S&W 645 Questions

[cedjunior]

CDNN's current catalog has used S&W 645's for $299 in "Very Good to Excellent" condition. Is that a decent price? Or am I getting all worked up and about to buy a gun over nothing? Also since I can't seem to find any info on it being discontinued and all, how does the size of this gun compare to a full size 1911? Thanks.

 

[kenpocop]

The 645 was the first major venture into the 45 auto market for S&W. It has not been a production gun since the early 80s. It was replaced by the 4500 series s&W automatics.

I can't comment on how good a deal it is, but it sounds good to me. Magazines are expensive for the 4500 series, but I don't know if they are compatable with the 645.

 

[Onslow77]

I just recently traded in a 6 in. Smith and Wesson Model 28 on a 645. So far it's been a great gun, reliable and accurate. The trigger on mine in single action has a fair bit of creep but isn't hard to get used to. The double action pull is very smooth. The 645 is a pretty big pistol compared to a 1911 but I don't find that to be a big deal. I'm new to Smith and Wesson autos and have a question regarding the decocker/safety. Is it considered safe to carry the pistol with the hammer down and the decocker in the fire position? I was concerned that it might not be drop safe in this mode. Any info would be appreciated.

 

[kenpocop]

Yes it safe to carry hammer down. The weapon has a firing pin disconnect safety that prevents the firing pin from moving without the trigger being pulled.

 

[isp2605]

I carried my 645 when I was running a couple of drug task forces. I put a set of Wolff springs in mine which, along with running a whole bunch of rds thru it, turned the trigger into something really smooth both DA and SA. Size is about the same as a 1911. Our issued guns at the time was 5904 and even tho the 5904 is a bit smaller I could conceal the 645 easier because it is a bit narrower being single stack. 645s are generally 100% reliable and will feed anything, including empty brass. I still carry mine some but more just to get it out for fresh air every so often.
I carried this combo on a lot of drug raids and stake outs.

 

[Wyndage]

If I was a druggie, I think that knife would scare me more than the gun.

 

[schmeky]

The 645's are under-rated. They were a solid foundation for .45 acp and S&W put forth a lot of effort to build a reliable good functioning pistol. To go against the myriad of 1911's out there meant the 645 had to be good, really good.

My FFL holder recently tried to sell me a tuned/slicked used 645 for $750.00. This guy is total dumb b_tt, but it just goes to show some folks think these are exceptional pitols, they are, they just aren't exceptional values.

$299.00 is a great price.

 

[yhtomit]

Interesting gun!

I've never heard of one of these before; until scrolling down to that picture, I was hoping it was some model of .45ACP revolver I'd never heard of (like my 625).

Despite that slight disappointment, it looks like a nice gun -- in the same way that you can look at a car and have some (small, often wrong) idea of what it would be like to drive it based on geometry, I look at that grip angle and it looks extremely comfortable; that also looks like a nice spot for the thumb, and decent grips on the pictured example.

When I get a job ... [adds to list]

timothy

 

[Onslow77]

Thanks for the info on the decocker. The 645 is my first DA/SA pistol and I've had a great time with it. I was looking to get an affordable, reliable, stainless .45 ACP and it fit the bill nicely. I love my GLOCKs but it's very reassuring to have a big chunk of American steel around. It's hard for me to understand why the 645 was in production for such a short time though. Could it be those pesky screws in the decocker that like to come loose after a few hundred rounds?

 

[cedjunior]

isp2605, I think I saw that pic in every post you've used it in during my search of THR . I was holding out for a 1911, but I'm thinking that $299 is too good to pass up. I've got an HK USP so I'm no stranger to large pistols, actually a 1911 is small for me and ideal for ccw, so this gun being similar in size is a good thing.

Onslow77, maybe try some Blue loctite on those screws. Strong enough to keep them from vibrating out, but still allows the screws to come out easily when you want them to.

 

[kenpocop]

Don't know if it was as much a failure of the design, as much as it was a so-called upgrade in the design. If you find a pic of a 4500 series, you can see the similarities.

 

[MD_Willington]

check out summitgunbroker.com , mark has a few of the 45xx series in... look pretty slick.

MD

 

[1557]

It's a big old boat anchor! Seriously,tho,they are good pistols,if on the heavy and bulky side.This was the pistol that was tested and tried by the Ga. State Patrol before they eventually issued the 4506's.
My partner on the Sheriff's Dept. bought one and it was a great shooter.
I carried a customed 44 mag at the time,but put quite a bit of trigger time on his 645. It was a fine weapon at the time,functionallity was excellant,if not perfect. I personally would pay that price for it if it's in good shape.

