i'm a complete newbie to semi auto pistols
i have the opportunity to purchase a smith 645 in very good shape, my only 2 concerns are
1. if properly maintained is it reliable
2. is it a quality made pistol
thank you for the education i'm about to receive

I owned one, and can tell you it can almost cycle rocks.Very reliable and accurate.The only drawback is its size.Sits very high in the hand,so mastering a good grip will take some getting use to.

Yes they are very reliable.
And yes they are a very high quality handgun. It will outlast you no matter how much you shoot it.

You will be well served by one. Get it and get a bunch of spare magazines for it while they are still readily available and you will have no regrets

Very reliable. It should chamber empty cartridges. Build like a tank heavy but reliable.

1. YES
2. YES

If you run out of ammo in a self defense situation you can beat your attacker to death with it.

Buy it, buy it now, buy it now and you will never look back. NEVER.

I have several 645s and don't regret the purchase of any of them. As said above, a quality built, tank of a pistol but totally reliable. Could be a problem if you have very small hands. (My wife can not get a good grip on it.)

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Bill

The 645 was the pinnacle of S&W 2nd Gen production. It is big, bold, elegant and powerful. It has the precision of a Swiss watch but built like a TANK! I have nineteen 3rd Gens, but only one 2nd Gen, guess which one it is . . .

Buy it. You won't regret having it. As noted above, extremely reliable and very well built. They were Smith and Wesson's first effort at the 45ACP and it was an excellent first effort! I had one and it was great. My only concern was that I didn't find them as accurate as some have found. I was shooting at 25/35 yards and found that the group sizes, at 4-5 inches, were not what I wanted or expected. So, I sold mine and began using my Browning/SIG-Sauer BDA/P220 in 45. I was using mine as an on-duty, holster sidearm. Quite an impressive gun when it was out! But I no longer have it but am very certain that in whoever's hand it is now, it is bangin' away with it still! I still believe that they were excellent guns and you will be happy with it. Wish you best of luck in your purchase!

If its anything like the 3rd gen pistols, it'll reliably cycle any ammo you feed it, and last longer than the pyramids.
I have one Smith .45, a 4566. It will stay with me.

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What would Jim Cirillo do?

Reliable... load up a mag full of empty cases, lock the slide back, hit the slide release... rack the slide & repeat. Why?, just because you can.

Led to my purchase of a 745, and then 945's.

Caution: it's a slippery slope.