Smith and wesson midel 41 issues again

My new from the factory custom shop model 41 pistol is a nightmare. Failure to feed, Failure to eject, Stove Piping. Failure to fire twice. Primer was hit but no go bang. Out of 50 shots pistol failed about 15 times. I even tried different magazines. I tried it with and without the recoil buffer. Still no work.  I even had other people shoot it. Same problem.  I have about 500 rounds through pistol using CCI Standard velocity ammo. I even cleaned and lubed the pistol before use. I am using CCi standard velocity ammo. Heck I have a Walther exesse and it runs perfect. The Ruger mark iv even work better.  I hear from other members that there smith 41 were problem pistols also. Heck for $1400 it better work. Calling Smith and Wesson on Monday. I hope I don't have to go through having to send gun back several timers. Disappointed

Is the custom shop model 41 the same as the performance center model? I recently bought a new model 41, the standard model, haven't had problems yet (fingers crossed). I've been shooting all standard velocity ammo. Are you firing the model 41 rapidly, like steel challenge speed? Or slow fire, like bullseye? Just curious.....

Its a performance model

Slow fire and rapid fire bulleyes

You would expect more from a performance center gun, but I have heard similar stories about other performance center firearms. I haven't had any negative experiences though.

Dear SMsnyder:

George here again, I think that the best course of action is to send it back to smith and wesson and let them fix it.  

Regards, 
crankster

About five years ago I bought a very used 1978 S&W M41. The grips were knackered, I think the reason was that it was a jam-o-matic and the previous owner(s) beat it on the bench in frustration.

I sent it to KC's Kustom Creations and he sorted it out. A very reliable pistol now with CCI SV.

kcskustomcreations.com/kcs-kustom-creations/

CrankyThunder wrote:Dear SMsnyder:

George here again, I think that the best course of action is to send it back to smith and wesson and let them fix it.  

Regards, 
crankster

Sound advice!

I recomend having KC go through it.

Thanks that is a pain in the A***. For $1400 pistol it should work.

smsnyder wrote:Thanks that is a pain in the A***. For $1400 pistol it should work.

I agree but unfortunately I've heard far more problems with the new Model 41's than one would expect from a premium pistol. My 41 is from 1984 and was either made right, or tuned up before I got it. KC does excellent work and can get you sorted out. I'm sure others could as well but I recommend sticking with a Bullseye gunsmith.

If I've learned one thing in my pistol shooting tenure is that the more money you spend doesn't necessarily result in a more reliable firearm. Usually the higher end pistols are built for performance meaning tighter tolerances where if not executed well can affect reliability. This can especially be the case with upgraded factory guns, reputable custom pistols are usually above the rest.

S&W quality control is hit and miss. Average at best. 

I’d send it to David Sams, KC Crawford, Roddy Toyota or Alex Hamilton. You’ll be satisfied with their work,for sure.

I buy new guns with the expectation that I’ll need to sent it out to a BE Smith to get it right.

My friend bought a new PC 41 last month and had problems with 1 of the 2 supplied magazines falling out. He took gun back to shop where they found more in stock magazines that wouldn't stay in as well and sorted thru 7 till they worked.

Anybody else have similar problems?

Thank you!

KC Crawford is the guy for a model 41

The gun is under factory warranty......send it back to the "Performance" Center to have it at least function...maybe it will even perform after it comes back....not doing you any good as it sits.

I had EXACTLY the same issues with my Performance center 41. Sent it back to S&W and got back exactly the same gun; couldn’t get 5 rounds out without a problem. I sent it to David Sams to work his magic. I got back a completely reliable tack driver. He even relined the barrel with a Walther barrel liner to get as much accuracy out of it as can be gotten - and he did.
My suggestion is bite the bullet and forget the fact that it is under warranty and send it to a gunsmith who knows his stuff and will get you what you’re looking for. It will cost you, but you’ll get what you paid for.

Have S&W put their smithwork where their warranty is. 

Once function is resolved or the warranty runs out then I'd send it to a bullseye smith.

Bestdentist99 wrote:I had EXACTLY the same issues with my Performance center 41. Sent it back to S&W and got back exactly the same gun; couldn’t get 5 rounds out without a problem. I sent it to David Sams to work his magic. I got back a completely reliable tack driver. He even relined the barrel with a Walther barrel liner to get as much accuracy out of it as can be gotten - and he did.
My suggestion is bite the bullet and forget the fact that it is under warranty and send it to a gunsmith who knows his stuff and will get you what you’re looking for. It will cost you, but you’ll get what you paid for.

Sad but true. The good ol' days of famous S&W quality of workmanship have disappeared.  When I buy S&W these days, I look for old C&R eligible ones.  You can't beat the S&W guns from the 50s and 60s.  The new models suck.

Ultimately you want a pistol you can rely on.  With it still being under warranty, the temptation is to send it back and let S&W get it figured out. Or you could abandon your warranty and let a top level smith get it to work.  People have done it both ways.  The ones that sent it to S&W some had to do that multiple times.  I might send it back to S&W once more then off to a gunsmith.  When you do get it running right it will be an accurate pistol that is every reliable.  And that is the ONLY goal.

Sadly I must agree with sending the 41 to a gunsmith and eating the expense. I sent one back to S&W four times to correct the same problem, double shots. They had it for months and I finally demanded a new gun and I got one. However, that new gun is doing the same thing.

For prosperity, I sent mine to KC, and now it is completely reliable.   The factory apparently has no clue - I just saw the top three threads on the 41 over at rimfire central

Seems to me that you have nothing to lose by taking it all apart, including removing the bolt, making sure all the holes are clean, that the springs are good, that the plunger on the extractor spring is where it's supposed to be, and give everything a good cleaning.  Then re-asemble with the Volquartsen extractor.  Check everything as you re-assemble.

This page will give you some ideas:
https://www.bullseyeforum.net/t4298-smith-wesson-41-common-repairs

This page will also be useful:
https://guntalk-online.com/Model41maintenance.htm

You'll know a lot more about your Model 41, and maybe you'll find the problem(s), fix it (them), and be enjoying your new gun.

Mike hope you got your PC 41 running correctly by now. I am one of the posters mentioned in the RFC postings. I sent mine back to the factory for failure to extract. Came back the exact same way. I have purchased two extra barrels for mine. I polished the chambers really well on all three barrels. Gun has no problems what so ever now. Runs great. Check it by using the plop test. Take the barrel off and drop a round in the chamber, it should seat by it's self and make a plop sound. Then turn the barrel with the chamber pointing down, the round should fall right out. If not may want to try and polish the barrel.

Install one of these. https://www.midwayusa.com/product/1016433722