Smith Wesson PC Model 41 22 LR – Superb 5.5 in Target Pistol

Description

The Smith Wesson PC Model 41 22 LR is the Performance Center version of the Model 41, the rimfire target pistol that has anchored American bullseye firing lines since 1957, with an integral Picatinny rail and a removable Patridge front sight.

Smith Wesson PC Model 41 22 LR Built for Precision

The Model 41 was designed from the start as a competition pistol rather than a plinker that happens to be accurate. The barrel is precision button rifled, the rear sight is a micrometer click adjustable target unit, and the trigger includes a user-adjustable trigger stop for removing overtravel entirely.

The 5.5 inch heavy barrel gives this version its balance. At 42.61 ounces the pistol is deliberately front-heavy, which settles the sights and slows the wobble that shows up when holding on a small aiming black at 25 or 50 yards.

Ergonomic checkered target grips fill the hand and put the bore low over the web of the thumb, so what little recoil a 22 LR generates goes almost straight back rather than flipping the muzzle.

What the Performance Center Adds

The integral Picatinny rail is the headline difference. Mounting an optic on a standard Model 41 has always meant a clamp-on base of some kind; here the rail is part of the gun, which is both more secure and better looking.

The front sight is a removable Patridge blade rather than a fixed one, so it can come off when you fit a red dot and go back on when you do not. On a target pistol that flexibility is genuinely useful.

The switch-barrel design carries over, so one frame accepts both 5.5 inch and 7 inch barrels. Swapping takes seconds and no tools, and it also makes cleaning the bore from the breech straightforward.

Ammunition and Maintenance

The Model 41 is a target pistol first, and it is particular about what it eats. It is built for standard-velocity match-grade 22 LR. High-velocity bulk pack ammunition will often cycle it, but accuracy and reliability both suffer, and this is not the pistol to feed the cheapest thing on the shelf.

It also wants to be kept clean. Rimfire fouling accumulates quickly, and a competition trigger this light does not tolerate a dirty action as gracefully as a service pistol would. A strip and clean every few hundred rounds keeps it behaving.

Neither point is a criticism. A pistol tuned this finely for accuracy is necessarily less tolerant than a general-purpose gun, and that is exactly the trade a bullseye shooter wants to make.

Specifications

• Manufacturer part number: 178031
• Caliber: 22 LR
• Capacity: 10+1 rounds
• Barrel: 5.5 in. heavy barrel, precision button rifled
• Optics: integral Picatinny rail
• Sights: micrometer click adjustable target rear, removable Patridge front
• Trigger: target trigger with user adjustable trigger stop
• Grips: ergonomic checkered target grips
• Frame: full size
• Barrel system: switch-barrel design, accepts 5.5 in. and 7 in. barrels
• Weight: 42.61 oz
• Height: 5.6 in.
• Width: 1.7 in.
• UPC: 022188780314

Why Buyers Choose the Smith Wesson PC Model 41 22 LR

An integral optics rail on a Model 41 removes the one genuine weakness of the platform for anyone who wants a red dot, which is most competitive rimfire shooters now.

National-level bullseye competitors have used the Model 41 for decades, and that record is not marketing. It is one of very few American target rimfires whose accuracy reputation holds up against far more expensive European competition.

An adjustable trigger stop lets you remove overtravel completely, which is the difference between a good trigger and one that does not disturb the sights at all.

A 22 LR match pistol is the cheapest serious practice a handgun shooter can get, and the fundamentals transfer directly to centerfire.

Who Should Buy It

The Smith Wesson PC Model 41 22 LR suits bullseye and precision rimfire competitors, shooters who want a serious training pistol for trigger control and sight alignment, and anyone mounting a red dot on a target rimfire. Note that the Model 41 runs best on standard-velocity match-grade ammunition and is not the pistol to feed bulk pack.

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