S&W Model 41 Barrel Insertion, Replacement, Removal, etc., etc.
pcmacd
acquired Model 41.
It's spoda just drop in, right? That's what the so-called
instructions say.
The problem is there is a pawl (call out #6548) that will return to a
horizontal [locked] position if the trigger guard is manipulated after
the barrel is removed, preventing the barrel lug from getting into
proper position _below_ it. The pawl is what keeps the barrel in
position after the trigger guard is rotated home.
I scratched my head for an hour or two over a couple of different
evenings. This be kind of like working a puzzle.. you just KNOW the
parts fit... 'cause YOU JUST TOOK IT DOWN.
I finally figured the &$$&(()&*(*& pawl must need to rotate up. So, I
took a brass drift, stood the frame on end and honked down with
significant hand pressure, coaxing / pulling hard to make the pawl
come up / rotate, &, VOILA!
The pawl rotated up perhaps 20 or so degrees clockwise, with grip on
right, barrel pointed left (if it was actually there.) The barrel now
just drops in. What an exercise.
I fail to understand why the manuals do not make this clear. I'm not
a dummy, [Golly Be Geezuz! I've been successfully rebuilding
Quadrajets since ELEMENTARY school; I've a mechanical engineering
degree! And so on...] and iben around guns for a great deal of that
time.
===>>> This made putting a Ruger 22 pistol back together seem like a
trivial exercise. <<<===
I don't think this handgun has been apart too many times, so this
might be easier on an older gun.
AND... the new directions from S&W don't give the parts callouts, so I
have scanned in manual I received with it into a PDF which I have
uploaded to MediaFire. Here is the link:
o http://www.mediafire.com/?9dgxn2yn6g54b24
If it asks for a password, just ignore it and plow on.
If the file is not there ping me and I shall happily send it on.
Rots of ruck. Time to pack for the range.
mac
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Learn about rec.guns at http://www.recguns.net
-----------------------------------------------------------------
sta...@prolynx.com
This is NOT normal with 41s, the ones I have and have handled do just
as advertised. Pull the slide back and lock it, drop the magazine if
it's not out, pull down the trigger guard and remove the barrel. No
special manipulation needed to replace the barrel, just make sure the
slide is assembled to the frame correctly and locked back, insert the
barrel "foot" and close the trigger guard. About a 10 second
operation. Sounds like the locking pawl is screwed up somehow. This
is one part of the gun I've not messed with( or had to), so I've got
no remedies right now that I can suggest. I've closed the trigger
guards without barrels being installed any number of times while
setting trigger stops, never had any troubles with inserting barrels
afterwards. All pre-'70s made, might be some difference there. I'll
take a look at mine and see if there's a spring leg that's supposed to
hold the pawl in position or something. Some torsion springs in there
with one end powering one thing and another something else.
Important factoid: DON'T STRIP THE GUN! You will curse the day you
thought of it. Best thing to detail clean the lower is to take the
grips off and swish it in a bucket of cleaning solution, then dry and
relube after. It's not a 1911 and it's not designed to come apart
easily beyond barrel and slide removal. Goes together even harder.
The more you punch the pins out, the looser things get. It's not a
Ruger either, parts are hand-fitted on the oldest ones, replacement
parts might need stoning to fit.
Here's a site with some 41 info you may not have:
http://guntalk-online.com/Model41maintenance.htm
If it's really old and well-used, you may want to update the springs
with some from Wolff. My recoil spring on the current 41(mid-'60s)
was about 1/2" shorter than a new stock one and the magazine springs
were about an inch shorter. Somebody also clipped the
mainspring(hammer spring), was getting erratic ignition until that was
replaced. You can get the hammer spring out without punching pins.
There's a couple of bullseye sites that sell the spring kits. I
ordered from Wolff directly, though.
Stan
Robert Hankins
yank the barrel off for cleaning regularly and while I have had not had that
problem yet in replacing the barrel, its a good thing to be aware of.
sta...@prolynx.com
OK, I've looked at my gun, and about the only thing it can be is the
trigger return torsion spring immediately behind the trigger. The
long end of it goes on top of the trigger pull adjustment wedge
towards the front of the gun and in the center of the trigger. See
the web site in my previous post where it's about trigger adjustment
for a picture. The other end is a short tail that bears against that
barrel locking pawl. If you go to www.gunpartscorp.com, it's part 86
on the 41's exploded drawing. What your problem is with that spring,
you'll have to determine by inspection. Could be broken or bent,
somebody could have taken it out to try to lighten the trigger, or it
might just have taken a set. If somebody tried to set the adjustment
wedge to the farthest position forward, the long tail might not be on
the wedge and there might not be enough tension to move the pawl.
You'd notice that, though, the trigger wouldn't reset. Found that out
the hard way. A replacement spring is cheap, but I believe you'd have
to not only remove the pin that holds the spring but also the trigger.
Might be fun doing both. I've had 41 triggers out before, a set of
very long-nose pliers is needed to set the adjustment wedge and get
the spring tail up on it. If the pins haven't been removed before,
they'll be very tight, use a good bench block, a heavy hammer and
properly sized punches. Just tapping away will mushroom the head and
you'll broach the hole out if and when it does start moving. Out is
right to left, in, left to right. A short starter punch would be a
good thing to have, laying down masking tape around the area might
help the finish if a punch slips.
Stan
pcmacd
Thanks for your reply.
The gun is older but doesn't have much handling wear, leading me to
believe it has not been shot much.
If you don't move the trigger guard when the barrel is removed, the
pawl stays put, and the barrel goes back in easily. If you close the
trigger guard, the pawl rotates down and does not come back up when
you open it. The rotation is so minor that I almost did not notice
it. And, the gun is very tight.
I found a half dozen or more people having a similar problem when I
was trying to determine what was wrong -- and I found no solutions.
This is the reason I made the post.
Thanks for the warning about taking it down. I had already cleaned it
exactly has you suggested -- I'm pretty good w/mechanical stuff but
didn't want to be fooling with that nonsense at this time. I want to
go to the range!
mac