Any 4506 owners here?

[Lost River]

A while back I picked up a 645 in very nice shape.

I had intended on using it for trade bait, but after shooting it just once I was hooked.



Normally I am not a bi fan of traditional DA/SA guns (aside from CZ 75s), but this big Smith really grew on me.

It is accurate and pretty easy to shoot well.

Now I have been jonesing for a 4506. Actually the 4506-1, with the straight backstrap is the one that I really want. Back in the 90s, I recall a buddy had one, and while I thought it was a handsome looking gun, I discounted it, due to the fact that I was carrying a G21, that was lighter, held more ammo, and was very accurate.

For a while I was issued a 4586 DAO, and absolutely HATED that gun. The DAO trigger was a massive hinderance to fast and precise shooting and really soured me on 3rd gen guns in general.

Due to the fact that we have some rather "seasoned" coppers here, I figured a few guys probably have some history with 4506s.

[DpdG]

Im not that seasoned, but my first 4 years on the job were with the 4566, which is the commander sized version. Ours were straight back strap, de-cock only, and were factory melonite coated. We transitioned to M&P45 and I bought the old boat anchor, only to sell it a couple years later. Come to find out the S&W nerds fawn all over our particular variant, as only a small number (want to say under 200) were made.

In any case, I have a bipolar opinion of the guns. Mechanically accurate, durable/reliable, and built like a tank. However, I couldn't shoot it straight. Something to do with the extremely narrow grip and my hand just didn't mesh. I later put 1076 palm swell FBI grips on it, which worked much better.

Also, the state run police academy was a pain as I was the only one running single stack mags and the course of fire was designed around 10+ round mags. The course was 36 rounds, and my full duty load was 25 rounds. I still have nightmares of trying to top off mags mid course of fire...

[That Guy]

Due to the fact that we have some rather "seasoned" coppers here, I figured a few guys probably have some history with 4506s.

I guess I'll have to tell my girlfriend she's an experienced copper then, since her 4506 is the only one we have.

Her pistol seems to be some sort of transitional model as the -1 in the model number is clearly added later and the gun has an older, square trigger guard. Being an older model gun with limited spare parts, magazines costing quite a lot and holsters being harder to find, the gun hasn't been used that much. But it's always a great experience to shoot it!

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[PD Sgt.]

Carried one for years as my first duty pistol. Maybe a bit dated by today's standards, particularly in regards to weight vs. capacity, but they were accurate and reliable. I bought mine when we transitioned to M&Ps and I kind of wish I had picked a second one up as well.

I don't shoot mine much anymore, spare parts are getting harder to source, but I do enjoy it from time to time.

[SecondsCount]

At one time I had a Novak'd 4506, a 645, and I still have a 745.

Novak did a really nice job on it, smoothed all the edges and put a nice bead blasted finish in it. Trigger was improved over stock. Sold it because I got heavy into 1911s and couldn't justify all the 45s. That was before digital cameras or I would have some pics to post.

[JSGlock34]

I've posted some of this previously and duty compels me to add a Miami Vice reference to all 4506 posts...the S&W 3rd Generation guns were the pistols of my misspent youth. My first pistol was a 5903, purchased in the early 90s. My extensive research (which consisted of a steady diet of Handguns, Combat Handguns and Guns & Ammo) on 9mm handguns at the time had indicated that the Beretta M9 was prone to spontaneously exploding (several writers were getting serious mileage out of the few slide fracturing incidents) and Glocks were still weird guns with weird plastic frames and weird triggers. With ambitions of joining the military but not seeking to purchase such a maligned sidearm, I decided to purchase a 3rd generation S&W since the DA/SA trigger and slide mounted hammer drop safety essentially matched the Beretta's manual of arms. The 5903 proved sufficiently accurate and reliable but I eventually sold it to the Battalion Sergeant Major when my attention turned to Glock pistols.

A buddy liked my 5903 enough that he bought a S&W 915, which he eventually traded for a Glock 17. Many years later, the same buddy received a mint S&W 4506 from an uncle who was no longer shooting. Since the 4506 came complete with a Galco Miami Classic shoulder holster, we could only assume that someone was receiving his firearms advice from a serious Miami Vice fan.

Which I am totally okay with. I've got dibs on the 4506 if it ever goes up for sale. It probably has 200 rounds through it...

[Duelist]

That's probably the only .45 I would buy for myself, but a 4516 would be very tempting.

[Lost River]

I've posted some of this previously and duty compels me to add a Miami Vice reference to all 4506 posts...the S&W 3rd Generation guns were the pistols of my misspent youth. My first pistol was a 5903, purchased in the early 90s. My extensive research (which consisted of a steady diet of Handguns, Combat Handguns and Guns & Ammo) on 9mm handguns at the time had indicated that the Beretta M9 was prone to spontaneously exploding (several writers were getting serious mileage out of the few slide fracturing incidents) and Glocks were still weird guns with weird plastic frames and weird triggers. With ambitions of joining the military but not seeking to purchase such a maligned sidearm, I decided to purchase a 3rd generation S&W since the DA/SA trigger and slide mounted hammer drop safety essentially matched the Beretta's manual of arms. The 5903 proved sufficiently accurate and reliable but I eventually sold it to the Battalion Sergeant Major when my attention turned to Glock pistols.

A buddy liked my 5903 enough that he bought a S&W 915, which he eventually traded for a Glock 17. Many years later, the same buddy received a mint S&W 4506 from an uncle who was no longer shooting. Since the 4506 came complete with a Galco Miami Classic shoulder holster, we could only assume that someone was receiving his firearms advice from a serious Miami Vice fan.

Which I am totally okay with. I've got dibs on the 4506 if it ever goes up for sale. It probably has 200 rounds through it...

I think Sonny is actually holding a 645 in that shot. I think it was the very last season where he carried a 4506. Great TV show for the era though. I bet more than a few cops were influenced by the show, more than they would ever admit.

[JSGlock34]

You are indeed correct - here's a 4506 shot.

[Sherman A. House DDS]

I have a 4506. LOVE it. I don't shoot it much, but I do ogle it every month.


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