IndyGunworks
Grandmaster
The problem is that we all have a tendency to "war game" a given scenario. "What can go wrong" is something we all (should) look at in a defensive firearm, I think anyone would agree.
The internal storage lock (and that's all it is, it's not a "safety") is a device whose SOLE purpose is to render the gun inoperable. There's NO other function for it to perform. Self-engagement of said device on the range would be an annoyance. Self-engagement of it on a defensive tool during an encounter would obviously be an.... issue.
It's not a situation of the locks self-engaging left and right all over the ranges and in the holsters of their owners. But the fact remains that there IS a documented history of these devices engaging under recoil and when dropped (bumped hard?).
Will it happen to you? Unlikely. Getting hit by lightning is unlikely in your life. But OH, BOY, if it happens to you, you'll know it. While it's an unlikely occurrence, I'm certainly not going to increase the chances of it happening by running around in the middle of the wet field with a metal rod in my hand in the middle of the storm, either. Nor am I going to INCREASE my chances of my gun failing me when I need it most by allowing an internal lock into the mix.
If I can REDUCE (not eliminate, you'll note) the chance of my defensive tool failing me when I need it most by eliminating a choke point in the design (again, a device designed to keep the tool from functioning), I'm going to do that. So it's either not going to have a lock in the first place, or, barring that possibility, if it can be removed, it'll be gone. If it can't be removed without hindering functionality, then I won't have it. Because I don't want even the POSSIBILITY of it being engaged when I need the gun the most.
It's not a safety that you can easily sweep off. If it's engaged, you need the little key to disengage it. And often times when they've failed you can't even unlock it WITH the key.
THAT'S the reason for the angst.
And the reason that Ruger revolvers are being mentioned so much in this thread - their current production mainline guns don't have internal locks to be concerned with. New Smiths do. Vintage Smiths don't.
Every last bit of this... and I don't agree with the politics around how the lock ended up there in the first place, and don't want to pay money for a product that supports it. Hence wanting a pre lock.
I was not aware about the new design features on the new 66's..... Ill have to look into that but it does sound appealing to not have to worry about how many full powered loads have been ran through the used piece and how many I will run through it.