[Bigl1911]

I am not a competition target shooter; however I do have a few 22 target guns. Romantically I looked at your 38 Match Target and got a kick out the idea of you using it in current generation matches. I think the idea of doing this is very cool. My vote use your Bullseye MT, change the grips save the elephant ears and shoot the heck out of it. The gun is beautiful and in great shape, but incomplete and not absolutely perfect. There is no reason to cuddle the firearm if you are going to shoot and handle it with respect. If you take care firing it will not drop value of the gun - just my opinion. There is something nice about letting the gun do its job. Being a very deep Smith guy no argument about a Model 41. I have no experience with them new out of the box, but again if you want to shoot the heck out if it why not just grab a brand new one?
No one mentioned a Ruger. This is a US Property Mark I

Again nothing wrong with a 41

this one was owned by a comp target shooter. He had no problem shooting it with the ears..



This one you don't want to shoot but figure since we are on the subject - Yes factory original nickel..

Took me a while to locate a picture but these would be my replacement grips.

 

[Radicalrod]

Heck YES.....you can buy 2 RUGERS for the price of one pair of your ELEPHANT EAR STOCKS....

Buy a Stainless 10" MKII as they will out shoot almost anything.....RR

 

[SnidelyWhiplash]

That nickel Match Target is AWESOME!

 

[what would you say]

I heard an echo .. and it said. ..

That nickel Match Target is AWESOME!

 

[shortgun]

Drilled and tapped for an optic

Is there any way to ask the seller for a different picture angle which would then show if the aftermarket drill and tap job on this pistol was done correctly?

Someone from my plate shoot said that it's nearly impossible to shoot the lands out of these 22 calibers. They can be over-cleaned though. Someone trying too hard to clean the bore ends up damaging the lands with chemical solvents or with metal wool over their bore brush. He went on to say that he had head of of 'scrub and polish' jobs done on pistols by guys who never shoot, and, in their attempts to get the bore back to spotless, they ruined the bore. They use steel wool for instance instead of copper wool (Chore Boy). Chore boy is pure copper, but there is also steel wool with a thin copper coating. That faux copper wool is a no-no in a barrel. So I am a bit pensive about the bore of a used gun.

I shoot my 627 VCOMP when it's revolver night. And made the mistake of shooting lead wadcutters. My compensator was fouled with lead like you would not believe. So was my barrel. Copper bore brushes were not doing the trick so I had to break out the Chore Boy. Wrap a few strands of Chore boy around your copper bore brush and it's goodbye lead build up.

Have you guys ever seen a 22 caliber bore that was scrubbed to death and ruined?

HOLY COW Bigl1911 - those pistols are awesome. I was thinking the same thing you were about bringing the 1938 into plate night. But I would use different grips. I hold my pistol tight, I have very strong hands. Wouldn't want to squeeze the elephant ears to death during my plate match. But put a different set of grips on? yes. But I was told that I would get smoked if I used it. That 22 caliber is lightning fast and is considered by some to be the toughest plate night there is. Those guys must have never gone to "big bore" night. Major power factor only. You see lots of 357 revolvers - I use my 45acp with full power Self Defense loads with a 205 PF

 

[Bigl1911]

I am just seeing the picture of you with the beautiful Bullseye showing how old school rolls when men were building works of art. What a sight!!

I was thinking the same thing you were about bringing the 1938 into plate night. But I would use different grips. I hold my pistol tight, I have very strong hands. Wouldn't want to squeeze the elephant ears to death during my plate match. But put a different set of grips on? yes. But I was told that I would get smoked if I used it. That 22 caliber is lightning fast and is considered by some to be the toughest plate night there is. Those guys must have never gone to "big bore" night. Major power factor only. You see lots of 357 revolvers - I use my 45acp with full power Self Defense loads with a 205 PF

 

[shortgun]

I am just seeing the picture of you with the beautiful Bullseye showing how old school rolls when men were building works of art. What a sight!!

