I recently purchased a S&W 4506-1 complete upper that is in excellent condition (possibly unfired). Will this upper fit any of the other 3rd gen 45XX series guns? I currently own a 4566 and a 4586, both of which I really like to shoot. If anyone has a 4506-1 lower I would definitely be interested in buying it. Thanks for your help. S&WTom
Question Concerning 4506-1 Upper
- Thread starter S&WTom
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Your upper MAY fit other 3rd gen frames - PROVIDED they are the same revision, ie R3, R4. Not sure if a TDA upper will function on a DAO lower though........never tried that.
If it is an R4 upper, it may not work on an early 4506-1 frame. How you would tell the revision, having only the upper, I'm not sure. You would have to try to find different known revision frames to try it on......I guess.
You might be able to discern some indication by the barrel. It should have a wide hod if it is a later revision. Hope this helps. Good luck! Regards 18DAI
If it is an R4 upper, it may not work on an early 4506-1 frame. How you would tell the revision, having only the upper, I'm not sure. You would have to try to find different known revision frames to try it on......I guess.
You might be able to discern some indication by the barrel. It should have a wide hod if it is a later revision. Hope this helps. Good luck! Regards 18DAI
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If I recall correctly, the 4506-1 lower, or frame, has a thicker dust cover and is the same or very similar to the frame of the 10mm Series, which, I believe, had a thicker dust cover and perhaps other dimensions in order to meet the FBI's requirement for a service life of 40,000 rounds. I was told at the time by someone from the factory that they began using the 10mm pattern frames on the 4500 Series guns in order to only have to make one frame assembly. Whether that is right or not is anyone's guess, but I have visually verified that the 4506-1 version has a noticeably thicker dust cover than the 4506.
Thus, if you are sure that the slide assembly (what you are calling the "upper") is really from a 4506-1, without getting reliable advice from someone at the factory who REALLY KNOWS (and I have no idea who that might be, if anyone), I would not use that slide assembly on anything but a 4506-1 frame assembly.
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AzRedleg
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One way to find out would be to remove the slide off your 4566 and carefully see if your 4506-1 slide will fit on the 4566 frame. You are not going to cause any damage as long as you stop as soon as something doesn't feel right. If it fits, perform a function check. If it passed the function check I'd fire it; whether you do or not is up to you. I think it has a decent chance of fitting.
I do not believe the 4506 slide will work with your 4586 frame though.
