S&W Model 41 FTE

641 · Post by **641** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 9:32 pm

On the line tonight my model 41 was shooting great. In fact, I shot a personal best with the pistol. However, during the rapid fire stage I had two FTE's which cost me an even better score.

After cleaning the feed ramp I continued shooting the pistol, in the next competition. No problems, again, until the very last stage. Then, same thing. FTE- the spent case simply does not get removed from the barrel.

Question? Is the heating of the barrel after extended fire causing expansion in the case, leading to the FTE? Should I polish the throat of the barrel? Install a new extractor? Does anyone have another idea?

Georgezilla · Post by **Georgezilla** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 2:05 am

First, congrats on posting some new personal record scores!

I wouldn't think that the guns heat related expansion would cause ejection issues. When the metal expands, the chamber to case fit should loosen, not tighten (unless I am thinking about it wrong). A good example of this is in manufacturing, when two metal components must tightly interface, one is often heated up to make the fit easier initially, but be extremely tight when cooled. As you suggest, the pistol could get a crud build up which could cause issues. Another possibility is that luck would have it the pistol is FTEd on the last string the last two times you took it out, this option seems more plausible.

This is a pretty common issue with the M41s so I wouldn't feel special. Two common fixes are 1) use a chamber iron to ream your pistol's chamber 2) change the angle of the extractor claw, I believe Bullseye produced a tutorial on this process.

Hopefully Bullseye or someone more well versed than me can propose other solutions or elaborated on the above. Also, there is always the option of sending it to S&W for an evaluation/repair.

Post by **Bullseye** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 6:41 am

One simple trick I learned many years ago is to place a single tiny drop of oil on top of the first round in the mag for rapid fire for a tight running M-41. That one drop will provide just enough lube to run the five shots through the string. Be sure to just use a single small drop on the brass casing or you can foul the gun with gummy residue. If this makes your pistol run smoother then you are a candidate for use with a Bentz match chamber reamer. A little chase out in your chamber and the problems will clear up.

If you experience ejection failures all the time then you may need to tune your extractor claw. Here is a procedure that Austin Belhert taught me - http://www.guntalk-online.com/Model41ma ... #extractor

R,
Bullseye

641 · Post by **641** » Tue Apr 10, 2012 7:22 pm

Thank you for the information. I will try each fix one at a time to see what happens and let you know.

Mountain Man · Post by **Mountain Man** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 8:29 pm

I have had success with a simple solution - Take a bore brush (even a nylon one may work) bend the threaded end to a 45 degree angle, and after every 100 rounds, push it into the chamber and work it back and forth. It cleans out the debris until the next real cleaning.

Post by **Bullseye** » Sun Apr 15, 2012 11:11 pm

An M-41 barrel is so easy to remove quickly for a momentary chamber scrubbing I don't really see a need to bend up a bore brush. I keep one in my kit on a pistol cleaning rod, pop the barrel off the frame, and just rotate the brush in the chamber several times to scrub it.

R,
Bullseye

641 · Post by **641** » Mon Apr 16, 2012 9:00 pm

I ran the pistol with lube on the first round and without. Same issues- FTE with a stove-piped round. Then I used a brush on the bore after each stage. That helped. It appears to me that the chamber is very tight. Recommendation for addressing this?

Post by **Bullseye** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 5:36 am

Since you've tried all the least invasive methods then the next remedy is a little more involved. In the past I've used a match .22 cal chamber reamer on M-41's to eliminate the ejection issues. Some barrels have tight chambers or get slightly peened on the end by the slide and that places even more friction on the spent casing causing weak ejections and jams. A light chamber reaming usually solves this problem. Use a Bentz .22 caliber match chamber reamer for this task, you can get one from Brownells-

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=2519 ... TCH-REAMER

You are just cleaning out the chamber and only slightly changing it. This means you won't get huge amounts of chips in the reamer flutes. Cut lightly and use plenty of lubricating fluid. I like Tap Magic for my cutting fluid, You only turn a reamer in one direction for proper use.

You may think this will affect the pistol's accuracy but if done properly it won't. Here's another thread where another member posted his experiences with this remedy http://www.guntalk-online.com/forum/vie ... php?t=3267

This should do it for your problem.

R,
Bullseye

641 · Post by **641** » Tue Apr 17, 2012 9:42 pm

I have ordered the reamer. Update to follow.

jstanfield103 · Post by **jstanfield103** » Mon Apr 23, 2012 5:42 am

I have used the reamer on both of my 41 barrels and have not had any further problems up to this piont.

641 · Post by **641** » Tue Apr 24, 2012 4:27 pm

The reamer worked on one issue. The rounds now extract. I found several more problems after that. Contacted S&W and got a warranty repair return label.

Post by **Bullseye** » Tue Apr 24, 2012 5:02 pm

They'll make it right for you.

R,
Bullseye