Model 41 year of manufacture help

[terminator2]

Can anyone of you wise sage 41 aficionados tell me if a Mod 41 I'm looking to buy was made in 1972? The serial # is A191230.
Is this old of a 41 have any issues I should consider?

Thanks in advance.

 

[armorer951]

Looks like 1973, according to the Catalog. (I'm not 'wise' so someone will correct my mistake shortly)

Generally they have the same issues as any used pistol, with the quirks of the model 41 thrown in. Model 41's can be a challenge, and are either mostly trouble free, and pure joy...... or a pain, in terms of reliability. Cleanliness, maintenance, and proper lubrication are a must.

 

[terminator2]

Thanks for the info, much appreciated. If it was a '72 I could get it into California, but as a '73 it's still not a C&R yet so no joy.

 

[sceva]

I have A1948xx and it shipped August 1973 so one 3000 numbers earlier Might have been 1972 I suppose

 

[Bastogne71]

Smith & Wesson did not assemble or ship their guns in any kind of serial number order so dating by number is not very accurate. Your pistol is a good example of this problem. In my database, the two closest serial numbers closest to your model 41 are A167554 and A194015. Both of these were shipped in May 1973 so yours most likely was also shipped in 1973.

Since other semiautomatic pistols were also in this serial number range, it’s likely that this jump in numbers was caused by a production run of model 39’s, 52’s, etc.

Only a letter from the Smith & Wesson Historical Association can give you the actual ship date.

 

[terminator2]

Thank you all for the good info. Much appreciated!

 

[larryofcc]

My # A 138387 was shipped 5-1972 according to Dr. Jinks. As a member, you can request a ship date from the good Dr. Mine just barely qualifies as a C&R and the seller would not take my C&R. Grey area he called it.
So, I would also think your pistol was from 1973, and does not make it as a C&R.
I cannot attest to the reliability of these older pistols, as I have not, and probably, will not, shoot mine. Big Larry

 

[sceva]

Can anyone of you wise sage 41 aficionados tell me if a Mod 41 I'm looking to buy was made in 1972? The serial # is A191230.
Is this old of a 41 have any issues I should consider?

Thanks in advance.

Terminator2; It shipped in May 1973

 

[terminator2]

Thanks sceva and Mr. Jinks.

 

[skeletor1978]

Smith & Wesson did not assemble or ship their guns in any kind of serial number order so dating by number is not very accurate. Your pistol is a good example of this problem. In my database, the two closest serial numbers closest to your model 41 are A167554 and A194015. Both of these were shipped in May 1973 so yours most likely was also shipped in 1973.

Since other semiautomatic pistols were also in this serial number range, it’s likely that this jump in numbers was caused by a production run of model 39’s, 52’s, etc.

Only a letter from the Smith & Wesson Historical Association can give you the actual ship date.

My dad recently passed and he had given me a key to a box a few weeks before he passed and told me to take the contents when he was gone. Along with the S&W M&P15 and the Ruger single six and new model single six was a S&W model 41 with a muzzle brake. The serial number is 12500. Looking at the chart this seems to be a 1958 model but I'm not sure if that is accurate. Any info would be greatly appreciated. My dad never showed me these guns and I thought all of his guns had been lost in a house fire so we never spoke of this particular gun or it's production date. Thank you

 

[Bastogne71]

Skeletor1978
Most likely your model 41 would have been shipped in 1958. But remember what I posted about S&W’s manufacturing and shipping practices. Consider that model 41 serial numbers 12112 & 18968 were both shipped on the same invoice on September 11, 1959 and you see the problem with dating by similar serial numbers.