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Yesterday I was at Cabela's (for as much as I've trashed them). In the "Library" they had a Smith & Wesson Model 745 for sale. This is a single action only model, production 5,000 units. It had the IPSC 10th anniversary logo on the side of the slide. Stainless frame, blued slide. This is a kinda rare gun but this example had quite a bit of nicking and scratching on it. It had seen some use.

That's certainly something to think about when buying a 645. Because many of them were used in competition. Me, I don't want to buy a retired competition pistol. They get fired A LOT. In the matter of the 645 design, the barrel locking lug rides along the top of the slide release as it unlocks. This is a wear point. The slide catch will wear down and get a flat on it; the matching surface of the barrel lug will incur some wear and you might see some razor blade edges on it. You can replace the slide catch; when you file off the sharp edges of the barrel lug, the wear on the face of the lug hasn't been reduced. Also, the stainless steel frame takes a hammering over time where the barrel comes to a stop under full recoil. All of this results in a looser pistol.

Another thing about a tired 645. The rear sight is subject to loosening up. It's kinda fiddly with several little parts and springs under it. Most people don't think about this, but the recoil of the slide when fired is pretty violent. The energy that is imparted to things attached to it tends to shake them up. I'm not a fan of some of the adjustable rear sights that Smith & Wesson used on their autos in this era.

When I look at a pistol like this, I want to see one that wasn't fired all that much. I'd like to be the guy who does it. Let's compare the situation to a set of golf clubs. I want to buy the set of clubs that belonged to a guy who took it up, then got tired of it after a few months and put the clubs away. That happens in every sport/activity. So look for the gun that belonged to a quitter. Or wasn't used in a shooting sport at all, if that can be determined.
 
You want this guys 645. He only shot bad guys with it every other week.

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These were made with a Magazine Disconnector, is your still installed? These were made along the lines of the Browning High Power but in the better Caliber. FWIW: Removing the Magazine Disconnector reduced the Trigger Pull by 2+ Pounds. I've still got mine and if I wasn't getting too old to be Shooting, I would not be considering selling.
 
Yes, I'm familiar with the 645. I actually carried one when I wore a suit of blue, back in the day. I bought it off a cop who wanted something lighter. He wasn't kidding; it was like carrying a brick... anyway, I still have it....
 
I carried a model 645 when I was a police officer in Scappoose Oregon. I still have the system 3 holster that cost me $300.00. I am selling it for $100. It is a great gun and a fantastic holster. You can have your gun in the holster and no one can get it out but you. You have to do three things that you can do in less than a second to draw the gun. Let me know if you or someone else might want it.
 
I carried a model 645 when I was a police officer in Scappoose Oregon. I still have the system 3 holster that cost me $300.00. I am selling it for $100. It is a great gun and a fantastic holster. You can have your gun in the holster and no one can get it out but you. You have to do three things that you can do in less than a second to draw the gun. Let me know if you or someone else might want it.

Is the holster a Safariland SLS/ALS? If not what?
Northwest Firearms Classifieds
 
Is the holster a Safariland SLS/ALS? If not what?
Northwest Firearms Classifieds

I think he meant the "SS III" holster which was the other name for the Safariland 070. Pre-dates the ALS / SLS by a loooong time. I carried in one when I did the armed security think. Great holsters, and arguably THE most secure retention holster ever made, and yes, if you got proficient, you could do one second or even sub-second draws from it.

The SS III had two independent snaps - one normal thumb break, another behind the trigger guard, and it had a moded in ejection port lock that requires the gun be rocked to your back slightly before drawing the gun out. There was also a dummy strap on the outward face of the holster that was intended to give bad guys something obvious to go for, while the actual snap was on the other side of the holster. They still sell a variation of this holster, and they sell the level 2 iteration as a concealed carry holster (I chuckle at that, because the holster body was made from 0.09" thick kydex, with a leather layer over that - they're chunky as hell) that has the ejection port lock and the trigger guard snap, without the over the top thumb break.

Holstering and securing the gun only took a second as well, and you would have level 2 retention by either holstering the gun and activating the thumb break or the trigger guard snap.

The ALS lock and SLS hood came out in the early 2000s, they debuted on a holster Safariland called the Raptor, IIRC. That holster was renowned for shearing the crappy plastic sights off Glocks. You were advised at the store when you bought one that you better be running steel sights on your Glock, or you'd soon be running no sights. :D
 
I think he meant the "SS III" holster which was the other name for the Safariland 070. Pre-dates the ALS / SLS by a loooong time. I carried in one when I did the armed security think. Great holsters, and arguably THE most secure retention holster ever made, and yes, if you got proficient, you could do one second or even sub-second draws from it.

The SS III had two independent snaps - one normal thumb break, another behind the trigger guard, and it had a moded in ejection port lock that requires the gun be rocked to your back slightly before drawing the gun out. There was also a dummy strap on the outward face of the holster that was intended to give bad guys something obvious to go for, while the actual snap was on the other side of the holster. They still sell a variation of this holster, and they sell the level 2 iteration as a concealed carry holster (I chuckle at that, because the holster body was made from 0.09" thick kydex, with a leather layer over that - they're chunky as hell) that has the ejection port lock and the trigger guard snap, without the over the top thumb break.

Holstering and securing the gun only took a second as well, and you would have level 2 retention by either holstering the gun and activating the thumb break or the trigger guard snap.

The ALS lock and SLS hood came out in the early 2000s, they debuted on a holster Safariland called the Raptor, IIRC. That holster was renowned for shearing the crappy plastic sights off Glocks. You were advised at the store when you bought one that you better be running steel sights on your Glock, or you'd soon be running no sights. :D
 

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