Model 41 ammo

[jacketed only]

I am new to the Model 41 business. Does any one else have ammo issues with these pistols? My pistol is used; I was told by the seller that the barrel had been replaced( it looks new ) and the lower is older ( it has the cocking indicator ) . I have tried 15 brands of ammo 36, 37 and 40 grain. All hi speed ammo works well but 40 grain std velocity is erratic. Best so far has been CCI minim mags and Wolf Match. The 40 grain std vel. causes extraction jams ie. the extracted case jams into the round being chambered and jams the pistol. I just wondered if this sort of thing is common?

 

[Grayfox]

I've been told in the past that the gun was designed around CCI Standard Velocity ammo. Mine loves the stuff. Mine is also quite fond of Winchester Super X.
You might try giving it a good cleaning. Pay special attention to the chamber and extractor. Check for peening around the chamber mouth from dry firing.
But every gun is individual and .22s even more so. If everything checks out, just go with what works.

 

[Domino1]

I use CCI Standard Velocity. You should be able to do the plop test with your barrel. If the round doesn't drop all the way in and out then the barrel is not clean. Rimfires can lead/carbon up at the end of the chamber.

You take the barrel off and hold it vertical. You should be able to drop the round in the chamber and have it go all the way in. Turn the barrel upside down and it should drop out.

 

[ImprovedModel56Fan]

I've been told in the past that the gun was designed around CCI Standard Velocity ammo. . . .

It was not. I bought mine a few years before there was CCI rimfire ammo.

. . . But every gun is individual and .22s even more so. If everything checks out, just go with what works. . . .

Strongly agree.

 

[Baltimoreed11754]

Welcome to the club. I’ve been using bulk box federal 36 gr hp in 2 gun shoots in my M41. I’ve never put it on paper properly as I have steel targets in my backyard. I paint them and knock it off. I added a buffer to protect the frame and slide. I just bought a 7 inch barrel to go with the field barrel that has a Burris FF3 on it. Very accurate.

 

[chief38]

My 41 loves the standard velocity CCI 40 grain ammo too. That's all I feed it!

 

[Exaviator]

Domino1 hid the nail on the head. Keep the chamber clean and your Model 41 will handle just about any ammo.

 

[saleen322]

I have a model 46. It excels with standard velocity, SK Std+ and Eley Bullseye. I have good function with CCI Standard Velocity but the SK and Eley group a little better.

 

[Rosco Shooter]

Like others, my Model 41 loves CCI Standard Velocity. I've been unable to obtain this recently, so I'm going to try CCI Subsonic. I'll let you know how it turns out.

 

[KalamazooKid]

Both of mine love the CCI SV and also the Federal Auto Match, both options being relatively cheap and available.

The pic is a recent outing with them both. Loaded the 10 mags with both CCI and then the Federal. 400 rounds without a single failure.

 

[Stewboy]

I've been told in the past that the gun was designed around CCI Standard Velocity ammo. Mine loves the stuff. Mine is also quite fond of Winchester Super X.
You might try giving it a good cleaning. Pay special attention to the chamber and extractor. Check for peening around the chamber mouth from dry firing.
But every gun is individual and .22s even more so. If everything checks out, just go with what works.

A strong second--or third--on Grayfox's comment. In the last 18 months I purchased a brand new 41, and a 41 ca. 1979. Had exactly the same problems with my 1979 vintage as you. Cleaned chamber so that it passed the plop test, but the problem persisted. Polished the feed ramp, took the slide apart to clean the pin, extractor, extractor spring, and even tried the Volquartzen extractor. Nothing helped. Finally sent it to David Sams in Va. who worked his magic. Also sent him five mags which he tuned. NOW it eats everything, but I tend to use cci sv.



In addition to what's been said, if you have multiple mags, see if the problems happen across all of them. If you only have one mag, I'd advise getting a couple more and see if it's a mag problem, since that might be the cheapest to fix. In the meantime, if it works best with higher velocity ammo (1100-1250 fps) you might go with that. The 41 can be frustrating, but when you get it figured out, it's a dream to shoot.


One last thing. Someone mentioned springs. Since the gun is used, there's no guarantee that you have a standard spring installed. Get a set of springs that includes the standard spring to see if that helps.

