My father recently passed away and I was left with this S & W.22 lr model 41 ctg. This gun was actually my fathers Uncle's that was left to him, and now I have it. I am looking for an actual age of this gun. I believe it is one of the first years made. I called Smith and Wesson and they told me that the number I needed to date the gun was under the grips, which it was not.
There is number on the side of the gun, (near the trigger) that says 41535. The gentleman from S & W said that was was the issue number and not the serial numer. There are no other identifiying marks on the gun anywhere else. Here is a few pictures (sorry for the bad quality, taken with my phone). Your pictures don't blow up for me to examine what you have. I'd like to see the 41 in a full photo on both sides including all sights and barrel and grips. The serial number may be right or wrong but it is easier to tell by a photo of the gun where the numbers are imprinted along with the features of the entire gun.
It is possible to substitute barrels and grips and even sights but a photo that allows close inspection of all together would allow me to participate in identifying your 41. Their are 'field barrels' lesser than the 5.5' and there are sights that can be dated by closer examination to match up 'all the parts' with integrity to the supposed serial number which I cannot see. Here is a 2008 SW with photos to prove it so: I just took a bunch of pictures on a digital camera to show the details. Some gun owners shy away from showing a serial number on their guns in a photo. The FBI and BATF already know I own this gun so why should that be a problem?
This is my gun and I photoed it showing my serial number on my 41. I got it legally and I am a retired Soldier of the the US Army. Who do I have to fear? Is some drug ring going to pick me out as a target? Is some online person going to raid my house? Are police going to knock at my door and take it away?
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This is my 41 and your 41 that you inherited YOU SHOULD NOT SELL FOR MONEY. Sell anything else.
Don't sell the 41. Take that 41 out and shoot it. If you are not a shooter and the money means more then find a relative and sell it to him or her. Use a digital camera and use Photobucket or something to store the photos. Take plenty of camera shots (like a cameraman taking multiple photo shots of a glamor woman) because what you think is a good shot that you click may be out of focus or something so you need to take a series of shots as I did over and over again with the light reflecting at different angles and the distance being varied. If you don't want to photograph your serial number entirely then just turn the pistol on the other side and take plenty of photos.
Please include photos of the slide and side barrel imprinting without the serial number if you wish. I'll be able to tell you about your 41 and provide some history about that model. You see, even the print that says 'Smith & Wesson' gives information about dating. Click to expand.You have one of the older ones for sure. Your walnut grips are exceptional and true walnut. This is definitely a handgun you shall not sell to anyone. Take it out and use Standard Velocity 40gr Long Rifle bullets.
Try some Rifle Match or Target in the same 40 grain Standard Velocity type. See what it likes on paper and in cycling. In the.22 LR you have many choices and brands to experiment with. I'd suggest buying a box of 50 of as many different types I've listed in Standard Velocity 40gr load. Sometimes a less than 'match' brand like CCI 40 gr Standard Velocity types will beat out the higher priced stuff in a pistol or rifle. For example the CCI Green Tag never did anything better for me than the CCI Standard Velocity load so why pay more? You have the old sights as well as the old Smith & Wesson imprinting dated to your handgun.
Smith & Wesson Model 41 Serial Numbers
The secret was in the '&' between Smith & Wesson to date your handgun. I've looked at all your nice photos and it is all original. It was before the 1980s. Click to expand.You are correct. I bought my 41 in 1983 with the same sights. I saw the '&' logo with his original walnut grips and checkering.
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I saw the extension of the barrel from the frame. I knew, for sure, he was before 1980. I had a 1983 SW 41 that took me on my personal journey to get it back after 1990. I had lots of trouble with the laser etched SWs after 1990. I finally got back with my SW 2008. I spent and spent to find the 41 I had in 1983. Used by a writer in the original box with walnut grips.
No SW since the one I got in 2008 matched the 1983 SW 41 that I sold long ago. I don't ever need another SW 41. This one works like that original 1983 I had.
Nothing in between worked properly. They all shot straight. They all failed to cycle. But not mine now and I spent thousands finding it. It is simply a 2008 and with the 7.5' barrel unlike my preference for the 5.5' bull barrel. But it shoots all the time and it is accurate and it is a true SW 41 of any date as far as I am concerned.
