Posted: 7/28/2008 9:15:51 AM EDT
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Does anyone have any information on this? I've heard (rumored) that S&W has released 3000 of the 642 without locks due to either an overrun for a foreign contract or some other BS story. So what's the REAL story? Does anyone know? Do you think that we should expect this trend in other S&W models? Maybe they're finally starting to listen. ETA: There are a few on Gunbroker now and a local dealer just told me that they have a few on order and that they will be priced at $429 "but don't expect them to last".  Upon further research, I found this might actually be a trend. Here's a link to another no-lock revolver from S&W: www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&productId=65456&langId=-1&isFirearm=Y And I also found this... smith-wessonforum.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/530103904/m/1041066313 |
Actually, they've been on the shelves since last week. A couple of people have already posted about their purchases and some are even selling on gunbroker. I'm just curious about what's the story behind these? Were these truly an overrun on production for a foreign order? Will there really be only 3000? Were there significant enough problems with the lock mechanisms that caused them to change back to no-lock? Are they (S&W) simply feeling the pain from the consumer end having seen demand for older pre-lock models increase? What's the real story behind these no-locks? Can we expect to see other models in no-lock versions? Oh, and welcome to ARFCOM middle_man. Please feel free to continue to impart your wisdom on this matter 
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Heck, I'm thinking about maybe getting 2.
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I'm kinda surprised nobody else had bothered calling S&W for themselves to find out what's the story, so I decided to pick up the phone and do it myself. While the guy that I spoke with did not seem to be the most knowledgable on the subject (he kept referring to it as the 442, not the 642), what he said was that RSR Group (a major firearms distributor) put in a special order from S&W for 4000 of the 642s wihtout the lock and that they (RSR) would have exclusive rights to distribute these models. He did not know if there would be any other models produced without the lock. Perhaps he may have slipped about the 442, who knows. |
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Right now, there seem to be model 37s and 642s available with no locks. There are different stories circulating. One is the RSR story quoted above, another is that S&W is just putting together old parts to clear them out. The third is the "old parts" story, but that S&W is doing it to test reaction to no-lock guns. Who knows? But, if you look in the "Classifieds" section on the S&W forum linked above, there is a guy selling no-lock 642s for $425 delivered to your FFL. He seems to have a few of them. |
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These model 37's are the same as the the last batch in 2005, No-lock, No-MIM Pre Jmag frame. Im not sure if RSR said "build us these" or Smith said "look what we have" but either way they appear to be old stock parts as the serials indicate. Debates are rampant as to weather or not they are truly +p rated as with current Jmag frames. Some of the last batch(05) came with mixed markings for +p, all the new batch I have seen have +p marked barrels. |
There are numerous accounts of the locks jamming and causing the gun to 'lock up' unintentionally. S&W has lost a lot of potential business as a result of adding the IL to their revolvers. People by revolvers b/c they want them to go bang every time they pull the trigger and not have to worry about safety mechanisms or locks getting in the way. |
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I got my no-lock 642 yesterday and it is SWEET! Recoil wasn't bad even with +P rounds and the gun is more accurate than I imagined. This was one from the last shipment my dealer got. He said S&W is out of them now. He also said they aren't planning on producing no-lock guns on a regular basis. According to him the IL guns are actually selling better. 
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FWIW, on August 1, I e-mailed the COO at S&W regarding the 642's without the IL. His (or his assistant, etc.) response: Thank you for taking time to write. We appreciate the feedback. The Model 642 is a special run only. We had some frame in our inventory that were the old style. We will continue to manufacture the revolver line with the internal lock. Thank you kf I don't know how many were available, but it doesn't appear that there's been any difficulty buying them. |