I only own eight (8) S&W revolvers from Model 10 to a 58. The oldest is the M10 made in 1961 when I was born. The newest is a 19-5 from 1985.
If I ever buy a new lock/MIM model, you can bet it will be an N frame, as the J and K frames have altered frame symmetry that just is so obvious as to be offensive.

If Remington had gotten MIM parts in the 1100 sooner could the company have been saved ?

If Smith built revolvers the way they used to and charged for it, most of the people who post on this board wouldn't be able to afford one.

CAD and MIM are here to stay. It's just the way things are done at this time in history. Hand fitting worked because the hands were cheep and worked 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. The bluing was great because the polishing was cheep to do and the dregs from the bluing tanks got dumped in the Connecticut river. Those days are long gone. Now instead of one man making one frame at 75 cents and hour, you have one man making $30 an hour watching over 6 CAD machines that are each turning out 4 or 5 frames at a time. The fact remains that they turn out some very good guns at a price that a working person can afford. For the most part, they are not as nice to look at as a pre war model 27 but they do what they are made for.

I just picked up a nice 629-6 today, built in 2016. 6", nothing special, just in excellent condition. I took the rubber handles off, ran it through whatever the few checks that I know how to do with my limited abilities. I'll take it out and shoot it when the weather permits. (I'm not sure if I can use the game lands' shooting range while deer season is in.) But, this gun feels like a very well-made gun; solid, no shakes or rattles, just like my Model 10 and my Model15, only bigger and a nicer trigger. I'll have to give yinz a report when I can. I'll start a new thread. Anyhow, it feels nice & strong like my Ruger GP100 6". The lock really doesn't detract from the looks. So far, so good. To be continued...

No argument here, just making a point.

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"You're messin' up my Zen"

I must be really lucky. I have a bunch of used guns and for the most part they all worked well from the beginning, not counting the ones I picked up for discounted for a known problem and all those have been easily fixed.

I bet that except for LEO trade ins and the like most revolvers have pretty low round counts. I bet 90% of the revolvers out there have less than 1000 rounds fired from them. Heck, I am a revolver nut and I have some guns with less than that through them. Many people buy the gun fire maybe a box or 2 of ammo and put it away. Maybe once or twice a year fire a cylinder or 2 and back in the drawer. The bigger the bore the more apt this is to be true. Unless people reload ammo cost adds up fast. Just $30 a box means $600 for 1000rds because we are talking people who buy that way.

The people on this site are the exception not the rule for the most part.

I have a 442 as a routine carry gun. I'm sure the new S&Ws are well made guns. However at this stage of my life they do not address what I look for when buying revolvers.

I used to be one of those who couldn't stand the newer guns due to aesthetics (the lock/frame geometry), MIM parts, and the politics that got us the locks in the first place. When I finally broke over and used the new guns, and I mean put thousands and thousands of rounds of full power magnum ammo (mainly 125 gr 357) through new k, l, and n frames in double action only training, I learned some things. No MIM parts exploded, no internal safeties spontaneously activated, the guns worked, and I didn't worry about the wear and tear like I would with one of my older guns. If something broke, I knew S&W would repair it. I also found that the new guns often have better actions out of the box than my stock old ones. From my limited experience, the new guns have proven themselves. The lock is still ugly though.

I have both. Life is too short to be fussy.

MIM doesn't bother me. It's been out long enough for the bugs to be worked out. MIM is everywhere from guns to automotive to airplanes and even aerospace uses MIM. It's not going anywhere.

Old every day. With that said there’s nothing wrong with the new ones but if you’re buying one for an investment forget about the new ones maybe in 50 years It will be worth more than the MSRP it you decide to sell it.

I have a dozen or so of the new ones. I don't care for the lock and a couple don't have them. I don't know how many older ones I have. The newer revolvers get more work time. The only new revolver I sold because I didn't like it was a 67. I traded it for a new 69 which I like very much. If S&W would drop the lock, their sales would increase.

I have a 90’s vintage M29 and Colt Python. I also had (sold) two different 586 that were 90’s vintage along with a M19. Just bought a 4” 686-6 that probably hasn't seen 100 rounds. The fit, and trigger on this 686 is better than all the previous revolvers I listed. The cylinder lock up is so tight, I’ve really never seen something that good before. A few weeks ago I put 100 rounds of 357 and 100 rounds of 38 through it and it shoots very well. So, no matter my thoughts about MIM parts or the hammer lock at this point I really don’t care because this 686-6 is pretty much the best put together revolver I’ve owned. The overall finish is as good as anything else as far as I’m concerned. My example of old vs. new shows quality, fit and finish have all improved IMO.

