Here's one you don't see very often. This is a model 6454. This gun is a combo of 2nd and 3rd generation auto loader parts that were put together for the RSR group. I recently had it lettered and was very happy with the details. I knew this one was uncommon but didn't think the total number was only 10 of this model. At least that is how I interpret the letter. Now I just need to find a box for it but I won't hold my breath.

I have posted pics of this gun before but here's some more with the letter. Thanks for letting me share.




And the letter:




UPDATE: I never thought I'd be updating this thread in this way but thanks to the forum and a wise gentleman looking to find more information about his gun, I now have another 6454 to add to my meager collection. I normally wouldn't spend the money to have a duplicate gun but I felt like this one warranted an exception based on it's rarity. It's cool to have another 1 of 10 gun to make it 2 of 10.

Let's see who can pick out the small differences in the two pistols, although the it's tough to tell in the pictures. Barrel lengths are the same and currently both are wearing non-factory hogue grips. I think the small variations demonstrate how these guns were likely assembled with more special attention than your typical production model gun. I would appreciate any additional thoughts on the subject. Here's some additional pics.



New to me 6454:

Downright Amazing man!

You done good.

Very envious.....

Drop-Dead-Gorgeous. Color me Green.

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"We deal in lead, friend."

Down right interesting! I wonder how many of these mystery .45s are out there and it makes me want a 4506 even more! Dale

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"Long live the S&W 3rd. Gen.!"

Thanks for the replies. These don't come around very often so when I see them then I do all I can to snag them. I know they aren't really old guns but they are about as rare as they come with these very, very low production numbers.

Beautiful 45 and a great find. Congrats! Regards 18DAI

That is a great looking S&W you have there! From the pictures it looks more like a 6" barrel than a 5".

I have one of the RSR6454 1 of 10 are they valuable

Need pics or it never happened.

Sent you a Private Message. Also, if you see the first page of my factory letter above you will see the serial number range that your gun should fall under.

I would love to see a picture and know where your gun falls in the serial number range. I can make a fairly close guess, within 10 numbers, as to what it might be.

Glad to see this thread revived. That is such a cool gun!, ... I'd love to see another.

Jerry

As you requested Jerry, another it is. Thread updated. A big thank you to Texasboy, aka Richard, for letting this one go to a good home back with his sibling in my safe.

Also, a huge "THANK YOU" to the forum. How else would cool guns like this get into the hands of average joes like me that are grateful to enjoy them. It's reasons like this one that make it a no-brainer to be a contributing member.

As I am newish to these forums, this is the first time I have seen this thread. It seems like you left us hanging a bit -- you wanted us to try and notice the slight differences between the two but then never told us what they are?

Errr, wait, you just recently added the second one so we need some time to find them, I guess.

First difference I noticed is that the Hogue grip is not the same, one has the straight edge while the other pooches around the mag release. Also, almost looks as if one has machine checkering on the front strap while the other does not, and one has the red "fire" dot and the other lacks it.

Almost looks as if the frame has a darker hue on the one, but that could be a picture thing more than reality.

Neat stuff here!

While it's a nice looking gun, to me it was just a way for S&W to use up their inventory of 645 parts in a newer gun,w/o having to throw them away since they quit making the 645. Can you imagine if GM found some brand new unused 5 year old 6 speed transmissions & installed them in new vehicles which would normally have 8 speed transmissions? That wouldn't go over too well. No special value to me. Just another nice 4506. GARY

To the above poster... I am sure that Chevy could sell a very small run of a last generation rear wheel drive version of a Monte Carlo with a brand new old stock 5 year old Vette motor, backed up with a 6 speed from that year, and sell it easy, easier if they numbered them, and at a premium if they know how to market them to the right consumer.....

Very nice and rare find, and congratulations.

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#DE4L

You are spot on with the first sentence but the car analogy is just plain wrong when establishing value. There are tons of older cars and guns that are considered "transitional" models that are highly coveted by collectors. These guns are pushing 25 years so they're not really considered modern anymore and they aren't some mass produced item like many of todays plastic guns and vehicles.

The value is in the fact that if you or someone else wanted to buy this model than you'd have to find one of the 10 that exist. And up until a couple years ago or whenever it was when I originally started this thread, this model was unknown.

Of course from a utilitarian perspective you are correct it is no different that any other 45 semi-auto that reliably throws lead and made mostly of stainless steel. Having said that, you couldn't get me to take 5 Glocks in trade for one of these. I can head to Cal Ranch and buy a dozen of those tomorrow if I had to.

I don't know if you guys are old enough to remember, but at that time when S&W came out with the 4 digit model #s, they were introducing a different variant every week by combining different parts & pieces from other models they made. It was crazy back then. And I have to say that working for the largest gun dealer in Florida with 8 stores, & 45 gun shows a year selling 400 pieces a show, we would only pay, & sell the gun for the going rate of a standard 4506. Should early 4506's with the 645 trigger guard get special status too? And I keep going back to cars where I worked for 30+ years. A guy with a "rare" Road Runner claims his car was 1 of 12 built. well maybe with the options in that specific car, but if he had a FM radio instead of an AM radio, than it would be 1 of 300 built. I'm sorry, but these little differencies don't do it for me. Again, as nice as any nice 4506. To me because S&W decided to make so many variants back then with existing pieces doesn't make them more special, or valuable today in my business. GARY

I suppose we don't have to agree, but you're kind of buzz kill on my thread sir.

