Smith & Wesson
Had the time to go out shooting on my day off. Shot a Smith & wesson 66, man thats a great gun. Now I need to find one for me! The owner will not the it!
There is plenty of room for all of Gods creatures, right next to the mashed potatoes
There is plenty of room for all of Gods creatures, right next to the mashed potatoes
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Interestin article.[^]
http://www.dispatch.com/business-story.php?story=dispatch/2007/02/02/20070202-F1-00.html
TARGET MARKETING
Smith & Wesson uses brand strength, new products to regain lost sales
Friday, February 02, 2007
Adam Gorlick
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - Smith & Wesson may be best recognized as the brand of choice for Dirty Harry, the movie cop who warned punks his .44 Magnum was "the most powerful handgun in the world." But that was in 1971, and much has changed in the past 36 years. Police officers want lighter-weight pistols than the bulky steel revolver "Dirty" Harry Callahan barely concealed under a sport coat. Soldiers need foolproof weapons that won't get jammed by the desert sands.
There are guns now more powerful than the .44, and Smith & Wesson has realized it can't get by on its name, or Dirty Harry's, alone.
That's why Mike Golden, Smith & Wesson's CEO for the past two years, has targeted new technologies and sales to the military and police departments to ensure the company's future.
Except for the pistol-shaped cufflinks he sometimes wears, there isn't much about him that says "gun guy." A past corporate boss at Black & Decker, Kohler and the Stanley Works, Golden, 52, knew more about power tools and toilets than pistols.
"When I joined the company, I had never shot a firearm before in my life," Golden said. "I tell people the board wasn't looking to find a marksman."
When he took over the 155-year-old company, its earnings were flat. The country was at war, and the military's handgun contracts were all going to Italy's Beretta. Handgun sales to police departments, a market that Smith & Wesson once practically owned, were going mostly to Glock, an Austrian company.
"The company had been under-managed and undermarketed for the last 10 to 15 years, at least," Golden said. Golden hired a Washington lobbying firm to go after government contracts. In the past two years, the company has made four deals worth $20 million to make the 9 mm pistols the Army is giving to security forces in Afghanistan.
Smith & Wesson's earnings have experienced double-digit growth since Golden took over. The company's work force stands at about 900 nonunion employees, 200 of which were hired in the past two years.
The company reported $50.8 million in sales for its second quarter that ended in October, an increase of 43 percent from the same period in the year before. It expects sales for the 2008 fiscal year to be about $320 million.
About 75 percent of the company's sales are in the sportinggoods market, which has remained steady despite guncontrol efforts.
But Golden still has his sights set on government sales.
This year, the military handgun contract that Beretta has had a lock on for nearly 20 years is expected to come up for bid. Analysts say that deal could fetch about $310 million, and predict that Smith & Wesson's chances to land it are good, but far from guaranteed.
When Glock introduced a lightweight polymer pistol for police departments in the 1980s, Smith & Wesson's managers "thought cops would never buy a plastic gun," Golden said. They could only watch as police departments shifted to pistols made by other companies.
Golden pushed the company to come up with a product that could compete, and last year Smith & Wesson launched its M &P (Military and Police) line of polymer pistols. Smith & Wesson has so far climbed back to about 10 percent of sales to police departments, but is still dwarfed by Glock's 65 percent control of the market.0 -
Model 422/622.
Wow, where did these prices come from? For a gun that was billed as average at best, the value sure has rocketed!
I need a barrel and can't fine one for the life of me.
Anyone sitting on one of these they want or need to put up for auction?0 -
Recently bought a nice Smith 686 at a gun show. Nice wood grips, shoots great ect.
I remember seeing a while back that S&W has a site where I can reference the serial # to find out how old/when the gun was made ect.
Can any of you provide a link for me? I can't seem to find it.
Thanks!!0 -
Just heard on the news that the chairman of S&W has resigned.
Appears that he had felony convictions back in the 50s.
Bolt
PEACE THROUGH SUPERIOR FIREPOWER0 -
Is ther a step by step Detailed Disassembly for a Smith & Wesson Cs9?? 
www.operationdearabby.net0 -
Well I showed the old colt, so thought I would share the 9mm S&W that was the 2nd gun I got this week end. This one came with three mags, and the take down tool and book. I might put the Beretta 950 on later. it was the third deal this week end.. LR
"A wise man is a man that realizes just how little he knows"0 -
(AP)Smith & Wesson, an American gun manufacturer with roots going back to 1852, is trying to change its name to American Outdoor Brands Corp.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the company will ask its shareholders next month to approve of the name change. If it is approved, the company's handguns will still carry the name Smith & Wesson.
Currently known as Smith & Wesson Holding Corp., the company was acquired by Saf-T-Hammer Corp. in 2002.
"We believe the new name really better reflects our many brands and products and our growth strategy," a company spokesperson told the Journal.
Besides firearms, Smith & Wesson now sells hunting knives, flashlights, and equipment used for camping. It was announced last week that Smith & Wesson is purchasing Ultimate Survival Technologies Inc., which makes everything from survival kits to camping gear.0 -
Went to an auction tonight, and a fellow I know sold me this one, Model 66-3 bull barrel. adj sights :
Guess people dont like the Wheel guns anymore. Got a Mdl 65 this morning. Damn! 2 in one day..
