I found a 845 (I believe) that I'm thinking of buying & have been trying to find as much info on them as I can but haven't found a lot so far.

The one I'm looking at does not have the model# anywhere on it. It has the PC crest on the right side frame & says 45 Auto Performance on the exposed chamber/barrel. It has Bo-Mar adjustable rear sights & a dovetail front sight. The SN# is MPC02xx & is on the left side frame. It does not have the box/papers/extra mags. Gun & one mag only. It seems to be in excellent shape, the bbl. looks bright & sharp rifling. Only a minor scrape on the slide & the blue on the rear sight's corner is faded some. It's definitely been shoot but the gun is super tight, slide/frame wise. The trigger is crazy light, probably in the 2# range.

The slide mounted decocker (left side only) does not perform a decock function because it's a SA only gun. With the decocker down, the trigger can still be pulled but the firing pin is blocked from hammer (which is unusually small & stubby) by the decocker.

Questions:

- what year was this made?

- how many were made?

- what was the original retail cost?

- do the 645/4506 magazines work in this?

- are replacement parts an issue for these?

- was this distributed by Lew Horton only?

- does the barrel bushing come out? Do you need a special tool? Is it made of a special metal?

- did they have any problems/issues to be aware of?

- what would be a fair price considering it's condition?

Thanks,

Ken


PS: Bought the 845 I was looking at. See post#20 below for pics.

I can answer only some of these questions.
First and most important one is yes you should buy it.
- what year was this made - 1995 to 1997
- do the 645/4506 magazines work in this? - Yes
- was this distributed by Lew Horton only? - Yes, I think.
- does the barrel bushing come out? Do you need a special tool? Is it made of a special metal? - its built on a 745 so yes and no tool required although I speak for the 745/645.
- what would be a fair price considering it's condition? - check out 745s and 645s on gun broker and if you get of for a simular price you have a bargin.
If it shoots any thing like the 745s you wil not regret it.
Cheers.

According to the bible, there was a ".45 Limited", & a "845 Model of 1988". What does the slide have etched on it? It Is a Performance Center pistol. Sorry I can't be more help but I know even less about 2nd Gens than I do 3rd Gens. The "Limited shows to start with an introductory serial number of MPC00xx, but it doesn't give one for the "Model of 1988".

__________________
Lounge Lizard Extraordinaire

I'm pretty sure it's not the "Model of 1998". There's nothing on the slide, either side (other than S&W on the left), so I assume it the "Limited" model.

Yeah, that is kind of weird. I think its pretty safe to assume it's a "Limited". That's a good looking gun! Someday I'm going to have some PC guns.

__________________
Lounge Lizard Extraordinaire

The follow up model of 1988 had a retail price of $1495.95.

No production figure is listed for the 845 Limited.

This is a brute of a gun, simple in form, with no grip safety a wonderful grip angle and enough weight to absorb the recoil of many full power loads.

Value in today's market. I'm really not sure but a $500 to $600 price range may be in the ball park depending on your location.

Some members have found 745's for less money but they lack adjustable sights.

Does the 845 have a brinnel bushing/ spherical ring or just the fixed bushing as does the 745?

Nice gun if the price is right. Let us know if you make the purchase and the cost.

BLM

From what I've seen in the past year or so, you should consider yourself lucky if you can get it for under $1200+/-. I've been watching 845s for about the past 18 months and have never seen one go for under $1200.

They usually start low but break the sound barrier in the final hour when auctioned.

__________________
Un-Reconstructed Southerner

Thanks for the info! I did not realize they were so pricey.

I went from a 745 to a 945 and probably could sell the 945 for what I originally paid.

Prices are sure on the rise for any good semi auto.

BLM

That is absolutely an 845

Stop looking for info and go BUY it before some one else does.

The 845 is what the 952 should have been, a worthy successor to the model 52. They slide moves like wet ice on glass, the trigger break is precise and the groups are one ragged hole.

If you are going to pass on it, many of us would like the opportunity to acquire it, myself included.

I don't know which it has (never saw a 745 before either), but looking at the muzzle the bushing has a slight bevel/angle cut on opposing sides, which is why I asked if it needs a special tool (came with new?) to remove it.

I only got interested in the S&W 2rd & 3rd Gen. autos recently. This gun was there several weeks ago, but that was before I got the "bug".

PS: It does have the spherical ring bushing.

