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S&W Revolvers: 1980 to the Present All NON-PINNED Barrels, the L-Frames, and the New Era Revolvers


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  #1  
Old 10-04-2009, 03:03 PM
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Default S&W getting rid of internal lock?

I just read on another forum, where a guy said that Guns & Ammo just ran an article saying that Smith was dropping the lock. Has anyone else read that article? Does anyone know if it will be all guns, just the classics etc.?

I don't/won't buy G&A anymore, since they have gone so far downhill.

I know that the lock subject comes up here a lot, but if they do get rid of it, I will start buying new Smiths again. I don't mind the mim too much. I prefer the firing pin on the hammer, since I think it looks better there, but that's just my opinion. I do like the endurance upgrades of the newer guns, but I don't like the new style rifling as well. (it works, but not quite as well as the old style for lead).

Smith only sells a gun once, and they have to know that all of us old style fanciers, are buying and selling the old style guns repeatedly, in which case they are losing out on profit. It only makes sense to give us what we want. FINALLY!

They will sell a lot more guns if they go back to their roots, and keep it going with the classice series, but only with no lock in them.

Edited to add-
I got ahold of the guy who wrote the post, and he said it was actually the March/April edition of American Handgunner.

Last edited by Gun 4 Fun; 10-05-2009 at 02:33 PM.
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  #2  
Old 10-04-2009, 03:10 PM
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I don't know if it's true or not but if it is then they may have come to their senses.
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Old 10-04-2009, 03:15 PM
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And into my money.

Can you say m-58?
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Old 10-04-2009, 03:15 PM
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I am with you. I think Smith can increase their sales by getting rid of the lock. People like us will buy more Smiths if there is stuff out there that appeals to us.
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Old 10-04-2009, 03:30 PM
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Did they say what article and who wrote it?
I'd like to check it out.

Bill Mahnke #1915
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  #6  
Old 10-04-2009, 03:42 PM
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No, that was all that was mentioned about the article.
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Old 10-04-2009, 04:33 PM
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I got the November issue yesterday and set it aside. I just looked through it and saw nothing reporting the demise of the internal lock.

There is an article by Wayne Van Zwoll about the N frame, which just mentions the lock in passing, nothing said good, bad or indifferent about it. Nothing of great import in the article, just a very general overview of the history of the company and some of it's guns.
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Old 10-04-2009, 05:09 PM
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This is one of those internet urban legends that won't die. Back in the Spring there were several threads in various forums claiming that Massad Ayoob had written an article in one of the gun mags announcing that Smith was discontinuing the lock. This provoked great excitement, numerous "I told you so's" and a fair amount of gloating. Sadly, for those of you who are lock haters he hadn't written any such article, and the story turned out to be a false rumor, or perhaps, a hoax. Obviously, one needs to drive a stake through this story's heart to kill it. I'm betting that we'll see it raised again by (presumably) innocent posters in the future.
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Old 10-04-2009, 06:27 PM
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I'm with the guys who say "If They Loose the Lock, Then I Might Buy a Newer Made S&W"..
The still have the MIM parts & aren't finished as well as they once were & then there's Quality Control Too..
I'd still like the Idea of aquireing a newer 100% forged Smith & Wesson with no locks gadgets etc, Nothing but Sweet Goodness!!
I know I'm dreaming but I also come across older guns every weekend & the only thing keeping me away is the prices..
Gary/Hk
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  #10  
Old 10-04-2009, 06:47 PM
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It worked for Remington when then put the lock on their rifles, a few years later the lock was off. Maybe S&W if true will admit to a mistake and correct their revolvers with no lock models.

