First-hand account of *possible* internal lock malfunction (637 PC)

**EDIT: To be fair, there is speculation based on my observations in the following post.**

I had my performance center 637-2 out for some shooting today and had the gun seize up after just three rounds.

A little back story on the gun: I am the original owner and the gun is 100% factory. It was bought in August 2017 and I haven't even put 100 rounds through it. It doesn't fill any role for me other than another gun to shoot. It stays in the safe and it always properly cleaned. So it hasn't been abused nor was it covered in dirt.

Anyway, my wife had squash that needed some accelerated composting so I took them out with my 637 and 681 to compare the composting capabilities of .38+P and .357 Mag.

I was shooting single action and noticed a slight "gritty / knocking" feel when I drew the hammer back for my fourth shot. When I pulled the trigger nothing happened. The hammer was cocked on a live round and I couldn't get the it to move.

I took the gun inside (all the while with my thumb in front of the hammer) and went to my work table to see what was going on. With thoughts of internet stories of lock failures in my mind, I looked at the lock flag and it appeared to be fully in the unlocked position. I dug out the lock key, inserted it into the hole, and turned the flag back and forth a few times. I then attempted to lower the hammer and was able to.

I unloaded the last two rounds and breathed a sigh of relief.

J then disassembled the gun and found nothing broken or out of place inside. I re-assembled it and took it back out and ran 15 rounds through it, two cylinders single action, one double action. No problem.

I was shooting +P 135 grain gold dot hollow points.

I cleaned the gun up and put it back in the safe. It was never a carry gun, and certainly won't be now. I will continue to shoot it for fun and probably keep one of those keys in my range bag just in case.

This has made me question my desire to pick up a new Model 19 carry comp that WOULD serve a defensive role. All of my other S&W revolvers are lock free and I may want to keep it that way from here on out.

Eski said:

I had my performance center 637-2 out for some shooting today and had the gun seize up after just three rounds.

A little back story on the gun: I am the original owner and the gun is 100% factory. It was bought in August 2017 and I haven't even put 100 rounds through it. It doesn't fill any role for me other than another gun to shoot. It stays in the safe and it always properly cleaned. So it hasn't been abused nor was it covered in dirt.

Anyway, my wife had squash that needed some accelerated composting so I took them out with my 637 and 681 to compare the composting capabilities of .38+P and .357 Mag.

I was shooting single action and noticed a slight "gritty / knocking" feel when I drew the hammer back for my fourth shot. When I pulled the trigger nothing happened. The hammer was cocked on a live round and I couldn't get the it to move.

I took the gun inside (all the while with my thumb in front of the hammer) and went to my work table to see what was going on. With thoughts of internet stories of lock failures in my mind, I looked at the lock flag and it appeared to be fully in the unlocked position. I dug out the lock key, inserted it into the hole, and turned the flag back and forth a few times. I then attempted to lower the hammer and was able to.

I unloaded the last two rounds and breathed a sigh of relief.

J then disassembled the gun and found nothing broken or out of place inside. I re-assembled it and took it back out and ran 15 rounds through it, two cylinders single action, one double action. No problem.

I was shooting +P 135 grain gold dot hollow points.

I cleaned the gun up and put it back in the safe. It was never a carry gun, and certainly won't be now. I will continue to shoot it for fun and probably keep one of those keys in my range bag just in case.

This has made me question my desire to pick up a new Model 19 carry comp that WOULD serve a defensive role. All of my other S&W revolvers are lock free and I may want to keep it that way from here on out.

Click to expand...

Thank you for that first hand report!

Interesting- despite the uproar over the internal lock, I hadn't heard about them seizing up until now. Glad you found out at the range and not in a situation where you really needed it.

If it were mine, it would be going back to be fixed, pronto. Even one unintended lockup is too many. S&W is the bunch that stuck that lock on the gun; not me crying for them to put it on there. I do have 2 lock guns under the roof, but haven't had a problem with them either.

If I can help it, I'll never own a S&W with an internal lock. If I ever had to have one, I wouldn't even bother loading the cylinder without installing a lock delete kit.

YMMV

Appreciate you taking the time to post your first hand experience...it's further confirmation with regards to my decision to remove the lock and install an Original Precision lock plug... and never think/worry about it again.

I would remove the flag & springs and just deactivate the lock. No need for the plug it's just cosmetic. I have a 638-3 and a 642-2 that I deactivated and they are as reliable as any gun I own.

I have two S&W's with the lock removed, the 'Plug' installed. Easy to do. Never had any problems with it removed. Now isn't that better? Cosmetic... yes to fill that nasty hole. Done.

The Lock

Thank you for your post. I have a variety of S&W revolvers with the lock. Any guns that are for double action competition have the lock removed. I can't claim my theory is scientifically proven, but the only guns that seem to lock involuntarily are the many ultralight revolvers. Of course, these guns are generally intended for personal defense carry.

So...I take the lock out of PD carry guns. You be the judge.

Thank you for sharing your experience. I do not currently own a S&W with a internal lock, but if I did this would be concerning. Especially if I depended on it for self defense.

As of now I have not found a S&W with a lock to be anything I want to spend my money on. As far as removing said lock it would not be a problem I have been inside many S&Ws since the early 70s.

I can still see the unsightly hole where the plug goes in and that bothers me, and depending on the model there are frame changes that I also do not care for.

Fake news! Just kidding. Anything that can go wrong just might, and sounds like it did. The less parts, the better I always say.

I like some of the models that have the Lock. Nuff said.

The very first thing I do with a Lock model, once in my possession, is eliminate the little bits and install the Precision plug.

Then, range time.

I like your idea of composting!

Now that I'm giving serious thought to carrying the 325, Looks like I'll be getting one of the plugs.

This thread probably won't be allowed to roll on very long, but all I can say is that the situation that the original poster found himself in was a dangerous one. For me, the revolver would either be gone or I would be doing the removal and plug routine.

I have one I deactivated. I just super glued it.
You could do the same thing with blue Loc Tite.
If I need to re activate it, heat guns are your
friends.

Nobody needs my comments, because the problem and the fix are both obvious.

Aren't you glad I didn't comment on them?

wproct said:

This thread probably won't be allowed to roll on very long, but...

Click to expand...

It should be able to continue since it's a first hand account of a situation that many could learn from... no different than any other part/mechanical failure.

You had a malfunction, but your troubleshooting proved nothing definitively, and claiming you've proved a particular fault in this case, while popular, is not factual.

bigwheelzip said:

You had a malfunction, but your troubleshooting proved nothing definitively, and claiming you've proved a particular fault in this case, while popular, is not factual.

Click to expand...

This. OP may just have moved residual machining debris by operating the lock. What would I do? Back to the factory for examination.

wproct said:

This thread probably won't be allowed to roll on very long, but all I can say is that the situation that the original poster found himself in was a dangerous one. For me, the revolver would either be gone or I would be doing the removal and plug routine.

Click to expand...

Yes, the worst part was that the hammer was back on a live round. It definitely was a bit dangerous.