'Clean' 645 ... What's it worth?

Frank Black

Frank Black

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So my gunsmith @ the LGS sees all the consignment guns that come in, and he'll keep an eye out for something I'm interested in (if he happens to remember what that is)

This morning he calls me with a 'heads-up' that a 'REALLY clean' S&W 645 just arrived in the shop, along with six other firearms from the same estate.

How clean? I ask.

Very clean, he replies, inside and out. 'The internals look clean enough to eat off of.' ... He adds: 'If the owner ever put two boxes of rounds thru it, I'd be surprised.' He also said it was 'very dry' and needed to be lubed good.

Okay, I say, ''hold it for me but shoot me a picture,' which he did. See below.

Other details: one 8-rd mag, with orange follower and steel floorplate. No factory box or papers.

A TBR- prefix on the serial #. Not sure if that signals it's an early or late production model.

Pricing hasn't been set yet, but will be when I get over there on Saturday. They're backed up on all sorts of consignment guns right now, and my 'smith is the only guy working there who might know what an out-of-production 645 should sell for.

Looking for opinions here from the 2nd Gen 645 experts in case I need to whine and haggle ...

What's a fair price (at least ballpark)?

Thanks in advance for the help!
 

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Looks pretty clean.

Five would be a good price. And if I really wanted it I could probably see to six bills. I doubt if I would go higher than that. There are still a lot of them around. I bought one a couple of years ago for four bills. It had two magazines but also a fair amount of cosmetic wear.
 
The seller has to set a price to the store manager when the gun is accepted for consignment. You wouldn’t want to offer $200 more than the seller wants, would you? That’s why when the customer says “what will you pay for this gun”, the instant reply is “how much do you want for it”. So find out what he wants first. A while back a guy wanted $500 for a mint, no box 645. I offered him $400, but told him since he just put it for sale, to try & get $500, but my offer would still stand. A month later, he asked me if I’d still offer $400. I said come on over. After I paid him, he told me his highest offer was $300. GARY
 
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Fair Price

Frank Black said:
So my gunsmith @ the LGS sees all the consignment guns that come in, and he'll keep an eye out for something I'm interested in (if he happens to remember what that is)

This morning he calls me with a 'heads-up' that a 'REALLY clean' S&W 645 just arrived in the shop, along with six other firearms from the same estate.

How clean? I ask.

Very clean, he replies, inside and out. 'The internals look clean enough to eat off of.' ... He adds: 'If the owner ever put two boxes of rounds thru it, I'd be surprised.' He also said it was 'very dry' and needed to be lubed good.

Okay, I say, ''hold it for me but shoot me a picture,' which he did. See below.

Other details: one 8-rd mag, with orange follower and steel floorplate. No factory box or papers.

A TRB- prefix on the serial #. Not sure if that signals it's an early or late production model.

Pricing hasn't been set yet, but will be when I get over there on Saturday. They're backed up on all sorts of consignment guns right now, and my 'smith is the only guy working there who might know what an out-of-production 645 should sell for.

Looking for opinions here from the 2nd Gen 645 experts in case I need to whine and haggle ... What's a fair price (at least ballpark)?

Thanks in advance for the help!
Click to expand...

$600-$650 is fair. Less is a steal.
Best,
Gary
 
That Model 645 appears to be either unfired outside of the factory or fired and really babied. I picked up one last year for $425, but it was from a store manager that I have known for decades and he commented that whoever put it in the display case with that price tag on it was in trouble. The one I picked up did not have original stocks and showed a few scratches and signs of being used. For the one pictured at the top of this thread, I'd say $600 would be a reasonable price, if you get it for less, consider yourself lucky.
 
4T5GUY said:
TBN here. 1988.
Agreed $550.00-$650.00. ;)
Jim
Click to expand...

Okay, thanks! ...

So, I'm thinking a 'TBR'- prefix puts this 645 puts near the end of the run for the model, before the 3rd Gen. 4506s replaced them (?).
 
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stansdds said:
That Model 645 appears to be either unfired outside of the factory or fired and really babied. I picked up one last year for $425, but it was from a store manager that I have known for decades and he commented that whoever put it in the display case with that price tag on it was in trouble. The one I picked up did not have original stocks and showed a few scratches and signs of being used. For the one pictured at the top of this thread, I'd say $600 would be a reasonable price, if you get it for less, consider yourself lucky.
Click to expand...

NIB or LNIB ... So it appears.

Quick update. My 'smith has it squirreled away in a safe in his shop.

Going out to see it and field-strip it with him later today.

I'll post back here on what I find ... and if I bought it, or stole it. ;)
 
645

My TBT has a ship date of 5/23/88. I agree 600-650 is a fair price, but...... One in fair condition went for 725 on gunbroker last week, and one in vgc is at 785 in the bidding right now.
 
One thing that I should have mentioned was fact that “someone” here responded to a post I started. It was about how much a 645 was going for on GB a few years ago. I was actually put in the Forum “posters prison” for bringing it up even though I was vague.

His response was that “he was told” it would cost S&W OVER $1,200.00 to produce the 645 now. That is IF they even COULD produce it today.

Great and historic S&W .45 acp.

Jim
 
Charlie Foxtrott said:
Five would be a good price. And if I really wanted it I could probably see to six bills. I doubt if I would go higher than that. There are still a lot of them around. I bought one a couple of years ago for four bills. It had two magazines but also a fair amount of cosmetic wear.
Click to expand...

There may still be 'a lot of 645s around,' but not in this condition.

I'll supply details later, and hopefully a couple of more pics. :)
 
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4T5GUY said:
One thing that I should have mentioned was fact that “someone” here responded to a post I started. It was about how much a 645 was going for on GB a few years ago. I was actually put in the Forum “posters prison” for bringing it up even though I was vague.

His response was that “he was told” it would cost S&W OVER $1,200.00 to produce the 645 now. That is IF they even COULD produce it today.

Great and historic S&W .45 acp.

Jim
Click to expand...

A price tag of $1200 or more for S&W to reintroduce the Model 645 does not surprise me. Small parts can be produced using MIM technology, but receivers and slides are still milled from blocks of forged stainless steel. The milling process is time consuming and most of those steel blocks end up as metal shavings. Couple that with how stainless dulls cutters faster than aluminum or carbon steel and the cost of manufacturing goes higher. It's much cheaper to mold the receiver from polymer and embed small bits of steel in the critical areas.
 
645

Sorry to get off track but wouldn't it be cool if Smith did this in blued steel, a la 1911 and model 39 has a a child?
P.S. I payed 600.00 for mine last year, box, papers, 2 factory mags, and the topotheline fully shielded adj. read sights. Didn't get the factory rubber grips though. Like so many do the original owner put on wood grips and pitched the rubbers.
 
I'm not a collector. I carried one in the past as a duty gun. I'd look at 450 to 475 but would want to be out the door at 450 tops. I don't claim my feelings represent the market, just my opinion of them as a duty gun. For the range or carry I'd prefer a 1911. It would make a fine truck gun.
 
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