Q: about Locks on Smith J-Frame revolvers

[old grunt]

WITHOUT going into the whole "I HATE the Lock"thing(I ALREADY HAVE SAID SO MANY TIMES)..if one REMOVES the lock how do these J-frames stack up to previous versions of the same weapon? With the lock(internal parts) gone does one leave the "key portion" in the frame or remove completely? Would an opening in that location be a big liability?? Have you guys who have done the "surgery" on these guns like the practical result(beyond the principle of getting rid of an UNWANTED "safety"device)?? I'd like to get a no-lock version(442 or 642),but JUST IN CASE I wanted to hear the 'poop' from people with the lock version!! THANKS GUYS!!

[DefensiveCarry.com]

[nosights]

Buy one without the lock and be done with it! You can buy them brand new this way.

[old grunt]

That's the plan..but who knows if I'll get a new no-lock in time. Just hedging my bets. I think I'll go with a Ruger SP101 357 DAO FIRST(meaning the NEXT time I have the available $$..just got a NEW Rem870 Tactical ..it might be a little while)then a Smith Airweight.

[Captain Crunch]

Buy one without the lock and be done with it! You can buy them brand new this way.

Agree 100%.

Just buy a new Model 442, 642 or 40-1. All are made without the internal lock. Plus there a few Model 37s without the lock from a foreign contract overrun still floating around.

[ctr]

I've taken the lock out of every J frame I own. My carry piece now has about 800 rounds thru it - no issues, no worries. With the lock gone, I KNOW it will go bang every time.

I completely removed the lock mechanism, including the key portion. When I clean the revolver, I make a point to run a cotton swab in the hole to remove the lint picked up from carry. That is it, nothing to it.

[trayzor]

Originally Posted by old grunt
That's the plan..but who knows if I'll get a new no-lock in time.

Not sure what "in time" refers to but I ordered mine and only waited about 3 weeks or so. Dealer got 4 in the order, mine, someone elses, he bought one for himself, and put the other in the display case. It was gone the following week when I went in to check on my other gun order.

[klx9mm]

I just ground down the lock pin on mine so it can't lock. Took about 20 minutes.

[Dirtpile]

That's probably a better way to go. That way you eliminate the potential for a problem without leaving a hole for dirt to get in.

[coffeecup]

The only one I have with a lock lives in my tackle box. It stays there to shoot snakes and other critters that annoy me, not for personal protection at all.

[itschuck]

Mine has a lock, it hasnt been a problem. I know of 5 other folks that have locks also and they have never complained about the lock.

[Rmac58]

My model 60-15 has hundreds of rounds through it, has been dropped, no issues.

[Captain Crunch]

In the current issue of Combat Tactics Magazine, Massad Ayoob says he has personally documented integral lock induced failures (ILIF) in Airlight® .38 Special J frame revolvers shooting +P+ ammo and in Airlight® .357 revolvers shooting Magnum loads.

[old grunt]

THANKS Guys..CTR and klx9mm like the ideas !! I'm surprised that a noboby has developed a "kit" to include plug for the lock hole. Oh well!! GREAT INFO..I appreciate it!!

[itschuck]

There has been some discussion of these safety locks engaging when they shouldnt. In the January 2005 issue of American Handgunner, Massad Ayoob published an article about three instances he knew of in which the internal locking device had failed and two of the failures caused the gun to lock up. All three cases were instances in which extremely hot ammunition, such as +p+ and .44 Magnum, were fired from ultra-light scandium and titanium revolvers. Ayoobs analysis was, This is not necessarily an indictment of Smith & Wesson, nor even of the integral lock system that company uses. It may be more of a lesson that extraordinarily light handguns firing extremely powerful ammunition can be damaged by the battering of constant, extreme recoil forces.

[Reicher]

This is the first time I have heard of locks on a revolver. What are these lock you speak of?