Model 41 (1971) – Slide Doesn’t Lock Back – Follower Wear?

[Rick H.]

Phil: Probably 20 or so years ago I had a Swiss made P-210 with the heel release magazine setup. I bought it for a song from a local gun store. It was in really nice shape and I liked the pistol for what it was and condition it was in. Unfortunately, it came with only 1 magazine. I went on the hunt for a few extra mags and discovered the going price at the time was $125 to $150 dollars for them. I just couldn't see spending that kind of money on magazines for a pistol I couldn't use much if at all. I ended up selling the pistol and used the money to buy a very nice Model 52 that came with 3 magazines.

A few years later I did latch onto a P-210 Legend German made pistol with 3 magazines that had the push button mag release. That pistol was much more user friendly and I still have it along with 3 of the American made P-210's in various flavors. I sometimes regret selling the Swiss made P-210, but then I think of how much magazines would have cost me and the regret is gone. I haven't been so short-sighted with Model 52 magazines and stocked up in them before the prices went thru the roof on them. My P-210 Legend is a sweetheart of a pistol and I will never sell it, but the American built P-210's shoot just as well for me even with the changes Sig made to them. Sig P-210's have a very interesting history in their own right, but my gut tells me Sig will one day eliminate it from their line up completely once again. They are already moving in that direction I think.

Rick H.

 

[PeKron]

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Hi Rick,


thanks for the great story – your journey with the P210 really resonates with me!

I currently own a Swiss-made P210-6 Sport, a rather unique version that was licensed and custom-built by a German gunsmith for the sport shooting market here. Some of the guns from that same lineage can still be seen on this site:
https://www.waffen-oschatz.de/sig-p210/

My particular model features a milled micrometer rear sight, an adjusted hammer geometry that allows it to take a rimfire conversion kit, and several fine checkering patterns along the grip frame. It also has the rare side-mounted magazine release, which unfortunately makes magazine sourcing even more of a challenge — not all standard heel-release mags are compatible without modification.

That said, being in Germany, the shooting sports setup here is quite different from the U.S., so having just one magazine is something I can get by with — at least for slow-paced competitions and practice.

Even though we’re in an S&W forum, I’d be more than happy to post a few pictures if you’re interested. It's a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, and I always enjoy talking P210s with folks who appreciate the platform as much as you clearly do.

Also, props for grabbing a Model 52 – that’s still on my dream list!

Best regards from Germany,
Phil

 

[PeKron]

Hi all,

just a quick update:
My brand-new Model 41 factory magazine finally arrived.
Unlike the one I borrowed from a friend at the range (which had a red follower), this one has a black follower – both are marked as genuine S&W mags.

One thing I immediately noticed: the mag fits very tightly in the grip.
It doesn’t drop free when I press the magazine release – I have to physically pull it out.

Is this a known issue with certain batches or production runs?
The mag itself looks perfectly fine and is clearly factory new, but the tight fit is definitely more noticeable than with the older originals I have (even the worn-out ones).

Curious if anyone else has seen this with recent magazines – especially those with black followers.

Thanks in advance!
Phil

 

[PeKron]

Hi all,

just wanted to provide some feedback in case someone else runs into a similar issue down the line.

I took the new factory magazine to the range and ran 100 rounds through it (CCI Standard and Geco Semi Auto).
While the magazine was initially quite stiff to load, everything else worked flawlessly:

• The slide locked back reliably on an empty mag
• No feeding or ejection issues at all
• Smooth and consistent function throughout the session

This seems to confirm our suspicion: my old mags suffered from a worn follower and likely a weakened spring.

One minor thing remains:
The new magazine still doesn’t drop free when pressing the mag release – it has to be manually pulled out. Not a huge deal, but noticeably tighter than the original mags I have.

Thanks again to everyone who helped me work through this – your advice made all the difference!

Best regards,
Phil