So tell me about the internal lock Ruger is now putting on revolvers....

[Fingolfin]

I had heard about this before but I believe the latest issue of Guns and Ammo magazine has an article with a picture of the internal lock in a Ruger Vaquero. It's under the grip panel.

How does the lock work, and if it failed would it render the gun inoperable? What's funny as the author or editor made a comment that the lock was a good idea for a home defense gun....

 

[Fingolfin]

A little snooping and found a pic courtesy of a Gunblast article about the 50th Anniversary Blackhawk .44 mag:

http://www.gunblast.com/images/Ruger_Flattop44/MVC-696F.jpg

 

[scott22]

Locks are great for home defense, considering you have a burglar that will abide by the "time-out" rule and give you time to unlock it...

 

[Jim March]

I have one of the earliest ones shipped in a 2005-era New Vaquero (SN in the 5xxx range). The gun is a 357 and I've shot the hottest factory loads possible.

No hint of accidental engagement in my gun and I've found zero reports of it happening in anybody else's - and I've been looking.

The mechanism has also been used in a 44Mag (50th Anniversary Flattop 44) with again, no trouble reports.

The system is easy to disable and if you swap to any other grip frame (XR3-RED, Bisley, Bird's-Head, etc.) you'll have to pull the lock. You just need the longer "old Vaquero" mainspring, mainspring strut and "keeper" with the replacement grip frame. The lock piece replaces the "keeper", the piece that used to retain the bottom end of the mainspring.

 

[Master Blaster]

I also have a New New XR3 Vaquerro, made in 2005, and it has the integral lock under the grips. I have never used it.

This very topic came up on the other forum I frequent, so I took the initiative of calling Ruger this morning and asking them about the lock.

The CS rep told me that they have not put it on any of the DA revolvers and have no plans to do so. The integral lock is also not found on any of the stainless steel SA guns either.

It is only put on the Blued single action guns, the blackhawk, vaquerro, and single six.

This makes no sense, it would seem to be more appropriate on the DA guns, since they can fire with just a pull of the trigger. I asked him why this was and he said something about California requiring it on certain guns, but not others!!!!!!

So obviously CA is discriminating against Black colored SA Guns!!!!

When I said that the CS rep laughed, and I started laughing too.

 

[Fingolfin]

The CS rep told me that they have not put it on any of the DA revolvers and have no plans to do so. The integral lock is also not found on any of the stainless steel SA guns either.

Thanks for the reply. That is a really strange policy, especially when it come to locks being in blued only frames. Good news about the DA guns if true.

 

[HOME DEPOT GEORGE]

Not true about the blued only guns, I have a stainless new vaq with the lock.

 

[Virginian]

Ruger will probably end up putting locks on everything,because they want to be "legal" in all jurisdictions and not lose sales. It is not their fault; it is the anti-gunners at it again.
I am just thankful that, so far, they have come up with a totally unobtrusive way of being in compliance with silly requirements. The lock they have come up with is, by all accounts so far, not prone to failures and completely invisible. Also, in looking at Ruger's designs, I would think they can carry over the same design throughout their line with only slight modifications. Sure beats a hole in the side filled with a different color key socket, or a protrusion on the hammer.
I have two of them so far and they don't bother me a bit.

 

[Zip7]

I think it's a pretty neat setup. I've looked at it. If you lock it, it just prevents the gun from being cocked.

It's a good feature if you have young kids around and aren't using the gun for HD, and if you are... just keep it unlocked.

 

[Rugerlvr]

All the more reason to pick up any Ruger revolvers you want right now, rather than later.

 

[461]

California has no requirement for internal locks and the internal locks do not even satisfy the lock requirement we do have.

 

[Rugerlvr]

I thought the whole deal was the locks help the gun pass the California drop test.

 

[Jim March]

No, single actions are exempt from the Cali drop-test so long as they hold 5+ shots and are at least 7.5" long measured parallel to the barrel.

The reason the 32H&R Ruger Bird's-Head guns came with 4.68" barrels vs. 3.5" is that with a short tube on, they wouldn't have made the 7.5" cutoff. The Montado has a plowhandle to allow it to make the cutoff yet have a 3.5" tube.

(Cali was trying to make CAS/SASS guns legal such as no-safety Ubertis yet still require the full test suite for mini-revolvers...)

 

[publiuss]

At least Ruger hid the stupid lock unlike S&W. I really don't care about the lock in and of itself, I just do not want a damn keyhole visible.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

It's a good feature if you have young kids around and aren't using the gun for HD, and if you are... just keep it unlocked.

IMO that's bad logic which helps justify gun makers adding needless parts that can fail. I'm not saying the lock itself on the Ruger can fail just because it's a lock, it's just another part that can fail which wouldn't fail if it weren't there.

ALL internal locks are storage devices which can be achieved equally well with a trigger lock. Once the lock is removed it's really gone and not prone to failure in the revolver.

 

[Master Blaster]

Quote:
It's a good feature if you have young kids around and aren't using the gun for HD, and if you are... just keep it unlocked.

Actaully it gives novice gun owners a false sense of safety, and is an accident waiting to happen if its used instead of education, and a proper inaccessible storage container (in the case of very young children).
The lock may actually encourage sloppy security and cause somone to leave the gun loaded. Junior then figures out the lock can be defeated easily with a screwdriver, or pliers.

Or the owner forgets to turn the key and leaves the loaded gun unlocked and accessible.