My local shop has a Model 41 with a Match Dot on top for 1150 out the door.
Is that a fair deal? Perfect condition, the blueing is still on the barrel
cartridge face. I paid 1250 for the last new one I bought , I don't know
how to evaluate this deal. I do know Smith and Wesson will stand behind
it even if it is used.
gr8--- That does not sound too bad to me. I recently acquired one from a fellow RFC'er that was in VERY nice condition, hardly used, and we settled on $900 as I recall. I thought that was a good deal, and very happy with it. The 41 that you are describing sounds about the same condition, and Match Dots are $200+, so if you want it I would say TRY to negotiate a bit but $1150 OTD sounds OK. Something else to consider, the sales tax would be significant depending on the state, making that quoted OTD price even more attractive. As you know, opinions vary... But good luck and hope you get it!
S&W only warranties pistols after 1993 so if it is older and has an issue then you would have to pay to get it repaired. Also some parts like the older slides are no longer available if you had a problem with something like that.
It is hard to get great deals on 41s as they have always been relatively expensive to buy over the years. Try to get the best condition one you can find as you will most likely forget about the extra you paid. If you get a beater at a good price it will always be a beater.
S&W only warranties pistols after 1993 so if it is older and has an issue then you would have to pay to get it repaired. Also some parts like the older slides are no longer available if you had a problem with something like that.
It is hard to get great deals on 41s as they have always been relatively expensive to buy over the years. Try to get the best condition one you can find as you will most likely forget about the extra you paid. If you get a beater at a good price it will always be a beater.
It is like new, but I have to check one thing. I need to check under the scope
base to see what the matte sight rib looks like. Some of the 41 pistols have
very rough ribs, with metal chunks missing, and tool chatter marks.
They need to change the cutting tool, and slow down that cutting operation.
I have seen many new ones have that problem. Also, I agree that buying it at that price
will seem a good deal in a couple of years as they continue to rise in price.
My local shop has a Model 41 with a Match Dot on top for 1150 out the door.
Is that a fair deal? Perfect condition, the blueing is still on the barrel
cartridge face. I paid 1250 for the last new one I bought , I don't know
how to evaluate this deal. I do know Smith and Wesson will stand behind
it even if it is used.
Smith didn’t stand behind mine and it was new. They went through the motions, but the first two trips, the gun came back with more problems than I had before I sent it. The third time, they got the gun running, but totally destroyed the finish, which was like new when I sent it in.
The 41 can be a great gun . But I’ve learned my local Smith is worth his wage. I wouldn’t concern myself too much about the service if the gun is in good shape. I’m convinced mine was a lemon.
But if I ever got another, and it needed fixin, I’d pay a guy I know to be excellent at his craft rather than risk it again with SW.
As far as price, I ended up selling mine with all its blemishes for $1050 several years ago .
I had a matchdot, but did not sell it with the gun. Besides, I shot it better with the irons.
Good idea to look under that rail. I think the price is in the ballpark .
I recently took a chance on a 41 that was on GunBroker. Last bid was $740, I bid $745 and won. It came with box, papers, spent round,4 mags and was manufactured in 2003. It looked as if it had not been shot much at all. I was very lucky to make this buy for that price.
I put a red dot (TruGlo TruTec) on it. I have shot some of my best scores with it, my high score of 297/300 made me smile.
I recently took a chance on a 41 that was on GunBroker. Last bid was $740, I bid $745 and won. It came with box, papers, spent round,4 mags and was manufactured in 2003. It looked as if it had not been shot much at all. I was very lucky to make this buy for that price.
I put a red dot (TruGlo TruTec) on it. I have shot some of my best scores with it, my high score of 297/300 made me smile.
The S&W warranty only applies to the original owner. In some cases they require that the gun be registered with them in the first 30 days. I have been denied service because I was not the original owner. They sometimes still cover stuff but their written warranty is now different than in the past and supersedes all past warranties.
As to the original question the answer is any 41 in excellent condition unaltered under 900 dollars is a buy.
Yes to this. I bought mine around 3 years ago, made in 2007 and in near new condition but had been fired. Did not have the box or papers, I paid $800 for it. If you find one in excellent condition and it functions reliably, you will soon forget if you slightly over paid for it. It is only going to increase in value.
It would depend on what year the pistol is, later models were drilled and tapped for a sight. Earlier ones were not. If an early one is drilled and tapped it would hurt the value. Any decent Model 41 now days is worth at least $1K in my area.
"If an early one is drilled and tapped it would hurt the value"
This is caused by collectors who don't shoot these guns but hide them in a dark safes only to display them, with a gleam in their eye, to other collectors who do the same.
It peeves me to know that collectors corner good shooting guns and drive the pricing up to the point where the shooters can no longer afford to buy great shooting guns. I see it here with Model 41's and High Standards. Anything with COLTS name on it is the same regardless of how mundane the gun actually is. Winchester are following the same pattern. It is a shame that tools capable of excellent shooting performance are sidelined by collector as "Investments".
A professionally well done drill-and-tap of the sight rail for a scope mount should not hurt the value of a gun used for shooting fun. But collectors want pristine condition, the box and papers, total left as it was delivered new.
Years ago I bought a new in the box Winchester Model 94 NRA Commemorative rifle from a collector at a gun show because at the time Winchester only sold new carbines and, for accuracy reasons, I wanted a rifle. I did not tell him I intended to shoot it until I paid for it and had it in my hands. I thought he was going to have a heart attack on the spot. He pleaded with me to not shoot it. I have shot it many times over the years! The price was high but I wanted a rifle and at the time that was the only way to get a new Winchester rifle version.
Sorry about the rant but it is a real sore point with me! I have many guns. One might say I am a "collector". But every gun, no matter its value, gets shot regularly. They are tools to be used, in my opinion. Your view on this may differ.
Off topic but here are my thoughts on all this. Today we have machining technology that is capable of making a gazillion pieces of a part that are exactly the same and we know more about metals and metallurgy than the human race has ever known so why don’t we have guns made better than ever before. I believe that if the manufacturers wanted to produce the most excellent product ever they could, but a high guality product that would be better than any of the collectible vintage guns we have today sadly is not the objective. Can you imagine anything made today being a sought after collectible or even being around in a hundred years.
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