Description
This National Shooting Sports Month Video features one of my prized possessions, another gun that people might mistake for a much more common handgun, it’s a Smith & Wesson Performance Center 945… definitely NOT a 1911!
The SWPC is a world renown gun smithing shop operating separate from the “factory floor” that churns production models out by the tens of thousands. 945s are no longer in production, but when they were, each slide was hand fitted, after the rails were cut in the shop… along with several other operations. The frames and slides were delivered to this semi-custom shop in unfinished form, with other the most fundamental operations having been performed from raw material. Most likely, those initial operations were the same early production steps on what would’ve become S&W 4506s. A few lucky parts got delivered to the craftsmen at the SWPC.
These guns function for a shooter like 1911s, but there are basically zero interchangeable parts and some very big functional differences in how the guns actually operate. They feature a linkless barrel design with a spherical bushing. It has a very different feed angle from a 1911, which is usually regarded as the key to its greater feeding reliability with virtually any .45 ammunition. It also has a longer “dwell time” before unlocking, which can make the pistol feel softer shooting than a 1911. The 945 is dimensionally larger than the 1911, and features an external extractor… a feature most people agree is another huge improvement for reliability.
This is a great video tour of the SWPC, featuring some 945s being built: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSwAP97SrwA
Had you heard of the 945? Ever shot one? Own a Performance Center gun? Share in the comments!
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