Yes the 845 uses a Briley titanium nitrite coated spherical bushing. This is part of what makes the locking/unlocking so smooth

I can't help it, it's just a flaw in my personality.

As long as the price is not crazy, BUY it.......NOW

If you do not love it, I will buy it from you

Go buy the gun if the price is right! It will feed everything including empty cases.

Heavy, robust, what's not to like?

I've never seen an 845 but I'm sure it's the kind of firearm that I enjoy shooting having both a 745 and a 945 myself.

Maybe I should find one so I can have a full hand.

BLM

Is this bushing pressed in or is it removable by hand/tool?

The Spherical bushing is removable with your fingers. The housing that it rides in is pressed into the slide and as far as I know, non-removable

if I remember correctly, my bushing housing on my 845 was threaded. I bought mine used and it would turn out by hand.

SW told me to loctite, so I cleaned threads and screwed in by hand.

the sperical ring can be removed with no tools....however some are a grizzley bear to remove.

I sold my 845 years ago...was a very nice shooting piece. I much preferred the 845 over the 945.

__________________
if you're gonna be a bear...

I never tried to take bushing housing out of one, did not realize it was threaded.

The 945 is an above average 45ACP pistol . . . but the 845 is special. It is one of those things that if you have not experienced it, it is difficult for someone to explain to you.

Like SIG and the X5/X6 family or a Ferrari Testarosa or a Leica S2 camera. Until you handle one for yourself, there are no words that can be printed to describe the event and how it affects you.

when I bought my 845, (used)....I noticed the housing was away from the slide. I was able to turn it with my finger.

could the previous owner have jacked with it....yes!
could it have been that way since new...yes!

SW told me they use an adhesive and it was not supposed to be removed.

__________________
if you're gonna be a bear...

Went ahead & made a deal I was happy with & got this today. It wasn't very dirty so it cleaned up nice. I was able to even-out the few scuff marks it had. It's a real solid gun!

Checked the trigger pull & it's right at 3# consistently. Made some "primer-only" loads & verified it fires okay, pending me getting to the range in a day or two. Definitely no light primer strikes. Slide action is silky smooth.

Need to get a few mags now, since it only came with one. Any suggestions?

What strength recoil spring did these come with? I see the 645s had 14#, per Wolff springs web site. Were these the same? I generally load my 1911 ammo on the stiff side, no light loads. Should I think about a different recoil spring?

One thing I noticed, & maybe it's normal (?) for this series, but if you dry fire it without a Snap Cap or a fired case in the chamber, the hammer doesn't fall all the way down to hit the firing pin, it stops just before. (The decocker/safety is horizontal in the fire mode) Either mag in or out. Why? What is the feature of the gun that does this?

I appreciate everybody's help & input. I'm open to more if you have it. I'll let you know how it goes at the range.



845 Limited


.
.

845 Limited


.
.

845 Limited


.
.

845 Limited


.

Oh wow......that's beautiful.

Do you mind me asking what the $ damage was?

__________________
Un-Reconstructed Southerner

your single action 845 does not have a decocker....its only a hammer block.

the paddle needs to be inline with the bore for it to fire.

it will use the same as 4506 recoil springs so be sure to spring appropriately for your loads.

personally, I would not hammer stiff loads.....light to medium and enjoy and giggle with the accuracy potential.

__________________
if you're gonna be a bear...

Yes thanks, I understand, & I've already fired it. But that's not the issue (I don't know if this is a problem or a trait of the gun since I've never had one before & it seems odd).

Let me re-word it some:
One thing I noticed, & maybe it's normal (?) for this series, but if you try to dry fire it (no Snap Cap or a fired/unfired case in the chamber), the hammer doesn't drop all the way down to hit the firing pin, it stops just before. Something has to be in the chamber or the hammer won't strike the firing pin. It's visually & audibily apparent. (The decocker/safety is horizontal in the fire mode, it's not down in the blocker position) Either with the mag in or out. Why? What is the feature of the gun that does this, or does it have a problem?

BD, you say that you have fired the gun and it runs?

refresh my memory.....an 845 does not have a magazine safety nor a firing pin safety, correct?

this is just me throwing some guesses in your direction.

are you resetting the trigger to the correct position?

I have seen some guns (not necessarily the 845) have a click for believed reset and the hammer falls to half cock.

The 845 trigger I believe does has some adjustment for OT and I am wondering if this is your culprit.

