S&W lock hole filler plug?

[caryg]

Kernel - I hate to tell you, but your IL on the J frame looks rusty. You must not be using it enough

and thanks for the photos and description to help clear this mess up!

I thank you to, Sir.

 

[Kernel Crittenden]

Kernel - I hate to tell you, but your IL on the J frame looks rusty. ....

That's not my gun. Just a pic I pulled off the interweb.

You do bring up a good point, though. So many of these ILS parts are rusted. I've seen many brand new guns with a rusted ILS. They must not be blued or anything. They should of made it out of stainless.

 

[OldChief]

I'm not that familiar with the new revolvers with the locks but it looks to me that the hole may be a good place to put a drop or two into the lock works? I only have one handgun that came with an internal lock and that's a SIG 1911-22 and I've never used it and it doesn't bother me either. If these locks on the Smiths don't interfere with the normal operation of the piece, why remove it?

 

[italiansport]

Maybe I just think too simply. But couldn't that empty pivot hole be tapped and an appropriate plug screw in stainless steel installed?
Jim

 

[wrangler5]

The OP said cheap, effective and no screws or glue. Otherwise, a threaded pin of the appropriate length and finish with a drop of Loctite probably would be the most reliable long term solution.

One thought, though - we've been told on this forum that S&W will not work on a gun that was sold with an internal lock and return it without a lock. So if it had a lock and you removed it, they will install a new one AND charge you (a lot) for it. If you sent in a gun with no lock and the pivot hole filled with a Loctited pin, aren't they likely to declare the gun non-repairable and not give it back to you?

 

[Tom S.]

Great place to put a tactical sling mount for the world's first J frame with a tactical sling. Major coolness factor.

 

[Kernel Crittenden]

Zerk fitting.

 

[wrangler5]

Not to mention endless threads on how to avoid Zerk Thumb by properly adjusting your grip, how to use the fitting as a thumb rest for more accurate deliberate fire, and etcetera (as the ignoranti are wont to say.)

 

[SaberOne]

Wow, I give up, a picture is worth a thousand dollars. If there is a cheap effective way. Thanks again.

I recall seeing those plugs for about $35 both in stainless and carbon a few years back. I'll dig around and see if I can still find the guy who was/is offering those. I considered it on a couple of my newer revolver's but apparently I just lost interest. Not sure if it's the same person as referred to in one of the posted links.

Actually, I've wondered if its plausible to weld it and dress it up without compromising the integrity of the frame. If it is, it would be anything but cheap but I'd still be willing to have one done just for the heck of it.

 

[Brian in Oregon]

The first time I read about somebody wanting to remove the internal lock from a revolver I asked my wife (the prosecutor) if an attorney could make an issue of that if the gun were ever used in a shooting. She just smiled that lawyer smile. You know, the big toothy grin that reminds you of a great white shark.

Apparently lawyers don't understand it is a STORAGE lock, not a SAFETY lock.

No one with any brains uses a STORAGE lock on a gun they are actively using for self-defense.

"Hold on Mr. Mugger while I unlock my gun!"

 

[357-RevolverGuy]

The first time I read about somebody wanting to remove the internal lock from a revolver I asked my wife (the prosecutor) if an attorney could make an issue of that if the gun were ever used in a shooting. She just smiled that lawyer smile. You know, the big toothy grin that reminds you of a great white shark.

I wonder how she'd respond if you asked her if someone was wanting to remove the original grips and replace them with a custom set? Or remove the front/rear sights and replace them as well? Or maybe remove the original matte finish and polish it up? Or how about a Wolff spring set? ... I think lawyers could make a case for anything. I just don't worry about it. If you end up having to shoot someone in self defense most likely it will be ruled as "self defense" unless you premeditated it. Laws in my state have Castle Doctrine too, so if someone were to break in, doesn't matter if that lock on my revolver was there or not.

 

[wrangler5]

Lawyers ARE trained to make a case for anything. And sadly, if a prosecutor thinks it will help convict you of a crime if he can argue to the jury that you tampered with a "safety" on your gun, no judge is going to prevent him from doing so. If a prosecutor decides to do that, it means your lawyer is going to have to spend his time and your money finding, preparing and introducing evidence to convince a jury that the mechanism was NOT a "safety" but a "storage" mechanism - and you can only hope that it will be persuasive. Since the prosecutor will have worked to get a jury as gun-phobic and gun-ignorant as possible, that may be a tough task. Remember that the prosecutor has the final argument to a jury, and in those final remarks will be a reminder that you disabled a "safety."

Admittedly the facts of a case have to allow a gun "safety" to be introduced as an issue, but the facts of a shooting can develop and change in fractions of a second in ways you cannot control, even if you had time to think about it. And since you have the complete and absolute power to insure that such an argument cannot be made against you under any circumstances - by not fiddling with the lock mechanism - the most prudent/cautious advice is to leave a lock alone if the gun has one.

 

[caryg]

Thanks a million

Damn Mr Trout, you are a visionary and thank you for your words of wisdom. Thanks again.

 

[HOUSTON RICK]

To each their own, but from my point of view, the locks are so very tiny to start with, why bother?

 

[kilroy2721]

I just left everything intact...I just ground the lock down so that it doesn't lock the hammer in place.

 

[caryg]

I just left everything intact...I just ground the lock down so that it doesn't lock the hammer in place.

Only problem with that is trying to find a good lock to replace it with if you ever wanted to put the lock back in the gun. Selling, warranty work etc. People say to look on e-bay for them, I can tell you now, I haven't seen one for sale yet. And I doubt S&W will sell you one either.

 

[tjtoolbox]

I just left everything intact...I just ground the lock down so that it doesn't lock the hammer in place.

I did the same and it works for me on my J Frame Model 60-15. Lock components still intact less the locking pin, Perfect.

 

[kilroy2721]

Only problem with that is trying to find a good lock to replace it with if you ever wanted to put the lock back in the gun. Selling, warranty work etc. People say to look on e-bay for them, I can tell you now, I haven't seen one for sale yet. And I doubt S&W will sell you one either.

I haven't seen them for sale either, but anytime your gun goes into the factory for work...they will automatically replace/fix it...even if you tell them you don't want it fixed. I have had to grind it down more than once.

 

[tjtoolbox]

Only problem with that is trying to find a good lock to replace it with if you ever wanted to put the lock back in the gun. Selling, warranty work etc. People say to look on e-bay for them, I can tell you now, I haven't seen one for sale yet. And I doubt S&W will sell you one either.

Locking device should be the least of your worries, at least it will fire when you Need it. Just how the Government wants to regulate us to keep us safe from ourselves, called Control the People they do not know what is good for them.

 

[epj]

What happens when that gun falls into the hands of a future owner who thinks he has a functioning lock and it fails to work when it should?