S&W Model 41

Email posted to Bullseye-L

If you’re looking for a reusable “snap cap” for your Smith & Wesson model 41, you might want to take a look at what I created. I’ve used it for hundreds of dry fire “shots” and it shows little signs of wear. It is cut from a commonly available trash can and can be made in just a few minutes. I call it the “Trash Can Snap Cap.” No disassembly of the pistol is needed for installation or removal but a small tool such as a miniature screwdriver or pair of tweezers will facilitate installation and removal.

Email posted to Bullseye-L (long since defunct)

I have been surprised to find out, and I’m maybe even a little embarassed to admit, how important arm, and especially shoulder, strength is in all this. Seems obvious to me now but …

I bought a Smith and Wesson Model 41 .22 caliber target pistol (about this date) from Sportsman’s Warehouse in Phoenix AZ. I paid $749.00 plus tax.

Background

After going pistol shooting with some co-workers, I became interested in target shooting. My first pistol was a Ruger New Model Blackhawk in .357 calibre with the stainless steel finish. I immediately liked the really big noise that it made and ran through a couple of boxes of ammunition before deciding that 1) this could get expensive at approximately $0.25 per “bang”, and 2) I wasn’t hitting where I was aiming except on rare occasions, and didn’t know why. Talking with my friends and the other shooters, I discovered what “flinch” meant, and I had it big time. I learned that as I pulled the trigger, I knew when the gun was going to go off and my body was reacting in anticipation, and in a protect-myself manner, just before the hammer actually fell. That reaction was pulling the gun away from the middle of the target and I was never going to hit what I thought I was aiming at with any semblance of regularity.

Collected by: Ed Skinner, ed@flat5.net http://www.flat5.net/

Revised: 03/08/2005

Converted to HTML and additional notes added: 07/26/2005

Note: Ed Harris is the “Ed” in Ed’s Red; that’s not me.

After working with three “snap cap” gadgets for the Smith & Wesson Model 41 target pistol but finding each solution inadequate, I crafted my own design.