Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Hilary Hole in Smith and Wesson revolvers

I, as well as others I have read online are reluctant to purchase Smith and Wesson revolvers with the "Hilary Hole" (side safety hole near the hammer) as it can jam the gun if using hot loads in a light framed gun, and it looks bad too. The older guns are more in demand from this as they don't have the aesthetic issues, I cannot understand why Smith and Wesson continues to insult their customers with this useless Clinton inspired thing?

From my experience in the American business world the last 30 years there is a lot of stupidity in the corporate realm. Anyone have an insight as to why S/W wants to loose money with this bogus safety device? I am to the point where I won't buy any of their products out of principle due to the revolver issue. I had a J frame .38 special revolver with 2" barrel about 10 years ago, and while it shot OK with regular loads I hated that hole and sold it. The so-called safety also was scratching the side of the hammer.

Thanks.

When I read the title of this thread "Hilary Hole in Smith and Wesson revolvers", for some reason I pictured a large gaping hole...



John

TFF

Never heard that reference...

Hillary hole!

HE112: I attended a gunshow in Montana last week. Maybe 150 - 200 tables?
Anyway every single "hillary holed" Smith & Wesson revolver offered for sale there was turned on the side to "hide" the "hillary hole"!
I have been noticing this "trend" with "hillary holed" Smith & Wessons for some time now.
I agree with you completely and am dumbfounded as to why Smith & Wesson made this mistake?
I am an avid Smith & Wesson revolver shooter, collector and investor but I would not even consider buying (investing in!) a "hillary holed" Smith & Wesson revolver.
Talk amongst Smith & Wesson collectors I know and deal with mirrors your and my sentiments.
In the myriads of gunshops I tour I notice Smith & Wesson revolvers in calibers and configurations with the "hillary hole" and those guns sit and sit and sit in the shops!
And in most of those shops the Smith & Wesson revolvers with "hillary holes" are presented almost exclusively with the "hillary hole" initially out of sight.
One shop I frequent has had a Smith & Wesson Model 48 (caliber 22 Magnum) on display (with "hillary hole" covered!) for over a year - that pistol, prior to the "hillary hole" debacle, would have been sold in a week!
I am not saying the "hillary holed" Smith & Wesson revolvers don't function as well as older Smith & Wesson revolvers do - I don't know and don't care!
I will never own/invest in a "hillary holed" Smith & Wesson revolver.
At least the folks at Big Green were smart enough to observe and react correctly to the significant drop in sales of their "J-lock" (hillary holed!) Remington 700's!
Nope I have no "insights" as to why the folks at Smith & Wesson made such an idiotic decision nor whether they are smart enough to correct same.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

I am a shooter, not an appearance driven collector.
I would plug the hole and rock the beotichh.

That's the gun.


The ugly Beotichh, can rock herself.

Over on the S&W Forums I started a thread: "The IL...just can't get past the hole." It ended up with hundreds of posts and the mods locked it and made it a sticky. A few years later they instituted the no griping policy and decided that since my thread was the biggest gripe of all they deleted it. As to where The Hole came from, IIRC S&W was owned by a British owned holding company. They were the ones who caved to Klinton pressure to install a "storage lock" (the IL has nothing to do with the safe operation). Shortly thereafter they sold the company.

Funny that none of their semis have ILs...

Last count I have 46 S&Ws of which only two have The Hole. The only reason I have them is that these calibers were not made before The Hole...a 686-7 .38 Super and a 500 S&W 4". I've had three .41s, a 58-1, 357PD and a 357NG and sold all of them.

In the last two years I've bought seven Ruger DA revolvers. I am planning 2-3 more this year... Zero money will be going to S&W.

Bob

While the IL can be worked around, I don't care for it. All my S&W revolvers are pre-IL and if I felt the need for another S&W wheelgun I would most look around until I found an older gun that suited me. Not saying I'll never own a new IL gun, but if I did I would plug the gap first thing. That's just me being an old hard head.

I wouldn't mind plugging the lock hole if you could somehow delete the "L" and the arrow. They make plenty of models without the lock - so why can't they make ALL of them without one...or give the buyer an option of one with or without like they do on the model 642?

I have some lock and some non lock. Prefer the latter but I don’t lay awake at night.

I rid myself of all twelve of my Smith’s save one, my 460 XVR.

Thank you for posting this.

I don't like them. Having said that I have owed several and have never had an issue with one. Two still in the house, Wife's Model 60 which she really likes. With full power 357 magnums that thing is nasty.. No issues with the lock. The other is my woods carry revolver a 357PD in 41 Magnum. Again very lite pistol with a high power load, no issues with the lock. It would be nice if S&W just did away with them.

Between the optimist and the pessimist, the difference is droll.
The optimist sees the S&W Revolver; the pessimist the hole!

<> https://www.luckygunner.com/lounge/smith-and-Wesson-internal-lock/ <>

The S&W Internal Lock
- by Chris Baker

P Weed: Well there sure appears to be a lot of people who are pessimistic about the "hillary hole" - including the folks who wrote the article you linked to!
First paragraph of your linked to article:

"Every company makes mistakes. Firearms manufacturers are no stranger to this truth because shooters are arguably among the most vocal hobbyists when it comes to pointing out what they perceive to be mistakes made by the companies that feed their habit. And one of the biggest perceived “mistakes” in the firearms industry in recent memory was the addition of the internal lock on all Smith & Wesson revolvers".

Call me a "pessimist" if you want but that does NOT negate the fact that the presence of the "hillary hole" has diminished the desirability and appeal of Smith & Wesson revolvers to many firearms enthusiasts!
Including me.
Hold into the wind
VarmintGuy

They still make some models without the hole, which makes the reasoning harder to figure. Here's my recently purchased (factory new) Model 442, sans Hillary Hole. With this model, it's an option to get one with or without the hole, buyer's choice. I have to think that the only people who buy the ones with the hole aren't aware that not having it is an option.



If they can sell these with the no hole option, why not all other models, too? I guess they consider the double-action-only feature to be safe enough for the masses without a key lock.

TRH,
Are those factory grips?

No, aftermarket. Nice grain, right?

Yes, they look really nice. Clean checkering also.