S&W 457 QUESTION

[BOOM-BOOM]

I just recently purchased a Mod. 457 45 acp. This is my first S&W... And I don't know that much about it. But it felt so good in my hand...lol I went to the S&W web page, and they talk about 1st,2nd and 3rd generation guns ect ect.

what I want to know is did I get a good personal defense weapon or did I just blow $450.00.

I have a Taurus PT111, 9mm. a 9mm revolver, and a hi point 9mm. this is my first 45... And comments are welcome

 

[ShelbyV8]

I own 8 S&W Autos and I have not had a malfunction on one in 20 years. That is a very good carry weapon. The 457 is a 3rd Gen S&W.

 

[SouthpawShootr]

You certainly did not blow $450. The 457 is a 3rd generation S&W auto. It is part of the value line. As such, the finish is a rather plain, utilitarian flat black or flat no-frills stainless. Fewer machining steps were done with exterior of the slide (resulting in a relatively blocky slide), the safety/decocker is on the left side only, the sights are plastic (no biggie here, Glock does the same thing), and the frame is aluminum. These characteristics are all that separate this gun from S&W's premium 4516, which is now discontinued. S&W aluminum frames have proven to be pretty durable in my experience. I've had a 457 for years. Carried it for a while. In all that time, it has been flawless. Accurate too.

My father bought the $600 4516 while I went with the 457. He was terribly frustrated by the fact that my gun always shot noticeably tighter groups than his. I've always been a S&W auto fan. The 457 is the real sleeper in the S&W lineup. While not escpecially small, it's flat and that makes it good for concealed carry. I think you made a good choice. I put nightsights on mine and Hogue rubber grips.

 

[bearmgc]

A used 457 in excellent cond just went for $259 on Auction Arms while I was out elk hunting. It was offered by a very reputable dealer. I had it on my "watch list". Some lucky dog....

 

[isp2605]

When I was running a couple of drug task forces I carried a 645 as my primary and a 457 as backup. Mine has been 100% reliable no matter what I've fed it. Great carry gun.

 

[Moonclip]

I just got the stainless version at a local shop that cleaned up to 95% plus for $259 with 2 mags Not really a huge fan of S&W autos or compact 45acps but could not pass it up, accuracy was ok, most of problems were "shooter error" and gobbled up hollowpoints.

 

[Dollar An Hour]

I love my 457S. Nice trigger, DA pull isn't too heavy, reset is short and crisp. It's as accurate as I need a compact .45 to be and is surprisingly soft-shooting - must be the dual-nested recoil springs S&W uses.

Mine hasn't given me any problems.

 

[Z_Infidel]

I sent my wife's 457 to S&W to be converted to DAO and an action job, then I installed a set of reduced-power springs. Along with Hogue rubber grips, these enhancements have made an already good gun into a VERY good gun. It is enjoyable to shoot, accurate, and has never malfunctioned once.

 

[BOOM-BOOM]

Tell me more about the De-cocker... If I have a round in the tube, and the hammer is back. If I put the safety on, the hammer will slams down. This will not fire the gun?????

 

[Z_Infidel]

If the pistol has a round in the chamber, hammer back and you engage the safety, it will be decocked and will not fire the round. Your next trigger pull will then be double action. I suggest always having the gun pointed in a safe direction when performing this action.

I had the safety on my wife's 457 removed when it was converted to DAO.

 

[BOOM-BOOM]

Z Infidle If you removed the safty from your wife's 457, how does she release the hammer after putting one in the tube???

 

[SouthpawShootr]

With this kind of modification (which is factory offered, BTW), the safety is spring loaded so that it flips right back up to the off-safe, ready to fire position as soon as you release the lever. So the safety is not removed per se. The function of it is changed. Instead of having the capability of being left on-safe, you're left with a hammer drop on a gun that's ready to fire once you release the lever. It's a relatively popular modification. I've heard the factory does the conversion for around $100. Maybe a little more it the gun is an older model and they have to cut a relief for one of the parts in the slide.

 

[Z_Infidel]

The pistol was converted to Double Action Only (DAO). It cannot be left in the cocked position, and each trigger pull is double action. Similar to a double action revolver, except you can't simply cock the trigger and put it in single action mode. The hole in the slide where the safety used to be was filled in with a plug which is totally smooth and flush. With the combination of the S&W action job and the reduced power springs I installed the double action trigger is smooth and about as light as I would want any defensive pistol to be.

 

[SouthpawShootr]

The pistol was converted to Double Action Only (DAO). It cannot be left in the cocked position, and each trigger pull is double action. Similar to a double action revolver, except you can't simply cock the trigger and put it in single action mode. The hole in the slide where the safety used to be was filled in with a plug which is totally smooth and flush. With the combination of the S&W action job and the reduced power springs I installed the double action trigger is smooth and about as light as I would want any defensive pistol to be.

Ah, that's the other popular modification. I tend to like the DAO gun, although I've elected to not have it done to my 457. This mod gives the pistol a triggerpull that's the similar to TSW series DAOs. Works great for some people. Lighter springs can help with the pull, but you got to be sure and function test the gun thoroughly after doing this. I prefer the pre-TSW DAOs (factory trigger is a little lighter than TSW DAOs).

 

[Z_Infidel]

Yep, that's the mod I had performed. Trust me, I put hundreds of rounds through the gun after I installed the reduced power springs to make sure of reliable primer ignition. I wouldn't hand a gun to my wife to use if I wasn't sure it could be trusted to perform as expected.