Shares of Smith & Wesson fall after gun
maker reports drop in demand

nothing to do with big banks not wanting this business to even be or PC pressure points from anti #2 amendment lawfare gangs /S + the ammo mfg sector ? the one where the gov’t buys it all for the uke , and themselves

Time for a new CEO with the guts to fight the anti-gun lobby in DC. S&W should pack up and move to Texas anyway.

The fear of the pandemic and the anarchy that the BLM and antifa thugs brought to many places boosted sales to a fever pitch. Based on the number of instant background checks done, sales look like this 2017 - 25 million 2018 - 26 million 2019 - 28 million 2020 - 39.7 million 2021 - 38.8 million Dropping off a bit is to be expected after two years of sales that were about 60% above the 2017 sales level. Guns have been very hard to find, and prices have been bumped up by dealers who have 6 buyers asking for a particular gun and can only get one it. That gets you a bidding war. Finding anything anywhere near MSRP for three years has been almost impossible. This is going back to pretty normal, it would seem.

S&W revolvers have always been premium priced but had premium quality. Colt is about the same. In the early 2000s, they bent to political pressure, and installed internal locks to the frame. I think that was the start of the decline. Then recently, there were nagging quality control issues. The older stuff seemed to be more in demand. If you need a working gun and not a display piece, there is a lot of decent competition. As for the autos, the decline may have started way back with Glock, plus there is even more competition in semi autos.

S & W, Coca Cola, and Kleenex, IBM, Motorola, etc., used to be representative of their respective industries from a market share standpoint; however, competitors have eaten into that share or completely gobbled it up. For a lot of folks of my generation, their first PC is likely to have been an IBM with a 286 processor. Given the competition from Apple, Dell, HP, Toshiba, Alienware and others, looking at IBM (Lenovo) as a bellwether for industry health would give a false picture if any picture at all. To me, coming up through the police ranks, my first issued duty weapon was a S&W Model 67, the Pentium III running Windows 95, of today's handguns. After transitioning to autoloaders (Beretta and H&K) in the late 80s, I purchased my original duty weapon as a keepsake/novelty. Yes, it is still accurate, safe, accurate, and reliable but I have more preferable go-to guns in the inventory. Im not sure how much S&W, with their line of autoloaders, as well as wheel guns, is representative of the modern handgun market but I'd still hate to see an old friend die off.

Re #2: Smith & Wesson has already announced their big move. It's to Maryville, Tennessee, just north of the Great Smoky Mountains. Massachusetts doesn't want any semi-automatic weapons produced there, so if Massachusetts still has the revolver division, they'll be lucky. The rest will be produced in Tennessee.

Even if gun sales were up for any manufacture, it's the choke hold and price of ammunition and loading components that are non-existent. There are shifts in types of firearms that change the market. The platform of the AR-15 is tremendous and in demand many manufactures including S&W have embraced it. Besides the government, hoarders are taking all the ammunition off the market. Everything is expensive now along with food and fuel.

#3's point that the heavy gun buying by the American public following the 2020 riots had to slow down somewhat is well taken. All firearms manufacturers have been busy in recent years. Shares of S&W have pulled back after a nice run up. There's nothing unusual about that. I would ask #5 if he is familiar with Smith & Wesson's M&P line of semiautomatic pistols, which are some of the best defensive firearms available, especially the latest generation, the 2.0. They're very reliable and they will be in demand long into the future for both law enforcement, military, and civilian use. If Democrats and RINOs try to disarm the public, their careers will be over. Voters will not stand for hoplophobic nonsense.

Crank the BLM and Antifa riots back up and sales will return.

I’ve been a shooter for 60 years. I’ve watched the gun market for that long, too. When I look at inventories at gun stores today, they’re all polymer-framed “wondernines” - 9mm autos. It’s hard to find a decent revolver anywhere. I think S&W’s slowing sales are a function of two things: the glut of polymer 9mm’s and the fact that a lot of first-time buyers got what they wanted and are through buying for a while. There’s such a variety of semiautos that it’s hard for S&W’s to stand out; they all look the same to me. I still like handguns made of steel. My last purchase was a mint S&W Model 27 .357 Magnum made in 1980 - pinned barrel, counterbored chambers, and a target hammer and trigger. I’m glad I found it when I did; three months later I saw one just like it for sale, for $600 more! There’s still a market for good old guns.