I can shoot over 100 yards with the open sights of my 2008 7.5' barrel handgun and still kill the tin cans on the hillside without WITHOUT malfunction in cycling. And the iron sights are fine. I never put a scope on a handgun. This handgun will kill tin cans over 100 yards like my old original 1983 SW 41 in 5.5' Bull Barrel and Walnut Grips with the layering of the cardboard (original) box with layers of cardboard to hold it in the box. I figure anyone with a 41 has a real handgun and I will tell them why. From 1980s to 1990 SW was okay.
In the 90s SW produced malfunctioning and imperfect 41s. It took until 2008 for me to find out at least one pistol after 1990 made the grade. Click to expand.Give me some slack here.
I got my first 41 in 1983 from an airgun place (Beeman's Air) in San Rafael. I was looking to buy an air rifle and bought the used 1983 or earlier SW 41 with walnut grips and blued cardboard cut out.
It was an amazing find and since then I bought only New In Box with little luck at function. It wasn't until 2008 that I got a perfect SW 41. It was the only one available at the time to order sight unseen and it was in the 7' barrel. I have returned to the 1983 SW 41 I stupidly sold.
I will never sell my 2008 7' barrel SW 41 because it is actually the most accurate (with open factory sights) handgun I have owned since that 1983 used SW 41 in 5.5' Bull Barrel. And it cycles Match or Rifle Target or Standard or Gold Medal ammunition to the same point of aim out to beyond 100 yards. Like a rifle.
More than most rifles can do. Have 41 Will Travel. Click to expand.I had a 1959 used Field Barrel at 5' and the first time out I fired it it was perfect. All original and such and I thought I ended the journey to get back to that 1983 SW 41 I posted. The second time I took out that field barrel model dated by box and serial number it failed to cycle like all the other SW 41s I shot since that 1983 Bull Barrel one from Beeman's. It didn't make sense to me because the first time I fired it with Standard Velocity 40gr Lead bullets (CCI) it functioned. But the second time it failed to automatically cycle with the same ammunition I used the very first time.
To me if a handgun fails anytime I am more interested in getting rid of it than trying to fix it on my own. I just wanted a 41 like the 1983 SW 41 back in my hands and this 1959 SW 41 with Field Barrel passed the first firing test but flunked the second. I got rid of it. Later others said to me just replace springs or something but I was thinking why is it that you think just replacing springs on an old model 1959 SW 41 would match what I had in 1983 with a used 1983 that I liked and so I didn't care and don't care for those clinging to their 'old models' in favor of recent models. My 41 is a 2008 model. Would I trade it for any other 41 of any year?
It works for me every time and I don't care about what year or letter A or what means in a serial number. This one works all the time. This one shoots CCI Standard Velocity 40gr and Federal Gold Match 40 grain and RWS standard velocity 40gr and Remington Eley Target Rifle all to the same zero without malfunction and it does so with aplomb. Click to expand.The 41 is expensive and yes other handguns of less expense are totally capable of performing.
It is always a matter of the right material and workmanship to find rather pleasant less costly arms to duplicate or exceed more expensive paths. In the revolver I do have a Colt New Frontier with interchangeable cylinders.22LR/.22WMR which I trust for precision after my 2008 SW 41 in.22 LR.
I think largely my problem in putting the revolver over the auto in precision is the repeated precision with 20 shots. I can shoot 20 shots out of my 41 much faster than I can shoot 12 shots out of my Colt New Frontier; I've got another SAA Army Colt type (Colt Frontier Six Shooter in.44-40) that can group as well: As well as a Colt Lightweight Commander in.45 ACP: Or.380 in SIG P232: All fine handguns along with many others I've shot/owned whether auto or revolver. But if I had to shoot 20 times as rapidly as possible it'd be the SW 41.
Mine is UALxxxx and was manufactured July 1st of 1997, UAV would be right after this so I'm sure it's a '97. Here is a Summary of S&W M41 Dates of Manufacture from this Thread: Serial # Date of Mfg. I've was looking at the Ser.# List. Mine, which I hope to receive tomorrow has a Ser.# TAH299X. I believe the list dates it at around 1986? I called S&W today & he said the Ser.# is February of 1996. I asked about the Ser.
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Numbering & he stated they are not in consecutive order years, at least for the Model 41. He said they have certain Blocks of Ser.#'s that haven't been unused for over fifteen years. I believe the Ser.# list is probably 99.9% correct. I just have the Oddball.
My luck seems to border line on No Luck. I got drafted June 1968 & eight weeks & ten days later I was in Pleiku, Central Highlands, Vietnam. 8' Howitzer & 175MM Gun. I got my S&W 41 today. It's has the dark bluing, I think, & their are no holes in the top of the slide.Their are no marks or Blems.
