One thing that I do find interesting is that no one talks about the internal locks on Ruger Single Action revolvers. It makes me wonder if the S&W lock wasn’t visible from the outside of the gun if it wouldn’t be a concern either?
Yes, I agree completely. The lock on the New Vaquero was completely hidden from view. In order to access it one had to drill a hole in the right grip to insert the key. There was no hole in the grip as it came from the factory. There was a small countersink on the underside of the grip indicating where to drill the hole, but unless you drilled the hole yourself, there was no indication there was a lock inside, and no way to access it without removing the grips anyway. So the internal lock of a New Vaquero simply did not offend the way the visible hole on a S&W seems to.
This photo shows the internal lock in a New Vaquero. I bought this one around 2006. I drew a red circle around the counter sink in the right grip where one had to drill a hole in order to use the lock. Without a hole drilled there, nobody would even know there was a lock inside. By the way, I don't know anybody who drilled the hole and used the lock, and I know a lot of 'cowboys' who shoot New Vaqueros.
This New Vaquero was made around 2013. Note the lack of the lock. The divot where to drill the hole in the grip is still there, no reason to change the mold, but there is no internal lock.
Personally I have no problem with the lock on current S&W revolvers. I have exactly two of them. However I will not be buying any more because the QC of current S&W revolvers has gone down the tube. Many years ago, there were umpteen in process inspection steps in building a S&W revolver. In order to cut costs, most of these in process QC inspections have been eliminated. One of the modern Smiths I bought had problems that would not have gotten out the door in the old days. It seems that today the customer is the ultimate QC inspector at S&W, and unless the customer complains, defects will not be fixed.
Although I am not a big fan of Metal Injection Molded (MIM) parts, I can see how the redesign of some of the parts for the MIM process has cut down on the cost to manufacture S&W revolvers. Still the decline in quality will prevent me from buying any more new Smith and Wesson revolvers.
I am one of those guys who likes the old stuff. I am not going to say how many I own, suffice it to say my oldest S&W revolver left the factory in 1859. Yes, 1859. I have oodles of old Smiths, from every decade you can name. So I have no need to buy any of the new stuff.
Oddly enough, I'd say best fit and finished gun is a 686 from the late Bangor-Punta Era which was supposedly a low point for them.
The stories about the Bangor Punta era guns being poorly made are exaggerated. I have several from that era, and the fit and finish is second to none.
When was the last time S&W made a single action revolver? The New Model Number Three, at the top of this photo was cataloged until 1908, although all the frames had been made prior to 1899, so they are officially classified by the BATF as antiques. It's little brother the 38 Single Action 3rd Model was also known as the Model of 1891. It was cataloged until 1911. As far as I know, that is the last time S&W made a single action revolver.
