model 41 ammo question

[harv51]

I,m new to pistol shooting and this forum ,started out with a ruger mark 2,and have just bought a new smith@wesson model 41,I bought 1400 rounds of remington 22 golden bullet rated at 1280 fps,iI have been told that this round is too much for the action of the 41 to handle,the velocity should be around 1125 fpsI don,t want to damage this pistol it would cost alot to repair or replace,I would sure like to hear from some 41 owners if i can shoot this round ok ,the pistol will be used for plinking but mostly for competition Thanks for your time ,Harv51

 

[OKFC05]

I like Federal Auto Match, when I can find it.
Some of the bulk ammo is too irregular in size to feed reliably in the tight chamber.
The gun is sprung for standard vel, not for HV. Will it fall apart if you shoot a box of HV? No.
Would I shoot HV regularly? No.

 

[Snowwolfe]

If you want to be safe and try the higher velocity ammo then pick up some heavier springs and see if you can get it dialed in.
If your S&W is new don't worry about hurting it with the higher speed ammo. You have a lifetime warranty and there is no where in the operators manual where it says you should use standard velocity ammo.

But, if you are using this for competition then you would want CCI SV simply because it is more accurate in the first place.

 

[Beruisis]

My 41 likes Federal Auto Match.

 

[k-38]

the smith and wesson 41 is very selective with the ammo and not shot all ammo,i recommend winchester super x standard velocity,federal gold medal," match,cci standard velocity,cci low recoil,and the top choice of shooters here in Puerto Rico,Elley.the 41 is a cadillac and a classic.

 

[Barrie]

The CCI SV ammo is the shooters choice generally for a M41. Least amount of problems but Blazer or the Eley Blackbox practice ammo works extremely well also. As the CCI is so hard to get now-a-days I have switched over to the Eley and am very pleased with its performance.

 

[Larry from Bend]

Rem Golden Bullets are generally thought of poorly. However, if they are reliable in your pistol, shooting them will not hurt the gun.

I've had a 41 since the mid-70s and had also heard the warnings about using HV ammo. I called S&W and was told that the warning was incorrect.

 

[Barrie]

I wonder why they teach their new gunsmiths at their school that shooting the HV is bad for these guns. I know 2 different gunsmiths who have completed their school and swear they were taught this myself. Nothing but SV ammo in the 41's and 46's. What reason would they have to lie?

 

[Cpo1944]

My m-41 is almost 50 years old and it has had a steady diet of HV ammo with no ill effect !

 

[CharlyRomeo]

Model 41

Get a model 41 recoil buffer $10 The best M41s friend and use any ammo you like
On the m41 first thing you do when you start experience misfires is to change recoil spring. Do not forget that

 

[bbqncigars]

My early sixties 41 just loves the CCI Blazer. CCI SV not so much. I run it with a buffer just to be nice to the gun.

 

[harv51]

Thanks for all the advice ,it is certainly appreciated ,but being new to pistol shooting i have to ask what is a buffer and where do i get one?

 

[Writer_Ron]

I wonder why they teach their new gunsmiths at their school that shooting the HV is bad for these guns. I know 2 different gunsmiths who have completed their school and swear they were taught this myself. Nothing but SV ammo in the 41's and 46's. What reason would they have to lie?

I had to send my 41 back to S&W when the accessory "recoil buffer" I'd installed (so I could fire hotter rounds) "locked" the slide -- it felt like the slide was welded to the frame.

In any case, S&W promptly fixed the problem. The exceptionally amiable tech called me to advise against future use of a buffer -- and repeated the admonition to use SV ammo. He said the HV stuff slams the slide back with more force than appropriate -- given that the 41 is a target pistol, not a hunting gun.

The more I thought about it, the more I decided he was right. There's no advantage of shooting HV ammo at mostly nearby paper targets.

The current ammo shortage may make it necessary to shoot whatever's available. But, if there's no shortage, why not choose SV target ammo?

 

[jimbo728]

Always GOT BEST ACCURACY and Reliability using standard velocity .22LR in my early 41.
Jim

 

[adwjc]

What most have pointed out above has been my experience with a 41.

Due to the difficulty of finding CCI SV which is what I used almost exclusively for the last 8 years, I have now used Federal Gold Medal Match, Eley Sport (made in Mexico) and Aguilar Gold Medal (made in Mexico). All are standard velocity running about 1070 ft per sec.

The Mexican stuff is a little smokier and fouls more, but works just fine.

Save that Remington for a rifle, or maybe trade it away.