Question, Does anyone know when they started drilling the two holes on the slide/ Also where is the Number on the Barrel? It looks like mine is a two but kinda looks like a Z?? After using a little Flitz on the Barrel all the bluing matches. I was a little worried.
The fit is tight & the Trigger pull is 2lbs or lighter. After reading the book the barrel came right off. I cleaned it up & it shines like a Diamond in a Goat's.
Looks like the trigger is a touch nicer than my High Standard. I'll keep both. Thanks for any help.
Mine is UALxxxx and was manufactured July 1st of 1997, UAV would be right after this so I'm sure it's a '97. Here is a Summary of S&W M41 Dates of Manufacture from this Thread: Serial # Date of Mfg. Mine is UALxxxx and was manufactured July 1st of 1997, UAV would be right after this so I'm sure it's a '97. Here is a Summary of S&W M41 Dates of Manufacture from this Thread: Serial # Date of Mfg.
They are probably one of the most popular semi-auto target pistols ever made, along with the old High Standards. These days, though, if you're going to drop a grand then you probably want to look at spending a little more on one of the new High Standard designs and maybe even more on one of the European guns? For just plain accuracy though, the inexpensive Ruger Mk III is generally just as good or better.
Almost certainly it is the most rugged. The Smith magazines change more rapidly in bowling pin shooting and the trigger on the Smith might be better out of the box, but if you get the bull barrel Ruger and maybe get some trigger work done, you will be ahead of the game, IMHO. Also, Ruger has a Government model (was a Mk II when I got mine, and I don't know if it's a Mk III now?) that gives you the same grip angle as the 1911.45, so you don't change grip angles if you are shooting both guns in bullseye competition. Right, but I think you misread what I meant with the model numbers. The first version of that polymer frame came out added over top of a Mark II underneath it. I was just meaning that I didn't know off the top of my head if the Mark III had now become the platform underneath the polymer? I assumed so, and have since visited Ruger's web site and verified that it is so.
I actually still shoot a Mark I for bullseye matches. The Mark II government model grip frame version is now more the knock-about plinker of the two. It's trigger just isn't as good as the Mark I's and I haven't got around to correcting it somehow. I got it originally with the idea of making the trigger feel close to my Goldcup's trigger, but I subsequently got a Marvel conversion for that so I use the actual Goldcup trigger. BTW, Jason, that's another way to go.
If you've thought of owning a 1911 for target shooting, getting one of those and the Marvel conversion for your.22 is not a bad way to go about it. Unlike other conversions I've tried, the Marvel comes with a fired target that is something like an inch at 50 yards or so. It is very accurate. I bought the first STAINLESS version of the 41 that was sold in Pueblo CO in the mid 80's. I already forgot. And here's why.
I sold the gun 2 weeks later. It was a decent 22, but at the time I had an old Model 1 High Standard. I also had the HS Supermatic.
Tack driver I actually carried this instead of a rifle for Squirrel hunting! Had good eyes back then tho. AND I had a HS Olympia. Another tack driver. I could just never seem to shoot the Smith right (and 80% of my hand gun purchases are S&W). It says nothing bad about the 41, just about my shooting ability Since then, as usual, I sold ALL the HS's.
NOW the tack driver is a Browning Buck Mark in 5' Bull. And I have a 7' barrel that I have never put on the frame. These were purchased in 1992 and lo and behold, I still have them. 2nd longest of any firearm I've owned.
I am actually wearing the Buck Mark now in a holster with a spare 10 shot mag. I am about to go out to the barn and may slide over to my neighbors farm for some small game. Maybe a dangerous beer can will charge me, that's always fun, too.
I agree with Marshall, AND your step-dad. I own a model 41, and it's the best shooting handgun I own. It shoots as well or better than most of the rifles I own.
I also have a Buckmark, a MKIII, and 2 MarkII's. They are fun to shoot, and are all quite accurate, but they are not quite in the same league as the 41. Also, don't be afraid to spend $1000 or more on a gun because it's 'just a 22.' Think about what gunyou will use the most and put the most ammo through.
Also what gun will have the most fun with, and put the most meat in the pot with. It will most likely be a 22 for most people. Why not spend the most money on it too? That's my theory anyway. I have a lot of firearms in my collection, and most of them are rimfires. And, some of my most valueable guns are rimfires. Makes sense to me!
