Swap M41 for Supermatic?

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NIGHTLORD40K

NIGHTLORD40K

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So, im kinda getting fed up with my vintage M41......ignition failures mostly, but also way too many FTE, and short stroking with SV ammo. Ive replaced the main and extractor springs, firing pin, tried different magazines, and installed a recoil buffer. Some brands of ammo are better than others, but none run perfectly.

Its a beautiful gun, and super accurate, but having to stop firing 2-3 times every magazine to deal with a malfunction is really getting old.

Ive got a chance to pickup a very low mileage Supermatic for a reasonable price, but I would have to sell the M41.

Never owned a Hi-Standard before. Would I be upgrading or just taking on a whole new set of headaches?
 
NIGHTLORD40K

Use to know a couple of gunsmiths who greatly cherished their High Standard Citations and Victors. One weakness they ran into though was magazines. They would spend countless range sessions tweaking, recording, and marking individual magazines to the guns they worked best in, along with whatever ammo they preferred. Aftermarket magazines and newer manufactured magazines seldom worked in the older guns.

If it were me I would try going the gunsmith route with your S&W M41 before trading it for a High Standard Citation.
 
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NIGHTLORD40K said:
Ive got a chance to pickup a very low mileage Supermatic for a reasonable price
Click to expand...
New Production from TX or from Hamden CT?

Would I be upgrading or just taking on a whole new set of headaches?
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My personal favorite, excluding European pistols, is the High Standard Victor...with the Citation Military as a close 2nd...but I just passed on both the snap up a M-41 from an estate

But you need to be aware that owning a High Standard mean you'll almost certainly be constantly messing with magazines. First finding ones that work in your pistol and then tuning the lips to keep them running...the HS pistols don't have a feed ramp, they use the magazine lips to guide rounds into the barrel.
 
I have never owned a model 41 but have owned a couple of High Standards over the years. I currently have a Supermatic Citation made in East Hartford, Connecticut and it is a great shooter. There is a company called InterarmsTX which makes magazines for High Standard pistols. I have used them in an older model 103 Supermatic Citation and in my Current Supermatic Citation and have not had any feeding problems with their magazines. But if I had a model 41, I would send it out to Smith & Wesson or a good quality gunsmith before giving up on it.
 
In my opinion there is little chance that a High Standard will work better than a S&W 41, both guns can have issues but then also there are countless of them out there that work well.
If you want a well made work horse that shoots well and is absolutely reliable a Hammerli International or FN Herstal International are better choices. The FN International 150 is basically a Medalist with a six inch barrel and slightly different grips and they can be found for around as much as a High Standard Military model. The FN International usually go past 100,000 rounds without any issues and that made them very popular as club owned guns,
in Germany.

IMG-2264.jpg

FN_150_Int_l.jpg

Hämmerli_208.jpg
 
I would also be curious as to the exact model HS Supermatic as well.
Are you swapping it or buying/selling?

My personal experience with the 41 5" (bull barrel) was an early 90's gun IIRC.
While the gun performed flawless, it just never left me in awe as to actually shooting it
and so it moved on after just a short while.

For HS, I own two. A 1970's Military Victor and a 101 series Supermatic slant grip with both barrels and the weights.
As you've probably read, best to stick with SV ammo (it is all I shoot in any .22 handgun anyways).
Overuse of HV can cause a HS frame to crack, so be sure to look it over well.

Others have mentioned magazine issues.
Can only speak from my own experience and I'll preface things by saying that the majority of
magazines came to me used and separate from the gun purchase. All are original HS, not Triple K.
5 magazines for the Victor and they have all worked perfectly from day one.
7 magazines for the Supermatic.
The 5 I had worked just fine but several months ago I found two more for 10 bucks apiece. One of them functioned as expected,
while the other did have a slight bend on the forward lip that prevented function.
Two minutes with smooth face needle nose pliers took care of it.

