Just another day at the office...I wanted to do an SG where I talked about my favorite guns, guns with their own stories, etc. So I just started hauling out guns, then spent hours talkng about them on camera. And then we decided we — real, I — needed to shoot each one, maybe 18-24 times, for B-roll. I thought, okay, let's use this as an opportunity to practice. So I stood there for about 3 1/2 hours shooting groups, one right after the other, at 10 yards.Sadly, the last 5 guns were boomers, mostly .44 Magnums. I thought I had a bunch of .44 Special, but NOOOOOOOO, I picked up the wrong couple of boxes, and rather than go home and ferret out more Specials, I decided to shoot the Magnum stuff — Remington 240-gr JFP screamers. Cool with my ancient M29...then the 3 1/2 inch Alpha Precision 629 custom...then the 329PD. By then my right hand was approaching numb, but the Alpha Precision shot great groups. On round 3 in the 329, the lock failed...the stupid "LOCKED" flag popped up and caught the hammer on the way down. I unjammed it, on camera, with a multitool.
I ran another cylinder full of the Remington stuff without incidence. But at this point I have to say that you should NOT trust an ultralight S&W magnum revolver with a lock for serious purposes!
Shot a cowboy match today and everything went great for me...unfortunately my Sweetie's Marlin .32 H&R pretty much came apart. She switched to a back=up Navy Arms M92 .38/.357 and shot clean the rest of the match.
12 comments:
I was suspicious of those big bore guns with a lock a long time ago. I figured it was just a matter of time before they failed.
Thats why Im gonna get a 4 inch model 29 or a redhawk.
I can sympathize with your SW. I had a Navy Arms 1973 fall apart at a shoot one time, only it fell apart because a round got stuck in the chamber and the whole thing had to be dismantled to free it.
Turns out, someone at the big box had sporting goods store had put a .44 Mag round in a box of .44-40. Thank God for case dimensional differences, or the thing would have blown the rifle up when I fired it.
I used to be a fan of S&W until they started putting on the locks. Now I refuse to purchase any of their products so equipped, and my buying a used gun doesn't help their bottom line one bit. I hope more customers choose this route, and perhaps they'll rethink what they've done to make their products less reliable.
Michael: I have to be the Alpha Hotel that asks the following question: "Was the S&W with the internal lock completely factory stock or had it been worked on by a gunsmith of any Dimension?"
I ask this, because if it HAS, then their response is already built in and you have no defense to their retort.
If, however, the gun is factory through and through and otherwise untouched, then you actually HAVE SOMETHING. If not, it don't count.
All The Best,
Frank W. James
Frank,
Last time MB had a lock failure, which he publicly announced here on the blog, saying he was gonna return the gun to S&W, he backed off due to this very issue.
Michael, can I get in your will please?!?!?!?
I spy the Serbu Super Shorty in that pile!
MB,,You have too many guns! (you should donate some to me! ;D )
Can I just come to one of your video shoots and gather up all your brass for you?
:-P
What a terrible ordeal to have to suffer through!! Shooting all those guns. I appreciate your pain and suffering. Next time, May I come and help you?
I have one of the S&W Brand-new 642s offered with no internal lock. Great gun, and the only gun I've ever bought new. Hopefully Smith will get the message and start making other guns no-lock, for the exact reason that you saw.
I also have a 329PD, and it has the same trouble that MB's does. About 2 times per cylinder with full house ammo it pops up the flag. Requires both tools and a hard pull on the trigger (of a LOADED GUN! ! !) to clear it. And, in answer to the questions that will come up:
It is factory original except for Crimson Trace grips
It has fired only FACTORY ammo
I sure wish S&W still made guns you could defend yourself with. 'Till then, I'll be carrying Redhawks in bear country.
Formerflyer
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