Considering S&W model 41 as my first firearm

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adam3

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Hi newbie here,
Am I crazy to be considering a model 41 Performance Center as my first ever firearm? I've been shopping around, reading websites and watching videos about target pistols for months. I thought I was decided on a Browning Buckmark Plus until my friend ( Hi Bilkathegerman) told me about his dream .22, the model 41. Strangely, it has become my dream pistol too. šŸ˜Š
I'm interested in precision shooting. Im not sure i'll ever compete and I know I dont need a 2000$ pistol to start punching holes in paper.
Are there any disadvantages to starting out with a high end pistol besides having a lighter wallet?
Thanks!
 
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It's a great pistol and about as accurate as you can get without going for a full custom competition model..
They are tightly built and usually require at least CCI Standard ammo to shoot reliably and accurately.. Usual price is around $1400.

I own two and love them both ..
 
Go for it, you will love it, the trigger may spoil you, and perhaps make your trigger control appear to exceed your experience level, a very forgiving choice. Personally, I love the seven inch barrel. You will not be disappointed.
 
I love mine as well and you can't really go wrong with one, I'm just not sure it would be my first ever firearm though. You could get a ruger mk III, a 10/22 and still have lots of money left over for ammunition. Then you can try different types of shooting, and see what you really enjoy. You could always trade up to one later.
 
Well, if you go this way then the gun will certainly never hold you back. It'll be there for you every time you move up another skill rung on the ladder.

Most would balk at the cost. But if you're one of those that has the disposable income or knows that they are going to be in this shooting sport for as long as we're allowed to own handguns then you won't do a whole lot better. They certainly are a fine pistol. And I don't doubt that the trigger on a gun from the PC department will be to die for.

The rest of us are just going to wander over to the corner over there and stew in our jealousy/envy soup..... :D And really though I joke it's what it comes down to. The usual options tossed around are not at all in the same league as the 41. There are a few discontinued match guns from Hi Standard, Browning, Colt and Beretta which could match the S&W. But you need to search around and find just the right one which was kept up correctly instead of being abused.

They exist but these days a fitted box with an older target match gun in good shape with all the barrel weights and other goodies is going to pull in a collector price which matches the cost of a PC M41. And you'll need to dig up the country to find one. For new the next step up from the S&W is the really pricey and totally dedicated match guns.

When you're looking to mate it with a double action revolver look no further than a S&W 617. Or if you find an older blued model 17 in a condition that suits your desires by all means buy that to go with the 41.
 
The downside of starting with a 41 ?...

nothing really, other than your next step up (If you get addicted to punching holes) will be FWB AW93 :p

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Seriously, the 41 is pretty much the last of the classic bullseye gun.
- Colt Woodsman Match... gone
- HS Supermatic and Victor... got resurected a while back.
- Walther Olympia... gone
- Hammerli 208... gone
- Browning Medalist... gone
- Beretta Olympic... gone
 
Good pistol! Not a real Target Pistol but groups very well and can compete toe-to-toe against a qualified target pistol. I saw one few months back. Brand new, under 100 rds. Picky on ammo maybe due to the fact that it has not been cycled to complete the break-in period. Build quality seems to be not as solid as the earlier versions. If you can find an older model, built in the 60s, check it for wear and if it is reasonably priced, go for it. Remember, the older version comes with 2 barrel variants. Some bought the barrel option. So if you are lucky enough, you might be able to find this 2-barrel package.
 
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Thanks for all the interesting and informative replies. Honestly i was expecting more people to try and talk me out of starting with the 41. Lol

I visited 3 gun shops, Asking about the Buckmark and the SW 41 PC.
Sounds like it could take over a year before I'd receive the 41.

One shop was even talking me out of getting anything S&W saying that because their service centers are in the USA, it makes getting repairs very complicated. He then recommended I get a Ruger 22/45 because the service center is very near and said the Ruger is the Honda Civic of pistols, being very customizable. Lol. The 2 other shops are supposed to get back to me with a price for the 41.

And for the Buckmark, one shop didn't sell anything from Browning. Another could order it and is suppose to get back to me with price. And the third, also didn't recommend browning, mumbling something about the service again but could possibly order it.

So that's where i stand, still on square one in my shopping for my first firearm.
Theres soo many options and i think thats why im liking the 41. Its in a class by itself.
 
I'd be curious to know how many guys had to send their 41 for warranty work?...

Of all the guys and gals I know, the only who had to return handguns for repairs are
- 2x Walther P22 with cracked slides
- 1x Match Guns MG2 that wouldn't feed (exchanged it for something else)
- 1x Walther FP with a dead electronique trigger board

If you want a PC 41, I'm sure one of our site sponsor could help you out.
 
My first pistol was a SW 41. Purchased from a professor of botany... Had a "long" barrel and a "target" barrel. Shot a 577/600 in a standard pistol competition with that gun about a year after I got it.

The PC modifications are probably "nice to have" but not "need to have" - the 41 is a good shooter out of the box.

When I was considering getting into shooting I also looked at the Ruger offerings (MkII, for example) and my shooting friends said I'd outgrow the Ruger very quickly if I worked at shooting.

They were right.

I found that my 41 shot best with CCI Green Tag, but I put a lot of non-match ammo downrange, too - about 5000 rounds of T22 and 5000 rounds of IVI (at the time DCRA was issuing members ammo for practice) Until you're trying for a spot on an Olympic shooting team, the SW 41 will probably shoot better, with almost any ammunition, than you're capable of shooting .

(I shoot a Walther GSP now, and while I shot it better than the 41 for a while, the skills have gone away.)
 
Bought my first one for $111 . . . don't ask . . . in 1968.
Also had the 38 Special WC and paid around $150.
Sold them both as a package.
In 1985 bought a used 41 for $375, and later added the 7 3/8's inch barrel for $100.
Sold both and bought a Ruger Mark II with the 10" bull barrel for metallic silhouette.
The 41 is a class gun, functions flawlessly, easy to clean and maintain . . . can't go wrong.
 
The problem of buying a S&W 41 as your first pistol is . . . . . . every other semi-auto .22 pistol you shoot thereafter will fall short of your 41 performance. As BCRider suggested, get a S&W 617 revolver as a companion piece.
 
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