Big Screen Weapons: The Smith & Wesson Performance Center® Model 945

© New Regency Productions, Strike Entertainment, 20th. Century Fox

     In the late 1990s, Smith & Wesson's Dick Mochak decided to combine the Smith & Wesson SW1911 and the Model 4006. The result, when it debuted in 1996, was the Performance Center® Model 945. The following year, it was made available for purchase and today, examples of the Model 945 command a fairly high price tag. Condition depending, the Model 945 can sell for as little as $1,250 to a bit over $2,000.

     The Model 945 is a single action, semi-automatic pistol which is chambered for the .45 ACP (Automatic Colt Pistol) cartridge. The round, appearing in 1905, is typically a 230 grain with a round-nose bullet. Average muzzle velocity is 830 feet per second. The frame mounted, thumb activated safety is ambidextrous and thus can be operated by a left handed shooter as well as a right handed shooter. This is backed up by a beavertail grip safety. To fire the pistol when the frame mounted safety is set to “fire”, the grip must be held tightly to fully depress the safety. The “beavertail” is a curved portion of the safety which protects the hand from the rearward motion of the slide and hammer.

     Two versions were offered, one in a bead blasted stainless steel finish while the other featured a polished blackened finish. It also features a hand polished barrel ramp and a hand-fitted titanium-coated barrel bushing. While the Model 945 looks like the SW1911, the Model 945 cannot utilize magazines from the SW1911 (or any Colt built M1911). As such, the Model 945 is only compatible with its own 8-round magazines. Trigger weight is between 2.75 to 3 pounds. 

     With the 5” barrel, the overall length of the Model 945 is 8.75 inches with a weight of 2.7 pounds. Out of the box, the pistol uses post front sight and a BoMar rear sight that permits micro adjustments for elevation and windage.

     The stainless steel, 5” barrel Model 945 is shown here in the hands of Sylvia Weis (played by actress Amanda Seyfried) in the 2011 science-fiction movie “In Time” which also starred Justin Timberlake as Will Salas.

     Given the Model 945s relative rarity, it has not seen much use as a weapon in movies. In fact, “In Time” is the only U.S. produced film that used it. The two other appearances of the Model 945 is in the German movie “Jerry Cotton” (2010) and the Taiwanese action flick “Black & White Episode 1: The Dawn of Assault” (2012).