These lock models will be worth nothing in trade in time if this is true....
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  #11  
Old 10-04-2009, 06:58 PM
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I love the net-but hate it when it is a method of transmitting hogwash. This one is hog*****. S&W was purchased by a lock making company and they still own it. Further, no manufacturer in their right mind is going to discontinue a "safety device". They might as well hoist a flag to the lawyers saying "sue me". Sad but true in our litigious society, which is personified by that moral stalwart John Edwards.
The number of reasons why they would not discontinue the lock is quite long, and simply cannot be overcome by a quite small number of folks (like me) who simply will not buy a "locker" because it looks awful and is an insult to our intelligence.
The company that now owns S&W brought us the lock (although it probably would have come anyway, but maybe is a less obnoxious form), and the liberals and lawyers are seeing to it that we will always have it.
OK, EOR (end of rant).
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  #12  
Old 10-04-2009, 07:28 PM
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They could put it where it doesn't look ugly. Like what Ruger does by putting their lock in the grip.

There are 2009 production 642 and 442 revolvers without the internal lock. I just bought one

On the "Pro Series" revolvers, such as the 686 Stock Service Revolver, it has a forged hammer and trigger.

Base on these two production runs, you might be able to buy a new S&W revolver with forged parts and no internal lock in the future.
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  #13  
Old 10-04-2009, 09:11 PM
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[QUOTE

There are 2009 production 642 and 442 revolvers without the internal lock. I just bought one

[/QUOTE]

Nah...just leftover frames. another internet urban legend.
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Old 10-04-2009, 09:41 PM
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That is great, the few that I have with locks will be collector items.I don't think that will ever happen, S&W, can't make them fast enough now.
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Old 10-04-2009, 09:43 PM
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Man... you got me all excited. At this point I should know better.
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Old 10-04-2009, 09:54 PM
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I have seen a number of threads talking about removing the locks. I wonder if they did actually remove the locks if there would be threads on how to insert a lock.
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Old 10-04-2009, 10:02 PM
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It is fairly simple to get S&W to stop putting locks in their guns - JUST DON'T BUY THEM!

If they don't sell the guns with the lock, and sell out every batch of guns without the lock, they will stop making the locks.

The problem is that a lot of people buying these guns are one time purchasers that don't read posts on this forum, and have limited knowledge of potential problems. There are also a lot of knowledgable people who buy them because they don't care about the locks.

So long as the lock guns sell, S&W will continue to make them because it is easier to make one gun for all states and some states require a lock. It is really just simply economics.
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  #18  
Old 10-04-2009, 10:18 PM
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To much to hope for, but wouldn't it be nice. I was just comparing my two Mtn. Guns, one with and one without the lock. No real difference except for the hole and knowing that S&W is politically motivated rather than shooter oriented. Unfortunately 1066 is correct, the lock won't go away until sales drop.
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Old 10-04-2009, 10:23 PM
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Well, this has turned into another "I hate the lock" thread. Look, folks, these discussions are a waste of time. Smith isn't going to remove the lock from its revolvers, for several reasons. First, because a few dozen gripers on forums like these don't amount to a measurable percentage of their overall market. I don't take issue with the passion that many of you display, or your sincerity, but you are less than a drop in the bucket when compared to the great mass of gun buyers. In case you haven't noticed, Smith's lock-equipped guns have sold well and continue to do so.

Second, because every other revolver manufacturer (and a few semi-auto manufacturers as well) have now equipped their guns with locks. Ruger, Taurus, they all have locks. One can quibble about whether Smith's lock is uglier than Taurus' or whether it would have been a better marketing strategy to put the lock under the grips as does Ruger. But, the bottom line is that for liability reasons if for no other, Smith will never stop equipping its guns with locks so long as its competitors equip theirs.

Finally, because Smith's products are more profitable with locks than without them. Smith, if you haven't noticed, is owned by the company that manufactures Smith's locks. That means that the parent company gets to equip every revolver sold with a lock. The parent's sales to Smith are direct profits for the parent and I have no doubt that Smith passes on to the consumer the cost of equipping each of its revolvers with a lock.

So again, no offense meant, but this is truly beating a dead horse. And, those of you who are inclined to take hope in internet tales like the "Smith's going to remove the lock" fairy tale need to take a deep breath, accept reality, and move on.