__________________
if you're gonna be a bear...

First let me say that is one great looking gun.

As far as the falling to halfcock instead of firing without something in the chamber I don't have a clue.

There are two notches on the hammer for the sear to engage.

The hammer should fall completely, every time the trigger is pulled, empty chamber or not. I don't understand how it could fail to fall forward, but still fire everytime.

Put a pencil into the barrel, eraser side down, cock the hammer, point the gun up, pull the trigger and see if the pencil is launched from the barrel.

Let us know if you figure out the problem as it sounds unusual to me.

BLM

Btw I ordered a spring for the 745 from Midway. It was much longer and stronger than the original spring. It fits the 645 4506 1006 and others. I works great for full power loads.

SW CQB 45: BD, you say that you have fired the gun and it runs?

BD37: I've loaded primer-only cartridges, one-by-one, & it fires them.

SW CQB45: refresh my memory.....an 845 does not have a magazine safety nor a firing pin safety, correct?

BD37: Not that I know or can tell but it's new to me.

SW CQ45: are you resetting the trigger to the correct position? I have seen some guns (not necessarily the 845) have a click for believed reset and the hammer falls to half cock.

BD37: Either by cycling the slide or with my thumb. Same symptom either way. It does have a half-cock & that is where it seems to stop when the chamber is empty, but not when it's loaded.

SW CQ45: The 845 trigger I believe does has some adjustment for OT and I am wondering if this is your culprit.

BD37: It may, I don't know, but I don't see how the trigger would know/detect if the chamber is loaded or not & allow/not allow the hammer to fall fully & strike the firing pin. Best I can see it functions right when it needs to (loaded) but limits the hammer travel when it not loaded?

Maybe someone with a 845 can confirm how their's works?


PS: It does not have a magazine safety or firing pin safey, just the blocker safety.

What weight spring did you order? Original is 14#?

- - -

Okay, I'm officially not going to worry about this anymore, I hope.

1- With no mag in, nothing in the chamber, the muzzle up, the hammer cocked, pull the trigger & the hammer stops at half-cock before it hits the firing pin/frame.

2- With no mag in, pencil down the barrel & eraser in the chamber/breach, the muzzle up, the hammer cocked, pull the trigger & the hammer goes fully to the frame/firing pin, & stops, & the pencil flies out.

...makes no sense, I'm going to bed, my head hurts!

- - -

PS: Didn't go to bed yet, my head stopped hurting, I think I know what's going on, at least I hope.

- With nothing in the chamber to absorb the hammer/firing pin's energy, the combination of the hammer bouncing off the frame & the firing pin's strong spring, pushes the hammer back away from the frame with just enough momentum to make it to half-cock where it stops. It only appears to have stopped there, not gone past & then back.

- With something in the chamber, to absorb the hammer/firing pin energy & slow it down, it stops because the firing pin's spring can't push the hammer back by itself, that much, without the rebound energy.

What do you think?? It's either this or it's got some electronic sensor hidden inside.

I say lube it, loads some rounds and go shooting.

if you have some issues where it does not fire, call SW for a return tag.

W/O the gun in front of someone....it is hard to diagnose.

RANGE REPORT is requested!

__________________
if you're gonna be a bear...

Sorry for lousy quality photo.
The 745 I've got is nice but no comparison to my 845.
About 10yrs ago LGS had it in the case listed as a "645 Performance Center" for $800. I was confused, went to the book dept and did some quick research, determined it was an 845. LGS would not negotiate so I pd $800 which over the years has seemed to be about the norm when I see one for sale. Underpriced in my opinion. No box or paperwork, one mag w/perf ctr logo. All 8 rd .45 acp S&W mags have worked, even early ones w/metal followers and floorplates.
My 52-2 shoots better but is a completely different animal. Prefer the 845 to my 952-1. I got the 952 at same LGS about the same time, clerk thought it was a 52 and price was $800, but that's a story for another time.
Kevin

The hammer is most likely falling and simplely "bounce back" to the half cock position on a empty gun. Both my 745 and 845 will do this, nothing to worry about. All the 645/745/4500 full size mags will work, early 945 mags have two mag catch notches and will work but will catch on the first(945) notch and have to be moved on in. I load a real mouse fart load in my 845 and use a 9# spring in it, but 14# would be where I'd start with a standard hardball load. I like the pivot trigger on the gun over the 1911 style, it makes the pull seem lighter than it actually measures. The Briley bushing housing is screwed into the slide and does use a special tool but like CQB 45 said you can just clean the threads and a drop of loctite if it has backed out. I don't take the ring out myself although it will come out where the housing is slotted. I just oil the ring and barrel well before I install it, takes a little finesse sometimes to get it back together. Enjoy!

