S&W internal locks

[High Tower]

At the risk of sounding like an idiot.........

On various forums, I have read about the dislike of the internal locks on S&W revolvers. I'm just curious about issues with these. Are there mechanical problems with those?

I only own S&W PC revolvers and haven't noticed any problems, but I'm not the most dedicated revolver shooter.

I posted the question here as opposed to other forums because of the collective actual experience here and the practical answers. I grow weary of the typical "Well you can do it cheaper......." answer.

[Irish]

There are documented cases of some of their revolvers locking up mechanically during recoil due to the locking mechanism malfunctioning. Practice your Google-Fu and you'll see several incidents that have been posted on the net along with pictures and the communication trail with Smith. I do not know the accuracy of all these claims but I have heard enough anecdotal evidence from several guys who know much more on the subject than I do.
Personally I think the odds of having this type of failure are fairly small but the risk is not worth it to me. When it comes to a life & death situation I want to minimize the most amount of Murphy's Law as possible.

[BSHNT2015]

Pre-lock models are in demand and asking for top $$$$. Current models I've come across, the buyer always ask if this comes in a pre-lock. Some of the buyers express more of cosmetic appeal then the actual lock itself. While others express concern about the lock being more of a hinderance???? Perhap a negative hype from the net and others. As for your question, I have not seen that problem with the locks-mechanical, our depart S&W guy said it's a non issue. My S&W is a pre-lock model.


Mr & Mrs Smith

[sjohnny]

My understanding is that it more prevalent in the light weight heavy recoiling guns like the 340, 329 etc. The lock actually activates due to recoil and then you need to use your key to unlock it and sometimes that won't work either. I disabled the lock on my 642 just in case.

[John_Wayne777]

The spontaneous lock phenomenon has been documented on J frames as well, including the airweight revolvers. (Aluminum frame)

[theJanitor]

i'm looking to purchase a J-frame in the near future. as noted above, how can the lock be disabled or removed?

[High Tower]

Thanks for the responses guys.

So I'm guessing that my 629s are relatively safe from this happening. I'm hoping since I have no idea where those ridiculous keys are.

[Irish]

i'm looking to purchase a J-frame in the near future. as noted above, how can the lock be disabled or removed?

There are new 442 & 642 J frames without the internal lock on Gunbroker for sale currently. The prices are elevated but it is an option.

[sjohnny]

Someone from the S&W forum posted a step by step on youtube for disabling the lock. It's really easy and takes about ten minutes. I don't have the link handy.

[c1ogden]

The short answer is that you are better off just buying a gun that doesn't have that design flaw that they call an internal lock.

These internal locks fall into the just-something-else-to-break category and they apparently do so with some regularity. Since they add nothing desireable (accuracy, reliability, etc) to the gun they have no valid reason to be there.

They can be removed and there are instructions for doing so posted on the web but it is not a good idea to do so.

Removing any kind of "safety" device can lead to all kinds of legal problems, whether the removal had anything to do with the incident or not, as can any modification to a gun.

In one of his magazine columns, Massad Ayob related how far an incompetent/unethical attorney will go. In the case at hand a dangerous intruder was killed with a handgun. I don't remember if it was a criminal or civil trial but Ayoob pointed out that the shooter was depicted as a "reckless" person by the opposing attorney because he owned a Browning Hi-Power from which the magazine disconnector (which the attorney referred to as a magazine "safety") had been removed. The Hi-Power was not the gun involved in the shooting!

In another incident, an attorney had an "expert" testify in court that lightening a trigger pull (by removing a few coils from the rebound spring) on a S&W revolver increased its firepower and made the gun "deadlier".

This is what you can expect if you shoot somebody with an altered gun, or even if you shoot somebody with a stock gun and also happen to own an altered gun. That said, all of my Hi-Powers have had thier disconnectors removed and all of my S&W revolvers were made before this garbage was even thought of.

Stay safe!