Rick H.
Member
I have a different thought process on the debate about which M41 to buy old vs. new. I initially listened to the comments on several forums about the rotten QC of the new M41's so I bought a very nice looking older one. It was nothing short of a nightmare for me and ended up as a very expensive paperweight. Threw money into by having it worked on but nothing seemed to really fix the issue so I sold it at a loss and swore I would never own another one. Fast forward several years and Smith and Wesson comes out with the PC Model 41 and I fell in love with the looks. They were kind of scarce at first, but I ordered one sight unseen. I waited for a while and one finally came in and I took it home and gave it a good cleaning then went to shoot it. By the third round out I knew I had a problem child once again. I utilized my lifetime warranty and sent the pistol back to the Mothership after contacting them. S&W paid for everything but my gas to get the pistol to FedEx. I waited about 6 weeks and the pistol was returned to my doorstep in pristine condition with a handwritten note stating they replaced the slide stop release lever and test fired it.
I have probably put 750 or more rounds thru that pistol to date and it has been flawless. I take good care of it and clean it after every use. The pistol shoots far better than I do and the top rail makes it super easy to mount a red dot. I use an SRO on mine.
If you do buy a used one make absolutely sure you have right of return on it if it doesn't function as expected. Most dealers won't want to let you return it, but there are some that will. Seek those dealers out and work with them. They want your business, not just your money. If you buy one locally and are unfamiliar with the pistol have the dealer show you how to field strip the pistol and put it back together. Some M41's can be difficult in this regard, usually relating to a tight trigger guard.
Good luck...
Rick H.
I have probably put 750 or more rounds thru that pistol to date and it has been flawless. I take good care of it and clean it after every use. The pistol shoots far better than I do and the top rail makes it super easy to mount a red dot. I use an SRO on mine.
If you do buy a used one make absolutely sure you have right of return on it if it doesn't function as expected. Most dealers won't want to let you return it, but there are some that will. Seek those dealers out and work with them. They want your business, not just your money. If you buy one locally and are unfamiliar with the pistol have the dealer show you how to field strip the pistol and put it back together. Some M41's can be difficult in this regard, usually relating to a tight trigger guard.
Good luck...
Rick H.