I can't find the original 845 spring stock number.

The Midway spring #227209 is for most guns. Read the listed reviews.

This is a long spring. It feels heavier than #14. It does function and drops cases close to the shooter.

I have 945 springs and these are either 24298 or 264380000

I believe that is a S&W part number. These are similar to the original spring in my 745.

Have fun! That one is a keeper.

Bruce

That's pretty cool! I think I'm going to be keeping an eye out for a companion to mine too, at the next gun show (the BIG ONE, Wanenmacher is 11/9), but I doubt I'll be as lucky as with this one.

It's the only thing that seems logical, but honestly, I don't see it no matter how many times I repeat it.


Thanks for the info guys.

I did a quick check for mags & saw that Midway actually had the S&W mags (S&W# 23675000) for the 645/4506 family In-Stock & ordered a couple. (Ordered last night & just got an email saying they shipped it today! Good job Midway!)

If you find any other "good to know" info on the 845, please pass it on.

I pulled out all our 45 Autos to compare them but the 845 out shines them all. Sure hope it shoots as good as it feels. I plan on going to the range by Wednesday, at the latest.
I like caressing it, but now it's time to play rough with it.

.

S&W 45 Autos: The old & the new

845 & 1911sc-E


.

This morning I pulled the 745 from the safe to check how it could possibly end up at half cock during normal firing.

Since mine has never fallen or returned to half cock during normal firing I needed to check this out.

Now if the safety lever is completely pushed down the hammer sets to half cock and stays there when the lever is pushed back up.

The only way the hammer falls to half cock is if I release trigger pressure while lowering the hammer.

I'm wondering if there maybe some binding between the frame and the drawbar, just enough to catch the hammer notch when firing. Since it goes to half cock with the magazine in or out I would clean and check the drawbar for indications of binding. I might also consider a mainspring change.

Since I'm unfamiliar with the grips on your gun I would remove them to see if anything rubs or needs cleaning.

That's all I have. Interesting problem. I hope it works well for you.

BLM

I don't know, it's curiously strange, but since it's new to me I don't know if it always did it or it just started before I got it. In searching the web for more 845 info, I did run across this post on another forum which seems to indicate this person didn't have/notice it before on his 745. (No one replied to his post.)

I have an S&W 745 and use it for limited class pin shooting. I noticed that when dry-firing after a table is shot, before benching the gun (we must bench with the hammer down), The hammer bounces back to half-cock. It didn't do this before. The factory mainspring is 20 lbs. I have been (for months) running an 18 lb. Wolff to slightly lighten the trigger. I thought the spring may have something to do with it and put a 20 lb. back in. The hammer still bounces back to half-cock. The trigger doesn't reset, however, so I have to pull the hammer back and then pull the trigger to ease it all the way down to rest. The firing pin channel is clean and the pin moves freely. The gun runs well otherwise. I don't see light strikes on the spent primers and the hammer will go all the way down(and stay down) when I do the pencil test. I even tried a new,spare factory firing pin "just to see" but the bounce remains. Weird, huh? Any ideas? This is (to me) Smith's simplest auto-pistol which makes this even weirder to me.

-----

I plan on field stripping it later today & seeing what I can see, now that I've got more info on disassembly.

FYI : One thing I just realized, on this model, is that the 845, externally, looks like a 4506-1, not a 645/745, having the rounded grip frame, one piece grips, dove-tail front sight and smooth frame side between the slide & trigger. Weird why S&W didn't given it a 3rd Gen. model number variation rather than the 2nd Gen's.?

Got a couple new questions:

- I disassembled, cleaned & oiled this & noticed an adjustment screw on the trigger assembly, inside the frame. It seems like it's purpose is to adjust the play/slack out of the trigger. The screw is very easy to turn & makes we wonder if it will lose it's adjust with use/firing?
Does anybody have any experience with this?

- I noticed that if I adjust the screw (up) to eliminate the trigger play completely & I cock the hammer to half-cocked, it only takes a little pressure on the trigger for the hammer to slip out of the half-cock notch. If I adjust the screw so there's a little bit of trigger play/movement, & put the hammer in half-cock, pulling the trigger (moderate pressure) does not cause it to slip out of half-cocked. This is were I left it.
Does anybody know what the correct way to adjust this screw is?