Good luck in your decision! Even being the Ruger nut that I am, the S&W 41 is an excellent pistol. I don't like them for a couple of reasons, the magazines and expensive and the loading mechanism sucks and not being able to dry fire them. Those are things you can get over when you see the targets they produce. They are very fast and very reliable, which sure makes up for any shortcomings. A friend has a High Standard that is the same way, it is an excellent pistol.
My overwhelming preference is for the Ruger MKIIIs, I own 4 of them now (along with some MKIIs and MKIs) Ruger has built an excellent pistol that I have found to be very reliable and accurate. A little practice and reloads are quick and target acquisition is immediate. The factory triggers are even pretty good, much better than a few of my MKIIs.
Some people have reported troubles with the loaded chamber indicator and magazine safety, I have had no troubles with them on my guns. I really don't think you could go wrong with the M41, MKIII, or High Standard, although I would suggest searching the used market for a M41 or High Standard as the prices should be a lot lower than $1000, Ruger's top end target gun is under $500 and bull barrel target sight MKIII 22/45 start at around $250. Worth the $?? The 41 has not been on my 'to buy' list but many, many shooters swear by them.
Let me suggest that you look for a used High Standard - one made in the Hamden, Conn. Factory and with a military grip.
They are durable and extremely accurate pistols. Prices are generally for some hundreds of dollars less than the current production (not the original company.that's a story in itself) The one downside to H-Ss is that an individual gun can be very finicky about magazines. There are good replacement mags available but they are not cheap (and there are a lot of junk mags, too.) I have campaigned both my Ruger Gov't and my H-S Victor is Bullseye matches - I prefer the H-S; I've had two trigger jobs done on the Ruger (Clark and Volquartsen) and neither has matched the H-S factory trigger.
I got my Model 41 in the mid ‘80s. It came with a 7” barrel. I decided I didn’t like the 7” barrel and got a 5 ½” barrel. Both are very accurate, but I didn’t like them.
I really wanted the 5” sport barrel, so I had the 7” barrel cut to 5”. Now it is perfect for me. Free download ida pro full version with crack.
It weighs 35 oz, balances very nicely, shoots beautifully with a great trigger. Only problem is, it is blued. I actually shoot my stainless Ruger MK II and MK IIIs more. They don’t feel as good in the hand as the 41, but if I damage them, I won’t be too upset.
A number of years ago I was shooting.22 target quite a bit. I initially had a Ruger MkI bull barrel, but I never liked the grip angle and the accuracy wasn't as good as I expected (I found that out when I picked up a friend's Ruger Single Six and outshot my scores with the MkI). I then picked up a High Standard Victor. Beautiful gun, excellent grip, and it well out-shot the Ruger.
I found a few quirks I didn't like - it was a bit difficult to grip the slide to retract it, and the magazine only held 9 rounds, but it was excellent otherwise. I never tried a Model 41, but I'm sure they're great. Now I have a S&W 617 revolver, 8 3/8 barrrel, 10-shot that outshoots the autos I had. Another possibility if you don't have your heart set on an autoloader.
I have a Custom Ruger Mark II Target that is super accurate and fun to shoot. I also have two model 41's and they are great pistols and they are accurate but a little finicky on ammo choices. My most accurate 22 pistol is a Model 17-4 with 8 3/8 inch barrel and it's plain scary accurate. I have a K22 with 6 inch barrel that is the least accurate of the group but still quite acceptible in that area and I shoot the crap out of it because I like the balance, trigger, and feel of the gun the best. The K22 goes to the range everytime I go and I put more rounds trough it then any other handgun I own.
The original poster asked if a Model 41 was worth the $1000.00+. Many opinions were shared as well. I hear people say you can do a trigger job on a Ruger MKII or MKIII and it will shoot like a 41. I have 2 MKII bull barreled versions and three MKIII 22/45 pistols with trigger jobs and a Tactical Solutions barrel on one of those. I have two Model 41s and a third PC 41 on the way. I also have a Hammerli Xesse with a six inch barrel.
I have several model 17 S&W.22 revolvers and a newly acquired 617 with a 4 inch barrel. None of those shoot as well as the model 41 pistols. If it is about the money just buy what you think you can afford. If accuracy is the objective you would be better served with the Smith & Wesson model 41 even though they are finicky about the ammo you put through them. By the time you tune up a Ruger you will have close to the cost of a 41 anyway. I am a Ruger fan too by the way.
I have a total of 18 Ruger firearms and only 12 S&W. I've owned quite a few 22LR semi-auto handguns. Last year I sold both of my High Standard Victors.