Oh, and as an aside, I just acquired a 1973 36 no-dash. A sweet gun if ever I saw one and, for those who care, no lock.
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Old 10-04-2009, 11:21 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by 1066 View Post
It is fairly simple to get S&W to stop putting locks in their guns - JUST DON'T BUY THEM!
Don't and won't. Matter of fact just ordered one of them M442 "frame leftovers".

BTW, can anyone explain where this seemingly endless supply of no-lock J frames is coming from? Why would Smith sell them if the lockers were so profitable? Couldn't they make more money by drilling a hole in the side and putting in a lock? One more lock sale for SAF-T-LOK,nuther penny and three quarters profit.
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Old 10-04-2009, 11:41 PM
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People, please re-read my post. I didn't post up another net legend. I did post what I just read on another forum. The man there is fairly new there, and wasn't trying to start another rant. He simply mentioned reading an article in G&A.

I simply asked if anyone had read it, and what it really says. I then pondered on how nice that would be if true. What is and what will be, are still two seperate issues, and remain to be seen.

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Old 10-05-2009, 01:53 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stevieboy View Post
Well, this has turned into another "I hate the lock" thread. Look, folks, these discussions are a waste of time. Smith isn't going to remove the lock from its revolvers, for several reasons. First, because a few dozen gripers on forums like these don't amount to a measurable percentage of their overall market. I don't take issue with the passion that many of you display, or your sincerity, but you are less than a drop in the bucket when compared to the great mass of gun buyers. In case you haven't noticed, Smith's lock-equipped guns have sold well and continue to do so.

Second, because every other revolver manufacturer (and a few semi-auto manufacturers as well) have now equipped their guns with locks. Ruger, Taurus, they all have locks. One can quibble about whether Smith's lock is uglier than Taurus' or whether it would have been a better marketing strategy to put the lock under the grips as does Ruger. But, the bottom line is that for liability reasons if for no other, Smith will never stop equipping its guns with locks so long as its competitors equip theirs.

Finally, because Smith's products are more profitable with locks than without them. Smith, if you haven't noticed, is owned by the company that manufactures Smith's locks. That means that the parent company gets to equip every revolver sold with a lock. The parent's sales to Smith are direct profits for the parent and I have no doubt that Smith passes on to the consumer the cost of equipping each of its revolvers with a lock.

So again, no offense meant, but this is truly beating a dead horse. And, those of you who are inclined to take hope in internet tales like the "Smith's going to remove the lock" fairy tale need to take a deep breath, accept reality, and move on.

Oh, and as an aside, I just acquired a 1973 36 no-dash. A sweet gun if ever I saw one and, for those who care, no lock.
While I agree with you on most points I would like to point somethings out. Ruger saw the light on internal locks and has limited its use. The Ruger New Vaquero in both blue and stainless and the Blackhawk in blue are the only revolvers that have the lock. They got some many letters and phone calls against the locks that they stopped at those models.

Some pistols still have locks but my dealer just got a batch of MKIII 22s without locks. They might have done the same as Remington.
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  #23  
Old 10-05-2009, 08:53 AM
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I was at a local gun show this weekend, and would (almost) swear I saw a new model - in the Classic mode - without a lock. I did a double take, and it still looked like it did not have a lock. I think it was something like a M24 .44 Spec.

Certainly the first non-Centennial no-lock gun I have seen.
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Old 10-05-2009, 10:35 AM
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They really ought to start issuing some of the Performance Center guns without them. Of course if they did, I would be in trouble or at least I would have a negative cash flow for a while.
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Old 10-05-2009, 11:09 AM
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I just went through Aug-Sept-Oct-Nov issues cover to cover and saw no mention of this subject at all.

Bummer cause I was really hoping it's true.
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Old 10-05-2009, 11:21 AM
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It's too bad that with the internet someone can pretty much post anything, like this IL thing, just to get a response.
The best way to handle these is to just let them die instead of the typical "I wish" or "they would sell a ton of them". They already sell a ton of them and whether we like it or not, the IL is here to stay.
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Old 10-05-2009, 11:25 AM
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I wonder if he was reading one of their periodicals?
I will get back on that forum and see if I can find that post again then ask him where he read it.
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Old 10-05-2009, 02:31 PM
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Well, I got ahold of him, and he said that it was his mistake. It was actually in the March/ April edition of American Handgunner.
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Old 10-05-2009, 02:55 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ladder13 View Post
Don't and won't. Matter of fact just ordered one of them M442 "frame leftovers".

