I believe the community hope is that they’ll eliminate the lock on ALL models, and save it for the no-fun states.
But my guess is that S&W will 1st observe how their new no-lock offerings fare before making any sweeping decisions. After all, the new no-lock models cost more than the Hillary Hole counterparts.
If Smith WERE to release a Model 69 no-lock, for example, I’d bet that literally the only difference would be the omission of the lock and the price tag. So to say, if you have a serious itch for a model 69, I’d just buy it, plug the hole (or not) and be happy. Who’s to say if they’ll ever release a no-lock model? I hope I’m wrong.