I even had accessory barrel weights for both of them. They were very good shooters & helped me score quite well in my club's weekly bulls eye competition. However, they were a pain to take down, clean & reassemble. (The owner's manual suggested hitting them with a rubber mallet.) They were quite fussy as to choice of ammo and they experienced occasional FTF & FTE problems. When that happened during a match it was frustrating All things considered, I much prefer the S&W 41 to any other 22LR semi-auto handgun.
Yes, they are costly. I bought one on Gun Broker a couple of years ago for $950 and last year I bought a brand new one made in the S&W Performance Center for $1,200. S&W told me that if I order another one, there will be a 2-3 year wait to get it. They are tack drivers out of the box. No mods or upgrades necessary.
Nearly 100% problem free, even with cheap bulk ammo. (I usually shoot CCI standard velocity, which is what S&W recommends. I run a bore snake through them after each use, but experience has taught me not to bother with any additional cleaning until I fire about 500 rounds.
That's my story!
This 41 puzzles me some. The s/n 17563 dates production of the frame to 1959 (most likely), maybe early 1960. However it has the 5 1/2' heavy barrel which was not introduced until August 26, 1963. There was a 5' lightweight barrel offered in 1959 but it is different in appearance. It is possible the frame was made and then stored for a while, then taken out of storage to be assembled to a slide and shipped after 1963.
This seems unlikely considering Model 41s were much in demand after being introduced, and heavily backordered. If the slide is an early model it should have the cocking indicator pin (on the rear face of the slide). SCSW 3rd edition indicates the cocking indicator pin was dropped in 1978. You indicated above that this slide doesn't have the cocking indicator. Makes me wonder if it might originally have had the 7 3/8' barrel, and some previous owner later (after 1978) replaced it with the 5 1/2' heavy barrel, which a lot of bullseye shooters preferred. Model 41 slides and barrels are not numbered to match the frame.
Whatever its history it is a high quality firearm. All you have to do is call S&W customer service. They can tell you the date but will not provide other historical information 800-331-0852 Actually they will tell you much more but there is a fee for doing so.
They will tell you what date it was made, when it left their plant and where it was shipped. The issue becomes if one wants to pay for that information. The Standard Catalog of S&W is a great source of information on any S&W firearm and will help in dates of manufacture as well.
I enjoy mine and they can be bought through Amazon at very reasonable prices. This 41 puzzles me some. The s/n 17563 dates production of the frame to 1959 (most likely), maybe early 1960. However it has the 5 1/2' heavy barrel which was not introduced until August 26, 1963. There was a 5' lightweight barrel offered in 1959 but it is different in appearance. It is possible the frame was made and then stored for a while, then taken out of storage to be assembled to a slide and shipped after 1963. This seems unlikely considering Model 41s were much in demand after being introduced, and heavily backordered.
If the slide is an early model it should have the cocking indicator pin (on the rear face of the slide). SCSW 3rd edition indicates the cocking indicator pin was dropped in 1978. You indicated above that this slide doesn't have the cocking indicator. Makes me wonder if it might originally have had the 7 3/8' barrel, and some previous owner later (after 1978) replaced it with the 5 1/2' heavy barrel, which a lot of bullseye shooters preferred. Model 41 slides and barrels are not numbered to match the frame. Whatever its history it is a high quality firearm.
Barrels and slides are interchangeable over all production years, you can even buy new stuff today. Given that the gun is 50 years old or more, it is likely that parts were changed during its history.
I have a High Standard Trophy Military from roughly the same era with a 7' fluted heavy barrel. Similar quality to the 41 and just as much fun to shoot. What is amazing is how effective that compensator on the end of the barrel is. Muzzle jump is really reduced on the Smith compared to the High Standard.
Unfortunately it pre dates anything that customer service has on file and the historian is out due to the 14 inches of snow they got in mass. Global warming????? Anyway I'll have to wait till tomorrow and try again. If it's not in it's original configuration do you guys think I should refinish it or leave be??? Also can someone please post a pic of there 41 showing the cocking indicator so I know for a fact if mine has it or not. Thanks for all the great info guys it's really appreciated. At the office right now and normally don't carry a 22 anyway.
The cocking indicator is a little tit that protrudes from a small hole in the rear of the slide. Gotta kinda look for it as it certainly won't stand out like the red bannered stuff they do today. I didn't know I had one until I looked over on the S&W forum on some thread about values and found it made the gun worth $100 more. BTW, I paid like $950 for mine and consider it a steal. I might entertain offers around $1200 but I doubt it. Too hard to find another and this one shoots great.
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