 

[cedjunior]

Great. I'll try to get the ball rolling on a purchase tomorrow. Whats the deal wit the front sight? Is it integrated with the slide as one piece, or separate?

 

[noresttill]

Mine doesnt have that kind of front site. Its a black post dove-tailed in .

Jesse

 

[isp2605]

Whats the deal wit the front sight? Is it integrated with the slide as one piece, or separate?

2nd Gen S&W were part of the slide. 3rd Gen S&W were a separate piece.

 

[noresttill]

2nd Gen S&W were part of the slide. 3rd Gen S&W were a separate piece.

Were there any exceptions to that rule?

Jesse

 

[isp2605]

Could be, and no doubt there have been custom jobs where someone has ground off the front sight and installed a dovetail front sight. That's not unusual of a job if someone wanted night sights installed. But I've never seen nor heard of a factory dovetail in a 2nd gen. That was one of the mods when S&W went to 3rd gen.

 

[cedjunior]

Well, CDNN is sold out of 645's already, oh well

 

[torontogunguy]

I picked up a 645 in a trade. At first didn't like it much... seemed like a hey rube 1911; but in the end I find it to be more reliable than my 1911's; a great carry piece due to the thin profile, etc.

At $299 I would consider it a steal. I would guesstimate street value at more like $400- $500 in excellent condition. These are very reliable but heavy carry pistols. Very thin. SOLID.

You cannot go far wrong with a S&W 645. They may not be as pretty as some (although mine in SS is pretty enough) but they sure do the job well. I would bet my life on one of these.

 

[engine3nfd]

Need some help

My friend just picked up a 645 for $425. Looks like its brand new, is there anyway I can tell what year it is, and does it field strip like a standard 1911? I cant seem to get the catch released. Any info, links or advice will be greatly appreciated.


-Mike

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

These S&W autos are not quite like a 1911. To field strip any of them, pull back and hold the slide in a pinching motion so that the slide stop notch is centered over the front rounded portion of the slide stop. Then push out the slide stop from right to left. Sometimes you may need to give the end of the shaft a little rap with the butt end of a screwdriver or similar non-marring object. When the slide stop is out, ease the slide, barrel and recoil spring - which remain together - off the front of the frame, then pull out the recoil spring/guide rod and barrel from the bottom of the slide, moving them to the rear. Take note of the little half-moon-shaped cutout in the barrel where the guide rod's flanged end sits. When reassembling, you have to push down the ejector/magazine safety actuator and the firing pin block levers before the slide will go all the way on.

 

[dogrunner]

There WERE exceptions to the 'rule' relative to the integral front sight vs the later types. I own one, and it's one of the last of the 645 series and fitted with the 'new model' slide. I've only seen one other so outfitted and I suspect strongly that S&W was just cleaning up the older style frame with that slide assembly.....regardless, it's been a great pistol and was in fact the last duty pistol I carried in over 30 plus years as a LEO. As stated by another poster, the thing will feed nearly anything you can get in the magazine, even empty cases!....

In terms of practical accuracy, well, I have never "Ransom" rested the piece, but it will very easily hold it's own with any Colt M/1911 and will still cut the center out of a 25 yard BE target.

The earlier versons of the 645's had a slightly different action than the revised models. Every unaltered first model I've seen had a highly polished hammer side and a 'safety' notch. That notch is missing from the 2nd issues and it seems to me that the geometry of the action was slightly modified and gives an improved DA. I say this because I had occasion to send mine to the factory for a safety replacement and it was returned with the newer style action..........frankly it was a very welcome surprise improvement, but what I really appreciated was getting rid of that damn screwed in right side safety lever..........screw either broke or kept shooting loose..........If your gun has the old style one I'd most strongly advise replacing it......Numrich has 'em..

Like I said, damn good gun and one I have never regretted purchasing.

 

[Confederate]

I love my 645 and would recommend it highly. You can't let grass grow under your feet when you see a deal like that. Best do a quick search here rather than post and wait.

My 645 has a smooth, light double-action trigger. As far as size, I don't think it's substantially larger than a full-size 1911. I can't think of a 1911 production piece I'd rather have, in any event. Just after I'd obtained mine, I found eight magazines for them in a gunstore bin and paid about three bucks for each of them (the gunstore owner was tired of seeing them). All appear to operate flawlessly. Then I found one a new universal military holster at a yard sale for five bucks. Fits like a glove. Oh, and the sights on the 645 are some of the best I've ever seen on a combat gun, bar none.

It really sold me on the 9mm S&W stainless models, too.

 

[poet]

Wow a 645!!! I loved mine when they came out way back when. It took a little getting used to coming as I did from the 1911 platform. I wish that I still had it now . . . all I have left of that lineage is the 4506.