S&W 642 Accidently Locked

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DogLegArms

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I purchased some 38 SPL snap caps for my S&W 642 last week to practice dry firing. I loaded them and squeezed the trigger and it didn't move. I opened and closed the cylinder and rotated it until it clicked into alignment. Still the trigger wouldn't move. I thought to myself *** is going on...it can't be locked. I had to look for the key b/c I don't ever use the lock. You can imagine the chills running up and down my spine when I found the key, inserted it into the gun and discovered the gun was locked.

My 642 is typically my BUG but I've been carrying recently b/c of the hot weather. Has anyone ever heard of these locks engaging by accident? The last time I shot it was 4 months ago at the range. My wife didn't lock it, she doesn't even know there's a lock on it. I would swear under oath and before God I didn't lock it unless I was sleepwalking. I'm going to call S&W Monday and ask them to look at it b/c I can't trust it.
 
Save yourself the trouble. Go on YouTube and watch the instruction video on how to remove the lousy thing. It can't lock up of it isn't in there.
 
There have been cases of lighter guns locking when firing heavy loads, but I've never heard of one locking from normal every day handling. I'd give it a good shake to see if it locks again; if it does there is definitely something amiss which would require a trip back to S&W. Don't worry, it won't cost you anything but some time.
 
Perhaps I am wrong but isn't it true that the Smith lock is designed that if the little spring fails, the gun locks, i.e it is designed to fail in the locked position? In my mind it should be designed to fail in the unlocked position so it could still be used but I believe some states (California?) require the former.
 
I don't know about other states, but the internal lock does not meet CA's lock requirement. The guns must still be supplied with a seperate lock that is CA compliant.

Go to the S&W forum and you will see quite a bit of documentation on the lock locking itself. It normally only happens under recoil. Frankly I would never trust my life to a revolver with that unsafe device installed. Just remove it.
 
Supposedly S&W did switch to a stiffer spring in the lock at some point. Personally I would:

Buy a revolver that never had the lock - for various reasons including having no liability for removing or altering one.

Alter the lock by grinding off the lug that goes into the hammer

Remove the lock altogether.
 
There is a remote liability, in that if the revolver was associated with a shooting incident someone might try to make a point that the lock had been modified so it wouldn't work. The most likely example would be if someone had used the gun under circumstances where they shouldn't have got to it.

All of this is highly unlikely, but the possibility increases as you go toward anti-gun urban areas. However it can be said that someone can't make an issue of the lock in any context, if the gun never had such in it.
 
I've removed it from mine. One of the members on the S&W forum sells "The Plug" which closes up the resulting hole in the sideplate very nicely.
 
There used to be a 30+ page thread on the Smith and Wesson forum comprised solely of IL S&W gun owners whose guns locked on accident.

I read all 30 pages before the new owner deleted the thread. I think he deleted it as some kind of sweetheart deal with Smith and Wesson.

I remember reading about IL guns locking when dropped on a hard surface.

I remember reading about IL guns locking when dropped on not so hard surfaces.

I remember reading about lightweight IL guns locking up when firing heavy magnum loads.

Maybe you dropped it once upon a time?
 
So if a lock equipped revolver (which I personally would never own) locks up when the SHTF...would the manufacturer be liable?
 
Has anyone ever heard of these locks engaging by accident?
Click to expand...
Yes. I read the now-deleted S&W Forum thread noted in a prior post. There were a number of ILS S&Ws locking under a variety of circumstances.

I happen to know someone who had the lock on his 360 engage while dry firing. I know this guy well enough to absolutely believe him. I know for a fact that he subsequently removed the lock.

At that point in time I owned (and carried) about six different S&Ws equipped with The Lock. I sold them all and replaced them with pre-Lock models. I have since purchased an M25, but the prior owner had removed The Lock.

The odds of a malfunction are small, but the stakes are huge.

So if a lock equipped revolver (which I personally would never own) locks up when the SHTF...would the manufacturer be liable?
Click to expand...
Only your survivors will know for sure...
 
So if a lock equipped revolver (which I personally would never own) locks up when the SHTF...would the manufacturer be liable?
Click to expand...