BTW, can anyone explain where this seemingly endless supply of no-lock J frames is coming from? Why would Smith sell them if the lockers were so profitable? Couldn't they make more money by drilling a hole in the side and putting in a lock? One more lock sale for SAF-T-LOK,nuther penny and three quarters profit.
Good point.

So which it true?

Is Smith & Wesson skipping the "drill the hole" step in manufacturing 442/642 frames or selling off a stockpile of old frames?

If S&W starting putting internal locks in their revolver frames around 2001, these old frames are around 8 years old. That's a long time to keep a stockpile of unused frames.
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Old 10-05-2009, 03:05 PM
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The "left over frames" story came from the fanboys.

They had to come up with some explanation for the appearance of current production lock free revolvers, despite their claims that "S&W is forced to put locks on all their revolvers!!" "States require locks!!" "S&W will never be able to legally go back to making lock free revolvers!" "The lock is here to stay!".

Evidently they were wrong. Regards 18DAI.
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Old 10-05-2009, 05:09 PM
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I checked with my regular contact at S&W last month about the lock issue again & was told "The lawyers won't let us" drop the locks.
Things could always change, but for right now they are not going away.
Denis
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Old 10-05-2009, 05:35 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stevieboy View Post
Finally, because Smith's products are more profitable with locks than without them. Smith, if you haven't noticed, is owned by the company that manufactures Smith's locks. That means that the parent company gets to equip every revolver sold with a lock. The parent's sales to Smith are direct profits for the parent and I have no doubt that Smith passes on to the consumer the cost of equipping each of its revolvers with a lock.
Total hogwash and the idea that the products are more profitable with the lock is false. I'm not going to get into the history but Smith & Wesson is a widely held public company traded under the symbol SWHC. There is no Saf-T-Hammer and hasn't been for many years. Saf-T-Hammer never made any locks and there are no fees paid to anyone by S&W for the IL.

Hating the IL or MIM parts or anything else about current S&W products is anyone's personal decision. And all of us has a right to that others should respect. However, that does not mean you are entitled to just make things up to back up your position.

Bob
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Old 10-05-2009, 05:37 PM
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We can only hope that S+W comes to their senses and gets rid of the lock.I heard that the lock company was one of the owners of S+W.If that is the case it will be a cold day in hell before they disappear.God Bless...Mike
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Old 10-05-2009, 05:53 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dpris View Post
I checked with my regular contact at S&W last month about the lock issue again & was told "The lawyers won't let us" drop the locks.
Things could always change, but for right now they are not going away.
Denis
Why can Smith produce limited runs of 442s and 642s without the locks and not other models? Seems if the lawyers would "object" on a liability basis it would be across the board for all models.
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Old 10-05-2009, 06:13 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by davemercer View Post
Why can Smith produce limited runs of 442s and 642s without the locks and not other models? Seems if the lawyers would "object" on a liability basis it would be across the board for all models.
+1

Seems like those "non-existant" lost sales from people like me who refuse to buy a S&W with IL might be carrying a bit more weight than some would like to believe.
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Old 10-05-2009, 06:13 PM
Dpris Dpris is offline
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Can't answer that one beyond noting that a year or so ago when I was asking them if the 442s & 642s would be regular offerings & around long enough to justify a write-up, I was told "No". That meant they anticipated selling existing stocks fairly soon & implied they were not going to keep those lockless guns in regular production.

I have not asked directly how or why those frames came into being, but I'd speculate foreign contract overruns.

And- Saf-T-Hammer no longer exists as a separate entity. It was a name used to broker the sale from Tompkins. There are no "royalties" or licensing fees.
The "company" that manufacture's S&W's locks is S&W.