I do keep a stiff bristle toothbrush (lightly oiled) in the .22 box for the
breech face and block (or for cylinders on the revolvers).
It is a great aid for preventing waxed bullet SV build up.

JT
 
wiscoaster said:
My best .22 semi-auto pistol is ... <drum roll> ... believe it or not ...

View media item 3262
... a Beretta. <gasps heard>

Not pretty, but shoots anything and everything 100% reliably, and accurately, too.
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Ya, I thought real hard about one of those when Classic brought a bunch in. Ill look and see if they still have any- the reviews were very hit or miss as to condition, with many having the aluminum bits peeling badly.

I already have a M422 which has tens of thousands of round down the pipe, still looks pretty good, very rarely jams, uses the same mags as the M41 and is almost as accurate.

I was really hoping the M41 would "wow" me over the pedestrian 422, but so far its been alot more effort for a very tiny improvement in accuracy.

EDIT: Yup, looks like they still have some. I may try to go that route.
 
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I've had good service with my Model 41 but, if you're after reliable performance, as nice as Hi Standards pistols are, as a cheaper alternative you might want to consider a Ruger Mark series target-configured pistol. My favorite is the MK II Government model.
 
Jeff olson said:
I think you know how I love high standards. However, there is just something about the m41. It would have to be a pristine, reliable, Hamden made citation.
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Yes, yes, and yes. But I think Im going to pass since it sounds like the High Standard doesnt offer me a less finicky shooting experience than the M41.

Its a 98-99% gun, in the box with papers and two mags, they are asking $750. If anybodys interested, PM me and Ill send you the contact info for the shop that has it here in SW Florida. I dont know if they will ship, youd have to ask them. They are good folks there, though.
 
NIGHTLORD40K said:
Yes, yes, and yes. But I think Im going to pass since it sounds like the High Standard doesnt offer me a less finicky shooting experience than the M41.

Its a 98-99% gun, in the box with papers and two mags, they are asking $750. If anybodys interested, PM me and Ill send you the contact info for the shop that has it here in SW Florida. I dont know if they will ship, youd have to ask them. They are good folks there, though.
Click to expand...

For that kind of money you can find a rock solid FN International Medalist 150 and I would choose a 150 over a S&W41, HS, and a Woodsman. It's as solid as a Ruger MkII, just prettier and has a better trigger and a dry fire function.
 
PzGren said:
For that kind of money you can find a rock solid FN International Medalist 150 and I would choose a 150 over a S&W41, HS, and a Woodsman. It's as solid as a Ruger MkII, just prettier and has a better trigger and a dry fire function.
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Its on my radar, now, and there is a show coming up next weekend- thanks!

I dont really care for the looks of the Buckmark, but I may give one a try, as it seems to be basically the same gun, also looking out for a Nomad, those pop up around here occasionally.

Also keeping an eye out for a 2206. Wouldnt mind keeping the basic goodness of the 422, just concerned about the aluminum frame life as mine has many tens of thousands of rounds down the pipe and aint getting any younger.
 
NIGHTLORD40K said:
Its on my radar, now, and there is a show coming up next weekend- thanks!

I dont really care for the looks of the Buckmark, but I may give one a try, as it seems to be basically the same gun, also looking out for a Nomad, those pop up around here occasionally.

Also keeping an eye out for a 2206. Wouldnt mind keeping the basic goodness of the 422, just concerned about the aluminum frame life as mine has many tens of thousands of rounds down the pipe and aint getting any younger.
Click to expand...

The old Herstal Medalist International is a much better gun than the Buckmark. The Nomad is more or less the plinker of that series of pistols. If you need help to locate a nice FN 150, lmk.

My aluminium framed S&W 22A had the frame break around 65,000 rounds and around 110,000 rounds I stopped shooting the gun. That was also the time when S&W stopped servicing them. By that time I had gone through four firing pins and a sight rib because the claw had broken off. A Ruger MkII and FN Medalist are just worn in at that round count :).
 
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