Smith & Wesson misfire: Rifle sales drop 50%

Fortune ^ | December 4, 2014 | Tom Huddleston, Jr.

[Labyrinthos]

People just aren’t stocking up on firearms the way they used to.

Gun maker Smith & Wesson said on Thursday that rifle sales dropped by more than half in the Springfield, Mass. company’s latest quarter. The steep decline is part of a 22% dip in overall sales for Smith & Wesson, according to the company’s second-quarter earnings report...

[Tijeras_Slim]

Smith has always had a hard time in the long gun business.

[Labyrinthos]

Still, I suspect there is a saturation point where everyone who wants a firearm has a firearm.

[Lets Roll NOW]

BATF cutbacks?

[Roman_War_Criminal]

well if they started making AK’s or magazine fed .45-70’s maybe I’d bite.

MForgeries are a dime a dozen these days—and boring.

[Billthedrill]

They make a very nice AR but there’s a lot of competition in that niche and it’s been growing of late.

[Labyrinthos]

Does S & W still have quality control issues?

[gorush]

I picked this one up last year, it was a great gun, a real nail driver...I never should have taken it on that disastrous canoe trip.
http://www.smith-wesson.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product4_750001_750051_765960_-1_757785_757784_757784_ProductDisplayErrorView_Y

[Tijeras_Slim]

Haven’t bought a new one in some time. But if you’re thinking of the Bangor Punta days of the 70’s and 80’s, they are better.

Still, they’re nowhere near the quality of the 50’s and 60’s guns.

[Fido969]

Smith and Wesson makes great REVOLVERS. World-class.

But that’s it.

[paulcissa]

S&W rifles? Not the first mfg I think of for long arms.

[txnativegop]

If they’d bring out a good solid bolt-action or even a single-shot I might be interested. I don’t have an AR, and am really not interested in getting one.

Now if they made a mil-spec AK I would definitely get one.

[showme_the_Glory]

I used to like building models as a kid. So I began purchasing pieces and built an AR myself. With the help of parts from Wilson, Daniel Defense, Noveske, Magpul, and some stuff from the gun shows, I did it. Since the boating accident, I want to do another.

[jimbug]

I have been watching my local Wal-Mart's supply of .22LR rimfire ammo. In my opinion, this is a bellweather item to watch from a supply/demand/price aspect, and I am still rarely seeing this ammo in stock.

My buddy in the sporting goods department tells me that they rarely get it in, and it's usually a small quantity that rarely lasts 2 days on the shelf.

My guess is that we won't see a decent supply until we have a wall-to-wall conservative Administration in place.

When Wal-Mart does have it, the limit is 3 boxes @$2.84/box for Remington Thunderbolt.

[donna]

No one is reporting on inflation. Do they realize all our money is going to buy toilet paper and milk?

[Thud]

I bought two Smith & Wesson rifles a few months ago, the 5.56mm MP-15 AR rifle and its .22 lookalike, the MP-15/22. The latter is enormous fun - even my wife enjoys it. I’m informed that Smith & Wesson’s revolvers are pretty lousy these days.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Smith triied bolt guns a couple decades ago, manufactured by Howa. Didn’t work out for them.

[txnativegop]

Now that you mentioned them, I remember them.

Of course, I left something out of my original post:

I just want a quality-made LEFT-HAND bolt gun NOT CHAMBERED

for some belted or the newer non-belted magnums.

[LibWhacker]

Massive price reductions on the way, and not only for S&W rifles? One can hope!

[txnativegop]

Now if they would just make some of them blue . . . {long sigh}