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Saga of a S&W 41

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daytime dave
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Re: Saga of a S&W 41

Post by daytime dave » Tue Jun 18, 2019 3:36 pm

I hope you contact Smith and Wesson and talk to a or the service manager if you have not already. I knew the early 90's was the lifetime service warranty. I was told that it is still up to the gunsmith to determine if the warranty should apply, or you should be charged. Since you were charged for a service that did not properly repair the gun, I'd send it back. I would say take the stand up dealer at his word and us his 41 while yours is repaired or replaced. I'd also stick with him. That's a man who values you as his customer.

I'd agree with NCG's comments on standard velocity ammunition. This gun was meant to run it. I've always been told by all who know Smith and Wesson guns the same information. That's what I use in mine. I'll have to dig mine out and run it a bit. I know what you mean about the issue though, as I have a Beretta model 21 that had an issue with jamming and malfunctioning. I needed to polish the chamber to a much better standard and clean it very often. That corrected the issue.

Good luck and keep us informed.
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North Country Gal
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Re: Saga of a S&W 41

Post by North Country Gal » Tue Jun 18, 2019 8:35 pm

You're very welcome, Mr.B. I knew the 41's rep for spotty functioning when I bought mine, but bought it, anyway, just because it is a Model 41 and nothing else quite like it. Still, when I hear stories such as yours, I'm reminded of why I like shooting revolvers so much. :) Seriously, though, revolvers come with their own set of reliability issues, too, despite their reputation of being trouble free. Best of luck and, yes, keep us updated.
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MR.B
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Re: Saga of a S&W 41

Post by MR.B » Wed Jun 19, 2019 1:44 pm

Not much of an update, but really in a quagmire. Was doing some research, and went to my go-to site Numrich, and found a lot of parts for the 41. Slide, barrel, everything to build the upper except for the firing pin. Even found some nice target grips. The two things that have me concerned, first off, all the products are used, so inheriting another problem could be an issue. 2nd is that the total was $650. Don't know if it's worth it to put that much money in it, and have no guarantee that it will fix the issue. And a new one is 1100.

On a KC trip with the 1911 Addicts folks, got to shoot a lot of guns, some very expensive, which a couple were revolvers i.e. Ed Brown. So I got bit, and had chance to buy Esquared's Smith, should have picked that one up, it was a shooter for sure, but have pickup a couple and really like them. Have a couple of nice beginners now.

So what are your opinions on what I should do? Send to back to S&W.....again like previous suggested? Send it to another Smith? Use it until a new one comes in through the dealer that I got it from? Sell it? Buy a new one when Grabagun gets them in? I wouldn't feel right taking the dealers suggestion and loaning his 41, so that option is out even though it is greatly appreciated.

Thanks for everyone's imput.
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Ernie
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Re: Saga of a S&W 41

Post by Ernie » Wed Jun 19, 2019 5:10 pm

I would not feel right about using the dealers gun either.
Instead of the $650 chunk I would probably pick 1 or 2 items that you suspect to be the problem and start there, but that is just me.
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North Country Gal
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Re: Saga of a S&W 41

Post by North Country Gal » Wed Jun 19, 2019 8:02 pm

Been in this situation, myself, with guns of all sorts. I am on great terms with our local dealers and always leave feedback on the guns I buy from them, good or bad as the feedback may be. They appreciate that. When I get a gun that's been a real headache, I give my dealer(s) a chance to make it right for me and they always make the effort, given that I've been a good customer. This is the big payoff for buying, locally, from folks you know.

After that, the decision is yours, based on what your dealer offers. Given your bad experience with a Model 41, it might be time to consider trading the 41 for a different gun. Be pretty hard, at this point, for you to trust this model, so maybe a fresh start with a different gun model is the way to go. Your dealer may have some suggestions, here.

I absolutely would not start buying spare parts on a trial and error basis until you've identified the problem, exactly, no guesswork or hunches about it. That's a prescription for more headaches and wasted time with no guarantee of success.
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MR.B
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Re: Saga of a S&W 41

Post by MR.B » Wed Jun 19, 2019 8:12 pm

North Country Gal wrote:
Wed Jun 19, 2019 8:02 pm
Been in this situation, myself, with guns of all sorts. I am on great terms with our local dealers and always leave feedback on the guns I buy from them, good or bad as the feedback may be. They appreciate that. When I get a gun that's been a real headache, I give my dealer(s) a chance to make it right for me and they always make the effort, given that I've been a good customer. This is the big payoff for buying, locally, from folks you know.

After that, the decision is yours, based on what your dealer offers. Given your bad experience with a Model 41, it might be time to consider trading the 41 for a different gun. Be pretty hard, at this point, for you to trust this model, so maybe a fresh start with a different gun model is the way to go. Your dealer may have some suggestions, here.

I absolutely would not start buying spare parts on a trial and error basis until you've identified the problem, exactly, no guesswork or hunches about it. That's a prescription for more headaches and wasted time with no guarantee of success.
Thank you NCG for your advice. You are right on target about the spare parts. I'll talk to my dealer and see what he has to say.
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