tell me about the model 41

[stevieboy]

I'm a frequent contributor to the revolver forum and my wife and I are avid shooters. We're interested in acquiring a .22 lr target pistol. I'd like to know what people think about the model 41. Is it worth the relatively elevated price? How accurate is it? What sort of ammo does it like. We own three Smith .22 revolvers, among others, a 17, and two 617s, and they all are quite happy shooting the Federal ValuPak ammo from Walmart. Will that work with the 41? Thanks for your advice!

 

[stevieboy]

I'm a frequent contributor to the revolver forum and my wife and I are avid shooters. We're interested in acquiring a .22 lr target pistol. I'd like to know what people think about the model 41. Is it worth the relatively elevated price? How accurate is it? What sort of ammo does it like. We own three Smith .22 revolvers, among others, a 17, and two 617s, and they all are quite happy shooting the Federal ValuPak ammo from Walmart. Will that work with the 41? Thanks for your advice!

 

[Peter M. Eick]

I am a new owner of a much older 41. Mine is one of the pre-A series and I bought it as a collector gun. So far I have now shot 5 bricks worth of ammo through it.

Is it worth it? Yes. It is better then my 87t, far better then my Ruger MKI bull barrel, borders on the accuracy I can nurse out of my 5 screw K22 Masterpiece and about on par with my DW722.

Mine seems to like remington target standard velocity. It does not like Federal classic, game shot, or federal target. It will work with Remington Hi-speed. Nothing from Winchester will feed in it. I have not shot my CCI stash in it to check that. I brought it along yesterday but I did not burn up all of the remington target yet. If you want to shoot federal value pack (my old standard) bring along a leatherman to pull the fired cases out of the chamber. After a few mags worth you will give up if yours is like mine.

Mine is a target gun. Hard to characterize it any other way. Yesterday on the 15 yrd range, I was able to keep 100 rnds in a 3" circle. To me that is target accuracy with open sights. I had not shot in months so I was pleased.

I will be buying another barrel to put a dot sight on it and really go to town on shooting. I realize my eyes are basically shot out right now and I need a new perscription.

I found that the newest mags with the all plastic followers are hard to load. I will be on the hunt for more mags that have metal followers.

Good luck and to repeat, yes it is worth it.

 

[cxm]

The M41 accurate? You bet... much more accurate than I can shoot...

I have five M41s and all but one are older guns, one is a recent production. I like the old guns better, but other than a heavier trigger and somewhat different rear sights they are the same guns... VERY accurate.

My older guns like Federal standard speed ammo and will shoot it very reliably... they do not like Remington at all and don't like modern Winchester...but will digest my stash of 1950 era Winchester T30 ammo all day... happily the Federal is often on sale at sporting goods stores so I stock up on it at around $10/brick.

I would say thte M41s are more accurate than most of my .22 revovlers... I have a circa 1932 .22 Outdoorsman that is more accurate and a circa 1948 K22 that is super accurate too... but I have never heard anyone unhappy with the accuracy of the M41.

FWIW

Chuck

 

[Golddog]

Most accurate .22 handgun I've ever shot. Best trigger of any handgun I've ever shot.

Least reliable firearm of any type I ever owned.

Maybe it will work all the time with some exotically expensive ammo, but then what's the point of having a .22 if costs as much to shoot as a centerfire?

Thanks, but no thanks.

 

[stevieboy]

Thanks for the comments. I was talking to one of the managers of our range this morning. He owns a 41 with both 5 1/2" and 7" barrels. He told me it was a great gun, had a terrific trigger, and that CCI standard .22s worked fine in it. His one complaint was that the gun was on the heavy side.

My 617s weigh 42, 44, and 45 ounces, respectively, all of them therefore being equal in weight to, or heavier than, the 41. I've found them to be somewhat difficult to control through a string of 5 or 6 rounds, shooting double action. I get a fair degree of hand shake on rounds 4,5, and 6. However, I've always believed that the problem for me was the trigger pull, not the weight of the gun. Obviously, a 41 will have a much lighter pull than a double action revolver. How do you guys feel about the weight issue?

 

[smithfan4152]

I like the weight of the 5 1/2 inch heavy barrel, as it helps with the little bit of recoil the gun has. Also the 7 3/8 barrel is not near as heavy as the 5 1/2, they also have a 5 inch sport barrel, which started as a cut down 7 3/8 barrel.
Then they started producing them.

 

[KAZ]

I own two,a 5.5"mid 70s vintage and a 7"1988 production. They both have sweet triggers and are flawless with CCI standard vel,Rem Target, and Fed Automatch. They just don't have loading,ejecting,stovepipes. The CCI is the most accurate in both pistols. Most that shoot one at the range prefer the 7" due to the lighter weight. You will not regret owning one, and if for some reason you do they are much sought after. Regards

 

[rollback88]

I've got a 2006 model - even with the laser etching and laminated grips, it is worth every penny. If I ever had to liquidate, the 41 would be the last to go.

--jcd

 

[gunnerbern]

I purchased this model 41 in 1960 and am still shooting it. I have three barrels; a 7 3/8" with an ultradot sight, another with a Burris 1x and a 5 1/2" with iron sights. It's as accurate as the Walthers, Hammerlis and other imports.

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

I have an "A" series and it has never had a FTF or a FTE with any ammo I run through it.