S&W 4506 no dash - Pancake Holster Solution (pictures included!)

[lawman90]

Hey folks, I just recently picked up this 4506 from a guy after having been searching for one for a very long time. It's in great shape, and the serial places it's date of birth at January 1990 according to S&W.

Anyways, I like having a pancake holster for all of my guns. I was very annoyed with not being able to find one for the non -1 4506, so I decided to do some research. I learned that the holsters for the Beretta 92 series pistols will fit the 4506 near-perfectly, so I figured I would try out my Galco Fletch for the 92FS. It fit almost as if it was made for the gun...except for the thumb-break. It would not make it around the hammer on the 4506, yet if I squeezed it between the hammer and the grip it would allow me to snap it closed. So I measured the approximate space I would need to cut out for it to simply work without issue, and made this cut. It's a U-shaped cut a little more than an inch wide, about 1/4" away from the plastic backing of the thumb snap. I used one of those exacto knives while resting the thumb break on a block of wood.

Pictures for your viewing pleasure (clicking them makes them full sized):















It turned out quite nicely, and the holster will still work for my 92FS and CZ75B as it always has, while allowing me to carry the 4506 in my favorite manner! You can't use the tumb break with the safety on though, but on a double action that's a moot point anyways. I found that my H&K USP40 pancake holster fit as well, but the slide would stick out about 1/2" from the end. It didn't hinder the drawing effort, but I didn't like the fact that it stuck out. This mod was quick and easy, while not rendering it unusable for the other pistols it works for.

 

[Mack]

FYI many SIG holsters also work well with the S&W's.

 

[lawman90]

FYI many SIG holsters also work well with the S&W's.

Thanks for the reply! I have a SIG P226 with the rail and have the fitting holster for it, the same type I modified above. The 4506 does fit in it, but it's a little too loose for my liking and the slide will stick out at the end a good inch or so.

 

[Kavinsky]

has someone redone the finish on your gun? I thought they came with an all beadblasted finish, yours looks like it was redone to mimic the 645's stock finish.

 

[lawman90]

has someone redone the finish on your gun? I thought they came with an all beadblasted finish, yours looks like it was redone to mimic the 645's stock finish.

I wondered about that too. The guy I bought it from said his dad originally bought it because he enjoyed watching Miami Vice and wanted Sonny Crockett's gun. I have seen a few others that had the same finish, but there's no way for me to find out. The guy's dad passed away which is how I came upon it, and he didn't know much about the gun otherwise. I do like the finish though, it's very smooth and easy to clean.

 

[Jeb21]

Very nicely done. I have a Galco paddle holster for a Beretta 92 and a 4506. I need to see if mine fits as well. Also I have found that the leather holsters for the Smith M&P 45 are a reasonable fit for the 4506.

 

[J. W.]

Glad it worked for you!

You shouldn't have much trouble finding a holster for the 4506 from some of the custom makers like El Paso Saddlery, Kramer or Milt Sparks, to name just a few.

 

[Kavinsky]

I wondered about that too. The guy I bought it from said his dad originally bought it because he enjoyed watching Miami Vice and wanted Sonny Crockett's gun. I have seen a few others that had the same finish, but there's no way for me to find out. The guy's dad passed away which is how I came upon it, and he didn't know much about the gun otherwise. I do like the finish though, it's very smooth and easy to clean.

hmmm you dont say? lol man after my own heart, I guess he didnt notice that the frame however was left beadblasted and only the slide was polished on crockett's 4506 during S5 like on this gun

S&W 4506 Trial - YouTube

except with the stock grips on it.

or he may have been trying to imitate the look of the 645 from S3 to S4 with it which was beadblasted only around the trigger guard, either way it looks better on your 4506 than the actual 645 to me

kind of ironic really as I found a 645 that was all beadblasted like a 4506 and thought it looked better on it than it did on the stock 4506 as well

I just wish I could find one rigged up like the bren with a beadblasted slide inplace of the hard chroming from the bren over a polished frame as a final proof of concept for my own crockett gun.

 

[lawman90]

hmmm you dont say? lol man after my own heart, I guess he didnt notice that the frame however was left beadblasted and only the slide was polished on crockett's 4506 during S5 like on this gun

S&W 4506 Trial - YouTube

except with the stock grips on it.

or he may have been trying to imitate the look of the 645 from S3 to S4 with it which was beadblasted only around the trigger guard, either way it looks better on your 4506 than the actual 645 to me

kind of ironic really as I found a 645 that was all beadblasted like a 4506 and thought it looked better on it than it did on the stock 4506 as well

I just wish I could find one rigged up like the bren with a beadblasted slide inplace of the hard chroming from the bren over a polished frame as a final proof of concept for my own crockett gun.

The pictures don't do it any good, the flash makes both my 4006 and 4506 look shinier than they are. The frame on the 4506 is actually more like the finish on my 4006 so I'm led to be believe it was untouched. The slide is really the only part that has the shiny polished look to it (in person).

The gun actually fits in my Galco VHS shoulder holster that I bought years ago for my Beretta. I know it's not quite the same as the Miami Vice one since it's vertical vs horizontal, but it certainly makes me feel more like Sonny.

Glad it worked for you!

You shouldn't have much trouble finding a holster for the 4506 from some of the custom makers like El Paso Saddlery, Kramer or Milt Sparks, to name just a few.

I looked into a custom made one, but unfortunately even buying this gun last week was a bit more than I should have done right now! I'm gonna look into them again once I've got some extra cash in hand.

Very nicely done. I have a Galco paddle holster for a Beretta 92 and a 4506. I need to see if mine fits as well. Also I have found that the leather holsters for the Smith M&P 45 are a reasonable fit for the 4506.