And so far you've added no value to it as far as I can tell.

Hey it's a nice gun, but to someone who buys & sells guns all day long for the largest dealer in Florida, you're right. It has no extra value. But it's a nice gun, so enjoy it. GARY

Anyone else have an opinion? Preferably not related to value as that wasn't the point of sharing my guns on this thread.

I think it's bad ***, and for several years prior to a law enforcement career, I bought and sold guns all day long for one of the largest gun dealers in California which had (if I remember correctly) 13 stores and now has 18.

This isn't a car. It's a gun.

This thread is cool, and your gun is interesting. Some think better of themselves than they should.

I love the 4506 and I miss the one I stupidly sold. That said, I picked up a 645 and I'm super happy because the 645 fits my hand better than either the flat or arched 4506 grip did. Have you been able to determine what the differences are between the three RSR versions?

Those are a pair of beauties. I bought my Model 645 back in 87 or 88 and it has been trouble free ever since. I've put thousands of rounds through it. Never had a misfeed or stove pipe. I only replaced the springs about a year ago. It's the definite keeper in my collection.I carried it for more than a decade so it was the one I trusted my life with.

Well, there ya go.
We've all been enlightened. A gun salesman has spoken.
They're all the same.
We can throw away our books on the old guns.
We can delete the subforums for the older guns.
They're all the same.......

Some folks just don't get the collector drive.
That's cool.
But don't expect others to adopt your opinion.
There's a Glock forum you might enjoy.

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

Mass-market value vs collector-value. This is why there are so many "Found an amazing item at the LGS" stories. Sure, the average Joe cares nothing for the rarity of an oddball, so there is no "mass-market" value to it. To the right buyer, there clearly *IS* value - just as I might see a rusted-out carbureted points-eating pile of junk and someone else might see a collector muscle car waiting to be released. Or in gun terms why a Model XX-1 sells in an LGS for less than the same Model XX-15 which is 30yrs newer....

Haven't hit the pressure curve yet on my caffeine intake this morning so my eyes probably wouldn't focus on my SCSW just yet but I'm wondering.

In the attached letter,, Mr Jinks explains the semi auto transition model numbers as the 645 being the first and then S&W went to four digit numbers after that and is now considered "3rd gen". Where did the 2nd gen go?

Any how I don't have to be fully awake to see that it is a great looking and designed gun. You done good Mr. Coontz

Attached Images

645jinks.JPG (37.9 KB, 45 views)

While the 645 was S&W's first attempt at a .45cal semiautomatic pistol, it was a 2nd Gen pistol and not a 1st. I suppose it is classified as a 2nd Gem because of WHEN it was manufactured and marketed and also due to it's 3-digit model name, but it is worth noting that the two 2nd Gen .45's (645/745) are the only 2nd Gens in the line to have the pressed-in (non-removable) barrel bushing that became the norm in the 3rd Gens.

The only 1st Gens are the 39's, 59's and 52's, and the scarce rare ones like pre-39, 147A, 44, etc.

Congrats on your twins!

I'd take those over a set of snake eye Pythons any day.

As 'Grampa Pettibon' of Naval Aviation News fame used to say, "'Nuff Said!"

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"We deal in lead, friend."

Oh it's just another 45. Oh it's just another CS-1. Oh it's just another 3 inch 66. Oh it's just another 60-4. Oh it's just another 651 2 inch. Try and gather these few up and oh it's just another several thousand dollars. And oh it's just where the rubber meets the road.

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SSG Ret.
TN & TX ARNG 66-06

Gun salesman = car salesman. No disrespect intended. People appreciate different things at different times in their lives. I should know.

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SSG Ret.
TN & TX ARNG 66-06

You know, I appreciate your comments, & I used to feel that way too. But after being in the business for a while, I lost all emotional attachment to guns. Now, no matter what they are, they're just inventory to me, like a bag of chips, or a Coke, or cheeseburger. That's what happens after selling them day after day after day. So I didn't mean to be mean, but to me, they're just inventory to sell. Nothing more. GARY

Certainly seems possible... perhaps even logical.
Gets a little odd however, to then spend your free time hanging out in gun enthusiast forums? And specifically appearing in the middle of a discussion on an extremely rare pistol with provenance?

Surely the rancor isn't a complete surprise...?

To the subject pistol, as I have said elsewhere, pistols like this one are fantastic for other folks to own, I wouldn't want to put a bunch of wear on it myself, but it is wholly entertaining for me to see the glossy pictures, see the factory letter, and read the passion in the posts of the enthusiasts.

I found a roll of 1909 SVDB pennies in the safe.
WHY would I have kept a roll of pennies?
Can't remember.
Pennies are hardly worth cluttering your pocket with, much less the safe.
Had to run some errands, so I stuck em in my pocket and bought the granddaughter some candy at the gas station with em.
Was shocked to learn 50 cents won't even buy some candy bars any more.

