I can't see the lock when I'm shooting. Hard to find a nicer action than on my 629 that has MIM and lock. It's better than on my 66 or 15. Maybe it's so smooth because it gets shot so much. A 357 Mtn. Gun is nice too. They're all great, new and old. If I was a collector and was interested in certain specs then that's what I'd buy. But for shooting the new ones are terrific. Recently I bought a Ruger SRH 44mag. The good scope mounting arrangement and the ability to handle some heavier hunting loads on a regular basis were the reasons. The gun is fine and with some springs and lots of shooting it will probably get smoother. But I wouldn't trade 3 of them for any one of my Smiths, old or new.
Bob