My Lock locked up

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ric7744

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I put my internal lock back in a few days ago because I thought living in CA it might be smart to do and I went and fired the gun today and the lock set itself off on my 442 using plus p ammo, It was working fine until the heavier ammo.

I am pulling it back out. Is it ok just to pull out the flag and leave the rest of the lock? That is what I did last time but I just want to make sure leaving the other parts don't mess anything up.
 
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I would suggest calling S&W and making an appointment with the Mothership for your revolver. If they are going to foist off that useless junk on us in their pistols, they need to make that junk foolproof. I'm of the opinion that tolerance stacking makes some revolvers have problems with the IL while others have no problems whatsoever. My wife has a 60-15 that has probably run 500 rounds or so of hot 357 Mag through it with no IL problems and roughly the same number of +P 38 Special too. I have never even messed with the IL on that gun, including even trying it out.
 
Leave the flag and other components in the gun, just file the lug (that engages the hammer) off the flag. GTG.

Adios,

Pizza Bob
 
I've been criticized for criticizing the lock before, so I won't do that.

I personally removed the internal mechanism in my 642, leaving the keyed portion of the lock in place to make it look correct from the outside. I've always operated under the principle that if it can happen, it will, and I personally prefer to err on the side of caution. There is a good You Tube video on how to do this on the internet:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVPYgohVCNM[/ame]

You may or may not decide to do this. I'm not suggesting that you do it. If you live in California, the decision has been taken away from you. The non-lock 642s are not on their "approved list," while those equipped with the lock are. Sic Semper bureaucracy.

John
 
I think it's clever to remove the internals whilst leaving the visual externals. Well done, says I!

OTOH, I choose to not mess with the ILs on the few guns that I own that have them. The IL is not my favorite thing but it doesn't really bother me, either. I've shot these guns, the IL did nothing, and I won't touch it and it will continue to do nothing. Works for me!
 
My brother has a 642-2 that shot non plus p just fine but with plus p the lock engaged itself 2 times in less than 50 rounds. He sent it back and they fixed it but now he dosent trust the gun.
 
muddocktor said:
I would suggest calling S&W and making an appointment with the Mothership for your revolver. If they are going to foist off that useless junk on us in their pistols, they need to make that junk foolproof. I'm of the opinion that tolerance stacking makes some revolvers have problems with the IL while others have no problems whatsoever. My wife has a 60-15 that has probably run 500 rounds or so of hot 357 Mag through it with no IL problems and roughly the same number of +P 38 Special too. I have never even messed with the IL on that gun, including even trying it out.
Click to expand...

I TOTALLY AGREE, Muddoctor. SEND IT BACK ! ! ! I AM A HOTRODDER WHO HAS BEEN AROUND ENGINES FOR 60 YEARS. AS A RESULT, I KNOW A BIT ABOUT TOLERANCE STACKING, BUT I NEVER THOUGHT TO APPLY THAT PHENOMENON TO THE WORKINGS OF THE IL. CONGRATS FOR THINKING OUT OF THE BOX, MUDDY. I THINK THAT YOU ARE ONTO SOMETHING…..
 
ric7744 said:
I put my internal lock back in a few days ago because I thought living in CA it might be smart to do and I went and fired the gun today and the lock set itself off on my 442 using plus p ammo, It was working fine until the heavier ammo.

I am pulling it back out. Is it ok just to pull out the flag and leave the rest of the lock? That is what I did last time but I just want to make sure leaving the other parts don't mess anything up.
Click to expand...

Did you ever maybe think of having a Smith and Wesson gunsmith look at it . . . :rolleyes:
 
I called the local gunsmith he said pull the thing out of there again. He said he couldn't do it because of legal ramifications. I don't want to bother with smith and Wesson as now even if they put a new lock in I wouldn't trust it. Which nob to you grind down if you want to leave the flag but not have it work?
 
ric7744 said:
I called the local gunsmith he said pull the thing out of there again. He said he couldn't do it because of legal ramifications. I don't want to bother with smith and Wesson as now even if they put a new lock in I wouldn't trust it. Which nob to you grind down if you want to leave the flag but not have it work?
Click to expand...

So, you're really asking somebody to help you break a California law?
 
Welcome to the forum!

So then, a newbie, with very, very few posts, starts out by telling us about how he removed the lock, put it back in, and THEN it didn't work...

I'm going to get some popcorn....

Again, welcome to the forum.
 
I made some calls and you can get the 642 and 442 without the lock in CA, they are both on the roster, just very hard to find and in high demand. I have a call into a shop that said they might be able to get a 442 no lock. He is going to call me tomorrow. I am going to see if I can possibly get one and sell the 442. If not I will just live with it with the Flag out. I am sure not going to have a gun around that you never know when it will fail.
 
ric7744 said:
I called the local gunsmith he said pull the thing out of there again. He said he couldn't do it because of legal ramifications. I don't want to bother with smith and Wesson as now even if they put a new lock in I wouldn't trust it. Which nob to you grind down if you want to leave the flag but not have it work?
Click to expand...

