Price check on S&W 4506

[silicosys4]

Looking at a S&W 4506. I can pick it up for $700, comes in box with original paperwork and 4 mags.
Worth it?
What's the scoop on these besides them being big, ugly, heavy, and reliable?
What are these going for these days?

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Price is about right in primo condition, which looks good in that pic.

Thats an early gun as witnessed by the flash-chromed hammer and trigger- later guns had black-phosphate MIM bits.

Check the bottom of the grip module for cracks at the retaining pin hole. New replacement grips are made of an improved material.

Also, those yellow and orange magazine followers (especially yellow) are notorious for cracking. Black and blue replacements are out there and GTG.

Otherwise, its a tank. Reliable, heavy, kinda terrible trigger (IMO), very high bore axis....

They make good nightstand guns. Can be used as a decent club when it runs out of ammo.

 

[Old Dog]

Clean specimen, four working mags? I'd do 7 bills in a heartbeat. Especially the arched backstrap/hooked trigger guard model. The 4506 and the SIG P-220, my all-time favorite non-1911 .45s.

They're big, heavy but I think kinda cool-looking, and they are typically very reliable and accurate.

 

[Anchorite]

DO IT! The 4506 is vastly under rated in the 45ACP space.

That beautiful behemoth will feed empty cases! Trust me…. I have one and I know. I even have mine set up to run 45 Super. It will continue to run even after traditional 1911s fail in field conditions.

 

[Tallball]

Yes and no. Is it worth that much? That's easy to look up on Gunbroker. Are they good pistols? Yes. Can you get a nicer 45acp pistol for $700? Also yes.

If you want a S&W Gen 3, and don't have one, and have the spare cash, no reason why not.

If you want a reliable 45acp service pistol with a good trigger, there are other options.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Yes and no. Is it worth that much? That's easy to look up on Gunbroker. Are they good pistols? Yes. Can you get a nicer 45acp pistol for $700? Also yes.

If you want a S&W Gen 3, and don't have one, and have the spare cash, no reason why not.

If you want a reliable 45acp service pistol with a good trigger, there are other options.

As much as I liked my 4566 and 645, I would take a P220 over one every day and twice on Sunday.....

 

[243winxb]

$600 low. $800 average.

Check with S&W to see if parts & repairs are still availabe? If no, pass.

 

[CapnMac]

That looks like a Buy it Now sort of price to me.
Those were really nicely made firearms that never really got the respect nor use they deserved.

And, it did not help that there was a small population of shooters out there, like me, who just couldn't shoot the things to anything under minute-of-shed. Despite being able the Ransom Rest them and get MOA or better.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

$600 low. $800 average.

Check with S&W to see if parts & repairs are still availabe? If no, pass.

Except for the plastic bits, they really dont break. Put some good grips and upgraded followers in it and highly unlikely to ever need repairs.

 

[LV Gun]

Looking at a S&W 4506. I can pick it up for $700, comes in box with original paperwork and 4 mags.
Worth it?
What's the scoop on these besides them being big, ugly, heavy, and reliable?
What are these going for these days?

Had one, sold it a year ago mine had the black MIM parts and 2 mags didn’t really want to sell it but a guy offered me $800.00 and I sold it. As others have said they are indestructible and accurate. Took the money and bought a used S&W 686 with a Vortex Razor sight on it for $600.00

 

[commygun]

While I would go with the Sig P220, in the jumbo .45 ACP category, that’s a great classic pistol and I suspect they’ll be a hot collector’s item someday.

 

[usaral63]

Price is about right in primo condition, which looks good in that pic.

Thats an early gun as witnessed by the flash-chromed hammer and trigger- later guns had black-phosphate MIM bits.

Check the bottom of the grip module for cracks at the retaining pin hole. New replacement grips are made of an improved material.

Also, those yellow and orange magazine followers (especially yellow) are notorious for cracking. Black and blue replacements are out there and GTG.

Otherwise, its a tank. Reliable, heavy, kinda terrible trigger (IMO), very high bore axis....

They make good nightstand guns. Can be used as a decent club when it runs out of ammo.

Last duty gun I carried was a 645..........transition piece carrying features from it and the next model......only issue I ever had was the damn screw holding the right safety lever kept loosening....sent it back to Smith and they replaced it with the new version on their dime. Far as followers go, I likely have a dozen mags....from the first steel follower type to the yellow version they sent back following the mentioned repair plus a mess of the orange types. NONE, repeat, NONE of those mags has ever had an issue.........in fact the yellow follower still has S&W's engraved room #1 on it's base plate and a notation that only the yellow follower should be used in it..........Utterly reliable, quite accurate ,and yep, I did stake my life on it, repeatedly! Purdy is as Purdy does!

Ought to mention that when I bought that gun it had the polished hammer and a slightly different action......during that factory repair I mentioned Smith replaced that action.....hammer/trigger & all with the next issue's mechanism......so the flash full chrome description doesn't always indicate age.

 

[tominboise]

I had one for quite awhile, along with some other 3rd gen S&W autoloaders. They all shoot pretty well. They tend to be heavy and I don't care for the DA to SA transition, nor the hammer drop safety, nor the magazine safety. So I eventually sold them all off. As mentioned, the 4506 is probably the most reliable feeding 45ACP pistol there is. Mine was pretty accurate with tuned handloads. It is big and heavy compared to a 1911.

 

[nvcdl]

Good deal with the mags - I think the going price for the mags is $50 +

 

[halfmoonclip]

What's the scoop on these besides them being big, ugly, heavy, and reliable?

Reliable, heavy, kinda terrible trigger (IMO), very high bore axis....

Yinz boys have it figured out. As others have noted, mine would cycle sized empty brass. It was Sonny Crockett's pistol after the Bren 10 disappeared.
Mine was star crossed; I ringed the barrel with a squib, got a new barrel, and swapped it. It was stolen, twice, from the gunshop; the cops retrieved it from the river at least once.
Wish I'd kept it, but the 1911 is, arguably, a better design.
But for 7 bills, I'd be all over that like a crow on a June bug.
Moon