 

[chief38]

Domino1 hid the nail on the head. Keep the chamber clean and your Model 41 will handle just about any ammo.

While I will always second the "chamber be kept clean" advise, I also find that the CCI Standard Velocity 40 grain ammo DOES work and shoot better than any other ammo I have tried in it since 1979. With Remington 22 target ammo my M41 shoots poorly and it doesn't like it at all. The Winchester works a little better but not nearly as accurate as the CCI. The CCI Std. Vel. never ever jams - never! And...... it's the most accurate - at least in my copy.

 

[Golddollar]

My main Model 41 shoots about anything I put through it, provided it had enough soup. I have put a brick of Remington Target .22s through it without a hitch. Because of the ammunition shortage starting 2020 I decided to shoot up my 35+ year old CCI Mini-mags and they worked pretty well. Federal standard velocity was a little slow for my gun, but CCI Standard velocity works pretty well.

 

[Racer X]

one thing to consider is what shape is the extractor in? I'd be inclined to make triple sure the chamber is clean. A 6mm/243 rifle brush works great bent into a 90 and used to keep the chamber clean. That and expect the extractor, and possibly exchange for a Volquartsen extractor. Better design, better grade of steel.

I shoot bullseye, and there are a lot of 41s and some 46s using CCI SV with better results than I can get. Regional champs, and some that held national standing. In serious competition, I'm pretty sure they use Eley. But they all practice with CI SV or Aguila SV. Exact Edge Extractor for S&W Model 41 | Volquartsen Firearms

 

[chief38]

I love my M41 and shoot is a few times a month. All it is fed are CCI standard velocity 40 grain fodder which it function perfectly with. That said, many M41's are a bit finicky when it comes to ammo. Anyone who owns one that will shoot pretty much anything is lucky! While mine too shoots some other brands and configurations OK, they are not nearly as accurate and consistent for me, hence the reason I stick with the CCI's.

 

[Dave Lively]

My mid-nineties 41 is also unreliable with CCI standard velocity, or any standard velocity ammo. I tried all the common solutions such as keeping it very clean, making sure it passed the plop test, changing the extractor, etc. But it still has about a 3% to 5% failure rate with CCI standard velocity. MiniMags work very well and Federal Automatch is pretty good too.

But what I have settled on is CCI Blazer with the 40 grain RNL bullet. A tiny bit less accurate than CCI standard velocity but just as reliable and as or more accurate as MiniMags or Automatch. And priced to compete with bulk ammo from other makers, some of which is unreliable and inaccurate in any gun.

 

[TM44]

I use CCI standard too but mainly because it's the cheapest ammo that works. It also shoots SK+ and the Wolf target/ Extra just as well. I think the latter are a bit more accurate but they're much more expensive. As I only plink in my back yard at steel it doesn't matter. As others have said keep it clean, check the extractor and replace the main spring in particular since it's a used gun. I would buy a factory spring which should work well with standard velocity ammo.

 

[Dave Haynes]

Another thing that will usually make 41s work better is adequate lubrication. Mine is under 5,000 probably 2nd year production. It was used by Maj. Hank Bires on the Army shooting team for 20 years and sold to me around 1980. Bob Chow worked on this gun, I talked to him about it and the 45 when he was still in business in SF. The extractor has never been changed and as far as I know no springs. It has had a lot of HV shot through it never had a buffer. When it gets sluggish, it is almost always too dry. There are a lot of sliding parts on the 41 and 22 ammunition is some of the most dirty stuff in use. I use grease on the sliding parts and Army teflon elsewhere. It likes CCI standard because that's what i have. But a lot of other brands shoot well too. I've never seen an improvement with expensive target brands. The users manual shows a very little oil but I think that it could use a bit more.

 

[jjrr]

I agree 100% with Dave Haynes on lubrication, doesn’t need to be dripping but well oiled is important. I use cci sv and Norma tac 22 in my old gun and it runs reliably with either and they are close in accuracy with me shooting. I am using a Clark barrel with a red dot because of my old eyes but the original barrel ran as well as the Clark with sv ammo.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

I only use standard velocity ammo in my 41. And it run like a top. I will never shoot HV in it...I have other .22's for that.