S&W internal locks?

[Chuck Jennings]

So how many people out there have been able to do a side by side comparison of the new model Smiths with the lawyer locks and the Smiths from a couple years ago? Is there a noticable change in performance or reliability?

Though I am generally opposed to the addition of internal locks, I have yet to have a bad experience with one. I have two guns that have internal locks, (A SA 1911 Mil-Spec and Taurus Tracker 627SS) and I simply ignore the fact that they are there.

Your experience?

 

[prisoner6]

The aesthetic and/or political views of the locks will be very widely varied. However, in the examples I have or have used they have had no functional differences. I haven't seen them affect either reliability or performance.

 

[JoeHatley]

No real difference. Triggers still smooth out just fine, but I still wish they weren't there....

Joe

 

[Old Fuff]

I don't believe that the locks cause functional problems. Some other mechanical or material "improvements" may.

My worry concerning these devices is that someone, for whatever reason, may lock the gun and then that person or someone else may need to use it in an emergency and forget (or not know) that it's locked. As a general rule I don't think locking up devices that are supposed to be used in life-threatning situations is such a good idea.

 

[rbert0005]

No difference in the trigger pull.

Bob

 

[bountyhunter]

The locks do absolutely no harm. Some newer guns have rougher trigger pulls because the surfaces of the MIM parts are not as smooth as the older parts which were machined and polished. The new MIM junk is all drop in, they don't do any smoothing. I honestly think SW fired the last guy there with a trigger finger that could tell a good pull from a bad one.

 

[Guy B. Meredith]

My M66 has the lock and I flat out forget it is there until I clean the revolver. There is no problem with the lock and I find the M66 smoother than my 686+ and more fun than my PC 627 both of which are without the internal lock.

 

[Arub]

I acquired a 66 with the new infernal lock system. Never have locked it and has not yet interferred with functioning.

 

[BluesBear]

Things that make you go Hmmmmmm

I wrote S&W a letter last year asking then why after all of these years of them always having their revolvers pointed to the left and showing them from the left side, they had all of a sudden started showing us only the right side of new revolvers while still featuring the left side of older revolvers in their literature? This practice started the same year they introduced the lawyer lock.

I asked them if they were ashamed of the locks since all of their automatics were still shown from the left.

Well I recieved my new 2004 catalogues last week and wonder of wonders all of the revolvers are once again being shown from the left side.

 

[oldfella]

The lock thingie has been only a political conversation item, mostly negative; if you don't fool with it, you can be sure it will not interfere with the mechanics. The only time I heard of any one having a "problem" is when the gun was locked and unlocked several times; I don't fool with it, and I don't worry about it.

 

[PlayTheAces]

It's a non-issue for me as well. The only gun I have with the lock is a 625. When I first bought it, I locked it up once out of curiousity. Then unlocked it, threw the keys in the box, threw the box in the attic, and never thought about it again. The 625 tosses lead downrange accurately and reliably, and that's all I ask of it.

 

[riverdog]

If you are really concerned, a little lock-tite in the lock should fix any potential malfunctions.