Picked up a S&W 645 today. Had a question.

You bought a great gun, made for a short time. Very fine paper 4/0 or less will make it look new. Jewlery supply stores stock the fine paper
 
You don't want to use a Dremel for polishing; runs WAY too fast for a good job. Using a hand method of finishing will work for a smooth surface--just go slow and use light pressure.

I mentioned this already--but if you want the best possible finish or re-finish on a Smith and Wesson handgun, send it back to the factory.

Finishing packages for your pistol can cost as little as $110.00 from the factory. Take a look:

http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/...4_750001_750051_775657_-1_757896_757896_image

And they do an excellent job.
 
I remember when that ad was running in Guns & Ammo and other firearms magazines at the time...

God, to think that people actually dressed like that.

Still better than leisure suits from the 1970s!
 
That. Ad. Is. Hilarious! The only way it could possibly be more 80's is if someone was wearing aviator-style sunglasses!
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Ummm. What's wrong with aviator sunglasses... I still wear them today. :cool:

Now I wish Members Only jackets would come back. I loved them as a kid.
 
645's

The original 645 was submitted to the Army as a replacement for the 1911, but lost out due to cost and DoD wanting 9mm nato so the M9 was selected. I have the transition 645 a friend has 1st gen and a 4516. Transitional looks the best as mine has polished sides on the slide, my friends are satin finished. great shooter no problems!:)
 
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gdkaiser said:
The original 645 was submitted to the Army as a replacement for the 1911, but lost out due to cost and DoD wanting 9mm nato so the M9 was selected. I have the transition 645 a friend has 1st gen and a 4504. Transitional looks the best as mine has polished sides on the slide, my friends are satin finished. great shooter no problems!
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I just read through the Government Accounting Office's review of the 1984 Army Pistol Competition and later issues, a couple of days ago.

S&W did NOT submit the 645 for the 1984 Army pistol competition that Beretta won. (There may have been a different effort to replace the 1911 that S&W tried for, but it was a totally different process.)

  • Steyr submitted the GB. Terminated by the Army for poor reliability.
  • FN submitted the BDA (called the Hi-Power Double Action), developed FOR the competition. Voluntarily withdrawn by FN.
  • Colt submitted the SSP. Voluntarily withdrawn.
  • Walther submitted the P88. Terminated by the Army: failed drop test, poor reliability, and corrosion resistance.
  • H&K submitted the P7M13. Terminated by the Army for poor reliability and poor corrosion resistance
  • S&W submitted the 459M. Terminated by the Army for poor service life and firing pin energy requirements. See note below.
  • SIG submitted the P226. Finalist.
  • Beretta submitted the 92SB-F. Finalist and winner.
NOTE: S&W took the Army to court and lost, but the GAO later agreed that S&W had been wrongly kicked out of the competition; by then the contract had been awarded.

I had never heard of the Steyr GB or Colt SSP -- interesting guns.

.
 
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645-- extremely cool! To me, all of these S&W metal pistols are like time capsules. These were the cool, premier pistols of their day when the closest I ever came to them were the ads like the one posted above. (Hey! Not all of the ads were so hokey!)

I've been chasing these guns now, probably like most guys do with items they couldn't get when they were younger. The 645 is absolutely on my list. In the meantime, I get serious joy from my 745.

I will have to disagree about the 945 mentioned -- that one is a serious hybrid. IMO, the true culmination of the .45cal S&W pistol is the elite Lew Horton Model 845. The 845 is mindblowing and it has no 1911 genes in it.

Great pistol, OP!
 
I wanted a 645 from the day I first saw it advertised in either American Rifleman or Buns & Whammo.

I was in college at the time, and relatively poor, so it had to wait.

I snagged a 4506-1 a few years ago, and I absolutely LOVE the darned thing.

I hate stainless steel, but for the 4506, I'll make an exception.
 
Quote: I will have to disagree about the 945 mentioned -- that one is a serious hybrid. IMO, the true culmination of the .45cal S&W pistol is the elite Lew Horton Model 845. The 845 is mindblowing and it has no 1911 genes in it.

You are referencing my earlier observation-and I have to agree with you. The Model 945 is, accurately, not a "culmination" of the Model 745, et al, as I lamely opined. It is, however, an interesting (and successful) combination of "Third Generation" Smith designs and 1911 features-a "serious hybrid" indeed.
 
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