2025 is proving to be a year of wonders. The folks at Smith & Wesson have answered my prayers with the release of a trio of new classic revolvers with no lock! I get that we live in a litigious society, but I was never a fan of a lock on a revolver. Especially not on the side plate where it’s obvious. I have a fair number of Smith revolvers, but they’re all older pre-lock models. Well now I can look at a few new options that go back to the good old days.
The Classic Series No-Lock revolvers
Smith & Wesson just announced the release of three Classic Series No-Lock revolvers that include a Model 36, a Model 10 and a Model 19. I’d love to see this spread across the whole S&W revolver line but I’ll take these three for now.
The new revolvers all feature blued carbon steel frames and Walnut wood grips, as well as other classic design features. The Model 36 Classic, is a J-Frame chambered in 38 Special +P with a five-shot capacity. It has a 1.88-inch barrel with a fixed-blade front sight, an integral slot-in-frame rear sight and a classic checkered wood grip. The barrel is a tapered barrel profile with a rounded front sight, much like the original Chief’s Special. MSRP is $849.
Next up is the S&W Model 10 Classic chambered in 38 Special +P. The new Model 10 looks like an old Model 10, or probably more correctly a pre-Model 10 M&P revolver, which happens to be my favorite style Smith. It has a 4-inch pencil barrel with a rounded fixed-blade front sight and an integral slot-in-frame rear sight. It comes with a set of Tyler Gun Works smooth walnut grips. The styling on the Model 10 Classic is very reminiscent of the WW II era Victory Model revolvers. MSRP is 979.
Finally we have the Model 19 Classic chambered in .357 magnum. It uses a 4.25-inch barrel with a red-ramp insert front sight and an adjustable black-blade rear sight. It’s fitted with a checkered wood target grip. MSRP on the Model 19 is $1,099.
If you like blued steel and walnut revolvers with a strong nod to history and tradition, these Classic Series No-Lock models may be the nicest pieces to come out of the Smith & Wesson shop in decades. Take a look at the video S&W put out for a closer look:
For more information on the new Smith & Wesson Classic Series revolvers, visit www.smith-wesson.com.
