From Steve Barnett:
I remember shooting one of these, many years ago, at a range where its owner was having serious feeding issues with the ammo he’d brought (I forget the brand).
Intrigued, I offered him the use of some of my CCI Mini-Mag… and the gun performed flawlessly. (He bought a brick from me right there on the spot.)
When he let me shoot his Mod 41, I was rather chagrined by the fact that it shot more accurately than my Beretta Jaguar.
…which, given the price disparity at the time — the equivalent of about $250 — and the barrel differences between the two guns, was perhaps not too surprising.
I still think mine was the prettier gun, though — and the accuracy difference wasn’t that great. Take from that what you will.
The Smith & Wesson Model 41 is on my grail gun list. I’d like an older one. Right now there are several Rugers in the stable but I don’t want to let them go to make room for the Smith.
JQ
Is it me or do all Beretta automatics look similar?
I am not a huge fan of the model 41, because the cost new or used is insane compared to the Ruger Mark series. ($ 1,200 vs $ 600)
Also. Other than a rifle, Ruger 10 22,
Which is my favorite rifle , I don’t like semi auto 22’s especially handgun semi auto 22 LR
I much prefer the Smith and Wesson model 617 stainless 4 in or the Ruger SP101 4 in stainless.
Personally overall, my favorite 22 handgun is my Ruger Single 6 blued in 4 and 3/8 inch. It is a convertible model and I have 2 cylinders, one for 22 LR and one for 22 Mag
That being said. When I worked in the gun biz in the past, the model 41 was smooth, but many of them were very ammo sensitive. As Kim said. Cci mini Mag and also ELEY ammo.
ELEY 22 ammo is hard to find and double or more the cost of most other 22 LR
In semi auto pistols in 22 I preferred the Ruger Mark series not only because they were half the cost, but the Rugers ate almost any ammo I fed them. The ruger is a pain in the ass to field strip though. Exception is the Mark 4.
I am surprised Smith and Wesson still makes the model 41. They have a cult following amount competition shooters, but other than that you don’t hear much about this gun these days.
Kim said: “I still think mine was the prettier gun”
Ralph says: “I really like the look of the S&W Model 41”
Which only goes to prove that taste is subjective.
has anyone tried Smith and Wesson’s Victory model?
JQ
Yes. Just as I was changing jobs, and finishing my time in the gun biz. This gun was being released.
It has a barrel that can be changed with aftermarket barrels like volquartsen.
volquartsen Makes amazing parts. And the owner is a great guy. The carbon fiber barrel (it’s a thin barrel with a plastic carbon fiber sleeve) looks great and is accurate on the victory.
As a whole I prefer 22 LR revolvers. But for me the gold standard for 22 semi pistols are the ruger mark series.
The victory shoots well. Comes in different finishes (camo. Silver black etc). But to me it’s still a somewhat clone of the ruger mark series but with more modularity.
If you like putting tons of aftermarket parts on guns the victory is an ok gun. Easy to find and change parts.
If you just want to change a few parts and mainly just shoot the gun, the ruger mark is the better semi 22 in my opinion.
YMMV