Locks ?...M&M's ???
I am still tryin to get past this new fangled
double action stuff.

Having purchased my share of NIB S&W revolvers, starting in the '60s but mostly in the '70s, I'll throw in my 2¢ worth. I enjoy the older guns as much as anyone else, but have also purchased a few of the newer MIM filled guns, one even had the lock.

The older S&Ws were aesthetically more pleasing to be sure. But the ones I actually purchased were likely as not to have timing/carry up issues. And that cherished forged lockwork rarely had DA as smooth from the factory as my later MIM guns. And with the MIM guns I've owned, all have solidly timed/carried up, and nothing has broken, bent, deformed or crumbled. I did have to return a 686SSR with the lock for an issue, but once corrected there wasn't a thing wrong with it. But ultimately, I admit I couldn't abide the lock and sold it.

BTW, Years ago, I was present when a fellow shooter's S&W Model 19 hammer nose did break off.

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NRA Life, COTEP 640

In general I find my newer Smith 's to be more accurate then my older ones. And well put together. I do appreciate the bluing on the older models as it is better.

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balin
NRA Life Member

I think most overlook this aspect of the effect on the gun by the lock. Especially the J frames. That shallow as heck slope from rear sight to grip top just looks odd as hell. There are ways to minimize the look of the lock. IIRC some fellow sells oversized cylinder thumb latches. But that profile - no way to change it.

To each his own. I like my newly made 442, it's a model not changed by the lock. Although mine doesn't carry it.

I guess I'm a heretic. I think the curve on the back of the frame (to accommodate the dreaded lock), looks better, at least on the L-frame. In fact, I think the current 4 1/8" 686+, with standard rubber grips is visually the most appealing of any current revolver made, including the Python. I will admit that, viewed from the left, the "Hole" is a distraction.

Oddly, my next favorite type is the earlier Combat Magnum, where the matching of the target grips to frame is usually perfect and really finishes off the appearance.

Of course, I also think my early Gen 1 Glock 17L is "handsome"!

If its got MIM or the hole - keep it.

Sure, they work, but life is too short to accept something when you can get something you enjoy.

Modern methods are good, but craftsmanship rules.

Was it wrapped in a rubber band?

If so, I have the rubber band.

Thanks for confirming what I’ve been saying for years: Lots of hand-fitting means your manufacturing tolerances suck.

The tolerances may not suck but
they require each/every day the old-time
craftsmen, each and every one of
them, to be at the top of their skill.

And yet they must still have had to
make some sort of quota to keep up
with the demands which were very
heavy in the 1950s through the mid
1980s.

I believe those craftsmen often settled
for "good enough" on quite a few of
their production numbers.

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Ubi Est Mea

The new Key Lock guns that I would strongly consider buying are:
- 586 L Comp
- 4” 586+
- Model 19 Performance Center
- 610

If the lock ended up bothering me, I’d just get the lock delete kit, plug it, and be good to go.

The new Key Lock guns that I would strongly consider buying are:
- 586 L Comp
- 4” 586+
- Model 19 Performance Center
- 610

If the lock ended up bothering me, I’d just get the lock delete kit, plug it, and be good to go.

I own S&W revolvers with and without the IL...

Either way, they are great guns...

IMHO, if Smith & Wesson produced a premium series of popular model numbers without the IL and added some hand finishing work, They would fly off the shelf at a 50% premium (even with MIM parts).

I doubt the revolver-buying market is that strong;
also "premium" models do exist on the used market.

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Ubi Est Mea

All my S&W guns, both revolver and semiauto, are discontinued pre lock and pre polymer models. I wish S&W well in the future, but they have nothing in their handgun lines that interest me in the slightest.

It’s all a matter of simplicity. I see, I want, I buy. Intrigued After watching the gunblue video I spotted a newer‘ model at a reasonable price. I fondled, inspected and worked the action. Didn’t want, didn’t buy......won’t look at another. Being flush with pre-locks and internal lock pistols the new’ better revolvers are not for me. I’ll gladly pass them over even though gunblue says they will last a lifetime.

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triggers dog-pile egomaniacs

In summary, as the good book says

"And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, 'The old is better.'"

Unless it’s half price I don’t buy guns with locks. I have one 629 that I got cheap and took the lock out of. All others are no lock.

I can't think of anything to say about the IL or MIM that hasn't already been said. All good comments pro and con.
What I don't like is the newer "plastic"-looking finish on Airweight stainless models. I much prefer the finish as it was done on older models, when the Airweights were the same as alloy semi-autos. I'm not an expert, but it seems like they don't anodize them any more.