DO NOT DESTROY THE INTEGRITY OF THE LOCK. YOU WILL NEED TO REPLACE IT, IF YOU EVER NEED TO SEND YOUR REVOLVER BACK TO S&W FOR REPAIR WORK. THEY WILL TELL YOU THAT YOU HAVE VOIDED YOUR WARRANTY, CHARGE YOU TRANSPORTATION BOTH WAYS, CHARGE YOU FOR THE REPAIRS, THEN RE-INSTALL A LOCK AND CHARGE YOU FOR THAT ALSO…..

DON'T BELIEVE ANYONE THAT TELLS YOU IT AIN'T SO. THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED TO ME WHEN MY THEN FAIRLY NEW 617, STARTED TO SPIT LEAD. I HAVE THE INVOICE, AND THE CASHED CHECK. HERE'S A PIC, AS I SENT IN FOR SERVICE. THEY HAD NO PROBLEM WITH THE SIGHTS BEING SWAPPED OUT….
 

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It is so crazy they install a piece that can make your gun useless in a self defense situation and they charge you. Did you take it out again when you got it back or is it just a target gun?
 
I was very upset when S&W started putting those locks on their wheel guns. I had started to hear rumors about them locking up after firing heavy loads, so I just ground the flag down on mine so it would never lock up.
 
Grind the nub down, and I'm sure there are several members who will send you the unground part for free if you ever need to drop it back in......heck I think I have 2 or 3 of them laying around.
 
So I thought I would call Smith and Wesson today. He sent me a return label. The funny part is the guy on the phone sad this has never happened to anyone else he knows of. I said really I am the only one out of all the people out there. What a JOKE and a LIE. I have decided I am going to get a non lock 442 because I really like the gun and sell of the lock one. After this that will probably be my last Smith and Wesson I get. I obviously have a very negative feeling about them right now.
 
ric7744 said:
... I obviously have a very negative feeling about them right now.
Click to expand...

Yes, so it appears - but why? You bought a gun that apparently worked fine, then you tampered with it, and then when it didn't work, you blamed S&W. Hmmm??? :rolleyes:

You knew the gun had the lock when you bought it and apparently you don't like the lock. Why buy it? :rolleyes:

I don't understand these scenarios... :)
 
You all realize that the lock does not engage while shooting!! That is a myth, never happens!! Just ask the factory. A bunch of small, delicate parts set in intricate little beds always work correctly, don't cha know. :-)
 
ric7744 said:
It is so crazy they install a piece that can make your gun useless in a self defense situation and they charge you. Did you take it out again when you got it back or is it just a target gun?
Click to expand...

IT IS SIMPLY A TARGET GUN, SO I LEFT IT IN. SINCE ITS CHAMBERED IN .22 LR. I DON'T ANTICIPATE IT BEING A PROBLEM. THERE IS VERY LITTLE RECOIL WHEN FIRING THE RELATIVELY HEAVY 617. I REMOVED IT FOR COSMETIC REASONS---I HATE THE LOOK ! ! ! ITS THE ONLY ONE OF MY MANY S&W REVOLVERS THAT HAS THE IL. I WAS NEVER ABLE TO FIND A CLEAN USED 4", 10 SHOT, 617. FINALLY, I JUST ORDERED A NEW ONE…..

I AM NOT IN THE HABIT OF BUYING CURRENT PRODUCTION S&Ws. BESIDES THE PRESENCE OF THE IL, QUALITY CONTROL HAS SUNK TO A LEVEL THAT I CONSIDER UNACCEPTABLE--WHETHER IT BE PC, REGULAR LINE OR REPAIRED FIREARMS.THE ONLY OTHER ONE THAT I HAVE PURCHASED RECENTLY IS A 642-1, WHICH DOES NOT HAVE THE UGLY IL…..
 
I hear you this whole lock thing is so stupid and the Customer Service people are rude from what I have experienced. Honestly when I called today they shouldn't have lied about the lock issue saying I am the only person on the planet that had one fail. I am sure this is what they are told to say in there Customer Service Meetings. What they should do I they were reputable is exchanged it for a non lock version legal in my state. Lets be honest they know these things fail.

I have a order in for a 442 without lock and I am going to sell the 442 with lock I want the same gun because I have grips and holsters for it, otherwise they way I feel I would buy a ruger right now. I am going to lose some money but it will give me piece of mind. I want to get one more small revolver but unless they eliminate these locks and change their attitude and increase the quality the next one will be the Ruger LCR.
 
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