A rare bird: the Smith & Wesson 457D, special order for Chicago PD

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ThirdGen9623

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The S&W 457D. A double-action-only, single-stack .45 ACP made in very small numbers for the Chicago Police Department starting in 1997.

Back then, CPD was only allowed to carry double-action-only autos and S&Ws were a popular choice. This model was made as a special-order item for detectives, administration, and off-duty carry.

I’ve been unable to find an exact number, but very few were produced. I have yet to see one for sale on major sites and have never seen one in person until now.

This one belonged to a retired CPD officer, and was in the box - never carried.
 

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I've seen exactly one for sale, listed here. At the time I didn't have the funds to buy it, but I did download the pictures to keep me warm on lonely nights. Just kidding about that part.

Here is an earlier thread I started on that particular gun. Note that there were some made with double strike capacity, but they are even more rare.

GaryS

Thread '457D'

I'm not the seller, and unfortunately, I can't be the buyer, but I did see the 457D for sale.

The ad included the best, and about the only, pictures of a CPD 457D that I've seen.

What I noticed is that the gun has the same sort of hump back trigger that my pre rail 3953TSW has.

This seems to indicate that the gun was not built along the same lines as the 3914DAO that doesn't have that style of trigger.

So, I have to wonder if the 457D has the "second strike" capability that the 3914DAO does?

Inquiring minds want to know. To coin a phrase.
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I am struggling to determine its value - I can’t seem to find literally any past sale of one of these on the usual sites for an estimate. Any ballparks and methods used?
 
The 5th edition of the SCSW has the Model 457 released in 1996. The information on the Model 457D is limited and only mentions that it is a Chicago PD limited run ( rumored) with a carbon blue slide and black alloy frame value series with no mention of actual values or Production year. Like the M457, it is a 7rd single stack with a bobbed trigger. It's interesting that it has the notation (rumored) which leads me to believe that maybe the authors weren't able to validate them. What is the product code on the box as that may provide some answers.
 
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My 457D is s/n prefix VJB dated by SW as June 1997 - product code 108179. I purchased it out of Illinois with no mention of CPD.

I have seen in various searches / listings a total of 5 457D pistols all VJB018x-VJB037x s/n range. Mine and 1 other are verified as NOT Double Strike capable.
 
ThirdGen9623 said:
I am struggling to determine its value - I can’t seem to find literally any past sale of one of these on the usual sites for an estimate. Any ballparks and methods used?
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I think I paid around $500 for mine but it is well used - In excellent condition with original box / docs, it would probably go $600-800 possibly more with any CPD docs (invoice or issuing docs). It would all depend on the buyer and how bad he wants it.

Asto yours with original box, I would be curious to see box end or if you dont want to post a picture, the 6 digit Product Code and the 4 digit Spec Ord code would be of interest as well as the S/N 3 letter prefix. My prefix is VJB and Prod Code 108179. I dont have Spec Ord, but SW dates it 6/1997.
 
If I saw a 457D listed for $500.00 I'd dislocate my shoulder hitting the "Buy It Now" button. ;) For me at least, having CPD provenance doesn't add to the value of the gun. It's the scarcity as with the 3914DAO. Which I picked up for a bargain as the previous owner switched from NYPD to a department outside of NYC and they had different requirements for an off duty firearm.


ACEd said:
I think I paid around $500 for mine but it is well used - In excellent condition with original box / docs, it would probably go $600-800 possibly more with any CPD docs (invoice or issuing docs). It would all depend on the buyer and how bad he wants it.

Asto yours with original box, I would be curious to see box end or if you dont want to post a picture, the 6 digit Product Code and the 4 digit Spec Ord code would be of interest as well as the S/N 3 letter prefix. My prefix is VJB and Prod Code 108179. I dont have Spec Ord, but SW dates it 6/1997.
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The 457D was a lightweight, economy version of the 4556. They only fired from a partially c0cked hammer.

I believe the chopped grip 4553TSW was available about the same time.

Eventually, all three were replaced by the 4553TSW that had the rail.
 
I wouldn't say that the 457D was replaced by the rail 4553TSW. That's because it was a special production gun for one specific agency and not sold released to the general public.

