Smith & Wesson 4506-1 Review: Walk Softly & Carry a Big Smith
Mini Coopers, Mini Wheats, mini marts, miniskirts—bigger isn’t always better.
But sometimes… it is.
And one of those times (when it is) is when you’re holding a Smith & Wesson 4506-1, wondering how—and why—this much satiny-stainless awesome can exist at any single point in space and time. It’s massive. It’s macho. It exudes guts and gravitas. It’s a veritable quantum singularity of steel, fortitude and toxic masculinity.
4506-1 be like, “You wanna piece a’ this?”
But it’s also…
A really freakin’ good gun. And that’s what we’re here to talk about, my fellow gun hipsters.
So…
What makes the S&W 4506-1 hipster worthy?
The 4506-1 backs up its larger-than-life swagger with easy-shooting accuracy and class-leading reliability, all with a reassuring heft that handles .45 power like a dream.
Denzel Washington.
Is the reason most people want a 4506-1. Michael Chiklis is the other reason.
With its big, bold, no-_ucks-given persona, the 4506-1 plays right into the “outlaw maverick” allure of characters like Alonzo Harris from Training Day and Vic Mackey from The Shield. Its clean yet imposing silhouette radiates fearless confidence, charged with a certain self-righteous audacity. It’s not light. It’s not efficient. It’s not cost-effective. It doesn’t even make sense by most conventionally relevant metrics.
But it doesn’t care.
It doesn’t need to care. Because that big .45 caliber hole at the end of its phallically elongated slide commands respect. It doesn’t have to say anything. It doesn’t even have to do anything.
It just has to walk in the _uckin’ room.
Slowly. Boldy.
Softly.
And yet, for all its “back da _uck up” machismo, the 4506-1 was the choice of more than a few law-enforcement agencies during the 1990s and 2000s. Including the LAPD. In that sense, it seems to embody a crossroads in our collective moral compass—where our penchant to rebel against the status quo comes into conflict with our innate sense of duty and honor. So, I suppose it stands to reason that two of the modern era’s most iconic “dirty cop” characters—Alonzo and Vic—carried the 4506-1 (well, Alonzo carried two—because literally nothing can be more baddass than that).
To me, the 4506-1 is the antihero of modern DA/SA service pistols… starring in a (metaphorical) Michael-Mann-esque saga of crooks, cops and coke, fraught with constant danger and moral ambiguity. A saga that—like so many other compelling handgun stories—begins in the early 1980s.
Size does matter
The “Super Gun”
Going into the big ‘80s, Smith & Wesson didn’t have a big .45 in its lineup. In fact, Smith’s top competitive shooter and design consultant—Tom Campbell—was winning IPSC matches with Colt 1911s.
Clearly a conflict of brand interest.
So, they let Campbell design his own “dream” .45. He started with the 459 / 439 platform (that Smith used for 9mm) and scaled it up into a big, sexy, single-stack beast that, while outwardly resembling a 1911, was an entirely different animal.
He called it the “Super Gun.” And it won him quite a few more IPSC titles.
By 1985, Smith standardized Campbell’s design for mass production, adding a then-obligatory DA/SA trigger and a sleek stainless finish with blingy polished flats. Thus, the model 645 was born. Smith also released an SAO version of the 645—the 745—which was, presumably, closer to Campbell’s original Super Gun in terms of its setup.
My 645—before I sold it
The Crockett Factor
By the time the 645 rolled around, the star of the era’s most influential crime drama—Miami Vice—needed a new pistol. A pistol big, manly and sexy enough to ride in a shoulder holster under a pastel blazer, while chillin’ in a cocaine-white Ferrari Testarossa.
A pistol like the Smith & Wesson 645.
And so, the big, beautiful Smith became Sonny Crockett’s primary sidearm in seasons 3 and 4 of Miami Vice—following the painful demise of the Dornaus & Dixon Bren-Ten, which he carried in seasons 1 and 2.
And while the 645 certainly fit the milieux of Miami Vice in the mid ‘80s, time marches on. And so did Smith & Wesson.
My 4506-1 & my 5906, in matching 3rd-gen stainless
By ’88, Smith had upgraded their “2nd generation” pistols to “3rd generation” status. So, the 2nd gen 645 became the 3rd gen 4506—updated with a one-piece wraparound grip, a removable front sight and a more understated satin finish. Crockett carried the 4506 for Miami Vice’s two remaining seasons.
But… that’s NOT where the 4506-1’s story begins…
Ten Millimeter DNA
After an infamous shootout in 1986—which, fittingly, happened in Miami—the FBI found itself looking for a new “wonder cartridge” that could solve all of their tactical shortcomings by simply being more powerful and more awesome. They quickly took interest in the new 10mm auto cartridge, developed several years earlier by Swedish ammo maker FFV Norma, under the guidance of Jeff Cooper / Dornaus & Dixon. Theoretically, the 10mm could do .357/.41 ballistics out of a .45 ACP-sized semi-automatic pistol. I mean… how can you lose a shootout with that!? However, the 10mm did generate significantly higher pressures than the big, slow fo’ five.
