Question about the S&W 4506 on The Shield

[MikePGS]

I was watching the most recent episode of The Shield and the character Vic Mackey was ordered to drop his magazine by some gang members he was questioning. After dropping said magazine there was a confrontation and Mackey states that they weren't paying attention and that he still has one in the chamber. I was just wondering... was this a bluff? Does the 4506 have a magazine release safety?

 

[fastbolt]

Hollywood is filled with lots of potential for technical mistakes in TV shows and movies. They take advantage of this potential rather often, too.

Then again, it wasn't exactly uncommon for LE agencies to order their S&W TDA pistols without a magazine disconnect safety, either. It was an option for LE to order their S&W's without the magazine disconnect feature.

Could be either one ... who knows?

One of my favorite, and all-too-common, mistakes in TV shows (think low budget technical advisors) is when someone draws their Glock pistol and you can hear the sound of a hammer cocking in the sound track. Nobody ever communicates with the Foley Editors about the sounds that ought to be present in this sort of situation, it seems.

Then, there's the ever-present armed professional character who decides to thumb cock their TDA pistols (like a Walther PPK/S) and then when they decide they aren't going to really 'shoot' anyone, they decock by lowering the hammer while pulling the trigger ... and the decocking lever is just sitting there for everyone to see.

You can also sometimes see scenes where the background is filled with extras, supposedly cops, and one of them is holding a pistol with the highly refined grip technique involving the support hand grasping the front of the pistol ... with the fingers wrapped around the frame & slide, forward of the ejection port.

 

[gdvan01]

I don't know if S&W still makes their autos with the magazine disconnect, it's not a favorite feature as far as I'm concerned. I believe years ago that 'the feds' allowed their folks to carry Smith semi's as off-duty weapons but they had to have the disconnect removed. No more "dead duck" potential.

 

[Two Cold Soakers]

S&W ##06

My 1006 has the disconnect.

I have to AssuMe the 4506 is similar, however this "safety feature" is easy enough to bypass with an exploded diagram and some good screwdrivers.

 

[Mortech]

My 1006 came with no mag disconnect and the previous owner didn't remove it either .

 

[GARY1911A1]

This is a bit off topic, but isn't the pistol a 4566?

 

[cane]

My department had 4506, 4516, and 4586s, all had magazine "safetys". A neighboring department had the "magazine safetys" removed from theirs.

 

[whitebb]

My 4516 and CS45 all have mag disconnects. Heck, my M&P9 does too.

 

[GRIZ22]

. I believe years ago that 'the feds' allowed their folks to carry Smith semi's as off-duty weapons but they had to have the disconnect removed. No more "dead duck" potential.


I retired 18 months ago from a federal agency after 27 years. We carried 6906s from about 1985 to 1998 (switched to Glocks). We all had the mag safety functional. I was a firerams instructor most of that time and had routine contact with instructors from other agencies federal, state, and local. I never knew any agency that had the mag safety removed or allowed a gun modified like this to be used on duty. The attitude was this was removing a factory safety device. Even the federal government whbo can just print more money worries about getting sued.

 

[buzz_knox]

Mackey alternatively robs and protects drug dealers, routinely beats up suspects, tortures them on occasion, and has killed a cop.

I don't think he's worried about dept. regulations or potential liability for disabling a "safety device."

 

[MD_Willington]

My 5906 has the mag disconnect as well...

 

[Chuhhuniban]

My Model 4506 has a magazine disconnect, as do my Model 1006s. Somebody mentioned the 4566 above (which, IIRC, is what he has in the show) — it has the same thing, they just sawed off some of the barrel and slide.

I suspect that "artistic license" was operating again here. Reality is just too hard to bear if you're a TV producer.

 

[RevolvingCylinder]

Am I the only one who knows how to operate a Smith & Wesson automatic? The magazine disconnect can be bypassed by the user's discretion. There is no need to remove it. I can fire a chambered round from any TDA S&W after I remove the magazine. I did not see the scene but if Vic Mackey did not remove his finger from the trigger, he was not bluffing even if the magazine disconnect was present. If he followed through with the trigger squeeze, the round would fire despite anyone's misconceptions over Smith & Wesson's well-designed magazine disconnect.

 

[Chuhhuniban]

Am I the only one who knows how to operate a Smith & Wesson automatic? The magazine disconnect can be bypassed by the user's discretion. There is no need to remove it. I can fire a chambered round from any TDA S&W after I remove the magazine. I did not see the scene but if Vic Mackey did not remove his finger from the trigger, he was not bluffing even if the magazine disconnect was present. If he followed through with the trigger squeeze, the round would fire despite anyone's misconceptions over Smith & Wesson's well-designed magazine disconnect.

Really? Now I have to go try it on my next range visit. My gunsmith taught me the trick of holding the trigger down and then releasing it to get the firing pin safety lever back down in the frame when reassembling the pistols, but I never have tried to fire the pistol without a magazine. Is it when the pistol is decocked, if you take up the slack and then drop the magazine that you can still fire the one in the chamber?

 

[buzz_knox]

I did not see the scene but if Vic Mackey did not remove his finger from the trigger, he was not bluffing even if the magazine disconnect was present. If he followed through with the trigger squeeze, the round would fire despite anyone's misconceptions over Smith & Wesson's well-designed magazine disconnect.

He dropped the magazine then reholstered his weapon. He did not touch the weapon again until he drew it sometime later.

So, the "in-universe" explanation is that he was bluffing (not likely given his character) or the mag disconnect was absent (the far more likely scenario).

 

[Janos Dracwlya]

My S&W 5906 does not have a magazine disconnect. It came that way from the factory and even has a safety notice on the left side of the slide, something like "Warning - May fire with magazine removed" (its in the safe and I'm too lazy to go look right now). I bought it specifically for that reason (that was the one feature I didn't like on the 915 I used to have).

 

[Autolycus]

Its a tv show. Thats all I am going to say.

 

[MachIVshooter]

Does the 4506 have a magazine release safety?

And it's easily removed. I love my 3rd gen S&W auto's, but discarding the mag safety is the first thing I do when I get them home.

 

[zenner22]

I've got a 4506, it does have the safety. Vic on the show uses a 4506, it is the full size 5 incher.

 

[wardog]

RevolvingCylnder

How can you fire a 4506 without the mag in it? I know you can stage the trigger, remove the mag and it will still fire, but is there another way?

 

[Gixerman1000]

My 1006, 3906, 3913, 4006, 4506 and PC952 all have the magazine disconnect but my 1026 came from the factory without it and is marked “Caution, Capable of firing with magazine removed” on the right of the slide, the hole that would contain the white plastic plunger is empty and drilled clean through so the plunger can’t be installed.

I don’t really mind the magazine disconnect but should you want to deactivate it here’s how =

There are two plungers under the rear sight, a steel plunger that is for the firing pin safety and a white plastic plunger that is for the magazine disconnect, by pressing over the rear sight in it’s dovetail move it to the right enough to access the hole containing the white plastic plunger and it’s spring, remove the spring and plunger leaving the hole empty and then press the sight back to where it was.