Read a wild rumor on another forum that S&W may be reintroducing more revolvers with no internal locks for 2024. There may be other interesting features too but that was all the poster could remember. Anyone else heard anything similar? Got me very excited for Shot Show 2024

the reason I thought it could be possible is with Colt re-entering the revolver scene, S&W may feel the need to up their game so to speak to compete.

curious to see what ppl think.

I'll believe it when I actually can hold one in my hands without the lock!! For some reason they really hold on to the lock in revolvers, but not one lock on their hi capacity magazine semi autos. Go figure!

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Richard Gillespie
FBINA 102

ShhhHH! They'll hear you.

Hopeful, but doubtful.

Heard the same rumor about 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020....

If the lock goes away, lock revolvers will become collectable, and all the "lock deniers" will be scrambling to add them to their collections.

Remember, most "collectables" are coveted because of their rarity, and most are rare because they were unpopular when they were new.

Old Bill said, "Past is prologue."

He was right.

John

I’ll believe it when I don’t see it.

There are some artificially rare models that will be collectable. But I'm ready to break the piggy bank on a no-IL .357 8 shot or three. Plus a nice 57, 617, and maybe even a 29.

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Psalm 27:2

Nice if true, and the Springfield plant (being devoted to revolver production) may have excess capacity now, but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting.

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Alan
SWCA LM 2023, SWHF 220

That is a genie that would be hard to put back in the bottle. A move like that would be highly criticized by the anti's and hard to defend. I can see the headlines now "S&W to Remove Safety From Firearms" it will go on to lament about how many children will be killed as a result of their soulless pursuit of profit and how they bent to the will of the extremist gun culture.

Stranger things have happened but hard to eliminate "safety measures" once they are standard.

I have not heard of anyone that actually uses the safety and it cost them something to install them.
Quality has been lacking on my last few purchases.

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Some assembly required..

I doubt the rumor is true, but if it is, I suspect the opposite: Whatever minimal market value my two “Classic” models retain, they’ll be worth even less (probably a lot less) if they can be had now without the lock.

More than fuss about the IL, S&W ought to first clean up their QC or lack thereof.
Reason my latest revolver purchase was a Colt King Cobra.

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-jwk-
US Army '72-'95

My 22 M&P Compact has the lock along with a magazine disconnect, neither of which is on the other M&P pistols. Always seemed like a way for new shooters to learn the bad habit of relying on safeties not present on M&Ps in other calibers.

As others have stated...I'll believe it when i see it. But S&W has already moved to gun-friendly Tennessee, so i can see S&W giving the antis another backhand by removing the lock.

It's an interesting concept, indeed, but lawyers being lawyers I agree, their Law Department is very unlikely to permit the reversion. Never mind the antis - they're going to argue that the lock is generally harmless so why remove a safety device?

I have to laugh, though, thinking that revolvers with internal locks could become collector's items accordingly. Very funny!!!

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Come and take it!!

"Collectors" being "collectors", they will probably want to have an example of each ("lock" and "no-lock").

And we can't forget the "First Rule of S&W":

NEVER SAY NEVER!!!

John

"Quality has been lacking on my last few purchases"..
I SOOO want to order a 66-8 with the 2.75" barrel, but refuse to do so, based on some recent QC issues that I have had with S&W revolvers.
Yes, S&W has taken care of me with return shipping labels, etc.. but who wants to spend 8 or 9 hundred dollars on a revolver and have to send it back to make it right??!!

(i live in an area with few gun shops, and nobody ever has a 66-8 in stock, for me to inspect thoroughly before purchasing)

Come see me at the Lipsey’s booth on Tuesday at SHOT Show and I will show you miracles…..Darryl Bolke from American Fighting Revolver on Patreon.

Already switched to Colt.

It's not a safety, it's a lock to be used for storage.
I wish it was never implemented, but I don't think it will ever be deleted.

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.............SmithNut

Well, I’ve mentioned it before but here goes. If S&W must keep a locking device then replace the current one. Put it where the original 5 screw guns had a screw in the front/top of the trigger guard. It would lock the cylinder bolt by turning it in one full turn. Get rid of the side mounted screw, hammer parts and unsightly laser marking for it. The lock screw could have a ball detent to ensure locking. Don’t laser mark the frame with the “safe arrow”, put it on the screw. It would solve both legal and esthetic issues and should be cheaper to do for the bean counters. It would also be easier to remove if desired by the owner.

This discussion seems based upon a presumption that S&W actually care about revolvers.
Probably a miniscule amount of their total production.
Most not worthy of any significant investment at this point.

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-jwk-
US Army '72-'95

Locks aside, you seem to be asking S&W to alter their current philosophy (We will be successful if we build our products at the lowest possible cost.) to that which prevailed for their first 100 years (We will be successful if we build the best possible product for the price.).

Will they/Could they do that?

Most certainly, starting shortly after you give them a reason to do that. They'll damn sure do something when they take notice their stuff isn't selling.

Are they aware of all your fussing and fuming? Of course---but that's not enough.

Then too, consider the sales volume of their autoloaders. Is that enough to keep them happy? I don't know either, but then again, I no longer care---haven't cared for a good long time.