Obviously, Smith & Wesson’s stalwart 4506 was a promising candidate for a 10mm platform. But, to tame the fury of 10mm, Smith redesigned the 4506 to have a thicker slide and frame, with (likely) some other minor modifications to the barrel and lockup. So, in keeping with the 3rd gen naming scheme, the pistol they came up with was deemed the “1006.”
But it’s not like .45 ACP was going away.
So, instead of going back to the original design of the 4506/645—which were more-or-less the same guns in different outfits—Smith & Wesson basically rechambered its 1006 in .45 ACP. This is what came to be known as the 4506-1.
Chillin’ with a Ted Blocker shoulder holster
It’s also worth noting that Smith went to a rounded trigger guard with the -1, whereas the 4506/645 had squared-off trigger guards. This is usually what people will point out when distinguishing the 4506 vs. 4506-1. But it’s obviously just a superficial change; the real difference lies in the 4506-1’s beefier build, by way of 10mm.
For YOU, all of this simply means one thing: The 4506-1 is bigger, heavier, thicker and more badass than the 645 and 4506. And—for me, anyway—it also means that the 4506-1 shoots better.
Walking the Walk
The 4506-1 doesn’t just look the part.
It puts rounds on target with poise and aplomb. Off hand, it shoots every bit as accurately as my Sig P220—better on most days—and hangs with 1911s in terms overall shootability. All in my opinion, of course.
To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t quite expecting that.
Because I’d owned a Smith 645 for years. It was a good, dependable gun. Sexy as hell. Never had any issues/malfunctions. But I never shot it all that well.
It was one of those guns that would always hit low and left. Not egregiously so, but just enough to piss you off. It put up tight groups—I have no reason to think it wasn’t accurate. But, for me, it was always a challenge to hit directly on POA with the 645.
Now, I’d always wanted a 4506-1 (mainly for Denzel reasons), but I just assumed it was a thicker and heavier 645. Probably not gonna shoot a whole lot differently, right?
Wrong.
This thing has the proverbial “it”—that elusive “X-factor”—when it comes to putting rounds on target precisely and accurately. It’s something you can feel more than explain. And if you’ve done a fair amount of shooting, it’s something you pick up on almost immediately… like, in the first few mags. Whatever you call it, the 645 just didn’t have it (for me). And while it was a fine gun all around, I sold it not long after I grabbed the -1.
The Sword is Mightier
I can’t say I’ve ever actually squared off with a medieval broadsword. But I have to think that holding a 4506-1 is about the closest you can come to that experience… with a handgun.
It’s big. It’s long. It’s heavy.
Lo! Doth mine blade extendeth longer than thine…
But it doesn’t feel… bulky. It feels gangly. Especially with the straight-backed factory grips. Like some kinda William Wallace claymore (freeeeeedom!!!), the 4506-1 doesn’t just point—it reaches, rakes and rails. The slide feels long, but in a good way. Holding it… nay, braaandishing it… commutes a sense of strength and confidence in your hands.
Even if the grip does feel a little spindly.
But the long, thin grip just seems to suit the long, rakish slide. It feels good enough—if not perfect. Regardless, any haptic anxieties you may have are quickly assuaged by taking your first shot…
BOOM.
It’s not a bang. It’s a BOOM. This is a .45, after all.
Gentle Giant
You can feel the power.
But through the gun—not through your bones. That massive slide brilliantly contains, distributes and diffuses the brawny shove of the .45. The power feels sooo controlled through every calm, collected moment of the recoil impulse. It’s really quite gratifying. Especially when you realize there’s a big _uckin’ hole right where you wanted it.
BOOM.
It feels very linear in the way in the way it recoils, cycles and recovers. I’m no physicist, but I think the weight, mass and length of the slide probably helps impart that stabilizing effect—which is probably why the gun is so controllable and still so accurate even with its anorexic grip.
BOOM.
You don’t shoot this thing super-fast. Sure—the long, heavy slide works wonders to diffuse the recoil, but the big ‘ole thing still needs time to cycle and recover. After all, this ain’t some kinda low-bore axis, 21st century, striker-fired appliance.
BOOM.
This is a cannon. A howitzer. It was meant to calmly, concisely and convincingly blow the ever-living crap out of anything in its path. In as few shots as possible, without ever even thinking of jamming.
And, in all of that, the 4506-1 delivers. Better than just about any other .45 I’ve owned.
50ish rounds @ 10 yards. Literally the first time I shot it—group right on POA
Best of the Boomers?
Like I said, I’m already shooting the 4506-1 better than the 645 and even the P220. And, if I’m forced to say I identify with any one particular brand of handgun, I’d say I’m more of “Sig guy” than anything (well, old Sig anyway—don’t worry, I keep it hipster).
On that note…
For whatever reason, I’ve always had a zen-like connection with the Sig P245. It’s basically a purpose-built compact P220 before there was officially a “P220 Compact” (if that makes any sense). The thing is insanely accurate and I generally shoot it better than a full-size P220. I don’t know why. Does it recoil more than a full-size P220? Eh, if it does… it’s not a lot. But the abbreviated grip and overall feel of the P245 just works very well for me. It’s really quite a different animal than the P220 (it uses different springs and shit) and it’s one of my favorite guns of all time. Definitely want to review it one of these days.