Yup, my style is to shoot guns that people normally consider to be safe queens. Wilson Supergrades with gold dot sights vs. guys are shooting race guns with red dots. And I smoke most of them. Or at least half of them in the expert group. It's a tough room. Shooting the 1938 is temping for that very reason. There are a few guys that shoot the 22 caliber Volquartson Scorpion so talk about yin vs. yang!

Hey, I saw another auction for a 5 inch barreled (field barrel) Model 41. Built in 1977 and fits what I am looking for. I asked the seller to send me a few more pics. Is this what the business end is supposed to look like on a 5 inch version. Most of what I see on GB are the 5.5 inch heavy barrel.

 

[824tsv]

At one point S&W produced 5" field barrels from 7 3/8" barrels that were substandard. The one you have pictured is a purpose built 5" field barrel. I think you are worrying too much about potential wear. Through normal shooting/cleaning I doubt you will wear one out in your lifetime and even if the bore is worn enough to affect accuracy, it can always be sleeved. I'm still thinking the one with the 2 barrels and 4 mag's is you best option and the price hasn't climbed at all.

 

[shortgun]

At one point S&W produced 5" field barrels from 7 3/8" barrels that were substandard. The one you have pictured is a purpose built 5" field barrel. I think you are worrying too much about potential wear. Through normal shooting/cleaning I doubt you will wear one out in your lifetime and even if the bore is worn enough to affect accuracy, it can always be sleeved. I'm still thinking the one with the 2 barrels and 4 mag's is you best option and the price hasn't climbed at all.

I am new to 22 rimfire. Agreed on not wearing barrels out (see post 45 above). Yesterday, I was finally able to speak with the guy who runs our weekly plate matches - he knows alot about about guns, including 22 caliber. And spent about 15 minutes explaining which weapon platforms you even have to worry about this with (high velocity rifles for the most part) and that even there, the effect on accuracy over the life of the weapon. So, unless the pistol I purchase was owned by a 15 year old kid who repeatedly cleaned the barrel with steel wool, I have nothing to worry about, especially in 22 caliber.

Still considering the 1977 5.5 inch (heavy barrel) pistol which was then drilled and tapped. For me, drilled and tapped is a good thing. Could there be function issues is that aftermarket drill and tap was done by a lousy smith, or worse, by a non machinist former owner. I suspect that since this is a high performance gun, the former owner would not attempt to do the drill and tap on their work bench while drinking a six pack at 2 in the morning. Hopefully the drill and tap was done by a qualified and skilled gunsmith.

I did not realize this before, but I think (and maybe someone can correct me here) that when a Model 41 cycles, the top part of the slide does not move. Do your sights move when the pistol is shot? My 1911's do - the entire slide moves, including the sights. It seems that with these, the middle part of the slide moves back but the top part of the slide somehow remains stationary. If a red dot was on the gun, the red dot would not move like it would if shooting a glock, 1911, Sig, etc. The big advantage a wheelgun has in high speed shooting is the sights do not move. Sure, there is the recoil impulse, but that only means your front sight jumps straight up and then settles back down. On a semi auto, the entire slide moves back and inch or so and the front sight moves up and down as well. Somehow the Model 41 is different, and I can't wait to shoot it to find out.

Edit to add: Perhaps my best bet is to purchase both a 5 inch field barrel and a 5.5 inch heavy barrel. In which case having a modern manufactured 5.5 inch heavy barrel would be great. Or would it? Smith stated to use D&T M41 barrels in 1994. Are these superior to the pre 1994 barrels? Big Mike has a sticky on the Rimfire Central website that has all the serial numbers and corresponding years.

https://www.rimfirecentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=534411

