Mod 41

[Dueeast]

Given a choice, would you buy a new/current one? Or, would you buy a very nice shape older model from the 70's ? I have mixed emotions . My concerns are craftsmanship. Thanks.
UPDATE. bought an older one. Now the NJ permit wait

 

[wproct]

Well, the current model will come with a lifetime guarantee, but personally I would buy an older model from someone who would let me shoot it first.

 

[Leonard]

Made my choice and bought an older version with cocking indicator

 

[gmborkovic]

Mr. Leonard, good choice. Keep us posted.

 

[dmar]

From what I've read around here, I'd buy an older one, but like wproct said above, the newer ones will have a warranty. That said, I'm not sure if Smith would warranty an older one, or not?

I bought a late seventies vintage 41 years ago, and it's a very nice shooter. Make sure you have good magazines, that goes a long way on reliable feeding/functioning. I haven't had issues with mine, but I really don't shoot it much anymore. When I do shoot it, I use CCI standard velocity ammo, with factory magazines, and it's good to go. Accurate pistol…

 

[larryofcc]

I own 5 M41's. All different types. Only one has the 7" bbl. and no
cocking indicator. I have never seen one of the new ones so, I cannot make a fair judgement on which ones are best, but the collector in me, told me to buy the older pistols. All are original boxed except my favorite, a 1967 vintage pistol with the sport bbl.
Big Larry

 

[moonsterman]

About 5 yrs ago I bundle a model 41 circa 1983 with a model 66 no dash for $1100 ......good deals can still be found on older guns!!

 

[Yendor357]

I never saw a Model 41 that I didn't like.

If you can't decide whether you want an old one, or a new one, the only sensible thing to do is buy one of each.

 

[Model52guy]

I have 8 of the older ones in every barrel option. I shoot a 5-1/5' heavy most of the time. Looked at some of the new, post 82 models and will stick with the old ones.

 

[teletech]

I don't love the 5.5" heavy barrel version. The field barrel is very nice and I love the 7". I do think the 7" has fewer ejection issues.
The newest one I handled was from the late 90s and looked/felt every bit as good as the older guns, but I don't know how the really new ones are. I have heard the cocking indicator could break sometimes BITD.
All things being equal, I suspect a used gun will be cheaper than new and it will tend to hold it's value better. I don't think I've ever seen one that was less than 95% condition and while I did see a picture of a cracked slide on the 46 and heard of one on a 41, otherwise they are very long-lived guns.
I guess it's possible you could get one with a damaged barrel, so shooting it first would be good. You can also get a new one with a defective barrel, in which case getting S&W to warranty it has been challenging for at least one forum member.
I might know somebody who routinely buys them when found for under $1250 just to shoot and see if the barrel is any better than the ones already owned and then get rid of the "worst" in the stable. Mind you, we are talking about splitting some very fine hairs with a Ransom rest at 50yds.

 

[gdogs]

With what I've seen come out of S&W in the last few years, there is absolutely no way I would purchase a new Mod 41 over an old one in excellent condition.

 

[Hair Trigger]

I never understood the cocking indicator. How can you not know if
it is or isn't cocked?

Mine is from 1985, no indicator, but if you pull the slide back, it's cocked when you let it go forward, and when it cycles, it cocks itself. In reality, the only time it isn't cocked is after you quit shooting, drop the slide and dry fire it for storage.

On the odd squib loads or misfires and the slide doesn't cycle, you should know it immediately.

 

[chief38]

IMHO a vintage M41 will be a much higher quality gun than a new one. Higher quality workmanship, solid walnut grips, deeper and more durable bluing, better sights, better attention to detail and crisp clear roll marks vs printed or laser lettering. Magazines that came with the originals (metal followers) are far and above the thin cheaply made new ones. If you get one with the cocking indicator, add a bonus point too!