KurtC said:
The 457D was a lightweight, economy version of the 4556. They only fired from a partially c0cked hammer.

I believe the chopped grip 4553TSW was available about the same time.

Eventually, all three were replaced by the 4553TSW that had the rail.
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ACEd said:
I think I paid around $500 for mine but it is well used - In excellent condition with original box / docs, it would probably go $600-800 possibly more with any CPD docs (invoice or issuing docs). It would all depend on the buyer and how bad he wants it.

Asto yours with original box, I would be curious to see box end or if you dont want to post a picture, the 6 digit Product Code and the 4 digit Spec Ord code would be of interest as well as the S/N 3 letter prefix. My prefix is VJB and Prod Code 108179. I dont have Spec Ord, but SW dates it 6/1997.
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Sorry for the long delay in my replies! Busy weeks…

It’s a VJB prefix S/N. The box codes are 104806 (Product Code) and 7114 (Special Ord Code). Anything you can tell me from that would be neat!
 
ThirdGen9623 said:
Sorry for the long delay in my replies! Busy weeks…

It’s a VJB prefix S/N. The box codes are 104806 (Product Code) and 7114 (Special Ord Code). Anything you can tell me from that would be neat!
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That is interesting, particularly the 104806 Product Code. Yours is the only one I know of that has original box. In theory you can decode the Spec Ord 7114 as the 114th day of 1997 (or 1987 or 2007, but yours should be 1997). So April 24, 1997?

As an aside, the standard blue 457 are Product Code 104804 and the silver 457S are 104808. The two-tone Blue over Silver are 130120.

I have only seen 5 457D pistols - all blue and all VJB s/n prefix.
1x VJB01xx
2x VJB02xx including mine
2x VJB037x
As a further aside, some time at or before VJB093x, production models in the VJB prefix were more or less random including Lady Smiths, Chiefs Specials and a sequential batch of 4006TSW.

Back to the subject 457D, Supposedly there were 2 variants - most easily distinguished as to whether they are Double Strike Capable. It is believed that the early pistols, possibly the Pre-Production Evaluation units are different from the Production units OR there were some that were made for another customer or retail, not to Chicago PD specs(??).

Per SW mine has a "Manufacture Date" of June 1997 and a Product Code of 108179 and I can verify my VJB029x is NOT Double Strike capable. One of the VJB037x is also verified NOT Double Strike capable, but the VJB018x is believed (not verified) to be Double Strike capable.

Wondering if yours with different Product Code may be the early Double Strike capable? You might be able to shed some light on the Double Strike question.

I would love to see a picture of the Box End label - you can PM me or block last digits of S/N.
 
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ACEd said:
That is interesting, particularly the 104806 Product Code. Yours is the only one I know of that has original box. In theory you can decode the Spec Ord 7114 as the 114th day of 1997 (or 1987 or 2007, but yours should be 1997). So April 24, 1997?

As an aside, the standard blue 457 are Product Code 104804 and the silver 457S are 104808. The two-tone Blue over Silver are 130120.

I have only seen 5 457D pistols - all blue and all VJB s/n prefix.
1x VJB01xx
2x VJB02xx including mine
2x VJB037x
As a further aside, some time at or before VJB093x, production models in the VJB prefix were more or less random including Lady Smiths, Chiefs Specials and a sequential batch of 4006TSW.

Back to the subject 457D, Supposedly there were 2 variants - most easily distinguished as to whether they are Double Strike Capable. It is believed that the early pistols, possibly the Pre-Production Evaluation units are different from the Production units OR there were some that were made for another customer or retail, not to Chicago PD specs(??).

Per SW mine has a "Manufacture Date" of June 1997 and a Product Code of 108179 and I can verify my VJB029x is NOT Double Strike capable. One of the VJB037x is also verified NOT Double Strike capable, but the VJB018x is believed (not verified) to be Double Strike capable.

Wondering if yours with different Product Code may be the early Double Strike capable? You might be able to shed some light on the Double Strike question.

I would love to see a picture of the Box End label - you can PM me or block last digits of S/N.
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I can confirm mine is not double-strike capable. It’s identical to my 5946 - bobbed hammer, must be slightly racked to reset the trigger if dry-fired. I also attached a photo of the box end!
 