Serial #___ Date of Mfg.
104XX_______ 1958
149XX_______ 1959
189XX_______ 1959
295XX_______ 1960
1120XX______ 1969
114XXX____ ~ 1969
"A" Prefix_____ 1970 with A115001
A145801_____ 1972
A225XXX_____ 1973
A235001_____ 1974
A265001_____ 1975
A295001_____ 1976
A414XXX_____ 1977
A475001_____ 1978
A5824XX_____ 1979
A5841XX_____ 1979
A7175XX_____ 1981
A7981XX_____ 1982
ADB38XX_____ 1983
A875000_____ 1984
TAA1985_____ 1985
TAK7879_____ 1986
TAT2512_____ 1987
TBL7955_____ 1988
TFJ1141_____ 1989
TFNxxxx_____ 1990
TFRxxxx_____ 1991
THD23XX_____ 1991
TZUxxxx_____ 1993
VAMxxxx_____ 1994
S&W started D&T M41 brls in 1994
UAMxxxx_____ 1997
BMC29XX___ > 1998.

The above courtesy of Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson, 2nd Ed. by Jim Supica and Richard Nahas.

 

[824tsv]

On a Model 41 the barrels are all interchangeable. The barrel/top rib is clamped to the receiver by levering the trigger guard. The only thing that moves is the slide. The sights and any optic mounted to the barrel/rib doesn't move.

 

[tedm]

I like the grip angle of these HS, similar to the 1911. Also the sights do not move, only the slide cycles. Muzzle jump, try the barrel weights as on the Victor. If muzzle jump is really bothersome, try the HS Olympic in 22 short - the US did get an Olympic Gold medal with a HS if my memory serves me correctly.
That being said, I still love my Colt Model S's! Wish someone would write and publish a definitive book on these Colt's. Although I like E A Brink's Rimfire Colt Automatics Pistol, there is room for another.

 

[Beecherkid]

All this talk about Model 41's got me to pull one of mine. It has a Bully Barrel and a C-More sight. It's no safe queen and whoever gets it when I'm gone will have a X-ring shooter.

 

[shortgun]

On a Model 41 the barrels are all interchangeable. The barrel/top rib is clamped to the receiver by levering the trigger guard. The only thing that moves is the slide. The sights and any optic mounted to the barrel/rib doesn't move.

Holy cow - the dot (or just plain Iron Sights) don't move save for the slight up and down jump from the recoil impulse. No wonder why I was told that almost everyone shows up to the 22 rimfire plate shoot with optics. And that I would likely get smoked using Iron Sights. That just doubled the temptation to show up for the first time at plate match and smoke people with my 1938 Woodsman MT. Especially the guys using Volquartsen Scorpions. That said, I better make darn sure I don't stink the place up with it.

Speaking of the 1938 target match, what do you all think are the most likely reasons why more than half of the Elephant ear grips are cracked in the middle or broken into pieces. It can't be from gripping the pistol with a firm shooting grip, could it? Perhaps the wood drying out and becoming brittle with old age? A design flaw in the grip itself? I can see how dropping the pistol onto a shooting table or any hard surface Elephant Ear first would be an issue. But no real shooter would drop a gun on a hard surface. But accidents do happen.

 

[tedm]

Seems to me that this is the highest stress area both with the thin wood, the anterior grip screw/escutcheon hole, wood shrinkage/expansion, recoil, hand grip pressure, energy transfer from unsupported wooden ear extensions ...

I also have damaged elephant ear grips where only the ears were broken.

The grips were shipped with a wooden support that duplicates the metal grip frame. It was always a weak design.

 

[shortgun]

Ten Thousand rounds of standard velocity arrived today, plus my Pistol. Everything was exactly as pictured save for the inside of the Barrel, which cleaned up real nice, it only took one push with a CLP soaked patch and it was back to bright and shiny with strong rifling.

My first Model 41, circa 1960's at 98% - the seller told me it had a perfect bore. I may have it drilled and tapped by one of the best smiths in my area.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/783193515

 

[BMAC]

Shortgun, I'm sure you are a fine upstanding young man and it appears you are doing quite well financially, but I cringe every time I read one of your action plans.