Denis
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Old 10-05-2009, 06:18 PM
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Lawyers shmoyers. Money talks BS walks. It's that simple. If they can gather back in those who have left them for Ruger and other such places, they will. It's all about the benjamins. The fact is, they know they are hemmoraging money to their competition. Why else did they bring back the classic series?

One or two screwed up states won't be the rule, but rather the exception to their bottom line, and they will do what is most profitable for them.

I don't know if it will happen or not, but we can only hope that they took off the old brown earmuffs, and are starting to see the light.
Somone ealier made a point about Smith selling to a lot of uninformed consumers, and I think that is at least partially true, judging from what I see happening at the gunshops. Still, that doesn't mean they are stupid consumers. They are hearing things about all of the "issues" with Smith, Ruger, etc., and are coming to forums like this in record numbers to learn. The word is getting out about the locks and such. I hear first time buyers asking about it. If it was such a secret, or only known to those of us here on the forum, how are they hearing about it?
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Old 10-05-2009, 07:16 PM
ladder13 ladder13 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bk43 View Post
Total hogwash and the idea that the products are more profitable with the lock is false. I'm not going to get into the history but Smith & Wesson is a widely held public company traded under the symbol SWHC. There is no Saf-T-Hammer and hasn't been for many years. Saf-T-Hammer never made any locks and there are no fees paid to anyone by S&W for the IL.

Hating the IL or MIM parts or anything else about current S&W products is anyone's personal decision. And all of us has a right to that others should respect. However, that does not mean you are entitled to just make things up to back up your position.

Bob
+1................... Just how much does that *** lock cost to manufacture, about 10 cents? That really adds alot to the bottom line eh?
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  #39  
Old 10-05-2009, 07:37 PM
davemercer davemercer is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dpris View Post
Can't answer that one beyond noting that a year or so ago when I was asking them if the 442s & 642s would be regular offerings & around long enough to justify a write-up, I was told "No". That meant they anticipated selling existing stocks fairly soon & implied they were not going to keep those lockless guns in regular production.

I have not asked directly how or why those frames came into being, but I'd speculate foreign contract overruns.

And- Saf-T-Hammer no longer exists as a separate entity. It was a name used to broker the sale from Tompkins. There are no "royalties" or licensing fees.
The "company" that manufacture's S&W's locks is S&W.

Denis
What is also strange is that no lock 442s and 642s are listed on the Smith website. No suggested retail price, directs you to your dealer.
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  #40  
Old 10-05-2009, 08:11 PM
stevieboy stevieboy is offline
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Total hogwash? I don't think so. The fact that Smith is a publicly held company doesn't mean for an instant that an entity doesn't own a majority of the stock. And, rather obviously, it is in the interest of that entity to equip all of Smith's revolvers with locks, because it makes them. I'm not going to waste my time belaboring this issue except to say that Smith wouldn't sell lock equipped revolvers if the entity that owns the majority of its stock didn't think that doing so was profitable. I repeat what I said in an earlier post. The few dozen people who whine on this and other forums about the terrible lock (and MIM parts, etc.) represent a tiny minority of the gun buying public. So tiny, in fact, that Smith and other manufacturers have no problem in ignoring your opinions. Having said that, I'd like to add that I'm not "pro lock". I am, however, a realist, unlike some.

And, finally, to get back to what this thread is all about, the "Smith is discontinuing the lock" story is simply an urban legend. No such article was written, at any time, in any of the gun mags. Sorry, but that's the truth. Like it or not, the lock is here to stay.
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Old 10-05-2009, 08:28 PM
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You're pretty vocal in your opinion, and that is fine, but do you have any proof of the things that you are posting? You are stating what you think to be true, not actually what is. I would be very interested in anything that you can produce along with the source from where you get it.
I am not trying to be a redneck here. I am just interested in where you get all the info you just posted. I haven't seen it in any magazine or book, much the same way you say that the man I quoted was lying. I don't know either of you, and am willing to give both of you the benefit of the doubt for now.

