645 vs. 4506

[haggis]

You can't have this one.

But everything they say about the big Smith .45's is true. This picture illustrates one other advantage of the 645 - you can get some nice grips to put on it.

Buck

 

[surfgun]

The trigger bow on a 645 only need minor polishing. Then it is good as a 4506.

 

[Kavinsky]

You wouldnt happen to know where I could get a rosewood version of those grips would you haggis?

 

[haggis]

You wouldnt happen to know where I could get a rosewood version of those grips would you haggis?

No. Those are for a 745, and I got them off this forum. You might want to call Kim Ahrends and see if he makes them.

Buck

 

[PALADIN85020]

I bought a 645 when they first came off the line in 1986. Figured it would be a collector's item someday as the first S&W semiauto pistol chambered for .45 ACP. I was amazed that it would feed any style of bullet - so slick it would even feed empty cases. Totally reliable. I have only three complaints. First, it's big and heavy. Second, the trigger tends to pinch my trigger finger when it's all the way back. Third, the screw on the right-hand safety lever will work loose with firing - Lok-tite will fix that, though. All in all, they were state-of-the-art semiautos when introduced, and are still fine self-defense guns today.

John

 

[k22fan]

You wouldnt happen to know where I could get a rosewood version of those grips would you haggis?

I thought those looked like factory walnut. I've only seen factory 645 wood stocks in walnut. Hogue shows checkered rosewood on their website but like all Hogues for 3rd generation autos they'd be too fat for me.

Haggis,
That's a great photo of your 645. I wish my 645s were that nice looking.

 

[Kavinsky]

Hmm wonder if I could just restain the walnut to look like rosewood.

 

[lackejd]

Hogue makes some beautiful grips for 645s. Do a search on Hogue store. They range in price from about $40 - $75. I think they have cocobolo, kingwood, pao ferro, and several other exotic woods. I own a set of checkerd Kingwood. I think it is about 30 days turnaround if you want them checkered because Hogue sends them out of house for the checkering. Well worth the wait in my opinion.

 

[sctman800]

The cocobolo are nice, I have a set on my 645. I picked it up for $250 a few years ago, probably ex LEO as the outside grip was pretty beat up while the other was in vg shape. Jim.

 

[Kavinsky]

Do you know if they can be checkered to match the pattern of the original grips?

 

[Timber Wolf]

I wouldn't be surprised to see 645s, 45XX and 10XX pistols feed pine cones. Well, O.K., the 10XX chambers are smaller so maybe fir cones.

Ha! Ain't it the truth, I sometimes load up some empties and cycle them through my 645 just to amuse myself. To be honest, I had never thought about the squared trigger guard, but since you mention it I feel that it looks "just right" on the 645. I like mine and would not change a thing except to better sights. That and I need to shoot it a heck of a lot more!

 

[k22fan]

On reflection, I did word my dislike of the 645's trigger guard a little too harshly. I won't be selling either of my 645s in the foreseeable future, unless it is is to fund the purchase of a NIB example, so their trigger guards really don't bother me. They are however, the most exaggerated example that comes to mind of an idea that I never liked. I guess S&W wanted the 645's trigger guard to be conspicuous because the idea was in vogue when 645s were introduced. In contrast, a CZ 75's trigger guard is a tastefully applied example of the concept.

 

[Kavinsky]

I wouldnt say that, what you have to remember around that time Smith and Wesson was prioritizing the switch from revolvers to automatics like everyone else, more so because of the debut of the ultimate ugly duckling around the same time that the 645 came out (that also spelled the end of proper blued guns in the mainstream) the glock:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4e/Glock_17_9mmPara_002.jpg

(part of the reason why I think that the quality dropped on some of their revolvers, the K22 I had in particular from that time period that never fired properly despite being sent back to smith and wesson about 3 years ago and then to a local gunsmith, neither fixed it so I got rid of it)

and one of the techniques used when shooting revolvers is to grab the front of the trigger guard to hold onto the gun, something my father does to this day when shooting one, so they probably did it more with that in mind and the fact that smith used to be what glock is now, thee workhorse (still is to an extent) than just for the hell of it and the fact the glock had it too.

 

[John Fritz]

I talked smack about that guard and two days later I bought a 4506-0 complete with my very own square trigger guard.

Mouth. Foot. Yay.