S&W 41 or Performance Center SW22

Which would you go for and why?

  • Model 41 Target

    Votes: 28 75.7%

  • SW22 Victory Target

    Votes: 5 13.5%

  • Neither: What would you get instead?

    Votes: 4 10.8%
  • Total voters
    37
  • Poll closed .
Stephen, My impression of current Performance Center production is the same as bac's. I had a 41 years ago, and were I again in the market, would not even consider that PC Victory thing. I'd keep watching for the right Model 41 too.
 
stephen426 said:
The grip angle on the High Standards look weird to me. I have heard good things about them, but I don't believe they are in the same class as the Model 41.
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And a S&W Victory .22 isn't in the same class as nice High Standard no matter how many do-dads you hang off it or how much carbon fiber you wrap around it.

I'd go with the model 41.
 
Thanks for the replies guys! It is a shame to hear so many legacy brands are putting put out mediocre products now. This includes Sig and Colt. Interestingly, Walther seems to have really stepped up their game with the PPQ.

I think I will stick with the hunt for the 41 and see if I can get a good deal. If not, I don't really "need" another .22. LOL
 
Model 41 for me-a grand old target pistol developed for Bullseye competition. Beautifully finished and superb workmanship, especially on the older models.
 
"...you can get a competitive target pistol..." A Smith 41 is a competitive target pistol. An $868.00 pistol is not. Despite is being from Smith's Performance Center there's no comparison between an SW22, entry level, .22 target pistol and a 41 at $1,369.00 or $1,619.00.
Mind you, it depends on what competition you're shooting. Both of 'em really need aftermarket grips too.
 
T. O'Heir said:
"...you can get a competitive target pistol..." A Smith 41 is a competitive target pistol. An $868.00 pistol is not. Despite is being from Smith's Performance Center there's no comparison between an SW22, entry level, .22 target pistol and a 41 at $1,369.00 or $1,619.00.
Mind you, it depends on what competition you're shooting. Both of 'em really need aftermarket grips too.
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What is not etelling is new 41s sell near their MSRP. I’ve seen exactly one PC Victory and it was in the high 500s, not anywhere near its MSRP.

Enough used, quality 41s exist though at reasonable prices, I don’t get why people would buy them new.
 
Quote:
The grip angle on the High Standards look weird to me. I have heard good things about them, but I don't believe they are in the same class as the Model 41.
High Standards have two grip angles, the early ones are a slant grip similar to a Ruger Mark series and the later Military grip--like a 1911 or a 41.

You really should shoot a 41 and a target High Standard at the same time.
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Yep. I have shot both many times on the same line one after another. I appreciate the 41 but I still shoot the Victor.
 
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I think you guys are going to make me spend some money! I'll tell my wife that .22 is much cheaper to shoot than .45 so It will balance out. Maybe I can try that logic with getting a sports car, since a small aerodynamic profile will save more fuel than large SUV. LOL
 
Maybe I can try that logic with getting a sports car, since a small aerodynamic profile will save more fuel than large SUV.
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Sneaky strategy backfired with a boats analogy: My wife used a sense of twisted logic to point out that canoes have a "smaller aerodynamic profile" than yachts and that paddles save more fuel than motors. Drat! :mad:
 
stephen426 said:
The grip angle on the High Standards look weird to me. I have heard good things about them, but I don't believe they are in the same class as the Model 41.
Click to expand...
High Standard made pistols with two different grip angles. One was similar to a Luger and the early Ruger .22 pistols. The second was like a 1911. A High Standard Victor is every bit as nice and accurate as a Smith 41. Just be sure to shoot standard velocity only in them. They won't hold up to the high velocity stuff.
 
OP, on your poll I voted Smith 41 but in the real world I prefer and have a High Standard Victor. Mine is a late production original not the second incarnation.
 
High Standard

It is indeed a shame that the company could not stay in business; blame who we
will, they just do not make them any more like they did in Hamden.
The Victor and its ilk.....arguably the finest American target pistols ever made.
I see fewer and fewer on the line at Camp Perry as the years pass.
The 41 is an able successor although increasingly pricey (a bargain, though, when compared to the European guns.)
 
High Standard

High Standard continues to to be the choice of a lot shooters at big matches. Of the 7 High Standards we have now; one E. Hartford, two Hamden, and four from Houston. The Hamdens are better blued and finished where the Houston pistols have stronger frames and the barrels are more accurate. The Hamdens may have a touch better trigger but not a big difference there but at 50 yards the Houston guns group a little better.

There is nothing on the web that I could find but supposedly High Standard is reforming in Montana. The address floated around is: High Standard P.O. Box 547. Fairfield, MT 59436. I hope it is true but I could not verify it.
 
The new Model 41s come with hideous plywood (okay, laminate, whatever same thing) grips that look fake as all get out. Why so many companies, be it Ruger or Smith & Wesson etc. absolutely insist on these vs. REAL hardwood with REAL grain is beyond me. Obviously it must be cost-based. It just looks flat out terrible. At least they aren't the beet red color that is also so popular nowadays...smh.
 
I picked up an 80s model 41 over the weekend. It’s not 100% perfect, it has some wear but it functions beautifully. I wasn’t looking for one but at $600 I wasn’t leaving it there.

Keep looking. There are deals out there.
 
HighValleyRanch said:
This thread is useless without pics!
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You will get every penny's worth of what you pay for an old 41. This is the last gun I would give up. Deadly accurate! thousands of rounds, just clean it once in awhile. You will love love it, IF you can find one.
 
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