Does the slide stick out any on the M&P holster?


Thanks for all the replies guys!

 

[BruceM]

Although most folks including many internet websites think that Sonny Crockett toted a Smith M4506 during his last tour of duty on Miami Vice, the gun was actually a M645 transitional model. I know because a major Bren Ten collector bought one of the blank firing Bren Tens and the Smith M645 TM from the show's prop master, Charlie Gaunci. I have photos of both guns.

For the first season and a half, he wore a Ted Blocker Lifeline rig. He never used a Miami Classic because it didn't exist. Midway thru season two, a switch was made to the Galco Jackass rig which was then and still is different from a Miami Classic. The Jackass Rig's holster component has the the rear harness attachment point below the barrel which allows for more vertical carry-a big deal for somebody with a slender build like Don Johnson carrying a full size gun like the Bren Ten and the large frame Smiths.

These are just a couple of the internet enhanced myths surrounding the Bren Ten and the TV series Miami Vice. Now, on to the M57 and M25 rumors surrounding the Dirty Harry films.



Bruce

 

[lawman90]

That's some pretty good info, thanks for sharing! I knew he carried the Bren Ten and the 645, and honestly did not think the 4506 was around during the show's duration. Production started during the final year of the show anyhow.

Would be cool to see those pictures!

I've been a fan of the 4506 ever since seeing one at a gunshow as a kid. I always kicked myself for not talking my dad into buying it back then with the promise of me doing extra chores to pay for it. Upon finding this one though, in this shape, my quest to right that wrong has been remedied!

 

[Kavinsky]

Although most folks including many internet websites think that Sonny Crockett toted a Smith M4506 during his last tour of duty on Miami Vice, the gun was actually a M645 transitional model. I know because a major Bren Ten collector bought one of the blank firing Bren Tens and the Smith M645 TM from the show's prop master, Charlie Gaunci. I have photos of both guns.

For the first season and a half, he wore a Ted Blocker Lifeline rig. He never used a Miami Classic because it didn't exist. Midway thru season two, a switch was made to the Galco Jackass rig which was then and still is different from a Miami Classic. The Jackass Rig's holster component has the the rear harness attachment point below the barrel which allows for more vertical carry-a big deal for somebody with a slender build like Don Johnson carrying a full size gun like the Bren Ten and the large frame Smiths.

These are just a couple of the internet enhanced myths surrounding the Bren Ten and the TV series Miami Vice. Now, on to the M57 and M25 rumors surrounding the Dirty Harry films.



Bruce

what exactly is the major difference between the 645 transitional and the 4506? judging by what I've seen of it in S5 it pretty much looks exactly like a stock 4506 complete with the hump for the front sight like in the last shootout scene here, save for the slide polish thing

Miami Vice - The Last Gunfight - YouTube

I mean is it something on the frame or the slide that I'm not seeing that screams 645 transitional? like maybe the slide came like that and it wasnt polished?

and I understand the date thing with it as S5 just so happened to be shown during early to middle of 89, so it was probably filmed middle to late 88, if not earlier.

and is it possibile your thinking of those two guns he had during the burnett episodes of late S4 and early S5 where he had a two tone sig 220 and smith of some sort that no one really got a good look at outside of those episodes?

 

[Camocustom]

Here is my 645 to compare:

Love this gun, its like a rock. Eats everything you feed it.

 

[18DAI]

Camocustom, if you don't mind, where do you get those grips?

I'd love to get a set for my 645. Thanks! Regards 18DAI

 

[Camocustom]

Camocustom, if you don't mind, where do you get those grips?

I'd love to get a set for my 645. Thanks! Regards 18DAI

I snatched those up on ebay a few years back, and have not seen a set like them since! They were listed as walnut, and are a tad wider than stock grips....I have a wraparound finger grooved grip too, but there is no way to keep held on with screws/frame screws(and no way to attach to square blocks where the grip screws go)

 

[Kavinsky]

I know what the 645 looks like Im just trying to figure out why Crockett's 4506 is a 645 transitional when there seems to be no real difference between the 645 transitional and the normal 4506, atleast visually from what I can tell.

 

[BruceM]

This is a M645 transitional model:

Bruce

 

[Kavinsky]

hmm so the checkering on the front strap is different from the 4506, looking more like that checkering on the 645 but not quite as scratchy looking and its marked 645 on the frame and the slide looks a touch more rounded at the ends than the one on the 4506

but other than that it looks more or less like a regular 4506.

hmm no wonder I thought it was a normal 4506 in the show, save for the checkering on the front strap and the 645 bit on the frame theres no real way to tell them appart and seeing has he never really put the thing down in such a way that you could get a close up of the frame without his hand on it the only way to tell them appart would be to see it in person.

 

[Camocustom]

The Slide finish is different as well, on the regular 645 its more of a brushed stainless on the slide, with the satin on the frame, and now on the transitional 645 it has both slide and frame with the satin finish. The trigger guard has a different roundness to it....Front site has dovetail to change out easy, as compared to my reg 645, not swappable unless machined to fit. Also, the transition model began the tapered frame, I notice on the smaller barreled 3rd gens the front of the frame tapers to a smaller size. And now that I am looking, the grip area of the frame, the transition model has the 4506 rounded part of the lower area of the grip, my 645 straight flush.

 

[Kavinsky]

so the 645 has a brushed like finish to its otherwise polished stainless slide?

hmm I guess that would explain why Jeff Cooper described the 645 as scratcy felling in 85 and why this particular 645 looked wrong somehow in this guys vid as it looks like he gave it some time with some mothers mag polish:

Smith & Wesson stainless 686 .357 & 645 45acp - YouTube


and was that something that was only done on the early 645's as the latter ones somehow seemed smother looking that the early one crockett had?