4506 vs 1911

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BrutusMK2

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Good morning!

So I plan on getting a 1911 sometime in my life when the financial gods allow it. I just recently found out I will be receiving a 4506-1 that's never been fired as a gift from my wife's grandfather who is moving into a nursing home. I honestly was not familiar with a 4506 at all until I found out I was getting one. With it being all steel and a 45 comparisons can be drawn between a 4506 and 1911. My wife's family even thought it was a 1911 until I saw it for the first time. So with the 4506 is the 1911 such a different gun that I should still consider getting one in the future or will the 4506 fill the role of a steel 45 really well? Any other comments/insight on the 4506-1? Thank you!
 
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The 4506 is a great, sturdy, reliable pistol. It will certainly fill the role of a 1911.

It's not a 1911, however. Different trigger, different operating system (DA/SA).

You're coming into a very fine handgun, and, as it is no longer manufactured, one that can be worth more than many 19911s, which run the gamut from $300 to several thousands.
 
Nice gift on an excellet gun that you will enjoy for many a year.! They are different animals but close enough ( in many ways) that you'll learn what you like and dislike about a large framed, steel 45 acp.

In the end though, there is no substitute for a true 1911 so don't expect the bug to go away. :-)
 
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We carried the 4506 when I retired. As per the FOP contract, I was given mine. It had 50 rounds through it, as we had recently changed from the 645. I have also had a Colt stainless government model. I would take the 4506 over the single action Colt anytime. The 4506 is safe to carry with the safety off, which is how I carried it. Some deputies carried with the safety on, I told them they were risking their lives by doing so. It is as safe as a revolver to carry with the safety off. It is one of the finest full size .45 pistols I have ever used. Mine has been cleaned and has a nice warm corner in my safe.
 
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The 1911 is the superior handgun in my view.

Nothing handles as well but it takes a bit of training to get the best out of one.

Buy a Colt, not one of the many knockoffs. Colt has been building them for over 100 years: a Colt will hold value and appreciate much more readily than the knockoffs
 
I think that you will never actually need a 1911 in any caliber unless something about a 1911 just entrances you or you need a 1911 for some kind of competition. Why it is superior to a 4506 is a mystery to me. Besides the kinda sorta lookalike factor, if that matters, a 4506 starts life off one round better than the 7+1 in the spout of a 1911 (8+1 as I recall). If that matters.

Next is the operating system. 1911s are great guns, don't get me wrong, and it is hard to call them obsolete, but the traditional double action system is far superior to the single action operating system of a 1911. IMHO. YMMV. Your trigger is like a revolver's trigger, long press, very safe. You can load it, rack a round into the chamber, decock it but leave it ready to go (I would never put it on safe; that's crazy dangerous if you need it in a hurry), eject the magazine and add a round, you are 9 shots ready to go in a fabulous, very safe pistol.

The 4506 is very different from a 1911 in quite a few respects but none of them are negative to the 4506. Unless you're willing to train for cocked and locked carry (the correct way to carry a 1911) the 4506 will fill the role of a steel 45 more than really well - it will fill the role better.

Should you break something you MIGHT, MAYBE, have some difficulty getting parts. There is never any difficulty getting parts for a 1911. Everyone makes them (why, I have no idea). The 1911 remains ever popular and widely sold (why, I have no idea). I got rid of both of mine some time back. There were other guns I wanted more. Omitting revolvers, which I prefer to automatic pistols, anyway, there were a host of other guns that I had a use for instead of a 1911.

I know that the members of this Forum are pretty polite - back in the day I would expect to get "flamed" for the heresy of these remarks but this crowd is usually nicer. :D
 
Congrats on your new 4506-1!! A very fine 45. I carried one at work for many years.

I agree with those who have said the 4506-1 and 1911 are two very different guns.

The difference that sticks out the most, to me, is reliability. The 4506-1 is bet your life reliable. Hell, it will feed empty cases as well as any round you can stick in the mag.

The 1911s Ive owned, shot and come in contact with cannot match the reliability of a 4506-1. Enjoy yours! Regards 18DAI
 
Different people like different things and the only way to find out which you like better is to try both. My first handgun was a 4596 (S&W put it out back around 1990-91 or so and I bought mine new in '91), which was basically a 4506 frame with a 4516 slide. When I could afford a 1911 I got one and never went back to the 4596, but that's just me.
A quick (and hopefully polite) correction to the post about the 1911 being 7+1; there are good 8 round magazines available, so no real advantage to the 4506 there.
Also, I definitely agree that if you are going to carry the 4506, do so with the safety off, it's more awkward to operate than a 1911 safety, at least for me.
 
Welcome! Your post here can really be answered in a couple of different ways... many good answers so far. It would "SEEM" to me that simply by the virtue of asking this question... you aren't quite as life long, hands-on, hard-core familiar with handguns as many of us are -- and that's okay! But it's worth pointing out because you should understand that many of us see it on the "larger scale" while you are experiencing it hands-on, right now as you go.

If my point isn't clear, what I mean is...

A 4506 and a 1911 have very, very little in common other than the obvious...

Both made of metal (in most cases... steel)
Both are full size semi-auto handguns
Both are typically chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge.