Ralph Tremaine

I sadly have to agree, though with 3” pythons selling briskly you’d think S&W would get a clue and do a run of 3” K frames!

I can only hope that S&W comes to their senses someday, ditches the locks, and pays more attention to quality control. If they opt to delete the locks this year, my biggest concern would be getting approved for enough loan money to purchase one of every wheelgun in the catalog.

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AKA SixToEight

Switched to Kimber revolvers and Sig semi but my older Smiths will stay.

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Some assembly required..

Absolutely correct. In today's climate there is no way S&W will assume the liability of removing a "safety" feature on a firearm. It 'aint gonna happen folks.

They could mark them all LE Only.That has no meaning when selling, but would gaslight the gaslighter’s! That is basically what they say when asked why some models don’t have the lock.

I think sometimes as a firearms company, you have to bend to what your paying customers want.

Competition is less of a motivating factor than lack of sales. No sales, no money to pay the decision makers equals a change of theology.

But... for that to happen peeps have to STOP BUYING lock models. It's that simple.

Folks on gun forums often delude themselves
into thinking that what they think is what the
general gun buying public thinks. Don't you think?

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Ubi Est Mea

model 60 ND no lock
model 63 ND no lock
model 67-1 no lock
model 686-1 no lock
model 15-3 no lock
model 4506-1 no lock

All purchased within the last year or so.
There are plenty of no-lock revolvers out there if you look for them. All purchased at or below what a current production model would cost. I don't worry about the lock failing because I don't own any.

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RIP Chloe 2007-2023

Also some current production models with NO lock: 340 M&P, 640 Pro, 442 no lock...
(actually, WHY is it that S&W makes a few with NO lock?? And, are they only J-frames?)

If people stop buying lock models that will mean they will basically sell no revolvers. At that point they will assume the revolver market no longer exists and stop making revolvers all together.

I bought two with locks this year, a 640 and a 642. Plugged them both. But I still got a padlock with the revolvers. Does this make them twice as safe?

I don't care. I still wouldn't buy one. It wouldn't improve their quality control. The lock has never been an issue for me. I have a 625-8 with a lock.

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That's just somebody talkin.

...to have an optional lock for those who WANT one?

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"He was kinda funny lookin'"

Deleted double post

Personally I see S&W never discontinuing
the “child safety”. It’s got to be a Patent
issue, contract/retooling issue, or S&W is
just stupid.

Like I’ve said before, “the next phase of
collecting S&W revolvers is the one’s with
the unique safety on them”.

For me it’s not a deal breaker, plus the New
Česká zbrojovka / Colt’s are really nice. It’s
just a matter of time before my money goes
to Colt.

There is some history of other gun companies incorporating a key lock built into the gun and discontinuing it. The two companies that come to mind are Remington and Sako. Both incorporated a key lock into the bolt cocking piece of their rifles: Remington 700 and Sako 75. Remington called it the “J-Lock.” It was introduced in 2002 and phased out in 2005. Sako briefly introduced a similar type key lock around the same time frame and discontinued it as well. Apparently, consumers did not like these internal locks.

Anyhow, there is some history of other gun companies implementing and subsequently discontinuing an internal key lock.

Rwsmith… Of course. It’s called a padlock. You can buy them for $10 or so.

Didn't Ruger also remove the internal locks in their single actions circa 2012-ish?

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AKA SixToEight

If they do, I’ll pledge to buy a handful of six guns!

Using the convoluted thinking of the anti 2A crowd. Absolutely - it's a commonsense gun violence measure. Like the 6 foot rule or 10pm curfew for Covid.

Follow the science, right.

If they ditch the lock, will they return the profile near the hammer to the pre-lock look? That’s a bigger issue than the lock if you ask me. It would require a lot of retooling. I don’t see that happening

Fair comment.

IMHO hunting rifles just don't create the fear that the evil Assault weapons or easily concealable pistols do. If they attack them openly, they risk alienating a large portion of the gun owning community that may in fact support some of the once again "common sense" gun violence prevention activities. It is a fine line for them. They have to market themselves as preventioneers (I just made that word up) not gun control activists.

That’s right Ruger did incorporate a key lock I believe in the New Vaquero, some Blackhawk’s and LCR’s but it was unobtrusive and not visible like the S&W IL since the Ruger’s IL was inside the grip frame and you had to take off the grips to engage the lock. My understanding is Ruger has subsequently disconnected the IL too.

Thanks for the refresher. If one *must* have an internal lock in their gun, that was the way to do it IMO. Unobtrusive and hidden. (But even better is getting rid of them and sticking to just the external padlock in the box, of course.)

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AKA SixToEight

Surprised this comment hasn't gotten more attention...

I've long pushed my chips out on "no way" every time the perennial "will S&W ever get rid of" question is asked, and so far been right, but nyeti's reply changes things.

Darryl, you serious? (I suspect you are.)

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Pickpocket

I hope I'm wrong, I would like to buy a couple of newer revolvers. Colt has been getting my money on any current production revolvers.

If nothing else a big middle finger to the anti's.