Internal Lock Options

[armchairQB]

Hello, my name is armchairQB and I am a lock hater.

Having said this I am curious to hear opinions on which gun you fellow lock haters would purchase IF purchasing a pre lock or no lock was not an option.

Would you choose the S&W with the Hillary hole that has isolated incidents of failure, the Taurus with the unobtrusive but still visible lock that has had nil incidents of failure, or the Ruger LCR with the invisible lock (under the grips) and no incidents of failure in its short life?

 

[gwnorth]

As an option on the S&W, there is a forum member over on smith-wessonforum.com selling plugs for the hole. You can remove the lock mechanism yourself, plug the hole with "the plug" (held in place by a retainer spring - not permanently installed) and be lock free. The plug is better looking then the hole, but IMHO, the gun still looks "blemished".

Oh, so I guess I choose S&W, but then I also wouldn't be buying an ultralight snubbie (just don't like them) - my "little" S&W is a 3" M65-3, and my "little" Ruger is a 3" Police Service Six.

 

[Stophel]

Both my 22-4 and 21-4 have been delocked and otherwise "oldified".



Otherwise, I would not buy ANY other S&W gun with the lock. The smaller frames look absolutely hideous since they have been extended back around the hammer to accommodate that stupid thing.

You couldn't put an LCR to my head and get me to buy it.

I'm not familiar with the other locks, so can't really comment on them other than if they were unobtrusive (hidden) and trouble-free, and if it were a gun I wanted anyway, I wouldn't mind...though I still might remove it...

 

[Old Fuff]

You eliminated the best option (buy an older pre-lock revolver).

Otherwise I would pick the particular gun I liked best. I have no problem with Ruger or Taurus locks, and I can deal with the Smith & Wesson one so it isn't a problem If I had to.

 

[Oro]

Between the three options you outline, definitely I'd take the first and get an ILS gun. It's far too easy to either live with or take it out. I would prefer not to have it should I be in a buying decision, but I have difficulty taking violent objections to it seriously. If I bought a new(ish) gun that way I would do what Stophel has done above or tap and rebate the hole and mount a side plate screw in it.

However, I haven't seen a revolver made by S&W - or anyone - since about 1966 that is a "must have" or "ground-breaker." That was the year the 2.5" Model 19 came out, and the stainless Chief's Special. Everything since then has been variations on a theme and tweaking of existing models in minor ways. I also don't buy into the argument that one can't find a non-lock model that does the job.

 

[ArmedBear]

I pocket-carry a relatively recent 642 with a lock, and it's perfectly fitted, perfectly finished, and perfectly timed, the trigger is about as good as they get; and I can keep 'em on paper at 25 yards with it, no sweat, with no "Kentucky windage" required, either.

The hell if I'd get rid of it because it has the lock.

 

[Guillermo]

If I couldn't buy a prelock smith I would buy a Ruger.

In fact, when I went to buy my latest plastic pistol I didn't even consider the M&P because of the manufacturer.

As long as they build guns with the moronically designed Hillary hole they are out of business as far as I am concerned.

 

[delta53]

no problem

with my 360PD I just dremilled the inside lock works and now it looks like it is still working but can't effect a thing either way I know all the lawsuit crab I have heard about the least of my problems thinking about that, it a gun and is supposed to do one thing and it better.:banghead:

 

[w_houle]

When I get beck to working again I plan on buying a Cobra Shadow

 

[savit260]

If I were to buy a new Lockable revolver (not likely) I'd go with the Ruger. I'd say that's the best middle ground between not ugly, and decent quality, although I find the "lawer warning" NEARLY as offensive as the S&W lock.

 

[18DAI]

Even without that idiotic lock, S&W does not currently make anything I want.......or need.......or would have. TJ

 

[orionengnr]

a lot of "ifs"

--If I didn't already own a number of pre-lock S&S, and
--If I couldn't buy a pre-lock S&W, and
--If my choices were only as listed...

I would buy an ILS S&W and "de-mil" The Lock.

Fortunately, none of those "ifs" apply to me.