TownSteel MSS Series Exit Function - Heavy Duty Sectional Mortise Lock , Non-Keyed

The MSS Series mortise lock is built on a 2-3/4 inch backset, which is the standard commercial mortise backset, and the faceplate measures 1-1/4 x 8 inches in stainless steel. If the door is already prepped for a standard 2-3/4 inch backset mortise body with an 8 inch face, the pocket and edge prep line up. Use the manufacturer MSS template to confirm the cross-bore and trim hole spacing before cutting anything new.

Exit function here means free egress from the inside with no key on the outside. The MSS is a non-keyed lock, so there is no cylinder to order or key it into a system. The outside lever is controlled mechanically rather than by a key, and the inside lever always retracts the latch for egress. If you need key control on the outside, this is the wrong item and you want a keyed MSS or a keyed storeroom mortise lock instead.

Yes, handing is a required choice: LH (left hand), RH (right hand), LHR (left hand reverse), or RHR (right hand reverse). The lock is not field reversible on the order form, so get the hand right off the opening. Stand outside the door: if the hinges are on your left and the door swings away, that is LH; hinges left and the door swings toward you is LHR.

The Command Access ML190 is a heavy-duty motorized mortise lock in storeroom function with field selectable fail safe or fail secure operation on 24VDC, the BEST 45HW is a heavy duty wired electromechanical mortise lock running 12V or 24V, and the Schlage L9092EU with 03A trim is a heavy duty electric lock/unlock outside lever mortise lock, keyed outside, with request to exit at 12/24VDC. The TownSteel MSS is mechanical and non-keyed, with sensor provisions only, so electrification of the lever is not part of it.

The TownSteel MSS exit function lock is non-keyed. For a keyed outside lever on a Grade 1 mortise body, the Accentra 8805FL is a Grade 1 storeroom mortise lock in the 8800 Series with an Arcadia lever, the Cal-Royal NM8080 is a Grade 1 storeroom mortise lockset for 1-3/4 inch doors with an interchangeable core option, and the Corbin Russwin ML2003 is a Grade 1 classroom mortise lockset for 1-3/4 inch doors. Choose storeroom if the outside lever should stay locked at all times, classroom if staff key the outside lever to unlocked.

The Sargent 7925 is the nearest match in intent: it is a Grade 1 heavy duty mortise lock in the 7900 Series with a corridor/dormitory exit function and rose trim. The TownSteel MSS exit function lock is also Grade 1 heavy duty, but uses sectional escutcheon trim in either a low or regular escutcheon profile, and it is non-keyed. The Sargent 7925 includes a single cylinder deadbolt, so if the opening calls for a keyed deadbolt on the outside, the 7925 covers that where the non-keyed MSS does not.

The TownSteel MSS is a mechanical lock, not electronic; what it offers is sensor provisions such as request-to-exit, door ajar, privacy and mechanical key override so it can report into an access control system. If you want the credential reader in the lock itself, the Schlage CO-100-MS is a standalone Grade 1 heavy duty electronic mortise lock with a keypad reader in privacy function, the Schlage LEMD-GRW is a Grade 1 ENGAGE wireless mortise lock with a 125kHz proximity reader and a 3 hour fire rating, and the Dormakaba E-Plex E5086 is a Grade 1 pushbutton and card mortise lock for entry/egress. Those replace the credential side; the MSS relies on the access control system wired around it.

Both are sectional escutcheon trims for the same lock body; the choice is the plate height and profile on the door face. The standard escutcheon measures 10-9/16 x 2-3/8 x 9/32 inches in brass. Pick Low when you are matching a shorter plate already on adjacent openings, Regular for the full-height look. Since it is sectional trim rather than a full one-piece plate, the lever and the thumb turn mount separately on the door face.

Eight lever designs: Artistic, Congr, Gala, Imperial, Quest, Regal, Sentinel, and Tango. Finishes run 605 bright brass, 606 satin brass, 622 matte black, 625 bright chrome, 626 satin chrome, 629 bright stainless, and 630 satin stainless. Levers are forged brass or cast zinc plated to match the finish symbol, so a 626 lever matches a 626 escutcheon across the building. For property managers standardizing a corridor, 626 satin chrome and 630 satin stainless are the two that match most existing commercial hardware.

