Dry Fire a Model 41, 22LR OK, or Not OK

[Decker]

Dry firing a .22 got me a really good deal.

Some idiot thought he could dry fire his SS 10" .22 Match Thompson Contender barrel, and I caught the damage while inspecting it.

I got to buy a $250 barrel for $50, so y'all go ahead and dry fire your .22 pistols because I need some more cheap guns.

On the .22 Match TC barrel, I had to do some VERY CAREFUL concise work with a magnifying hood on my head and a Dremel tool to get rid of the burr on the edge caused by dry firing it (wasn't bad... looked like just a couple of times), but I ended up with one fine .22 Match SS TC barrel for a fraction of what it should have cost.
That burr prevented a round from fully seating in the chamber, so it was actually unsafe until it was removed.

Seriously, you do NOT dry fire ANY .22 for the simple reason that it is a Rimfire, and that should explain exactly why you should not do it. Ever. Not even once if you can help it.

 

[6string]

Hi,
Here's a dry fire device you can make and use with the model 41:

Trash Can Snap Cap for Smith & Wesson Model 41 Target Pistol

It's in common use by many bullseye competitors....

 

[Rowlf]

I compete in Bullseye and International competition and dry fire (and inspect) everything a lot. For 22s a drywall anchor with an edge trimmed off so the extractor can't catch it works ok for some pistols. Larry's Guns Inc in Maine has a dry fire plug for Hammerlis that also works well for other descendant of the Walther Olympia, the M41. (Champion's Choice also sells them) The trash can snap cap works, and you can also make a dry fire protector from a refrigerator advertising or calendar magnet that you get in the mail, the ones like a business card made from plastic magnetic sheet.

Cut and trim the magnet to fit the chamber and slide face but not get caught by the extractor. This will allow the slide to move forward enough to dry fire but provide clearance to keep the firing pin from hitting the chamber if the pin is too long. This probably came from another method where a rubber band is stretched from breech to muzzle to keep the slide slightly off from the breechface, likely from when the military teams were issued M41s for competition.