The Model 41 is a timeless classic handgun whose quality construction, excellent finish, and superior accuracy make it an instant heirloom. They just don’t make guns like this anymore. My Model 41 has a serial number in the 20,000 range, which makes it a very early example (1959-1960). Smith & Wesson model 41.Browse all new and used Smith & Wesson Pistols - Model 41 for sale and buy with confidence from Guns International.The iconic semi-auto.22LR pistol from Smith & Wesson, the Model 41. Serial number A5981xx, dates to 1979-1980. This Model 41 has for sale by Fernwood Armory on.Model 41 Serial Number. Good Morning, I have been reading your post on S&W Model 41's. I have one to sell. The serial number is 97xxx and has the cocking indicator making it a 1967 gun. It has the 5&1/2 inch barrel. I bought it in 1992 with the intention of competing with it but then life happened ant that idea went out the window. Re: Model 41 serial numbers. It's easy for you to find that out by shooting it from a bench rest and seeing if you can shoot a 9s or better slowfire group with it. Almost all.22s can do that at 50'. Shooting indoors in leagues is fun, but I gotta tell you-find some outdoor matches this spring and GO! Smith and Wesson Serial Number Date of Manufacture J Frame Revolver Lookup. For models 36, 37, 38, 49, 50 and pre model number versions. 1950 = start at 1.

The Smith & Wesson Model 41 is a semi-automatic pistol developed by Smith & Wesson after World War II as a competitive target pistol. It was designed with a 105 degree grip angle, the same as the Colt M1911 pistol, to maintain a consistent grip angle.^[1]

Production history[edit]

In July 1947, two prototypes—numbered X-41 and X-42—were produced, tested, and improved for the next 10 years. In 1957, the Model 41 was made available to the public for sale when Smith & Wesson produced 679 units.^[2] At the end of 1958, they had built 9,875 Model 41 pistols. A lighter 5-inch (130 mm) barrel was offered in 1958 for field use. The Model 41-1 was introduced in 1960 and was chambered in .22 Short for International Rapid Fire competition. Only 1000 were made using light aluminum slides necessary for function with the lower powered .22 Short.

In August 1963, the 5-inch heavy barrel version came into the market. Stoeger's Shooter's Bible of 1964 shows a 7+3⁄8-inch (190 mm) barrel grooved for Olympic center weights. The cocking indicator and 7+3⁄8-inch barrel were dropped in 1978. The 7-inch (180 mm) barrel was introduced in 1978 with no provision for a muzzle brake. A 6-inch (150 mm) barrel was offered for a few months in 1991. In 1992, the Model 41 was dropped from production. In 1994, Smith & Wesson returned it to production as the Model 41 (New Model).^[3]

Model 46[edit]

In 1957, Smith & Wesson offered a 'no frills' version of the Model 41, designated the Model 46. In 1959, it was selected by the U.S. Air Force for basic marksmanship training. About 4000 units were made in total: 2500 with a 7-inch (180 mm) barrel, 1000 with 5-inch (130 mm) barrels, and 500 with 5+1⁄2-inch (140 mm) barrels. The pistol lacked the checkering, polished blue finish, and other refinements of the Model 41. It proved to be a commercial failure with consumers who preferred the more costly Model 41, and production ceased in 1966.^[4]

References[edit]

1. ^Hartink, A.E. (2002). The Complete Encyclopedia of Pistols and Revolvers. Edison, New Jersey: Chartwell Books, Inc. pp. 271–272. ISBN978-0-7858-1519-8.
2. ^Jinks, Roy G.; Krein, Sandra C. (2006). Smith & Wesson (MA) (Images of America). Boston: Arcadia Publishing. p. 128. ISBN978-0-7385-4510-3.
3. ^Supica, Jim; Richard Nahas (2007). Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson (3 ed.). F+W Media, Inc. p. 279. ISBN978-0-89689-293-4.
4. ^Fadala, Sam (2002). 'Smith & Wesson's Model 41: collectibles, edibles, and a lesson in history'. American Handgunner. 22 (6): 83.

The Smith & Wesson Model 57 is a large frame, double-actionrevolver with a six roundcylinder, chambered for the .41 Magnumcartridge, and designed and manufactured by the Smith & Wessonfirearmscompany. The gun was designed as a weapon for law enforcement agencies. However, due to size and recoil it found more favor with civilian target shooters and hunters.

Development[edit]

In the early 1960s, Elmer Keith, Bill Jordan, and Skeeter Skelton, all noted firearms authorities and authors, lobbiedRemington Arms and Smith & Wesson to introduce a new .41 caliber police cartridge with the objective of filling a perceived ballistic performance gap between the .357 and .44 Magnums, thus creating a chambering which they believed would be the ultimate for law enforcement purposes.^[1]In April 1964 Remington responded by introducing the .41 Magnum cartridge, and in concert, Smith & Wesson launched the Model 57 revolver chambered for the new ammunition.^[1]Elmer Keith originally proposed the name '.41 Police' for the new cartridge, but Remington instead chose .41 Magnum, hoping to capitalize on the notoriety and popularity of its earlier Magnum offerings.^[1]

Features[edit]

