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?