One of the things that I look for when collecting yet another firearm is the level of “cool” attached to it, which is why I have an H&K53, a Mk12 a la Lone Survivor, and Elk Horn grips on my 1911, just like Walt Longmire. It should be obvious that my hobby is influenced not only by what “works” but by what looks cool on the silver screen. A movie director who puts incredible amounts of effort into his gun selection made movies like Heat, Collateral, and Public Enemies. What better way to ensure that a firearm looks cool than to put it in a Michael Mann movie?
Okay, so Miami Vice was a 1980’s TV series, but Crockett and Tubbs were undeniably cool, and the director, Michael Mann, put a lot of thought and effort into the firearm selection for Miami’s finest undercover narcotics detectives. For instance, Detective Crockett famously carried a Bren Ten as his duty handgun, a powerful and imposing weapon with a troubled production history. When it became clear that the Bren Ten was not a truly viable handgun for a detective, Mann had Crockett replace it between his pastel undershirt and linen suit jacket with this firearm:
The Smith and Wesson Model 645 is part of “Big Blue’s” second generation of semi-automatic handguns. The first generation consisted of Models 39 and 59, with 39 being a single-stack 9mm, and the 59 being a double stack 9mm. Models in the second generation had three digits to their name, usually somehow indicating their caliber. For instance the Model 645 is a single-stack handgun chambered in .45 ACP. The 659 was a double-stack 9mm. In the third generation things got even more confusing, with S&W adding a fourth digit to the model number, and rearranging the naming convention slightly.
If one gets confused, they shall not worry, for it confuses and confounds firearms scholars to this day. For now, remember that the S&W 645 was the gun maker’s first semiautomatic .45 ACP handgun, and it was produced from only 1985-1988, right during the hey-day of Miami Vice.
Within just a handful of years the 645 (and other second generation S&W automatics) would be replaced with its third generation offering. And they in turn would be replaced with the new style of “combat Tupperware” in Smith and Wesson’s lineup in the mid 2000’s. The first handgun I ever purchased was a Smith and Wesson M&P40, a polymer framed .40 caliber handgun. Shortly thereafter, I would purchase an M&P45, a spiritual successor to the S&W 645.
How I came to own this particular 645 is not a particularly interesting story. I found it on GunBroker (a popular firearms auction site), and discovered that it was being sold out of a small gunshop near Duluth, Minnesota called Foxtail Firearms. Recognizing my good fortune, I contacted the kind seller and asked if he would be so polite as to hold the firearm for me until I returned from Qatar. As long as I was willing to pay for the weapon upfront, the gun store owner was willing to hold it for me.
Several months later, my family decided to make a trip of it, and we packed into my truck to head up to pick up the 645 from Foxtail Firearms. The shop itself was basically just a shed where the owner sold guns part time through GunBroker, and after showing him my permit and filling in the necessary paperwork, I put the 645 in a gun case and headed to Duluth to walk around with Elliot’s new puppy.
A somewhat important aside here: I have seen some misrepresented information about buying guns online, or through gun shows. Often time it is made to sound as if one can simply place an order and the firearm shows up via FedEx and ArmalitePrime. In reality that is not true. Even when firearms are purchased online, they still have to be shipped to a Federally Licensed Dealer (called a Federal Firearms Licensee or FFL), and the purchaser will still have to submit to a background check. The same is true with gun show purchases, and in my home state of Minnesota, in order to purchase certain types of firearms you must first be in possession of a permit that is issued to you through local law enforcement authorities.
Anyway, back to the issue at hand. The 645 is a solid handgun, having been crafted entirely out of metal. Most handguns these days have frames built from high strength polymers, making them much lighter and able to hold more bullets, which is objectively better because ounces equal pounds and more bullets are more better. Even though I love my lightweight 9mm’s, or my 9mm’s that hold twenty rounds in a magazine, I still have an affinity for the heft of an all metal .45 Automatic.
This particular 645 is in phenomenal shape, and I particularly like the stainless steel finish. Usually I prefer my handguns in a more matte, less flashy finish, but the 645 looks pretty good. The trigger is outstanding, with a smooth double action pull and a crisp reset that leads into an extremely short and light single action trigger break. Without practice, the single action would easily surprise the shooter (and it did surprise me the first time I fired it).
A few days after picking the pistol up, I was able to get the 645 out to the range. The bottom line is that I was extremely pleased. The first two rounds fired out of the pistol at about 7 yards stacked on top of each other, and the remaining six in that magazine landed within mere inches of the first two. This was a pleasant surprise as the early Smith and Wesson M&P45 that I bought on my 21st birthday did not group nearly as nicely, even after some extensive upgrades to the trigger and sights.
I did experience a few issues with the pistol on the first range day. After firing a few magazines on the first range day, roughly one-half of the rounds I fired out of the gun failed to eject. Nobody else had this issue, however, and I have yet to totally replicate it, so my guess is that I was using some less than desirable ammunition, as I have had similar ammunition related failures in my Beretta M9 with the same ammo when the pistol gets dirty.
A smaller issue is finding extra magazines. My pistol only came with one original magazine, and Smith and Wesson quit manufacturing new magazines some time ago. This means that I either need to find surplus magazines, usually from Law Enforcement offices that traded in their 645s and 4506’s at the turn of the 21st Century, or buy third party magazines. I purchased two aftermarket magazines, one eight round and one ten round magazine, and so far they have performed admirably. The last issue is the matter of finding a holster.
Since this pistol was produced for only three years, finding a holster for it can be quite a challenge. I was able to find some surplus LAPD holsters that fit the second and third generation .45 ACP Smith and Wesson handguns, but they looked to be in bad shape, and not the modern, tacticool look that I prefer. Even though Galco Gunleather makes a shoulder holster system called the “Miami Classic,” based off the holster that Detective Crockett wore in the TV show, Galco does not offer a dedicated holster for the 645.
I was hoping to use the 645 in some practical shooting competitions, but since I am now in California, I have been unable to find very many open competitions in my area. Since the competitions are few and far between out here, my search for a holster continues, but is less pressing as the only range nearby will not allows shooters to practice drawing and firing.
All in all, I think that the Smith and Wesson 645 is a fine example of a single-stack .45 Automatic, representative of the era that it was born in. If someone is in the market for a used .45 ACP handgun that is affordable, accurate, and well made, they would be well served with a 645 or 4506. As long as they are willing to hunt for a holster and spare magazines.