First introduced in April 1964, the Model 57 was produced with 4', 6', 6-1/2', and 8-3/8' barrels in both highly polishedblued and nickel–plated finishes. Using the S&W large 'N' frame, the Model 57 was one of the companies’ premier products, offering superb fit and finish, basically the same pistol as the famous S&W Model 29, except in .41 instead of .44 caliber.^[2] Like the Model 29, the 57 sported a red insert front sight with a white outlineadjustablerear ironopen sight, as well as a targettrigger, target hammer, and oversized woodentarget grips.^[2]

Model 57 variants[edit]

Ammunition[edit]

Remington originally offered two ammunition loadings in its .41 Magnum cartridge lineup. The first was a full-power 1300-1400 ft/s hunting or heavy-usage load using a jacketed soft point bullet which rivaled the stopping power of the mighty .44 Magnum while boasting less recoil and a flatter bullettrajectory. The second loading was a less powerful 1,150 ft/s 210 grain leadsemiwadcutter intended for law enforcement usage.^[1][3]

Market response[edit]

Due to a number of factors the .41 Magnum unfortunately never became the 'next great police loading' that its developers and supporters envisioned.^[1] First, the majority of departments and rank and file officers were perfectly content with their traditional .38 Special revolvers, and if more stopping power was needed, cartridges such as the popular .357 Magnum were available.^[2] In addition, when senior police officials could be convinced to evaluate the .41 Magnum, many complained that even the lighter .41 Magnum 'Police load' was unpleasant to fire, while the .357 Magnum offered adequate performance without the bruising recoil and muzzle blast associated with the .41.^[1][3] Also, the marketing decision by S&W and Remington to dub the cartridge a 'Magnum' ended up working against them in their desire to address the law enforcement market. Police organizations found the connotation of a high-powered 'Magnum' hunting-type weapon to be unpalatable in an era when they were struggling with political correctness and pursued positive public relations to offset any possible public perception of police brutality.^[4] Although the .41 Magnum was adopted as a police departmental standard by a few cities such as Amarillo and San Antonio TX, and San Francisco, CA, most chose to pass.^[1] In addition, introduced in the shadow of its limelight-grabbing 'big brother' the .44 Magnum Model 29, the Model 57 struggled from its onset to garner much market share. The .41 Magnum's bullet (at 0.410″) is only 0.019″ smaller than the destined-for-greatness .44 Magnum (at 0.429″). The popularity gap widened further when Clint Eastwood used a 'most powerful handgun in the world' Model 29 in the popular film Dirty Harry. In the aftermath of the film's release, many contemporaries of the .44 Magnum, including the .41, somewhat fell out of favor with the general public and American firearms market.^[2] Finally, a series of hugely popular and successful lighter and smaller-framed revolvers crafted from stainless steel emerged in the mid 1980s. These police-issue oriented firearms, exemplified by models such as the S&W Model 66, accelerated the Model 57's demise. Overall, the Model 57 and its variants failed to generate the interest (or sales) which had been hoped for.^[1]

Variants[edit]

Smith & Wesson offered an all stainless steel version of the Model 57 as the Model 657.^[5] The Model 657 was introduced in 1986.^[6]

Smith And Wesson Model 41 Serial Number Dates

A very rare 5' model 57 was^[7] produced in the custom shop. All known examples included the traditional short underlug/ejector shroud.

Smith & Wesson Model 58[edit]

On July 10, 1964, S&W introduced a more basic and inexpensive .41 Magnum intended for procurement by police departments. This budget version of the Model 57 was similar in principle of design to the .38 Special S&W heavy-barrel Model 10, or .357 Magnum Model 28 Highway Patrolman. Weighing in at 41 ounces, the Model 58 featured a 4' barrel, fixed iron open sights, and simpler standard 'magna service' grips.^[1][3] Finish options were the same as its upscale Model 57 brethren, blued and nickel, but shortly after the Model 58's introduction S&W decided a less expensive 'matte' bluing treatment would be more appropriate for the basic 'workingman' model. The no-frills Model 58 also lacked an ejection rod shroud, but retained the pinned barrel and counter bored cylinder of the more expensive Model 57. The Model 58 was manufactured from 1964 to 1977 and roughly 20,000 were produced. In 2008, it was released again by S&W, both in bright nickel and bright blue finish.^[3]

References[edit]

1. ^ ^abcdefghi“Smith & Wesson’s .41 Magnum”Archived 2008-08-20 at the Wayback Machine, Free Patriot Web site. Accessed August 5, 2008.
2. ^ ^abcd“S&W Model 57”, Notpurfect Web site. Accessed August 5, 2008.
3. ^ ^abcdMiller, Payton. “Smith & Wesson Model 58”Archived 2008-06-19 at the Wayback Machine, Guns and Ammo magazine Web site. Accessed August 5, 2008.
4. ^'The .41 Mag: if only we could do it over', Guns, April 2005. Accessed August 5, 2008.
5. ^Boorman, Dean K. (2002). The History of Smith & Wesson Firearms. Globe Pequot Press. p. 86. ISBN978-1-58574-721-4. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
6. ^Supica, Jim; Nahas, Richard (2006). Standard Catalog of Smith & Wesson. Iola, Wisconsin: Gun Digest Books. p. 268. ISBN978-1-4402-2700-4. Retrieved 31 July 2013.
7. ^44, Doc. 'Model 57, Rare 5-inch Barrel, A 'Tool Room' Job'. The Smith & Wesson Forum. http://smith-wessonforum.com/.External link in |publisher= (help)CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)

Smith And Wesson Model 57 41 Magnum Serial Number Lookup

Smith And Wesson Model 41 Serial Numbers By Year