Model 41 barrel fitting

[blockhead80]

I recently got a 5.5" barrel and discovered it needed more than basic fitting work.
I'm new to the forum, so it's likely that this has already been discussed.

The slide was unable to close completely.
Why?
The slide was hitting the right-side barrel relief towards the front, although the slide worked perfectly with the 7" barrel.
As seen below, the 5.5" barrel reliefs were not machined identically .... the left and right sides differed by over 0.025".
That's pretty sloppy.
The pics show the measured disparity, as well as the obvious distortion to the right side barrel relief from whatever gun this use to be part of.
The radius of the relief in the region shown corresponds well to a 3/8" dia endmill, so ..... a little work on the mill (shown) brought both the left and right barrel reliefs to within a few thousandths of each other.
All together again and NOW it shoots perfectly.

Is this sort of thing normal or expected?

 

[Tom S.]

First I've heard of it.

 

[ms]

Not surprised that fitting was needed, but this is the first case I've heard of this place needing it.

 

[Fullmetaljacket]

I had an early 1990's vintage 41, bought new that showed the same peening as your pic. It operated perfectly however, in fact it was the most reliable 41 I've ever had. It ate anything I fed it, including thousands of rounds of high velocity bulk ammo so I never tried to "fix" it. I chalked it up to the high velocity ammo causing the deformation but after reading your post maybe it was crooked from the factory?

 

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

I recently got a 5.5" barrel and discovered it needed more than basic fitting work.
I'm new to the forum, so it's likely that this has already been discussed.

The slide was unable to close completely.
Why?
The slide was hitting the right-side barrel relief towards the front, although the slide worked perfectly with the 7" barrel.
As seen below, the 5.5" barrel reliefs were not machined identically .... the left and right sides differed by over 0.025".
That's pretty sloppy.
The pics show the measured disparity, as well as the obvious distortion to the right side barrel relief from whatever gun this use to be part of.
The radius of the relief in the region shown corresponds well to a 3/8" dia endmill, so ..... a little work on the mill (shown) brought both the left and right barrel reliefs to within a few thousandths of each other.
All together again and NOW it shoots perfectly.

Is this sort of thing normal or expected?

Some complaints about issues with S&W quality control that I see are not too serious, although it certainly isn’t the golden age for craftsmanship there. This however seems to me to be a serious fail. I am glad you had the skills to do such a nice job cleaning up an issue that should never have happened. No surprise that the model 41 is being retired if this is any indication of the care taken to look a gun over before shipping.

 

[Baltimoreed11754]

I use a buffer in my M41. Never been a fan of steel slamming on steel. Mine is from the mid 90s. A very accurate pistol.

 

[blockhead80]

I use a buffer in my M41. Never been a fan of steel slamming on steel. Mine is from the mid 90s. A very accurate pistol. View attachment 818981
View attachment 818982

Agreed!
I got some of those for the 7” barrel and will also instal them on the 5.5”.

Looks like some of you have also seen this. Glad to hear that, … I’d hate to think I milled the thing for no good reason, like maybe this is normal and there was some super simple well known fix.
I can exhale now

 

[26betsam]

Can you please tell me where you get the buffers?
I'm assuming it's a DIY install.
Thanks in advance,
Kevin

 

[blockhead80]

Can you please tell me where you get the buffers?
I'm assuming it's a DIY install.
Thanks in advance,
Kevin

I got mine from thecountryshed.com
They drop right in.
Mine was a tiny bit too thick and I had to sand it down a bit to allow the slide lock to catch.
I thought I might need dedicated buffers for each barrel but after sanding it works for both barrels.

 

[Highmaster]

Any thing you buy that is new production ( S&W) is subject to problems. Have shot a 100000+ rounds through old ones and never a problem.
UNDER NO CONDITIONS WOULD I BUY ANYTHING NEW FROM S&W !

 

[cp1969]

I did. It works fine. No regrets.

 

[chief38]

If a firearm is designed and manufactured properly, no buffers should ever be needed, at least IMO. I look at buffers sort of like full length guide rods in a 1911 - a solution to a problem that does not exist in the first place. My M41 has seen 10's and 10's of thousands of rounds through it, never had a buffer in it and has zero problems. The same goes for all my 1911's. No excessive wear and certainly no loss of accuracy - that is what I am all about so I would immediately notice! I'd also say I shoot way way more than the average gun owner does and have been doing so longer than many have even held a gun.

 

[Baltimoreed11754]

Would add that I generally use high velocity .22 [not hyper velocity] in my M41 as opposed to standard velocity target ammo which is why I installed the buffer. I also have buffers in my 1911s and Ruger Minis. They will deteriorate and will need to be replaced. And if they get too bad can cause a malfunction.
As JMB designed it they weren’t needed in the 1911/A1 as it was a US military pistol so when a slide or frame cracked it was simply replaced. But I don’t have a supply depot full of 1911 parts. Buffers seem like cheap insurance to me.

 

[blockhead80]

Hmmm, another issue ...
No problems shooting but it seems the barrel tang was rubbing on the slide.
But only on the left side.
That's when I noticed the barrel was leaning to the left very slightly.
I added a skinny 0.005" brass shim under the left side of the barrel where it mates to the frame.
Problem solved, and the barrel now sits square to the frame.
And the addition of the shim hasn't significantly changed the barrel-to-frame lockup effort.
Again, I'm wondering if this is somewhat common or if I'm just "lucky".

 

[Baxter6551]

I have @ buffer in my model 41and it’s never effected function in any way. I don’t remember where I got mine but it is the Buffer Technology brand. I see them here:

https://www.thecountryshed.com/41SW-2-Pack.html