Posted on 12/05/2014 11:21:12 AM PST by 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...
(Excerpt) Read more at fortune.com ...
Ed sold the company to S&W
That’s my take on it too. Everybody who wants one has one or ten. :-)
Not only that but it seems that everyone I know is building their own, either from a stripped lower or by finishing an 80%.
I have multiple Springfields and Rugers. Never had an issue with quality control.
Howa makes a good gun, Smith just doesn’t have long gun mojo.
“A” firearm??? I didn’t realize it was even possible to own just one. :)
I think the .22 ammo issue is largly due to the large number of new gun owners over the last five years. Take a handgun safety course over 16 hrs and you will shoot a lot of .22.
Reminds me of the old potato chip commercial — “I bet you just can’t have one.”
Smith made/makes a dandy sub gun.
Interesting!
Had no idea about this round, even better that it uses the same mags as standard 5.56 AR’s!!
Damn expensive ammo though.
Made... the Model 76, a clone of the Swedish K. The Swedes wouldn’t sell to the US because they were against the Vietnam War, and the K (m/45) was something a lot of special forces and seal types liked.
Remington on the other hand..... I WILL NEVER BUY ONE AGAIN.
Gee, did they not see this coming? Maybe they should have adjusted their manufacturing forecast and prepare for the inevitable downturn in the market. Maybe they could work on their lean manufacturing skills and cut the waste out of productin and re-invest in better technology as a way to cut costs.
Or Obamacare.
My on-line retail business has cratered this year, down 40% year-to-year. (Fortunately it's my second job). Sales began to diverge from projections beginning in July. I blame it on Obamacare.
Many years ago, in the early to mid 70s, I managed the largest gun shop in Sacramento. During that time S&W was having quite a bit of Quality Control problems. It was not unusual to get revolvers in with PURPLE bluing or cupped polishing as if someone had stood there and woolgathered while polishing, or badly streaked from horrid buffing, . . including buffing of the assembled guns across parts that caused distinct curvature of unions between the parts. One Model 29 .44 Magnum came in with a FINGERPRINT in the side plate! Another had the rolled address on the barrel almost completely buffed off. Fitting was terrible.
Interesting. The last Howa I shot was good enough to qualify me on the 1,000-yard range at my local club. Ten of ten on paper, nothing in the dirt in front of the target. It was dialed in nicely. It was also borrowed, and for some reason the guy didn't want to part with it.
It was chambered in .308, decent scope (in that I could actually see the target at 1,000 yards - it looked about the same as seeing it with open sights at 200 yards).
Good old Bangor Punta... The 50’s and 60’s saw some great guns come out of Smith, when it was run be Carl Hellstrom.
3 reasons NOT to buy SW, they caved to klinton, they’re in taxachusetts, much better options available.
Why would anyone buy a SW when there are far better choices?
That is so wrong.
In my experience.
Bookmark
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.