Location of S&W internal lock

focusing on gear, rather than skills
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Before either you or I arrived at this forum, it was a place to discuss either... or both. I believe it still is. Actually, if threads solely focused on gear with absolutely zero thought to skills aren't tasty... this might not be an enjoyable place to spend time. (because we've got many)
I'm just pointing out that if one wants to shoot, shoot. Everyone's got their preferences, which I respect, but these Lock & MIM threads have a self-limiting way of focusing on gear, rather than skills. If you want (or need) more of the latter, preLock/Lock, MIM, new/old issues aren't very important.
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Perhaps -- however, you did notice the thread title, correct?
I mean, it's not like we are discussing "the L-frame in competition" and it has since derailed in to a "country's goin' in to the toilet and my wheelgun has a balloon-knot on the port side" discussion.

It's...actually a discussion about the lock, how to identify it, and why some (many?) folks look for it...so they know to just keep looking.
On the other hand, I've seen more issues with the Bangor Punta-era guns than any other group taken as a whole.
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I've heard this many times and because I've heard it here and from folks who's knowledge I genuinely respect, I simply cannot discount it as if it's just an "internet rumor" (aka, easy way to write something off just because you want to) but of the handful of Smith & Wesson revolvers that I own... of course it ends up being a Model 19-3 that sure seems to be the "best" of them all. Could be because that particular B-P era 'Smith was produced as a commemorative, I don't know, but I *think* I know what I'm looking for, and it's my...uhhh... "finest" ?!

'21, '74, '82, '88, '89, '94, 2001. I like all of them. I suppose the "shoddiest" one I have owned was a 1979, and it wasn't what I would call "shoddy." I'm unsure if '79 was Bangor Punta era or not.

Of course, great ones and less-so examples have certainly come from any/every different "generation" of Smith & Wesson revolvers. It makes for interesting discussion.
 
Meh. It all started when David Lee Roth left Van Halen. Think about it. This country has been sliding into the abyss since then. They changed the formula for Coke, Ernest Borgnine died, they stopped making Twinkies, and dagnabbit, they cancelled Manimal!
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Like I said, some don't really care and some do. You made it clear where you stand Tom. Thanks for showing me.
 
Like I said, some don't really care and some do. You made it clear where you stand Tom. Thanks for showing me.
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Glad to help! Just remember, it isn't Van Halen if Sammy Hagar's at the mic.

I've heard this many times and because I've heard it here and from folks who's knowledge I genuinely respect, I simply cannot discount it as if it's just an "internet rumor"
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It's going to be subjective. I grew up with the Bangor Punta guns. Some were impeccable. Most were good. Some left me scratching my head and wondering how they got through quality control.

What I've seen in the post-2000 guns is greater consistency. I attribute some of that to CNC.

It's hard to do a 1:1 comparison because we're all going to have different pools of guns to compare, but I can think of a couple of examples from my experience. I saw at least ten Bangor Punta era guns that came out of the factory with over- or under-torqued barrels, resulting in the front sight being out of alignment. I've only ever seen that on one of the newer guns.

I have seen one of the locks fail, and I've heard at least two other credible accounts of them failing. On the other hand, I saw several of the older guns with bent hammers that dragged the frame, and I saw at least three in which the hammer blocks were misaligned under the sideplates, causing them to drag.

Thing is, I've been in the business for a few years, and I see tons of the newer guns come and go. From my particular vantage point, the newer guns are overwhelmingly solid.
 
S&W revolvers with The Lock are almost invariably photographed from the opposite side, and only that photo is posted.

Again, do your homework and see if I am lying.
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I just searched gunbroker with the search terms "wesson 686". First page returns 50 revolvers. Of those 50 -

37 Show the LEFT (lock) side as the thumbnail pic
9 show the RIGHT (non-lock) side as the thumbnail
3 show no thumbnail pic

Of the 3 with no thumbnail, all 3 show the LEFT (lock) side when you click on the listing for more pics.

Of the 9 that show the RIGHT (non-lock) side as the thumbnail, 5 of them show the LEFT (lock) side when you click on the listing.

Putting it simpler - 50 listings, 46 of them show the lock side, 4 do not.


Sgt Lumpy
 
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