The ONLY thing you would give up with a vintage pistol is the lifetime warranty. As long as you check it out carefully, you probably will never need that anyway! The only thing that might give you and trouble at all is the extractor. The Volquartsen part for the M41 is under $20 bucks last time I checked and easy to install. The Volquartsen part is better than the Factory part anyway. That is the ONLY part I have ever replaced on my 1979 model (bought it brand new in '79). Believe me when I say I have shot tens and tens of thousands of rounds through it! CCI standard velocity 40 grain is usually the best performer out of the M41's. They are extremely accurate.

 

[Bastogne71]

Given a choice, would you buy a new/current one? Or, would you buy a very nice shape older model from the 70's ? I have mixed emotions . My concerns are craftsmanship. Thanks.

I would not buy a "new model" 41 unless the price was so low I couldn't turn it down. Even then, I'd trade or sell it for something else. The new models began in 1994 with a three digit alpha numeric serial number starting with "U"

I've owned several older model 41's and none have ever had a problem that would have required a warranty repair. I would think that natural selection would have culled out any problems with a model 41 over the last 50-70 years. The warranty is only meaningful if it something goes wrong and that is much more likely with a new model 41.

My preference is for 1957 to 1969 pistols (pre A's) but i think you would be very happy with any pre 1978 when the cocking indicator was eliminated.

 

[Yendor357]

I don't understand why a warranty is even a contributing factor in the purchase of a Model 41. The chances of a Model 41 having any kind of issue is slim and none. I've shot my first one a lot in the last 40 years. Every so often, I replace the slide spring, and that's it.

I don't know if the following applies, but this is my recent experience with S&W repair: I bought an old used 645. The clip thing under the left grip wasn't correctly in place. The right side safety would not stay put regardless of how much Loc-Tite or super glue was applied. Smith and Wesson paid shipping both ways, corrected the clip thing, and gave me a new safety. $0 charge. I am the very first to complain when S&W drops the ball. But they hit it out of the park with my last experience.

Buy an old one if you like. Buy a new one. They are so good, I predict you won't stop with just one anyway.

 

[ggibson511960]

Maybe it's just me, but laminated grips on any S&W arm scream tacky. Seems like the little things add up, especially on revolvers; fake wood laminated grips, weird scalloped cylinder releases, dog leg cylinder stops, fake barrel shrouds, MIM triggers and hammers. All that said, new S&W pistols shoot more accurately than old ones, but that's my limited comparison exposure.

 

[Dueeast]

Took everyone's advice and bought a used one in excellent condition with the 5.5" barrel. Now the painful NJ permit wait

 

[teletech]

There are more accurate .22s out there, and there are certainly more reliable ones, but the 41 is long on class and is remarkably easy to shoot well, so congratulations on your purchase of an elegant weapon for a more civilized age.

 

[colt_saa]

Given a choice, would you buy a new/current one? Or, would you buy a very nice shape older model from the 70's ? I have mixed emotions . My concerns are craftsmanship. Thanks.

I currently own two with 7 3/8" barrels and cocking indicators.

However these have been in the family for 30 or so years. One belonged to my late father. They are serial numbered 301 apart

If I did not own one today, I could not make your decision without knowing the two prices and the barrel length of the older one

I do like the older barrel with the comp.

If you look at one of those 7 3/8" guns, ask if the owner also has the false muzzle that came with the gun. One or the other usually gets lost with a pistol that is 40+ years old

 

[Dave Lively]

I don't understand why a warranty is even a contributing factor in the purchase of a Model 41. The chances of a Model 41 having any kind of issue is slim and none.

I bought mine in the mid-90s and it locked up during its first trip to the range. The slide was stuck and could not be pulled back. Which is rare with the factory recoil spring but not impossible. Somewhere between slim and none was my gun.

The factory fixed it under warranty. Its always been ammo sensitive but never had another major malfunction since I got it back. And I shoot it a lot.

I have had to send pistols from Browning, Sig, Springfield and S&W back to the factory over the past 40 years. Its not just S&W and its not just recently made guns. It doesn't happen often but without a warranty eventually you will buy a gun that needs service and have to pay for it yourself. Which is annoying but not the end of the world.