"A wise man is a man that realizes just how little he knows"
BIG DOG0 -
S&W automatics are junk, aside the Model 41 and the model 52, especially the sigma series. 0 -
"Good" S&W's were last produced in the Lear/Sigler era IMHO..although I have a new production Mod 37 I carry...
I think the price on "their" AR clone is too much..rather a Bushmaster instead0 -
Is the sigma really that bad? I was looking at them the other day and the low price on them. Is that why they are cheap? 0 -
I will say if S&W auto's have went thru their performance center they are somewhat better quality. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by wrangler512
Is the sigma really that bad? I was looking at them the other day and the low price on them. Is that why they are cheap?
The original Sigma was a true POS. I have owned some of the 59 and 69 series over the years, and they all got traded for SIG's, HK's, or Walthers. I love S&W revolvers, and collect them as well, but besides the 41, 52, and the aforementioned Performance Center guns, I think they are sub-par with the German/Swiss stuff.0 -
S&W semis are not junk. The 45XX, 10XX, 40XX, 59XX, 39XX and 69XX semis are all very good guns. There are a lot of police depts, including California Highway Patrol and NYPD that issue or authorize these different series of guns. And the DAO version of them have nice triggers. I have numerous DAO S&Ws of these various models and they are great guns, accurate and have never had any FTF or FTE in any of them. My DAO 9mm 3953 is my usual carry gun, light and flat. Accurate and 100% reliable with any HP ammo I have shot. And it has thousands of rounds through it. 0 -
Sigma aside, I did not mean to cal lthem "junk" Merely, I think FWIW the SIG/HK/Walther pistols are better made and more accurate.
Of course, the European stuff costs more than the Smiths....0 -
I still think they are JUNK. S&W revolvers are fine but their autos stink. I don't care if the Pope carries one, they are JUNK. Plenty autos out there that are way better. 0 -
quote:Originally posted by select-fire
I still think they are JUNK. S&W revolvers are fine but their autos stink. I don't care if the Pope carries one, they are JUNK.
I have a large collection of S&W auto's, and have never had any trouble with any of them. They all function flawlessly and are very accurate. What defines them as JUNK to you?0 -
Just an opinion , the same as yours with Traitors . 0 -
Where can I buy a Traitor ??
D.0 -
quote:Originally posted by select-fire
Just an opinion , the same as yours with Traitors .
I see you can't read either.
I do have the opinion that Fonda is a traitor, I never said anyone else was, so grow up. Guess it hit a little nerve with you too.[;)]
You still didn't answer the question, so I guess it's an uninformed "opinion".[}:)]0 -
quote:Originally posted by dano
For me, S&W will always be about revolvers. I don't care for, or like, their autos. Too mediocre for me.
I'll take a Beretta, HK, or Glock (yeah a Glock) any day of the week. [^]
Yep,only revolvers, I think their autos rate just a small tad above a High Point.0 -
I wish I knew what model my Pop's S&W 9mm is. It was my brother's issue weapon, and when the S.O. went to Glock, my bro bought it for Pop.
Anyway, it's a reliable, accurate firearm. I'd own one.
What I won't own is any Smith & Wesson revolver with that damned hole in the left-hand sideplate.
It just disgusts me to look at.0 -
quote:Originally posted by dano
For me, S&W will always be about revolvers. I don't care for, or like, their autos. Too mediocre for me.
I'll take a Beretta, HK, or Glock (yeah a Glock) any day of the week. [^]
As for the "great" Glock:
http://www.thegunzone.com/glock/problems.html
and:
http://www.thegunzone.com/glock/phase3.html
and
http://www.thegunzone.com/glock/guiderods.html
and
http://www.thegunzone.com/glock/upgrade-faq.html#ad
How many Glocks do you think are still out there that never had these "upgrades" performed?
The NYPD Glock problems got so bad, and Glock was so bad in responding to them, that NYPD approached Ruger for a bid to replace ALL of NYPDs Glocks. That is the only reason Glock stepped up to the problem. Also, one of NYPD's authorized guns is the S&W 5946 and they have never had a problem with any of them.0 -
quote:Originally posted by dano
quote:Originally posted by Colonel Plink
I wish I knew what model my Pop's S&W 9mm is. It was my brother's issue weapon, and when the S.O. went to Glock, my bro bought it for Pop.
Anyway, it's a reliable, accurate firearm. I'd own one.
What I won't own is any Smith & Wesson revolver with that damned hole in the left-hand sideplate.
It just disgusts me to look at.
Things tend to change over time. The "hole" in the left-side plate is one of those "things".
Both of my new 629's have them. I'm not crazy about them, but not so much that I wouldn't buy one. [;)]
Call me a Luddite, but that's one "thing" I'm not willing to accept. Besides, its a moot point in my tax bracket. About the only thing I can afford is to be offended by Smith's locking mechanism.[:D] I just hope the pre-lock 29's will still be available when my daughter is old enough for me to afford new (used) toys again.0
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