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the pin that holds bolt in broke i put new one in and noticed that the bolt is lose in slide it slides forward and aft about .012 of inch is this right or do I need a new bolt, or is there a fix?

The pin that holds the bolt into the slide is the firing pin stop pin. It is pretty stout and must have been under a lot of stress to break. Did you replace it with a proper replacement part or a non-standard substitute one? I would also be checking the firing pin to ensure it doesn't have enough travel to contact the chamber breech lip.

The bolt should fit tightly in the slide with no movement. Difficult to assess why there is movement in the slide without actually seeing the parts. If everything is up to standards then there should be no movement because the pin keeps the bolt fully inserted into the slide assembly. Either the bolt is out of tolerances or the bolt stop pin is, either way something is going to need replacing. Do you have a set of calipers to measure and compare the old bolt with the new one? Any variation between the old and new would indicate to me that you may need a replacement bolt. The bolts themselves are non-fitted parts and should drop right into the slide.

R,
Bullseye

the replacement pin was from S&W

I due have calipers, but think i better get a new bolt, when I put the pin in it pushes the bolt forward .003 with out firing pin spring in and then it will move another .010 forward due to hole in bolt is way to big. I have had this gun for about 25 or 30 years can't remember when i bought it but it was a new gun.

where is a good place to by parts for M41?

Not sure where you got your replacement bolt from but Gil Hebards sells a lot of M-41 parts. They don't have a website, but here's his mailing address Gil Hebard Guns Inc. 125 Public Square. Knoxville, IL. 61448 They also have a phone number where you can call and inquire about parts (309) 289-2700. I have bought several M-41 bolts from them in the past.

R,
Bullseye

Thanks Bullseye I will give Gil call

got a new bolt from Gil Hebards it has a little better fit but still moves forward and aft about .009 of inch, looks like the only way to make it tight would be to clamp it in and line ream then put a over size pin in.
have you ever heard of doing that?

No I haven't, but the next question would be how do the Firing pin stop (crosspin) holes look in the slide? Are they elongated (oval)? How tight is the stop pin fit in the slide with the bolt removed from it?

R,
Bullseye

I don't have a good way to measure small holes but it looks like it has .002 to .003 over size in slide and .003 to .004 over size in new bolt.

I can put new bolt in and it will go all the way aft but when I put new cross pin in I have to move bolt forward .oo4 to get pin in (with pin in and bolt pushed aft tight against pin I can get a .004 shim in between bolt and slide)
this condition causes bolt to hammer pin every shot, it was same with old bolt and pin, I would say it has been this way since it was new. When bolt is forward as far as it will go I can get a .009 shim in between bolt and slide .

I think I could mill step in bolt .005 deep right behind lug( that should be tight to slide) and make a L shaped shim to slip in there then it would not hammer pin, but would hammer shim when slide goes forward.

How old is your M-41?

R,
Bullseye

Do you have access to some Numbered drill bits? These are normally sized in 0.002"-0.003" steps. I've seen pin gauges on Amazon pretty cheap too.

My M41 serial number is ******* not sure what year it was made I think I bought it in early 1980,s. I have shot it a lot over the years but just started shooting bullseye about 3 years ago.

Those cross pin holes could be worn in the slide. A thirty year old pistol may have a high number of rounds through it. How well does the pin fit into the bolt alone? Is there any play in the bolt? How about the cross pin in just the slide without the bolt installed?

R,
Bullseye

the cross pin holes in slide are only about .002 bigger than pin.

but I think the slide was made wrong to start out with be cause when I put the bolt in (pushed all the way in till the lug on top of bolt hits the slide) then try to put pin in it will not go until you move to bolt about .003 or .004 forward (leaving gap between bolt lug and slide), the slide still has the bluing and does not look like bolt has ever hit it, I might need a new slide or put shim in between bolt and slide or may be weld it (don't like weld ideal) could may be elongate hole in bolt if i had a small round file.

I have put it back together for now may be it will last another 30 years, if it breaks again i will try the shim.

thanks.

There are actually three different bolts made for M-41 slides. Why don't you contact S&W customer service and see if yours needs a special sized bolt. You shouldn't have to cobble one together and make it work.

R,
Bullseye