I swore I was done with lock threads but this one seems more civilized than most.
My beef is the looks. It's aesthetically challenged.
While it presents a failure point and has been known to auto-engage, I believe the apparent rate is an order of magnitude higher than reality. This is mostly just the nature of the internet (duplicate reports look like multiple failures). It may also be exacerbated by the fact that the reports are often accepted in an uncritical manner unlike malfs attributable to less controversial parts. i.e. reports of lock failure where the hammer is forward, "flag" is down and cylinder is tied up should be looked at with a jaundiced eye but they aren't for the most part. The "flag down" ILS failure promises to be the "limp wrist" of the early 21st century: if you can't figure it out, the lock gets blamed.
Personally, I view the likelihood of the thing failing at the worst possible time as non-zero but no worse than a 1911 Swartz safety catastrophically failing in similar circumstances. They both happen but only one failure type has each and every report cross-posted till it reaches critical mass.
I prefer the looks of my older S&Ws but I have to admit I shoot the new guy much better. The double action trigger is much more agreeable and my DA-fu progress is putting a grin on my face. The 627's DA trigger is even better than the 686 of filed strain screw that won't light Fiocchi.
This is less heretical than it might at first appear...
Bangor-Punta cut a wide swath through my older S&Ws.
I believe I recall Fuff saying that S&W assumed single action use back then, hence the serrated triggers (nice for SA, ouch for DA). It does seem they were built in an age before Grant Cunningham, Mas Ayoob and Clint Smith among others were pushing DA as the alpha and omega.
Most of my older ones were lightly used and haven't benefited from "wearing in".
The older ones are much better for looking at; the 2008 version puts the older ones on the trailer when it comes to agreeable DA.
I still wish the lock would go away but I think I can forgive everything else they did provided they shoot the way they do.
Since Fuff is in the house, I have a question on the failure mode of the legit "flag up" reports. From M. Bane's report:
On the second round, the "flag" part of the locking system flew up and locked the gun up at almost a full cock.
That "hammer at or near full cock" seems a common thread and it apparently happens immediately following a discharge.
How's that work? Are those light revolvers with heavy loads recoiling sharply enough that the hammer flies back and that's the point where the flag swings into position? I'm picturing the recoil impulse being heavy enough that when it's stopped the hammer keeps going out of inertia? Is this maybe something that always happened but wasn't much noticed without the lock (or high speed photography)?
), but I do not believe I would stumble over the ignorable lock if it came on a quality gun. The only thing that I could think of that would keep me from buying a lock equipped gun is if it were an attempt to appease some "Moms Against Guns" group (I just noticed that that would spell M.A.G. – that would be pretty corny). Catch me up on what I am missing.