I added some Hogue grips & I really like the change in feel. The soft rubber vs. hard plastic and the curved backstrap vs. the straight are a good improvement for me.

Off to the range tomorrow to shoot it. Will let you know how it goes.

.

845 Limited


.
.

845 Limited


.

Me personally, go for the minimalist of overtravel.

Trigger slack/creep is only one time per mag and if you never take your finger off the trigger and only release the trigger to the point of reset....you will never experience any more slack....until you let off completely or new mag.

My two cents.

I recall mine being easy to rotate and never had an issue with the screws moving during shooting.

__________________
if you're gonna be a bear...

Usually set mine to the point of set/no set, then back off a quarter turn. Never had them move on me but a drop of Loctite doesn't hurt anything.

The Hogues are a good call. Mine came that way. I also have never had the adjustment screw move.

I prefer the look of the Limited to mine, but I bought what came along.

Got to shoot the 845 today & it's really in it's own league, at least as far as what I've ever shot. Never even had to pickup a screwdriver to adjust the sights as it hits where I pointed it, as best I could. It's the first auto I've ever shot that feels (trigger wise) like my best revolver's. The sights are big & easy to use. The action effortlessly feeds them in & spits them out, ready for another.

I had reloaded some soft target loads with 4.6gr/Bullseye & 200gr SWC & 230gr RN cast bullets the day before just for this. Also tried some of my stiffer loads using 7.0gr/Unique with the same bullets, plus a 200gr/TMJ-SWC. Finished with some 185gr/JHP +P loads using Power Pistol. No problems whatsoever. The brass all basically went in the same area except for the hotter loads which, of course, kicked more up & out than the others, but definitely not like my 1911. The felt recoil is quit different from my 1911. Way smoother & more straight back & without any twist. Even the +Ps some how seemed like I was shooting a big 22 auto. This was at an outdoor range (usually go to the indoor one) which kind of changes the shooting sensation, but it's just a smooth shooter. My son & the range master tried it & both liked it too. I hope to go again soon & try it some more & take more time with it. (I still hate chasing/loosing brass though.)

Got a pleasant surprise this afternoon. The gun shop that I bought the 845 at called to let me know they were doing inventory & found the original box for my gun. Wow!! They had told me, twice, when I bought the gun, that it only came with the gun & one mag.

The box is a little scratched up & seems like it had been left in the heat causing the label to peel up & the foam to dry a little but it has most of the original items inside that include an unused PC mag, the (extra) target spring & a guide rod (minus the plunger/spring). It also has the owners manual, warranty cards & a PC services price list sheet, but not the PC 845 "Limited" brochure I've seem in other's pictures. I cleaned up the box & was able to remove & straighten the label after heating it up with a hair dryer first. No fired cartridge envelope, but I don't know when S&W started doing that?

The label allowed me to finally confirm when it was built, 01/09/1996, not in 1995 as I believed.

It was good of the dealer to make the effort to contact me & let know they found it. Now that my favorite gun has it's box back it doesn't feel like an orphan to me any more.

.

845 Limited


.

Congrats on your incredible score!

I really must stop coming around here as it seems I regularly have to keep adding something to my wish list!

Lucky Dog, Lucky Dog, Lucky Dog

__________________
"We deal in lead, friend."

Just a footnote: On a whim, I sent an email to Lew Horton, to see what else I could find out & verify on this gun, & they promptly replied back with the following. Earl from Lew Horton was good enough to answer the questions I had & also included a promo flyer on this model for me.

The exact quantity (435) produced has been batted around but this nails it down. I hadn't seen the retail price ($1470) listed anywhere either & he answered that too. That was really nice of them to take the time on this. Thanks!

Now if I could just be lucky enough to find one of the others shown in the flyer.

.



.
.




.

__________________
Waiting for the break of day

I have Had the hammer "bounce back" on other S&W autos. It doesn't seem to have any affect on regular function. I have an 845 and agree that it is an exceptional handgun. They could probably sell some more if they would make them.
Bob Ray 1815

I normally keep snap-caps in my guns but a few weeks ago I was playing with my 1076 & noticed it does it too now, without the snap-caps. Never had it do it before, but like you say, it hasn't affect operation.

.

__________________
Waiting for the break of day