No more than any other manufacturer whose product malfunctioned in a firefight. You'd have to prove that the shooter would have made the shot but for the malfunction and that is an impossibility.
 
Thanks for the responses. When it happened, I thought I must have locked it but I had search for key b/c I don't ever use it. I'll try and see if I can make it lock w/o the key. One possibility is it was partially locked? I didn't know you can have it removed which I'll call my gunsmith to see if he can do.
 
Old Fuff said:
There is a remote liability, in that if the revolver was associated with a shooting incident someone might try to make a point that the lock had been modified so it wouldn't work. The most likely example would be if someone had used the gun under circumstances where they shouldn't have got to it.

All of this is highly unlikely, but the possibility increases as you go toward anti-gun urban areas. However it can be said that someone can't make an issue of the lock in any context, if the gun never had such in it.
Click to expand...

If you want to remove or otherwise disable the lock, there's really no good reason not to. Since the lock is designed to be used when the gun is stored, a revolver that is always carried would not need it. Any competent attorney would be able to show that there have been instances of the lock engaging accidentally and that removal of the lock on a revolver intended to be used for defensive purposes is a prudent action.

If a kid gets hold of the gun and shoots themselves or someone else, the lock would be s big deal only if you hadn't locked it and you're probably in trouble anyway because the kid got hold of the gun in the first place. You were supposed to have the gun unloaded and secured with the cable lock that was supplied with the revolver to make it impossible for a child to close the cylinder.

I do have two Smith & Wesson revolvers with the lock and never had a problem. Considering how many revolvers Smith & Wesson has sold since the lock was introduced, the number of accidental lockups must still be vanishingly small (even 30 web pages on a forum is perhaps several hundred if every post reports a problem). If this was a big a bugaboo as everyone claims, even one percent of the sales volume, Smith & Wesson would have recalled the guns or made some kind of accommodation to avoid product liability lawsuits. So far, it hasn't happened, which likely means nobody has hired a lawyer to sue Smith & Wesson or wasn't able to persuade an attorney to take the case.

I am sorry the OP had a problem and I think he should return the gun to S&W for repair.
 
I don't own any type with extras built in. I like my older Smiths and others just as they are. I chose not to purchase any with options that are suppose to "protect" me. After shooting and owning handguns for over 60yrs I will stick with what works for me.
 
I didn't know you can have it removed which I'll call my gunsmith to see if he can do.
Click to expand...

Don't be surprised if he says, "No." It's not that he can't, but rather he doesn't want to take any risk, real or just perceived. However at the top of the Handguns: Revolvers sub-forum you will find photo-illustrated instructions showing how to take apart and reassemble your revolver, and part of it includes removing the lock. If you have a correct set of screwdrivers (obtainable from www.brownells.com) and a plastic headed hammer (obtainable from most, if not all big-box or hardware stores), you can remove the lock yourself, and fill the hole with a previously mentioned "plug."
 
It baffles me that someone can read this thread and then walk into their local gun store and buy a new Smith revolver.

I am glad they do for two reasons.

A- less competition for old Smiths
B- Darwinism

Although B is with reservations because they are "my people" (IE gun people)
 
It should be remembered that most folks that buy revolvers (or any handgun for that matter) ever read anything posted on an Internet gun-related site. They usually simply stick to a brand they know.

So right now Smith & Wesson's financial picture is looking very bright. In recent 2nd quarter reports, profits and sales exceeded predictions.

Our concerns don't even make them blink. :banghead:
 
I'm curious. If S&W's financials are looking so good, why is their stock still tanking? :confused:
 
I have a good number of firearms that have locks and encountered the same problem while pheasant hunting with my 870. After nearly ruining my hunt, and upon returning home, I removed every single lock on those that had them.
I completely understand the obvious purpose of the locks, but if we are repsonsible in how we store our firearms it shouldn't be necessary to have locks on them. Fortunately, removing them isn't rocket science, because I would doubt there is a gun smith who will take on the degree of liability absorbed by performing this job. And I would imagine most states have a law that makes it illegal to alter or remove such devices. I wouldn't know for certain though, being that I live in a state that doesn't regulate this, or any storage method. So if you do choose to remove the lock you might want to check the laws in your state to avoid getting into trouble with LE.
 
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