Compared to 1911s…
The only .45 1911s I’ve owned have been Commander-sized. Two of them. Both Colts. They were both crazy accurate. One wasn’t reliable. One was put together like a cheap toy from the ‘80s (and may not have been reliable—I sold it after one range trip). So… I realize a Commander-sized 1911 may not be exactly apples to apples vs. a 4506-1, but I suppose I still have to give the 1911 the edge in absolute shootability—mostly because of the trigger. Let’s be honest: it’s hard to beat a 1911 trigger. Though, in SA, I think a Beretta 92 comes close.
But, that’s not to say the 4506-1 isn’t an incredibly good shooter. Plus… it IS the most dead-nuts reliable .45 ever made. Or so the internet says…
The Case of the Empty Cases
As I’ve foreshadowed up this point, the 4506-1 is kinda legendary for its reliability. Internet lore would have you believe that the big ‘ole -1 can feed just about anything… even empty .45 ACP casings.
I can tell you from experience, the rumors are true. Here’s the link to my video review where I demonstrate this (fast forward to 17:00).
It’s also worth noting that my 645 was equally capable of feeding empty cases.
It’s also, also worth noting that my Sig P220 cannot come close to feeding empty cases. Not even one.
I can’t speak to a 1911’s ability to do this, but I’m thinking it’s probably a “no.”
Further to the point of reliability…
As of late, one of my local ranges has mass quantities of “Ammo Inc.” brand ammunition on hand (allegedly, Ammo Inc. is owned by that dude from “Monster Garage,” Jesse James). It’s fairly cheap and my .45 supply is low, so I bought a few boxes.
Holy shit the stuff is stout. Seems way hotter than typical .45 range ammo. And, it actually caused some failures to feed in my P220—which, I think, were “inertial feeds.”
My 4506-1 & Sig P220
With an inertial feed, the slide recoils so hard, the top round literally bounces out of the mag (partially or completely). So, when the slide comes forward, the round is dangling there at the wrong angle and you get a misfeed.
At least that’s my best guess as to what happened. I’ve never experienced a failure with my P220 before and the intense recoil of this ammo seems to be the most obvious variable.
The point being…
My 4506-1 didn’t blink when I used this ammo. Several boxes of it, in fact. And neither did my 645 for that matter.
So, the key takeaway here is that the 4506/645 platform’s reputation for stellar reliability is well deserved. These guns are tough, duty-grade workhorses that are built to run. Which they do. And, in my hands, the 4506-1 shoots with the best of them.
Carry Capable?
I don’t have to tell you that the 4506-1 is NOT gonna replace your micro-9 for concealed carry. It’s a big, heavy, all-steel, 40+ ounce gun. No one asked it to pull “inside-the-pants” duty.
That said…
Despite the beefier slide of the -1, the thing is still pretty slender overall. So, it’s NOT entirely uncomfortable inside the waistband. Moreover, when you’re carrying in the appendix position, a longer slide can actually help the gun feel more stable and planted when it’s in your pants.
Still, the looong grip is gonna print in just about any clothing thinner than a sweatshirt. That is to say, it’s probably not gonna be a T-Shirt gun. But, with jeans and thicker clothing, stowing the mighty 4506-1 in your pants (namely, in the AIWB position) is certainly doable—IF you can manage the weight.
Who wouldn’t wanna carry this sexy beast?
But, if you ARE wearing more substantial clothing…
Why not throw it in shoulder holster? In cooler weather, with a jacket or a hoody, it’s a real comfort to have a real big .45 slung under your arm. Just ask Alonzo Harris—he carried two that way.
Well, ask him before that last standoff in Hillside Trece territory.
NOTE: It’s important to point out that a shoulder holster is quite a bit slower on the draw. It has its place, in my opinion, but it also has its limitations.
In Conclusion
The 4506-1 kicks ass.
And not just in a “it’s cool to own” kind of a way. It kicks ass because it’s an excellent handgun all around. Its size and weight engender a uniquely satisfying sense of strength and confidence, while also providing a wonderfully solid platform for launching .45 ACP—accurately, comfortably and reliably.
We all know that .45 ACP was literally made for the 1911 (well, maybe vice versa). But it’s hard for me to believe that John Browning’s big-booming round isn’t MORE at home in the chamber of a Smith & Wesson 4506-1. Maybe, if Mr. Browning had designed a big-bore service pistol in the early ‘90s, he would have designed something similar to a 4506-1. Because, in the golden age of crooks, cons, coke, crack and dirty cops…
Nothing says “I wish a MFer would” like a 4506-1.
The 4506-1 hits hard, like a well-placed right hook
Thanks for reading. And stay Hipster, my friends.
What are your thoughts on the Smith & Wesson 4506-1? Experiences? Opinions? Scathing condemnations on my review? Feel free to share below…
#hiptac
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