Could it be the king of all .22 comp handguns?

[Mitch40]

Hello All, How good is the mod S&W 41? Is it worth the price? Could it be the king of all .22 comp handguns? Bullseye ect. Tell me your side of the story if it is and your side if it isnt. Or what you think is the #1 comp .22 handgun. Accuracy a must!!

[farscott]

I have an older M41 that I used for Bullseye.  It was accurate; however, a Marvel conversion (from before Marvel offered two versions) on top of one of my 1911 frames is more accurate.  The test target that came with my Marvel measured under 0.75" at fifty yards.  The trigger on the M41, while superb for a production pistol, is not as clean as a tuned 1911.  The Marvel/1911 combo also offers the advanatge of using one platform for all of the Bullseye events.

In other events, like free pistol, I expect the Hammerli pistols to surpass the M41; however, I have no experience with the Hammerli pistols.

[Chris]

Mitch40:

I finally broke down and bought a 41 a little over a year ago...and shoot it with open sights at 50ft.  I'm pretty happy with mine and IMHO it is the best .22 target pistol straight out of the box, in the less than $1000 range.  In fact, I seem to shoot it as good as my Pardini at times...go figure.  It's got a reputation that's hard to beat.

When you get start looking at European pistols, they offer more features (grips, trigger adjustments, etc.) and they do seem to produce more consistant groups in the right hands...but they can be kind of finicky with ammo.  BTW, you don't find a Hammerli or Pardini for less than $1500-2000 NIB.

My two cents.   

...Chris          

[Questor]

The 41 has been obsolete as a competition gun for several years. The difference in price between the 41 and the European target pistols like Hammerli and Pardini has shrunk and the 41 is no longer a good value. At the same time, competition modifications for low-end guns like Rugers is improving the suitability of low-end guns for competion.  Many still use the 41, but that is most likely due to its good reputation during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s and the availability of used guns. I've got one. I don't use it any more, and just keep it around for friends to shoot.

[dave375hh]

I really like the S&W Model 41 5" HB, but my High Standard Victor shoots rings around it. I've shot two Pardini's but the grips weren't adjusted to my hand and I didn't shoot them all that well. The High Standard's trigger breaks at 1lb 2oz and is just like the proverbial icecicle when it breaks. Mine is a Hartford model I bought new in the box in 1998. I believe they stopped production of the Hartford models in 1982. Victor's and Citations are still available NIB or EXC. for less than a new S&W 41. I even found a "new" extra bbl. at Gunparts so I didn't have to drill and tap the OEM to mount a reddot scope. I recently bought 3 new mags from Sportsmans Guide for $21 ea.

[Hammerdown]

Hello
I have fired a few different model 41's over the years. They all seemed very accurate, but Their High Price has kept me from owning one. I am Partial to their K-22 Masterpieces and they can be had for about half of what an average used 41 sell's for. I also have owned a model 22-A, and have friends that own both them and the 41 and say the model 22-A is just as accurate, and certainly a lot cheaper. I hope this helps, Hammerdown

[BlkHawk73]

If you want to be in the ralm of royalty with a .22 target pistol, you'll need to look at the likes or Pardini, Morini, and Walther.

[Questor]

And Hammerli too.  There really are no domestic factory guns that match up to those four makers.