I have a model 41 Smith I have shot for years. I almost always shoot CCI Standard velocity ammo in it. Recently I have been having trouble. I am in a league where I have to load 10 rounds in the mags. Sometimes they will shoot all ten rounds, sometimes on round one or four a round will chamber but the gun will not fire. I can eject the round, put it back in the mag and the rest of the mag will fire. Could I possibly have a recoil spring issue? It has been recently cleaned and I have the same problem if I load 5 rounds in the mag or 10. Also it happens on several mags, so I don't think they are the problem. Any suggestions will be appreciated.
Model 41 problem
- Thread starter GLT721
- Start date
When you say it won't fire, do you mean that the sear will not release the hammer, or does the hammer fall but won't fire? I see from your profile that you are in S. E. Iowa. I was originally from the Centerville area.
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Don't know if you noticed, I edited my last post.
MauleN12VR
Member
The sear will not release, there is no hammer fall
"The sear will not release, there is no hammer fall"
There is also the possibility that the hammer is not staying cocked. You can verify if this is so by pulling back on the slide and feeling the resistance. It will be noticeably stiffer if the hammer must be cocked when manually pulled back. Hope this helps.
"The sear will not release, there is no hammer fall"
There is also the possibility that the hammer is not staying cocked. You can verify if this is so by pulling back on the slide and feeling the resistance. It will be noticeably stiffer if the hammer must be cocked when manually pulled back. Hope this helps.
chief38
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Also check the trigger adjustment stop (Allen Screw). Sometimes they move just enough to be right on the cusp of not allowing the trigger to move rearward enough to release the sear.
You could also change the recoil spring - certainly cheap enough and cant hurt. It could possibly be missing a beat from fatigue.
You could also change the recoil spring - certainly cheap enough and cant hurt. It could possibly be missing a beat from fatigue.
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I have ordered a new magazine disconnector; I have tightened up the allen screw behind the trigger and replaced the recoil spring. After all this while shooting today the hammer would fall but there were no marks on the case, not a light hit, no mark. I had several guys standing by and they all agreed the hammer fell but nothing. Any suggestions ?????????
I haven't had this problem with my 41, but I had a somewhat similar problem with a top-break revolver several years ago. In that case the problem turned out to be a bit of metal that had stayed in the gun when a broken split spring (a trouble-prone component of that design) had been removed and replaced years before the gun came to me. I wonder if you could have a bit of steel moving around inside the firing pin channel or even inside the firing pin spring itself that periodically interferes with full forward travel for the pin after the hammer strikes it.
Gary Hogstrom
Member
When you cleaned, did you disassemble the firing pin housing and clean it?
OLDSTER
Member
A long shot, but worth considering; Your mainspring/mainspring housing unit could be a problem. A few years ago, my tricked out Ruger MKII would just "quit" in the middle of a magazine. I took that pistol completely apart. Nothing was broken, bent, or out of place. Then I found that the hammer strut would not stay in contact with the main spring assembly. What I discovered while compressing the mainspring with in the housing that it would not always spring back as it should. I order a new mainspring and housing. Over 1000 rounds trouble free since, I'm convinced that for some reason, the mainspring did not operate properly. Go figure 
Ok, thank you for all the ideas, I have looked into some of them, cleaned and cleaned again. I have replaced several springs etc. Problem is it will fire several mags without a problem then stop, sometime the hammer drops sometimes the round chambers, but nothing happens. I need a good professional gunsmith that is a model 41 expert. I am asking for advice.