It is an ANSI Grade 1 heavy duty mortise lock built for commercial use, which is the top ANSI/BHMA durability tier and the usual spec for institutional corridors. The working parts are stainless steel where it counts: split anti-friction latch bolt, guard bolt, rocker-type stop works, and the ANSI strike. The thumb turn is brass, Classic Visible as standard.

Yes. For plain passage with no locking at all, the Schlage PM010 is a Grade 1 non-keyed passage latch mortise lock for 1-3/4 inch doors, and the Falcon MA101 is a Grade 1 heavy duty mortise passage lock with field reversible operation and a fire rating. The TownSteel MSS exit function lock is a different animal: it is built for an exit opening with a thumbturn on the inside, and it carries the sectional trim and optional status sensor provisions such as REX and door ajar for access control integration. If nobody ever needs to secure the door, the passage functions do the job with fewer moving parts.

No. The Schlage L0170 is Grade 1 heavy duty half dummy trim in the L Series for 1-3/4 inch doors, meaning a fixed lever with no latch behind it. The TownSteel MSS exit function lock is a complete heavy duty Grade 1 mortise lock body with a 3/4 inch stainless steel anti-friction latch bolt, guard bolt, and a 1-1/4 by 8 inch stainless faceplate. Dummy trim suits an inactive leaf only; it will not latch a working door.

The BEST 45H is a heavy duty mortise lock body in public entrance function and is field reversible, and the 45HCA intruder function body is also heavy duty. Both are lock bodies, so trim is selected separately. The TownSteel MSS exit function lock is a heavy duty Grade 1 sectional mortise lockset with the escutcheon, lever and thumbturn specified as part of the order, with eight lever styles and seven finishes from 605 bright brass to 630 satin stainless. Handing is selected at order on the MSS rather than reversed in the field.

Exit function is aimed at an opening where the inside always releases and the outside is controlled, not at a privacy application. For privacy, the Cal-Royal NM8440 is a Grade 1 privacy mortise lockset with deadbolt for 1-3/4 inch doors, and the Hager 3840S is a Grade 1 privacy mortise lock with a 2-3/4 inch backset for doors 1-3/4 to 2 inches. Both give the occupant-side locking a bath or bedroom needs. Note the TownSteel MSS also uses a 2-3/4 inch backset, so the door prep carries over to the Hager 3840S.

Yes. The Marks USA 5PDN is a Grade 1 hospital passage mortise push/pull paddleset in the 195 Series, ligature resistant and ADA compliant in satin stainless steel. It suits behavioral health and patient areas where a lever is not acceptable. The TownSteel MSS exit function lock is a lever trim product, offered in eight lever styles and in 630 satin stainless steel among its finishes, and its levers are forged brass or cast zinc plated to the finish symbol.

Sectional trim, which is what the TownSteel MSS uses, mounts the lever and thumb turn as separate pieces on the door face rather than one continuous plate. It shows less metal and is the usual pick when you are matching a modern trim look or a narrower visible footprint. A full escutcheon lock covers old screw holes and prior prep better, which matters on a retrofit where the previous trim left marks. The MSS gives you both escutcheon heights, Low and Regular, within the sectional design.

They share a shape but not a function. The Hager 3850E is a Grade 1 office mortise lock with lever and escutcheon, non-keyed, on a 2-3/4 inch backset for doors 1-3/4 to 2-1/2 inches. The TownSteel MSS is also non-keyed on a 2-3/4 inch backset with escutcheon trim, but it is an exit function lock and is built to accept status sensors including request-to-exit and door ajar for access control integration. Office function is intended for a door staff secures from inside; exit function is for controlled-entry, free-egress openings.

Only if the opening needs nothing but a bolt. The Sargent 4874 is a double cylinder mortise deadbolt on a 2-3/4 inch backset from the 4870 Series, with no lever and no latch. The TownSteel MSS exit function lock carries a 3/4 inch anti-friction latch bolt, a guard bolt, rocker type stop works and a lever on both sides, so it latches the door closed and allows egress by lever. Pairing a deadbolt with a separate passage set is a different prep from a single mortise pocket.