problems with them leading my barrel and inconsistent reliability with their .36grs golden bullets. I use a S&W Victory .22 pistol and I have friends that use the model 41 and we all mostly use Federal American eagle, Federal champion standard velocity or CCI mini mags. Even federal Auto Match works very well.... If I had to choose just one, I would pick federal American eagle .40grs solid high velocity

Thank you so much. Most of use CCI. I had super results with the German SK Schönebeck, but it suddenly failed too.

 

[824tsv]

I used RWS R50 in the late 80s when the USAR was paying the bill. Excellent ammo.

I second RWS Pistol Match 40 grain target ammunition. It's rated at 1000FPS and runs fine in all my .22's It's also very clean.

 

[Bullseye 2620]

I had super results from the German SK Schönebeck, but suddenly it failed too.

This further suggests to me that there is a mechanical problem involved, perhaps involving the need for a good cleaning. In any event, the people at Eley can certainly disassemble and inspect the pistol, and clean it, before testing.

I don't know your level of mechanical skill, but here is a link to three excellent sets of instructions on field stripping, complete disassembly, and reassembly of the Model 41, with step-by-step photographs to show you what to do.

See: http://smith-wessonforum.com/s-w-sm...-picture-enlarging.html?532242=#post139719147

 

[heinzjuergen]

M41 ammo

Thank you so much,
in a short time I have received so many helpful posts. I might seem stubborn, but I have tried about every sort of ammo in this pistol. I DOES shoot reliably only with Remington. I is also kept really clean and looked after for more than thirty years. Maybe it is the Year those two pistols are built.(1974).

 

[Barrie]

No the year should not have any bearing on what is happening now but I personally suspect some leading is going on from the Rem ammunition and giving you grief. I think I would let the good folks at Eley have a look at it if you live not too far from their locations in Germany. They may have very strong lead cleaners on hand which can make quite a difference on how it shoots.

 

[Troystat]

You did not say how many rounds you have put through the pistol but it might be time for a new recoil spring and possibly an extractor. If everything is right with the pistol it should not be that fussy about ammo. Good luck

 

[Ed Fowler]

I switched to Norma TAC-22 and could not be happier, the black box is more accurate than the white in my Mod 41. Shot about 3,000 rounds in the last three months and not one dud, jam, hot round, just consistent honest ammo. Can be purchased on sale for less than $35 a brick.

 

[625smith]

I have a model 41 that also likes Remington target. I can not get CCI SV to work in this 41. I have tried CCI, Eley, Aguila standard velocity with no success.

 

[Forty1]

Since more than thirty years I have used two M41 for our German sports-pistol competitions. I have read al lot about the ammunition it requires. Mine shoot dependable only with REMINGTON TARGET. CCI seems to be the standard, but these also stay in the barrel or get squeezed in between, what is very frustrating during a competition. Remington seems not to be imported at the moment to Germany. Does anybody have similar problems with his M41? Heinz

Heinz, I've done tons of testing with my 41 and have read loads of suggestions found online. I believe the problem is the tight tolerance at the breach of the barrel, which needs to be immaculate (and probably polished to enlarge the chamber).

Higher velocity ammo, like the Remington you're using, tends to cycle better because there's more energy behind it when ejecting. Although, it's not recommended by S&W. I've been using VFG pellets, Kroil and some of the JB bore polishes and compounds to clean the breach and that's given me the best results with std. velocity ammo like CCI.

I've gone through all the other suggestions such as springs, firing pins, VQ extractor etc. The biggest improvement in FTFs has come from polishing the breach. Hope that helps.

 

[Ed Fowler]

I have found that it does not take much polishing, just dip a brush in rubbing alcohol and make a couple of passes, then a dry patch followed with some lube (I use bore butter) and all is well. My favorite ammo for my mod 41 is now Norma Tac-22, 2,000 rounds and not one problem, it just shoots and is very consistent.

 

[Barrie]

HeinzJuergen let us know what you discover as we all would like to see your gun shooting correctly for you like ours do. None of enjoy a sick M41 pistol at any time.

 

[chief38]

CCI SV 40 grain is basically the go-to choice for M41 owners. It's the most accurate, consistent and reliable mass produced rimfire ammo IMHO.