BTW, I am no newbie when it comes to all of this. I am always interested in facts though.
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  #42  
Old 10-05-2009, 08:41 PM
ladder13 ladder13 is offline
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G4F, I save all my AH mags, what time frame was this statement made in, I'll look for it.
Ooops, you said G&A, sorry.

Ooops again, AH, I'm on it.


**EDITED** Could not find the AH issue from March, it may be at my gun club, will check there. In any event, we know this for sure, no-lock Smiths are being produced when the naysayers said they wouldn't.
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  #43  
Old 10-05-2009, 08:51 PM
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Mike,

I said G&A at first, cause that's what he posted. I sent him a PM and asked which month, and he said that he had been mistaken, and that it was actually AH from March/April this year.
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  #44  
Old 10-05-2009, 10:31 PM
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For all who say they will buy a new S&W if it didn't have a lock here is your chance. Interesting to see how many respond. I don't know the seller and have no affiliation with him.
http://smith-wessonforum.com/guns-sa...42s-stock.html
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  #45  
Old 10-05-2009, 10:40 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hsguy View Post
For all who say they will buy a new S&W if it didn't have a lock here is your chance. Interesting to see how many respond. I don't know the seller and have no affiliation with him.
http://smith-wessonforum.com/guns-sa...42s-stock.html
Tempting, but i don't need another J-frame. The Taurus that i bought instead of a smith is doing me just fine.

Now if he had a listing for a no-lock 629 then i would be sending the pm and whipping out the CC
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  #46  
Old 10-05-2009, 11:19 PM
davemercer davemercer is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hsguy View Post
For all who say they will buy a new S&W if it didn't have a lock here is your chance. Interesting to see how many respond. I don't know the seller and have no affiliation with him.
http://smith-wessonforum.com/guns-sa...42s-stock.html
I bought a 442 no lock and a 642 no lock last week from different local gunshops. I waited for over a year to buy them looking for a no lock. I trust I meet your criteria for one who will buy if no lock Smiths available and not buy if only IL available.
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  #47  
Old 10-06-2009, 03:21 AM
Armed012002 Armed012002 is offline
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The Model 40 "S&W Classics" is available without an internal lock.

This is a new production frame and is rated for .38 Special +P.

Maybe S&W figured an internal lock isn't necessary because it has a grip safety.

I think it's interesting that the 442, 642, and 40 are available without locks. Maybe it's just coincidence. Maybe it's a market test. Most of us would like to believe it's the latter.

I would be happy if they just move the damn lock to the grip like Ruger does and be done with it. My main beef with the lock is the unsightly hole. To put it simply, the hole is ugly.
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  #48  
Old 10-06-2009, 08:27 AM
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The hole is ugly, and if there's even one lock failure that happens, would you want it to happen to you, especially while during a life threatening event?
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Old 10-06-2009, 08:47 AM
ladder13 ladder13 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hsguy View Post
For all who say they will buy a new S&W if it didn't have a lock here is your chance. Interesting to see how many respond. I don't know the seller and have no affiliation with him.
http://smith-wessonforum.com/guns-sa...42s-stock.html
My dealer has one, a 442, which I'm picking up next week. I don't need it but what the heck.
Hide the hole, then we can plug it, Smith..can you hear us?
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Old 10-06-2009, 11:19 AM
bk43 bk43 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stevieboy View Post
The fact that Smith is a publicly held company doesn't mean for an instant that an entity doesn't own a majority of the stock. And, rather obviously, it is in the interest of that entity to equip all of Smith's revolvers with locks, because it makes them. I'm not going to waste my time belaboring this issue except to say that Smith wouldn't sell lock equipped revolvers if the entity that owns the majority of its stock didn't think that doing so was profitable.
Your scenario is of course possible. However the facts are there is no entity, there is no majority stock holder and nobody is making locks other than the S&W plant in Springfield. The locks are a cost incurred in building the guns and are profitable to no one. You can't take a small part of what was true years ago, embellish it with a bunch of supposition and declare it today's facts...doesn't work.

It amazes me that this "lock maker" stuff keeps coming up when it is so easy to get the straight scoop on a publicly held corporation these days.

Bob
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