LWRC SMG 45 at SHOT Show 2020!
The SMG 45 is made by LWRC. LWRC is a company known for not cutting corners. Because of this, they don’t release products before they’re perfect, or with price in mind. They’re more concerned with getting the gun perfect, than cheap and to market quickly.
Because of this, one of their most unique products had a very limited release until recently – the SMG 45. This pseudo submachine gun chambered in .45 ACP is in a league of its own. Feeding from HK UMP magazines and built from billet aluminum and steel, it’s as hefty as it is futuristic in appearance.
Bomb-Proof Pistol
The gun employs a short-action recoil system where the barrel itself moves rearward with the recoil impulse. Apparently this was done in part so the gun could change calibers to 9mm and 10mm just like the UMP with whom the gun shares magazines. In effect, it gives the gun a short, but jumpy recoil impulse that makes it feel lively, but still controllable.Â
But nearly everything we know about the little gun has come from second hand sources. A quick search of YouTube shows a single video of the gun in action, and only from a low quality GoPro type camera.
That all changed at SHOT Show 2020. During Industry Day at the Range, LWRC brought out the .45 caliber pistol version, and allowed hundreds of shooters to put rounds through it. The result? A resounding success.
This author’s personal experience has been solid. The gun is very controllable, and feels like it could survive a nuclear bomb. Every component feels over-built and dripping with quality. The controls are a combination of AR-15 and SMG, but still very intuitive and lightning quick.Â
HK-inspired, LWRC Improved
The steel sights and monolithic optics rail means the gun can be outfitted with any variation of sights conceivable. Personally, this author would like to attach a magnified optic and a suppressor to the SMG 45 to see both how quiet, and how accurate it can be.
In fact, the only aspect of the gun’s design that has kept this writer from buying it, is the price. With an MSRP of nearly $3,000, it is unfortunately beyond most shooter’s means. Which isn’t to say the gun isn’t worth the cost, just that most people can’t drop three grande of any gun for any reason. Still, it would be really interesting to see how the SMG 45 runs in full auto and with a can. Hopefully, a T&E model can be secured by International Sportsman so we can get all the details to our readers. For more information, visit https://www.lwrci.com/SMG-45-Pistol-SB-Brace_p_268.html .
Jim is a freelance writer, editor, and videographer for dozens of publications who loves anything and everything guns. While partial to modern military firearms and their civilian counterparts, he holds a special place in his heart for the greatest battle implement ever devised and other WW2 rifles. When he’s not reviewing guns or shooting for fun and competition, Jim can be found hiking and hunting with his wife Kimberly, and their dog Peanut in the South Carolina low country.