I’ve seen a few people state that they heard or believe that S&W is going to drop the locks on their revolvers. Does anyone have any fact based info on this? I may be in the market for a new Smith soon but would gladly hold out if they drop the locks.
I think we can look for that to happen.They have already been putting some out with no lock,but you can also look for a price increase,They have flooded the market with 642’s,442’s,etc.,with the locks,and when the no locks become regular production again,people will flock to buy them. I may even get one,too.But,probably not.
There are currently no-lock versions of various j-frame guns, such as the 442, 632 Pro, 640 Pro, 642, and maybe others, available in supply channels and listed on S&W’s website. Based on what I see in stores and what I hear when I talk to various other j-frame owners, S&W is having no trouble selling all the .38/.357 short barrel j-frames (especially lightweight ones)that it can make, lock or no-lock. I don’t see any indication that the lock will completely go away, but I am certainly not privy to any inside info.
For whatever it’s worth, my two 642-2 and my 649-5 all have locks. Among the three, I’ve fired about 2200 rds of ammo, all .38, a mix of std pressure and +P. I’ve never experienced any lock issue with any of them.
You won’t see the locks discontinued. You will see production runs of some additional models without the lock.
Well, I had planned to pick up a no lock 442 or 642 but bougt a 642 from a buddy with a lock. Which was not a problem as I “de-locked” it. I would prefer to get a 3" 686 with no lock but I’m not willing to wait years for it to happen. I’m trying to decide whether to get a 3" 686 with a lock or try to find an older 4" with no lock.
That’s wonderful, but there have been enough documented lock failures, including with folks I know personally, to believe it’s not an issue.
I bought a J frame last year. Told my dealer I wanted a brand ne 642 w/out a lock for lower than MSRP. Boom, he placed an order and it was mine.
I hope SW gets rid of the damn lock for good.
It will be nice to see that feature discontinued. It has also caused some inflation of price in revolvers I like as well.
Well, that, and the mim parts, and general lowered quality of fit and finish compared to the old ones.
I’d love to see them drop the locks. It certainly seem that no one actually likes them. I just wonder if they would be willing to face the potential liability issue of removing a “safety feature” from their products. 
That’s the problem. They already opened the Pandora’s box.
The lock is what is preventing me from buying any current Smith and Wesson production revolvers.
I only buy the old school Smith’s that have either pinned/recessed features or target hammers/target triggers. AHHH the good old days!
Wish Smith would go back to what made them great. I know it costs a lot, but I dont care. I would pay the extra.
I actually purchased a 442-1 (non-lock) this weekend at the local gunshow. 99 percent of the guns were the lock models, but I finally found a current production 442-1. Great gun.
Gun was mis-marked for 339.00 which is damn near LE price.
Saturday I looked at new j-frames at a high volume store here and they were $339 which surprised me. Dealer told me S&W dropped the prices. I wondered if this might be to thin out the lock inventory in prep for a wholesale conversion to no locks. ???
Most wouldn’t. And even if they went back to the older materials, machining, and handwork, the new guns would likely cost more than the prices you’re seeing on older classic S&W’s.
I,ll stick with my 2 inch heavy barrel model 10.
Me too.
[QUOTE=trackstar55;1236106]The lock is what is preventing me from buying any current Smith and Wesson production revolvers. [QUOTE]
Concur and believe this is fairly common. Apparently S&W can afford to cross off those of us who feel likewise.
Yup.
For its part, Smith & Wesson forecast sales of $395 million to $400 million for all of fiscal 2012 when it released third-quarter results this month, up from an already-increased December estimate of $385 million to $395 million.
“We continued to work on expanding our firearm manufacturing capacity to meet increased demand, an objective we plan to continue in the coming months as we address our robust backlog,” Smith & Wesson said.
Its firearms backlog was, at the end of the quarter, $198.5 million — more than double the figure of a year earlier.
http://articles.marketwatch.com/2012-03-22/industries/31223495_1_firearms-sturm-ruger-gun-rights
i’d imagine the lock will remain an option, some people might want it.
i took a little time to seek out a 642 with no lock. Glad i did. one less hole in the frame, one less thing to go wrong.