4506 how long will it last with maintenance

[remat457]

Sherman tank, C-R-A-P!

That's what I was hinting at too. Unless evaluating for assembly speed or low cost the Sherman wouldn't be at the top of my tank list either...unlike the 4506

(Actually 1006's)

 

[Hogan642]

Thank you all for your input. I did by the replacement kit for the gun and got back in touch with the guy who sold it to me and he said the 4506 I have was used by a dispatch in the police station in a neighboring state and was fired very few times less than 3000 rounds in its life span so far. My gun had a lot of holster wear but was able to polish it out. So after hearing what all you said I figure this gun will last awhile. Thanks everyong for your input.

 

[Kavinsky]

Probably the weakest link in all 3rd gen pistols is the trigger free play spring. It's a two pronged spring that's riveted to the draw bar and it's purpose is to take up the slop between the draw bar and trigger pawls.

It's one of the most common questions that appears on this forum about a clicking noise being made and a roughness as the trigger is pull in single action (SA).

When the fingers are out of adjustment or broken off, you will get a distinctive snap/click sound.

Otherwise, the 4506 series is the freaking Sherman Tank of S&W pistols.

that also applies to the Walther P38 by the way, its doing exactly the same thing although the Single action trigger pull hasnt been the least bit effected by it, only the DA and the trigger reset, although it functions perfectly regardless although I am going to have it sent in for that in a few weeks

not bad for a gun that was made in 44' and probably was used in the battle of berlin and it only just now had its recoil springs replaced as a precaution.

and with those its kind of hard to tell when it needs to be replaced unless obiviously it feels slack or weak when you pull back on the slide, so I'd say once every 30 years not X number of rounds from occasional use

unless you shoot it at a competition like IPSC every year with a huge amount of rounds going through it, then 2- 5 years I'd say not 30.

basically if the extractor goes from heavy usage I think you might want to replace the springs too, that's probably a far better rule of thumb than anything anyone else is saying if you've had the gun from new.



also for god sakes dont use +p rounds, thats how you kill a gun, ditto for the steel framed .38 specials too

although supposedly they can be rigged up to take them but really what the hell is wrong with just using the standard 230 gr hardball?

and if your worried about stopping power use normal powered hollowpoints or Keith waddcuters. dont push the guns pressure and force tolerances with +p and that goes for all handguns.

unless its a 10mm

 

[Philip Marlowe]

Well, I have a 4506 and a 4586. Like them a lot, except for the stupid requirement to drive a push pin out to remove the grip. Grip removal is a routine cleaning task to me, and should be able to be done with a screwdriver, not a punch and hammer. I kinda wonder about wear and tear on the frame with the pin going in and out. My pins were a tight fit. The other gripe is the delicate sideplate assembly that can bent if removing the grip incorrectly. Still, I love them.

My first choice in .45 longevity is probably a 1911. Parts will always be available, fewer parts too. Of course, it's a single action, much different than a 4506. You also need to get a good brand 1911 to have reliable feeding, where as the 4501 is pretty much reliable out of the box, and will feed anything, even empty cases. The 4506 is beefier too, though putting 100k rounds through a quality 1911 is pretty common.

 

[Dave_n]

I have the 4506-1, two 745s and a 645. Number of rounds around 50k together. Recoil spring replacement at approx 20 K in one 745. Otherwise they just keep hitting the black. Personally I would liken them more to a KV-1. Should look this one up, 88 mm shells bounced off it during the Early Leningrad battles, then the "soldats" learned to shoot for the tracks. Dave_n

 

[carbuncle]

The various springs are the weakest links in any all-steel pistol. If you include spring replacement in your "proper maintenance" that gun's longevity could be measured in generations rather than years.

This, it'll last generations with cleaning, oiling & occasional spring changes.