845 vs 945
- Thread starter MartinSW41
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squidsix
Member
The 945 uses a magazine cut only for the 945.
With the 845, you can use any 45 series S&W magazine.
So there is one advantage
With the 845, you can use any 45 series S&W magazine.
So there is one advantage
Well -- kind of. Lots of the 945's (I assume the earliest ones...) used the dual-cut magazine. These are nothing more than modified 4506 magazines and they are marked "FOR MODEL 945 ONLY" but these magazines can be used in 945's and 845's and 4506's and 745's and 645's also.
We've had a number of threads that discuss modifying the 4506 magazine for use in the 945. I use modified magazines exclusively for both my 945's. My six modified mags are the only magazines that I use, so I use them in my 945, 845 and my 745's.
cherrypointmarine
Member
I'll probably get 20 lashes for this , but it's my opinion . Have several 945's , but only one that I shoot . It's from the first run , but not the LH version . And yes , both mags have the two slots .
The 845 I bought a few years ago , and it was nib . It sat in one of my safes for a while . I kept reading how they are great guns , and they are .So I finally broke down and took her out . And yes , it's a great gun , but I shoot my 945 better . When it comes down to it , it comes down to the individual . This is one of those mysteries of the universe , up there with the chicken and the egg .
I'm gathering a collection of PC guns , they have a special place in my one of my safes . They are all great shooters , some better than others . My Target Champion9 is a truly awesome gun . If they have a TC45 , that's one I'd love to have . And I bet it would give an 845 a run for it's money ......
The 845 I bought a few years ago , and it was nib . It sat in one of my safes for a while . I kept reading how they are great guns , and they are .So I finally broke down and took her out . And yes , it's a great gun , but I shoot my 945 better . When it comes down to it , it comes down to the individual . This is one of those mysteries of the universe , up there with the chicken and the egg .
I'm gathering a collection of PC guns , they have a special place in my one of my safes . They are all great shooters , some better than others . My Target Champion9 is a truly awesome gun . If they have a TC45 , that's one I'd love to have . And I bet it would give an 845 a run for it's money ......
No lashes at all! Really comes down to fit, preference -and- simple gun to gun variances. I'm saying with the two examples you have, you seem to shoot the 945 better. If someone tossed another 845 at you, it's possible you shoot THAT particular example even better than your 945.
Afterall... the mechanical make-up where the potential accuracy of the actual hardware is concerned... these two guns are awfully similar, so I would assume their capabilities in anyone's hands are awfully similar.
They certainly did make a .45cal Target Champion, most were for the WISCHO distributor of course, and they have script writing across the slide -- but it's effectively no different whatsoever then either of the North American models of 845.
I love these pistols so much... both the 845's and 945's!
Afterall... the mechanical make-up where the potential accuracy of the actual hardware is concerned... these two guns are awfully similar, so I would assume their capabilities in anyone's hands are awfully similar.
They certainly did make a .45cal Target Champion, most were for the WISCHO distributor of course, and they have script writing across the slide -- but it's effectively no different whatsoever then either of the North American models of 845.
I love these pistols so much... both the 845's and 945's!
Shutthefrontdoor
Member
My question is this: What led to the demise of these two amazing guns - was it lack of sales (too costly to produce at already high price point), lack of production time due to other models slated for production, or something else?
What was their competition at the time and why didn't it turn into a battle of .45 auto supremacy?
What happened?
The cynic in me most always frontloads the answer of "money" before even asking a question like this, but still - what happened to seal the fate of the long on the design board and short on the sales floor 845?
What was their competition at the time and why didn't it turn into a battle of .45 auto supremacy?
What happened?
The cynic in me most always frontloads the answer of "money" before even asking a question like this, but still - what happened to seal the fate of the long on the design board and short on the sales floor 845?
cherrypointmarine
Member
I think it was between the money and the company was going in a different direction . As far as the 845's go , I'm sure it was the cost . I've had three , two were nib and one was nib . I think a good number of these were bought and stuck away in safes .
With the 945's , I think they came to an end as S&W was shutting down the PC shop . I'm sure cost of labor was a big part of the decision there . Those guys were Master Craftsmen and I'm sure their pay checks reflected that . Plus they were competing with Glock and the plastic gun craze .
With the 945's , I think they came to an end as S&W was shutting down the PC shop . I'm sure cost of labor was a big part of the decision there . Those guys were Master Craftsmen and I'm sure their pay checks reflected that . Plus they were competing with Glock and the plastic gun craze .
OP
MartinSW41
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At the show and found 745 with DVC serial number. Value?
I think the demise of the 845 and the 945 are both parts of a complex set of circumstances. I think that S&W did literally almost zero to promote the 845 so it never really cultivated a reputation or a following. And you could make the argument that the 845 was absolutely 3rd Gen based and S&W was phasing out 3rd Gens.
You could also point out that S&W put a lot more effort in to the 945 when it came to options, models, variants AND marketing than they ever did for the 845 and they produced more of them overall too. So if you are looking for a catch-all reason that the 845 did not survive... you could say that the 945 helped to kill it.
And why did the 945 go away? I think there are two answers for that. The easy answer is that the entire Performance Center went away. It probably cost too much and didn't sell well enough. Let's not forget that MSRP on a new target 945 was over two thousand by the last days of the PC.
I think one of the biggest reasons that the 945 was shut down is because the gun buying market demanded 1911 pistols. 1911 pistols from EVERY POSSIBLE GUN MAKER. Still seems ludicrous to me but it's easier to make a short list of ten or so gunmakers that never put their name on a 1911 than it is to list who has made them.
I think that the 1911 production took production floor space from the dwindling production of 3rd Gens also. By this point it was obvious that S&W was putting most of their energy in to tupperware service/duty/defense guns, and literally everything else (including revolvers) was going to be somewhere lower on the list of priorities.
You could also point out that S&W put a lot more effort in to the 945 when it came to options, models, variants AND marketing than they ever did for the 845 and they produced more of them overall too. So if you are looking for a catch-all reason that the 845 did not survive... you could say that the 945 helped to kill it.
And why did the 945 go away? I think there are two answers for that. The easy answer is that the entire Performance Center went away. It probably cost too much and didn't sell well enough. Let's not forget that MSRP on a new target 945 was over two thousand by the last days of the PC.
I think one of the biggest reasons that the 945 was shut down is because the gun buying market demanded 1911 pistols. 1911 pistols from EVERY POSSIBLE GUN MAKER. Still seems ludicrous to me but it's easier to make a short list of ten or so gunmakers that never put their name on a 1911 than it is to list who has made them.
I think that the 1911 production took production floor space from the dwindling production of 3rd Gens also. By this point it was obvious that S&W was putting most of their energy in to tupperware service/duty/defense guns, and literally everything else (including revolvers) was going to be somewhere lower on the list of priorities.
Haha okay, while I saw this when you wrote it... only now did I notice what you also said about moving targets versus stationary ones.
Just to be absolutely clear, I have wiped a number of prairie dogs out with my 845, my longest kill was a ranged 33 yards. However none of them were moving targets.
I kill rattlesnakes with it also when I'm on this hunt. They are a moving target... but they aren't moving much!
cherrypointmarine
Member
You have to throw your 52 in here also . I remember a pic of a hunk of meat you had shot with your 52 .