I would answer your question this way:

A 4506 is a fantastic handgun for you to take advantage of shooting and owning a full-size .45 ACP chambered pistol! :D This pistol should "trip your trigger", make you grin and give you a fantastic service life and enjoyment with almost no hassle in any measurable way.

With that said...
A 4506 is not a 1911, not at all, cannot replace the desire for a 1911 and doesn't bring to the table what a 1911 does.

Is it "better" ?! Well, we could argue point by point all day long which is "better" but the bulk of time would be spent simply arguing the criteria of "better" ! :eek::D We do exactly these kinds of discussions (we've done a million of them) and they are fun, informative and passionate. And one of those discussions MAY help you answer your question.

But I would suggest that you put your search for a 1911 on hold, get to know and love your 4506 and somewhere down the road, look in to 1911 pistols.

If you owned a nice home in a fine place that was all you ever needed... would an RV make any sense for you? You could "live" in both of them, but each does some things better than the other. They simply aren't the same even though they have some similar traits. Especially when you are new to handguns... it just isn't so easy to say "got a 4506, would I ever need or want a 1911?"
 
I think the 4506 would be a better handgun for those with either not too much experience or a desire for only minimal to some shooting. The 1911 isn't for everyone as your training curve may be steeper to automatically switch off the safety every time you draw etc. It can be a higher maintenance gun too for some. The single action only trigger will take some getting used to, as well. I have had people hand back my 1911 and say they don't like the trigger; too easy or something and go back to their own gun (usually a Glock so far). I shoot almost everything to the same level of performance on targets. Others shoot a 1911 noticeably better. I sold my 1911 and haven't looked back. I just recently sold my last Sig (been a Sig fan for 10 years) in favor of all 3rd generation Smith DAO's which I shoot as well as a 1911. I always had a feeling that my 1911 would jam at some point. I did not have that feeling, or a jam, from either a Sig or my 3rd gen Smith DAO's. Maybe it stemmed from the issues the 1911's had back in the 1970's.
I say shoot the 4506 now and decide about a 1911 later as there are a gazillion choices for the 1911.
 
Good replies. :)

This is true:

A quick (and hopefully polite) correction to the post about the 1911 being 7+1; there are good 8 round magazines available, so no real advantage to the 4506 there.
Click to expand...

If you get an 8 round magazine then that problem is resolved. I'll give that single point up.

:rolleyes::D
 
Thank you all for the insightful replies! I will just put any 1911 thoughts on hold until I have several years with the 4506. It may be what I ultimately wanted but just didn't know it yet! ;) Thanks again!
 
Sevens said:
If you owned a nice home in a fine place that was all you ever needed... would an RV make any sense for you? You could "live" in both of them, but each does some things better than the other. They simply aren't the same even though they have some similar traits. Especially when you are new to handguns... it just isn't so easy to say "got a 4506, would I ever need or want a 1911?"
Click to expand...

OK Sevens... so is the 4506 the house or the RV??? Fess up...
 
I think the advice to use your 4506 for a while and maybe return to the 1911 idea later makes good sense. Some people have trouble with 1911s. I am not one of them, and nothing I know of would ever replace a good 1911 for me, but you may be different. Give the 4506 a fair chance. As others have said, it's a great .45-caliber handgun and may do everything you want. If not, you can shop for a 1911 later, and I would hazard the guess that if you do, you may end up keeping your 4506 (you should, given the family connection) and owning and enjoying both pistols. There's nothing wrong with that! :)
 
petepeterson said:
OK Sevens... so is the 4506 the house or the RV??? Fess up...
Click to expand...
Well obviously... the 4506 is neither and same goes for the 1911. I needed some kind of comparison and didn't wanna use cars or motorcycles.

A 1911 is slimmer, smaller, sleeker, iconic and with am amazing trigger that most other pistol designs can't match. But if you chase down a cheap or unrefined 1911, you can have a number of issues with it. For the most part... you'll spend more getting a 1911, especially if you buy a decent one.

A 4506 is a fantastic pistol... but large and gangly compared to a 1911. Parts are not nearly as widely available and personal touches such as grips and sights pale in comparison to the 1911, same with magazines and holsters. While some 1911's can absolutely be finicky with ammo and bullet profiles, a 4506 rarely stumbles on anything. And while many/most 1911's made now are backed by a warranty or a solid company, the 4506 is "officially" not backed in any way (although S&W has been known to step up when they can...)

In this case, there truly is more to the question than "which is better?" Both bring a lot to the table.

If someone simply -has- to find a winner...
Well, this forum will certainly have the most pro-4506 votes. But in the real world, history will show that S&W willfully ended production of the 4506 just a few years after joining the popular icon and building their own 1911. And today, you can't even keep count of the sheer number of 1911 makers and most of them barely keep up with demand.

The world outside of our fine forum has already answered this debate and the truth is that it wasn't even close.
 
A 4506-1 that has never been fired, and assuming it has the original box and documents, is an oddity in itself. This alone shoots the collector value way up.

However, a lot of us are shooters and not collectors and say shoot that fine gun. 1911s will be around for a very long time, and can be had in many different calibers and configurations nowadays. Finding a new, unfired 4506-1 comes once in a blue moon.
 
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