Ejection, feeding issue model 41

Hello all,

Here's a headscratcher, for me at least. Picked up a nicely preserved 1979 model 41. Took it to the range and it performed perfectly--maybe one failure to feed out of 150 rounds. Took it home, cleaned it, put it away. Two weeks later, took it to the range, and after the first shot, the slide was stuck--just barely open. Was finally able to pull it open --took a lot of effort--and eject the casing. It seems like the casings are really sticking in the chamber, such that they're inhibiting the slide from pulling them out.

I've done the following:
* removed the bolt, firing pin, spring, extractor (along with spring and plunger), cleaned everything.
* replaced extractor with Volquartsen
* cleaned chamber carefully--no problem getting the "plop" drop in.
* tried Wolf springs down to 6.5--no change, so I'm back at oem spring.
* slide works beautifully--doesn't bind throughout its travel.

Took it to the range again today after installing the new extractor, same problem. It's clear that the casings are binding in the chamber after the shot. Reading through Jerry Keefer's excellent post ("S&W common repairs"), I was wondering if the extractor's lack of the tig dot (which Jerry put in, and "shaved", to keep it from taking too much bite) is allowing the extractor to push the casing against the chamber right after firing? One casing so firmly lodged in the chamber that I had to use a pair of needle nose pliers to remove it.

Any ideas?

Even this long shot occurred to me: I did install new grips between the first and second trip, and thought they might be pushing up against the magazines in some new way? The magazines install and eject with ease. Okay, thanks in advance for any advice.

One obvious question - did you check that the barrel is not peened from possible dry firing?

Tripscape wrote:One obvious question - did you check that the barrel is not peened from possible dry firing?

No, barrel / breech is not peened. Looks perfect visually, and rounds drop in and fall out of chamber with gravity alone.  Then too, it fired perfectly right after I got it, and no dry-firing in the interim w/o dummy rounds.

BTW, I've tried various kinds of ammo--cci sv, Eley, etc. Same result.

Today I may remove the firing pin and hand cycle some rounds to see if that tells me anything.

Did you use the same ammo the second time?

Also try the bent .25 cal bore brush clean.

Stewboy wrote:Hello all,

Here's a headscratcher, for me at least. Picked up a nicely preserved 1979 model 41. Took it to the range and it performed perfectly--maybe one failure to feed out of 150 rounds. Took it home, cleaned it, put it away. Two weeks later, took it to the range, and after the first shot, the slide was stuck--just barely open. Was finally able to pull it open --took a lot of effort--and eject the casing. It seems like the casings are really sticking in the chamber, such that they're inhibiting the slide from pulling them out.

I've done the following:
* removed the bolt, firing pin, spring, extractor (along with spring and plunger), cleaned everything.
* replaced extractor with Volquartsen
* cleaned chamber carefully--no problem getting the "plop" drop in.
* tried Wolf springs down to 6.5--no change, so I'm back at oem spring.
* slide works beautifully--doesn't bind throughout its travel.

Took it to the range again today after installing the new extractor, same problem. It's clear that the casings are binding in the chamber after the shot. Reading through Jerry Keefer's excellent post ("S&W common repairs"), I was wondering if the extractor's lack of the tig dot (which Jerry put in, and "shaved", to keep it from taking too much bite) is allowing the extractor to push the casing against the chamber right after firing? One casing so firmly lodged in the chamber that I had to use a pair of needle nose pliers to remove it.

Any ideas?

Even this long shot occurred to me: I did install new grips between the first and second trip, and thought they might be pushing up against the magazines in some new way? The magazines install and eject with ease. Okay, thanks in advance for any advice.

I solved a similar problem with my 41. Saw a video on Volquartsen(maybe?) that suggested taking a rag with a couple of squirts of gun oil, put the ammo into the rag and shake, rock and roll. I use a silicon rag but it works just the same. Solved the problem, never had it again.

Wouldn't you think that there is something inherently wrong with a .22 pistol that the cure is lubricating the cartridges before using? This is usually a temporary cure for any pistol until it can be fixed permanently. It's a good pistol, although out-of-the-box I'll take a HS Victor anyday because their trigger is better IMO and the reliability. They have their problem also with magazines, don't drop them or you could have feeding problems with bent lips on them. I learned to adjust them myself because of that.
Stan

I think you should undo everything you did between the first and second trip to the range and see what happens.
Phil

I had two years of issues with my sw 41. I am no gunsmith but here it goes.I did everything I could find on forum.still failure to feed.sometime empty stayed in chamber. Ok so clean chamber with bore brush I think ..27 but fit chamber.put factory recoil spring in. Purchase a new main spring cut two coils off then install.only use cci standard loads. My pistol is now working great no more issues. Tyro

tyro wrote:I had two years of issues with my sw 41. I am no gunsmith but here it goes.I did everything I could find on forum.still failure to feed.sometime empty stayed in chamber. Ok so clean chamber with bore brush I think ..27 but fit chamber.put factory recoil spring in. Purchase a new main spring cut two coils off then install.only use cci standard loads. My pistol is now working great no more issues. Tyro

Thanks Tyro, and others. I've put everything--including the grips (!)--back as they were. (The volquartzen extractor created more problems on my pistol.)  Anyway, went to the range and had better luck with extracting and feeding, but there are still problems--with two ftfs on average per mag.  I've really cleaned and polished the chamber so that isn't the issue. 

On a side note, I just got the 41 that I bought new earlier in the summer back from its second trip to S&W. Took it to the range today and it ate everything with not a single ftf or extraction problem through 8 mags, when I stopped. So good on S&W service.

Anyway, when I compared the two chambers, the older, and now malfunctioning, 41 passes the plop test better than the new one--that is, the chamber is slightly roomier than the new one, so it's not the tightness of the chamber that's the problem.

Anyway, I had very interesting discussion a week ago with the well known gunsmith David Sams, who is passionate about the 41, so I'm packing it up and sending it off to him for a tune up, and if necessary more. The five mags are going too. Looking forward to having him work his magic.  Thanks for your advice everyone.