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ACEd said:
I stumbled across this picture last year of what may be a prototype 457D - I dont remember circumstances, but it is marked 457 not 457D - cant read s/n - but it has blocked off safety on left side consistent with a DAO configuration View attachment 888132
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Nice! I’m very curious how many of these were actually made. I come from a family and neighborhood of Chicago PD officers, many whom would have been working when these were “special order”. I’ve seen plenty of senior guys on the job carrying 3rd Gen DAO Smith autos that they started with (CPD required DAO pistols and didn’t allow Glocks from 1991/92 to 2008), but I’ve never seen anyone, even detectives or upper-level administrators, with a 457D in person or in photos.
 
That last one looks like the profile of the ducktail (whatever it’s called) is different.
 
Nice to see these! I have a 457 that I really like, a 457D with the true DAO like the 3914DAO would be awesome.

What grips were OEM, the typical 3rd Gen composite, or the Pachy style soft rubber?
 
quikdraw67 said:
Nice to see these! I have a 457 that I really like, a 457D with the true DAO like the 3914DAO would be awesome.

What grips were OEM, the typical 3rd Gen composite, or the Pachy style soft rubber?
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Mine is out-of-the-original-box new and unfired, albeit untouched for 20+ years. It has the factory Delrin grips.
 
ThirdGen9623 said:
Nice! I’m very curious how many of these were actually made. I come from a family and neighborhood of Chicago PD officers, many whom would have been working when these were “special order”. I’ve seen plenty of senior guys on the job carrying 3rd Gen DAO Smith autos that they started with (CPD required DAO pistols and didn’t allow Glocks from 1991/92 to 2008), but I’ve never seen anyone, even detectives or upper-level administrators, with a 457D in person or in photos.
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Best option would be to buy a Letter documenting your specific pistol - not cheap and it takes a while. Letter will typically tell you a lot of generic info about the model plus specifics of who pistol was sold / shipped to and when.

Ask specifically for details of how many made - there may have been more than one order, but so far it would look like the observed population is somewhere between VJB018x-VJB0375 - but below VJB0931 - so one production order somewhere between 200 and 900 might be a good guess assuming they may have been made in a s/n block which is not necessarily the case.

It is also worth noting that in the case of the 6944, initial published information indicated a single production group of 512 pistols TFB0047-TFB0558, but it was later discovered that there were at least 4 subsequent production groups of between 55 and 230 pistols per order. Similarly the 3954 was originally reported as a single production group of 440 units TJA8500-TJA8939 until an earlier TJA7553 and a later TJB group (possibly 2 in the TJB1772-TJB2088 and TJB4359-TJB4372 ranges) showed up. Bottom line = Response you get is based on best info available - but dont take any info as perfect considering the records were no doubt originally on paper which has been digitized by a lot of hand labor.
 
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quikdraw67 said:
Nice to see these! I have a 457 that I really like, a 457D with the true DAO like the 3914DAO would be awesome.

What grips were OEM, the typical 3rd Gen composite, or the Pachy style soft rubber?
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The OEM rubber grips are all Hogue's.
 
ACEd said:
I have seen both rubber screwed on and delrin pinned as in first photo - most likely 1 piece pinned delrin as OE
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Some NEW S&W handguns (revolvers AND autos), especially those marketed toward LE agencies, often came from the factory with Hogue grips installed. My 4-inch 686, purchased NEW in 1983 was one such example.
 
JH1961 said:
Some NEW S&W handguns (revolvers AND autos), especially those marketed toward LE agencies, often came from the factory with Hogue grips installed. My 4-inch 686, purchased NEW in 1983 was one such example.
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I have an early original blue 457, a 1997 two-tone 457 and a 457D - all wearing the one piece SW marked black Delrin grips.

I have no clue about revolvers coming with Hogue grips and I know you could Special Order odd configurations from SW.

But the only SW 3rd Generation pistols I know of coming with rubber grips were the CS9, CS40, & CS45 Chiefs Specials and as I recall the factory rubber grips had the SW logo. As far as I can tell, SW never made a one piece Delrin grip for the unique geometries of the Chief Specials.
 
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