I love my 4506, 4566 and 4516. I've used them all at one time or the other for work...from Patrol to Homicide Detective to Detective Sergeant. I can't think of better tools for an environment where fraility just is unacceptable. I know they only hold seven or eight rounds, but that has always been enough...in part as I'm a firm believer in the 14" Remington 870.

I received some very fine 1911s when I promoted and I carry them too. For precision work they do produce at a higher level the 4506 doesn't, but I know they need a bit more love in the maintenance department.

I believe in this day and age it is a different sort of person that uses a 4506 than say a Glock or M&P. It is a person who just wants to stand out a tiny bit and not conform to the masses....maybe the sort who polishes his duty leather (actually has duty leather), boots and wears a pressed shirt to roll call. I may be wrong, but I'd bet I'm not far off.

I wrote the post below several years ago, and although it references the 4516, I think it applies to all the steel S&Ws.


Why I like my 4516 - law enforcement perspective

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Reading the above posts made me sit down and think about why I like my 4516-1. I have come up with the following reasons:

1. It's different. In an agency of 3500 I'm the last holdout with a S&W 3rd gen pistol....I use a 4506/1006 for uniform and the 4516 for detective work. My religious backup is a 442. When I'm at the range or on the street I can see the younger deputies look at the stainless S&W steel monsters and wonder what they are. Afterall, there is a mysterious aspect to anything not Glock or 1911 in our agency. I like being different..I wear a full Class B uniform on patrol and a leather duty belt most of the time. My shirts and trousers are pressed and I still polish my boots with Parade Gloss and a cotton ball. In the modern days of polo shirts and external vest carriers, Glocks and plastic I probably don't fit in, but I'm OK with that. The type of guy who polishes his boots is in my mind they kind of guy who would carry a S&W 4516. They guys who want easy, no maintenance and don't want to pay attention to detail tend, in my experience, to wear a Glock, nylon duty gear and crumpled, unpressed uniforms. I guess our choice of hardware speaks to our inner discipline to an extent.

My first run in with a S&W 4516 and 4566 was in the hands of a US Marshal on an extradition flight. He appeared to me at the time to be the epitome of a professional law enforcement officer and he certainly looked like he knew how to use his hardware. I guess subconsciously I wanted to be like that and the 4516 fit the mold....it's good to have heros these days and role models.

2. The 4516 is reliable... Mine feeds empty cases from the magazine without fail. Try and get a Glock or Colt to do that.

3. Its comforting... I don't know really how to explain this but for those of you in law enforcement you've been in a situation where your sidearm has been out and you have complete confidence in knowing what you can do to remedy the issue, and if you need to do it, you know there won't be an issue from the hardware perspective. My 4516, and 4506, feel good in my hand, have a heft to them that lets me know they're there, and somehow inspire confidence that at least the hardware isn't something I have to worry about. Somehow, holding plastic doesn't bring about the same comforting feeling as heavy, stainless steel. When I carry my 4516, I know it'll work all the time, the round will go where I aim it, and it's a serious firearm.

Oh well, this is just one person's perspective. If you want, sit back in your chair and hold a Glock 22 in one hand and your 45XX/10XX in the other and ask yourself the following question: "What would Bill Jordan, Charles Askins, Melvin Purvis, etc., carry??" If you're wondering who these guys are you've probably already chosen the Glock.