I have to agree with #8, about the new M&P line of semi-auto handguns. I handled and shot the Glocks when they came out, was unimpressed with the ergonomics, with fat uncomfortable grips and awful "cap pistol" level of heavy, rough trigger pulls. As they went on succeeding generations they added the terrible bumps to the grips, and tried to make a .45 that a normal person could wrap a hand around. And the grip angle was wrong for many of us, leading to poor "pointability" for many. Others like the grip angle. Cops used them mostly because those are "bid contracts" and Glocks are nothing if not cheap when bought in quantity. I tell my students that if they want a Glock, please rent one and shoot it a bit. They are reliable and well made guns, but I find them entirely unappealing. I they suit you, by all means get one. It will be reliable. And then the M&Ps came out, in the exact same "niche" of the Glocks. Polymer frames, striker fired, very reliable....but with comfortable grips, no finger bumps, and holy cow.....far better triggers which were easily amenable to a drop in $40 part which made them into really excellent triggers. Of all the "plastic fantastic" new age handguns out there, IMO, the M&P line from S&W are the most ergonomic and have the best trigger pulls out of the box, and can be upgraded if you are handy with aftermarket part to make the trigger pull even nicer. But - some PDs do not permit good trigger pulls. For example, NYC had Glock redesign the trigger system on the NYPD guns to require a dramatically heavier pull with the trigger finger. The new part is literally called the New York Trigger. Yikes, already pretty bad, and NYC ordered it worse. It is interesting that some still grouse about the S&W revolver action lock. This is easily removed if you don't want it, and is not on all revolvers, but on most.

Another point on S&W handguns. Many women or men with arthritis just cannot operate the slide of a semi-auto handgun to load or unload it, don't have the required hand strength. S&W has created a line of "EZ" semi-sutos which have extremely easy to retract slides, requiring only a small fraction of the force of the other designs, yet which work reliably. If operating a slide has been a barrier due to hand strength, check out an "EZ" model in the Shield line of S&W guns, intended for CCW.

Re #10. S&W has just announced the M&P 9mm METAL model, with an aluminum frame instead of polymer frame. Not steel, but at least metal.

#12 makes an interesting post. I was unaware of the EZ line. I carry a S&W J-Frame in .38 special. I like the revolver because of its simplicity and safety. I am also 80 and have arthritic hands so I will look into an EZ. My .38 only holds five rounds.

#6, thank you! I'd completely forgotten that news. The S&W Model 59 purchased from a sporting goods store has become THE family favorite on range-day. Its Browning looks, mild recoil, and incredible accuracy make it a keeper. It's easy wanting to own every model of S&W ever made, especially the "snakes."

The next republican president should order all agencies to sell off their inventories of ammo. An unarmed EPA is a polite EPA.

Poster 2, Smith and Wesson CEO Mark Smith refused to participate in a recent House Oversight Committee hearing. Then he had an exchange with idiot lame duck Carolyn Mahoney.

Maloney.

Re #15, the snakes are Colts. Python, Anaconda and Cobra.

Re: #8 - Yessir, quite familiar and currently own one, along with its ancestor, a heavy, stainless 659. Both are very nice; however, when one really must make very accurate shots with a super-reliable platform, a solid majority of military or LE tactical operators, myself retired included, prefer H&K or Sig Sauer handguns - without silly add-on lasers or optics. The companies typically have great customer service and quick turn-around for depot-level repairs. I also like the FN 503 for its combined concealability, accuracy, and simple, rugged functionality. Although I'm pretty much settled on the 9, primarily for ammo interchangeability with shoulder fired carbines and magazine capacity advantages, the 10mm round is making a comeback with improved ballistics. It may perform better than a .40 but not a modern .45, having also been improved. Having independently tested a number of Glocks and other brands for several departments holding free and open competitions for fleet replacement during the shift to autoloaders or technical refresh, I consistently noticed that right out of the box, they seem like fine handguns but I've never considered them precision tools like the HKs and Sigs. Again, nothing against the M&P line but IMHO for each platform they offer, someone makes a better version, although at a higher cost. Using a cross section of shooters, from expert marksmen to barely qualifying on semi-annual tests, the M&P line scored admirably, although it wasn't highly preferred among the more experienced in CQB. Bottom line: In a lot of ways, one's preference in manufacturers and their many products is a lot like Ford vs Chevy preferences and the eye of the beholder.

Don't forget the Diamondbacks, Vipers and Boas. I'll take a 5" barrel S&W mod 27 .357 as a woods walker and a M&P 9C w/extended mag for urban excursions. Sig P365 gets some carry time, too.

I did my part and bought another one of their products this year. Between the communist threats of Brackobama and Joe the Terrible, I would imagine that Americans who want to be well armed already have what they need.

Inflation takes its toll on consumers, food, housing, utilities and transportation come first.