After having sold my Pardini GT45 and my S&W PC945 I purchased a near mint 845 Target Champion recently, SN is WPC0544. I like it better than my former guns. However, having a closer look at the inside of the barrel, I discovered series of tiny scratches on the lands, approximately at 90 degrees to the axis of the barrel, just as if somebody had rotatet something abrasive inside the barrel. The scratches cannot be seen unless you use a magnifying glass.
Is this feature normal or harmful?
What is the DOB of the gun?

After having sold my Pardini GT45 and my S&W PC945 I purchased a near mint 845 Target Champion recently, SN is WPC0544. I like it better than my former guns. However, having a closer look at the inside of the barrel, I discovered series of tiny scratches on the lands, approximately at 90 degrees to the axis of the barrel, just as if somebody had rotatet something abrasive inside the barrel. The scratches cannot be seen unless you use a magnifying glass.
Is this feature normal or harmful?
What is the DOB of the gun?

Those are machine tool marks from reaming the bore of the barrel. Perfectly normal, and in today's manufacturing climate of rushed production and less than perfect quality control, pretty common. Not much harm unless the tool marks are really rough or deep, and then it may mean more work to clean after firing.

There were two runs of the 845 here in the states, '95 and '98. They were different prefixs on them, the later run had forward cocking serations that the first didn't. You would probably need to call S&W to get a exact ship date. I prefer the pivot trigger of the 845, always seems lighter.

Hi john traveler,
does it make sense to try to remove those scratches? And how could this be done?

NO, do not try to remove those machine tool marks in your barrel!

They were formed when the barrel blank was bored and reamed to size. The barrel was then rifled, and finished.

If you attempt to remove the reamer marks by polishing now, all you would accomplish is to ruin barrel by enlarging the bore.

Have you fired and cleaned the barrel? The reamer marks really do no harm. Even if they are really, really, deep, it would only mean more work in cleaning after firing.

I had a Shorty 45 with the same issue except the grooves in the barrel were at the muzzle end and one being next to the crown.

I sent the gun in for eval and they replaced the barrel under warranty.

I was told by the PC that being on the end, it would have affected accuracy.

I could not tell you if it affected accuracy prior to barrel replacement as this was found in 2002. This was my dad's gun and I set it up for him to return the gun under warranty.

He died in 2005 and in 2008 I discovered the barrel was never replaced. I called PC, told them the story and I sent it in.

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Thanks for the advices.

john traveler:
I think you are right, I will not try to remove the scratches.

SW CQB 45:
In the US I would send the gun to PC to have the barrel replaced, but living in Germany, it seems to require too much work and time.


What about the accuracy of the 845, using appropriate ammunition? Maybe 2" at 25 feet?

I meant yards, not feet, of course. Otherwise the gun would be trash.