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Regards,
Lee Jarrett

LOL, but here's a true story - I picked up a 1920's silver dollar about 20 years ago at Safeway. I noticed the cashier had it balanced precariously in her drawer having received it in payment. "Gee, a dollar coin? I haven't seen one of those in a while." I said, "#$!@ thing keeps hanging up my drawer" she replied. "Here, let me give you a paper dollar instead" I offered. "Wow, thanks!" she gushed in reply.

Both parties went home happy

Only ten made. Hand fitted. Only ten made. Special model number.
Only ten made. Serialized for and sold through a huge distributor.
Only ten made. You own nearly one third of the entire production run.
Only ten made.

Just another gun?
Is a 1971 Hemicuda convertible just another car?
Is a Vincent Black Shadow just another motorcycle?
Is Sofia Vergara just another woman?
Is Kobe beef just another hunk of meat?
Is the Kawasaki H2 just another crotch rocket?
Is the steel framed model 39 just another 9mm?
Is the Korth just another revolver?

I happen to believe that your 6454s are much more than just another gun.
Compared to them, my 52-1 is just another gun, but I wouldn't trade it for 50 brand new Glocks.

Nearly one third of the production run.

I'd have been on those like stink on poop.

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What would Jim Cirillo do?

I appreciate all the responses supporting the value of these pistols. They may not be as sought after as some of the older transitional revolvers but with time things like this tend to mature in a positive way.

So I had a question about differences. I inspected both guns, in and out, and the only major difference I saw, besides one having the red "fire" dot, was on the way the serial number and model number were engraved/stamped. See if you can tell the difference. Here's a few pictures and a family shot with my 6451.

Here's the older 6454 that I picked up a few years back:


And here's the I picked up just recently:


And a family picture:

Man I was just happy to find the 4506 & 4506-1 issued to me. Made us return our weapons when they made us go to glocks so we could get 3 more rounds for $500 less sorry the polymers may be great but S&W Gen 3 pistols will still be running when the G21 is recycled into a dashboard. My 4506 no dash has at least 10k rounds fired.Only reason it's in the safe is on 4006 cycle this quarter for rotation, Wife is using her SW99 IN 9mm

Random thought time.
I LIKE the square TG.

I have a transitional Tanfoglio TZ-75 that I bought, unfired, for $250.
Someone traded it in on a Glock (puked in my mouth a little).
It has been 100% reliable and is more accurate than me.
There weren't that many made/imported, but it's too good a shooter to languish in a safe.

IMO, there is no better looking bottom feeder than a 3rd gen Smith with square TG.

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What would Jim Cirillo do?

Interesting to me, any of these mixtures of of 3rd and 2nd gen guns are, or the very early 3rd gen guns. Maybe it is the light angle, but is the tang shaped a bit different, and the slide cut curving to the dust cover different? The slide serrations may not be positioned exactly the same place or cut the exact same...but I'm not sure.

Haters gonna hate...

Nice .45! It reminds me of the S&W .45ACP I had back in 1987. I can't remember the exact model number, but it looked very similar to yours. I was 15-almost 16 at the time.

My mom, who is a retired Detroit cop, bought it for me to keep the house safe while I was home alone. Our house had been broken into two years prior while we were both home, sleeping. The burglars actually came into my bedroom and woke me up. They're lucky they didn't wake up my mom, who was asleep in our upstairs bedroom. It would not have turned out so well for them.

Very nice!

WOW, I want one!!

Just curious if the OP bought the first one of these off of gunbroker back in the spring of 2012?
Check out this thread

Smith 6454?

Maybe I should have bought that one.

You know what, I think I did pick it up off gunbroker now that I think of it. I can't remember what I paid, I should really try to remember. I do know that it was less than what I thought it could be worth but I was more interested in the RSR connection. It wasn't until after I lettered it that I realized it's rarity. I had assumed it would be in the 100-200 quantity like most of the RSR pistols, but 10 was a huge surprise.

You should be able to log in to Gun Broker, click on the Help - My Support Page - and see on the left hand menu any items you've won in the past, if it helps.

Bill

I tried that but I couldn't find it. Do they delete records of auctions after a certain defined amount of time?

Thanks for sharing, very interesting! How many distributor runs get their own model number, and with a volume that low.

I just picked up a PC 4006 Limited. While some ney-sayer may just call it another 4006, I am particularly fond of it.

All of my auctions win/lose/watching seem deleted after 90 days.

Just another update, it looks like the 6454 with #RSR0555 shipped on September 11, 1991. So it shipped a more than a month earlier than the lower numbered RSR0553 6454. Interesting.

To me it looks just like my 4506 no dash. Rib slide, step frame, square trigger guard, and my frame is drilled for grip screws like the 645. Dove tailed front sight, combat rear sight, and slide on grips like 4506 dash models. They may have been a transition between the 4506 no dash and 4506 dash models on 10mm frame. Special model number for RSR to get rid of remaining no dash models.

Link to recently closed auction for reference to those of you curious to know:

Just a moment...