LOCK AFFECTING SALES?

[Engineer1911]

I wanted a M617 with 4" barrel, no lock. GunBroker prices 2 years ago were $1,000 range. My LGS had a 10-shot with a lock, missing rear sight for $350, and large red dot sight. Found rear sight assembly on S&W website for $100+ and bought the revolver. For the modest sum of $550 savings, I'll live with the lock.

I have no plans to buy a new S&W firearm, but there is always the possibility that a "new" used one could find its way home to the herd. This weekend my 1983 S&W 1500 just became a magazine fed 10-round varmint shooter with a plastic trigger guard. I be happy.

 

[NYlakesider]

"LOCK AFFECTING SALES?" quote OP

To me and a few of my friends that is a fact!

 

[CAJUNLAWYER]

Love threads like these.......think I'll go fondle my no lock pretties.
One thing I have seen though is te ridiculous pricing of all revolvers these days. I remember when $300 was average price of a good S&W service revolver with adjustable sigts. Now it seems that the price range for the stock revolvers is between $650 and $1000. THAT"S PRETTY FREAKING EXPENSIVE. I's be hard pressed to buy ANY revolver for that amount whether it had the lock or not. 4" service grade revolvers (like the GP100 and 686) are running $650 and up-that's a lot of money. 44's are even more. Not to say that the 1911's hae not gone gaga with their pricing either-but I got to tell ya, if I were a gansta looking for heat or even Joe Blow average guy who is going to buy a gun before the ban it would be something plastic over a steel revolver costing 2-300 more. And as far as rifles-fugataboutit. A Ruger AR556 or a S&W15 Sport II over a nicely stocked bolt gun. Ruger got that memo witness their American Series. Try finding a regular 77 on a gun rack or for that matter a regular old BDL 700. They are building to a price point and it's got nothing to do with the Lock.

 

[springer99]

IMHO, most of the people buying S&W J frames in my area don't know the difference between those with locks and the few without. They all seem to fly off the shelves as quickly either way. K and N frames sit around a lot longer, but not because of the locks. Most buyers are looking for polymer auto's, since they're much cheaper than a quality revolver.

 

[sw282]

I will take a revolver with a lock over a bottom feeder ANY DAY

 

[TTSH]

When my LGS dropped the prices on the new S&W N frames to $599/$699 the case that was full sold out in no time. Is the lock or the cost?

Lower the price enough and people will buy anything.

I remember when $300 was average price of a good S&W service revolver with adjustable sights. Now it seems that the price range for the stock revolvers is between $650 and $1000. THAT'S PRETTY FREAKING EXPENSIVE. I's be hard pressed to buy ANY revolver for that amount whether it had the lock or not.

With S&W revolver costs running so high, I'd want to be doubly-danged-sure that I was getting exactly the gun I want with no compromises. And you know what that means.

 

[S&W Rover]

Another way to look at it: if S&W changed all production to no-lock, the value of any remaining stock with locks would plummet; and the value of 15 years of used guns with locks woukd drop dramatically too. So it would be a tough transition.

Its hard to figure why S&W has made a bunch of no-lock J's over the past couple of years! A test? Nostalgia?

Like most, I prefer no-locks, but the few revolvers I have with locks have been 'fixed' such that they will never jam because of the lock. So aesthetics are still an issue, but reliability is not.

 

[ofnsaz]

I've got two steel J-frame 357s with the lock, and I haven't had any problems with them. Some folks may worry about it, but a company that sells everything it builds isn't going to sweat it. S&W doesn't make money from used gun sales.

My Model 29 has a lock, too. No problems with it, although I prefer to shoot it as a souped-up 44 special.

 

[Rigor Mortis]

They may be selling but not to me

 

[Lou_the_welder]

Nope.

But reading in these forums seem to fuel the fear of the dreaded lock; and its presumed ability to one day fail when needed the most. Hey! Let's sit around and talk more about the zombie apocalypse, earthquake, tornado, act of god that one day may in fact ; justify all the worried about defending themselves with a firearm, equipped with the infernal lock!

So nope!

They aren't even worried!

The cliques in these forums disdain of any lock on a firearm are creating the rise in pre-lock firearms prices by educating other forum members to hate locks for their "unnecessary, unuseful, ugly, fill in the blank" doctrine!

You all know its true

Which brings those pre-lock prices up!

But hey, whatdoiknow!

 

[H Richard]

Well, my "collectable" guns are all no lock, but I don't hesitate to pick up a lock gun for shooting. I only have a couple, but they shoot as well as no lock guns and I have no fears about them locking up accidentally. (But I carry an older no lock gun)

 

[KML]

No lock for me. S&W tried to make a deal with the devil and screw other gun manufacturers at the same time . I have not bought a NEW S&W since the lock deal.

I will agree the fact that I can still find 95% or better pre-lock guns $200/$300 less than new lock models has helped me not buy new guns.

 

[KML]

Its hard to figure why S&W has made a bunch of no-lock J's over the past couple of years! A test? Nostalgia?
.

Nope the only reason we have no lock j frames is that Law Enforcement Agencies only approved no lock backups.

 

[handejector]

The device under discussion is a "lock".
It's not a "Hilary Hole". Let's refrain from even mentioning the name...

Sounds like the question has been asked and answered, so we'll move along before the real haters show up.