September 10, 2010
A finer mass production .22 pistol has not been made than the Smith 41. I have one I bought for my father because he always wanted one but couldn't justify buying it. When I gave it to him, he actually teared up. He had been in poor health for awhile and I wanted to give him something nice, a pistol he had wanted for a long time. I could never understand what he saw in it and would make a .22 auto worth as much as they go for. I changed my mind when we shot it.
The gun was an absolute joy to shoot. A sublime trigger with no recoil and beautiful balance and pointablity. He was grinning ear to ear when we would shoot it. Off his back deck we could shoot a punny .22 pistol 130 yds at a 20lb propane tank and easily hit it with at least half the ten round mag. Dads gone now but I still have his long waited for pistol and the memories of him smiling when he would shoot it. It makes me smile whenever I get it out to shoot.
But, yes a 41 is a great pistol to have, very accurate and much fun to shoot. It's not very finnicky with ammo and runs great. A 7" barrel mid eighties and earlier are the best choice, the later guns aren't as finely finished and the triggers aren't quite as good. You can't go wrong and it's a great gun for beginers to learn on. It will also make you a champ when shooting it plus the value due to following the uptick in the price of nicer Smiths. You can find good shooter quality ones on GunBroker between $700 to $800, Go for it. It's worth the premium.
Without a beard you are no different from any woman or child.
Dans Club
March 2, 2008
10magnums said
One thing I would keep in mind when everyone is talking about quality issues of guns is ammo. When I first started shooting many years ago I would see maybe one or two miss fires over a few hundred rounds. 22LR ammo is not the same today. There are many types and not all will function that great in every gun. I own and shoot almost every brand of semi autos. I see one gun not shoot one type and another have no problems. A revolver is more forgiving and is just as accurate. I shoot both revolvers and semi autos, love them both. But I also always figure out what they like most when I am shooting them. You can't go wrong with either gun you are looking at.
This is very sensible observation. Once one makes the revolver/autoloader decision, then you need to find the right ammunition. Since the revolver does not "cycle the action" the search for the best ammo for a revolver may be a little easier.
I am a .22 lr auto guy, my everyday "go to" is Federal Auto Match, I buy it every (good price) chance I get.
Just a quick check of the ammo bunker reveals that Auto Match represents about 75% of about 5K on hand
I went to a bookstore and asked the saleswoman "Were is the Self Help Section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.
George Carlin
March 19, 2016
You did not pay too much, you paid what it was worth to you to have it. It was a good choice, like everyone else who responded made their best choice for themselves. My Wesson keeps them in 1 1/2 " groups at 25 yards with nothing special ammo. I am sure yours will do the same or better.
DA, you actually got a good deal. I was watching in case it went for a song. It looked virtually unfired, had a steel tool and the desirable 4 and 8 " barrels. Plus the box. If it was a newly manufactured gun it would have cost 1300 or more. I have 3 DW 22s already or I would have fought for it.
2 Guest(s)