big time chainring questionss. Blackspire/Thorne

To start off Im tpp bike mechanic, but I have not dabbled with weird CX ring choices before, so Im experimenting on my own bike.

I decided to get fancy and order some Blackspire 38x41 130bcd chainrings, the 41 being the outer.  I thought it'd be cool to experiment with ring sizes, but I was wrong (and should have stuck with a standard size range). My sexy rings came today and after much fussing, and tweaking, I was wholly unable to get the chain to shift. the 38x41 range is too close and the chain cant hit the ramps to shift up- it only get caught between the 2 rings. why they make the 41 as an outer is beyond me and the unhelpful man at Blackspire could only tell me that the europeans love the 41 ring, bt he did not know what would work with a 38. I was wondering if anyone knows if a 42 will work in the stead of the 41. by work I mean actually shift properly- Im running Campy record so I want my first geared cross bike to work well. A man at cxworld said the 42x38 thorne combo they have will work, according to his mechanic. Does anyone know if a 42 blackspire will work the same, or, what it the smallest outer ring one can run with a 38 inner? Anyone use the thorne stuff- Blackspire will refund me and Id buy thorne.  44 is the biggest I could go though. I have ridden ss for a few years and just like a low gear combo. Thanks in advance for all of your knowledge.