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Product lineup features extensions to Military & Police Series, i-Bolt(TM) and ICON(TM) Rifles, Night Guard Series of Revolvers along with New Performance Center and Classic Models.
Smith & Wesson the legendary 156-year old company in the global business of safety, security,
protection and sport, unveiled 71 new product models and extensions at the
2008 Shooting Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show held in Las Vegas, Nevada,
earlier this week. The new product lineup featured extensions to the Company's
Military & Police (M&P) Pistol and Rifle Series and a stainless steel
variation of the i-Bolt bolt-action rifle. Smith & Wesson also introduced the
new Night Guard Series of revolvers designed for personal protection as well
as a number of new models and extensions from the Performance Center and
Thompson/Center Arms.
Sponsored by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the four-day SHOT
Show is the largest trade show of its kind in the world. Featuring 1,948
exhibiting companies encompassing more than 715,000 net square feet of space,
the 30th annual SHOT Show attracted more than 50,000 industry professionals
representing all 50 states and 75 foreign countries. Among the firearms
launched at the trade show event were:
Smith & Wesson
-- M&P45 pistols -- one compact and one mid-size pistol, available with
or without a frame-mounted ambidextrous thumb safety
-- M&P15 Rifle Series -- three new carbine rifles
-- i-Bolt bolt-action rifle - in a new stainless steel configuration,
including 300 Win. Magnum and 7mm Rem. Magnum with black and
camouflage finish
-- Night Guard Series -- six mid-size revolvers covering three frames
sizes and six calibers, designed for concealed carry and home
protection
-- Performance Center models -- new V-Comp and Carry-Comp configurations
-- Pro Series -- new competition pistols and revolvers
-- Classic Series -- four new retro revolvers
Thompson/Center Arms
-- ICON bolt-action rifle -- 10 new variations of the bolt-action rifle
in long action calibers featuring .270, .30-06, 7mm Rem. Magnum, and
300 Win. Magnum
-- Encore Endeavor -- two new models available with Speed Breech XT(TM)in
black and camouflage finishes
"The SHOT Show is always an exciting time for our company because it
serves as a launching platform for a variety of innovative Smith & Wesson and
Thompson/Center products each year," said Michael Golden, Smith & Wesson
President and CEO. "This year, our list of new products included a compact
version of our highly popular M&P45 polymer pistol. The M&P45C is our
response to customer demand for a compact version for concealed carry by both
law enforcement professionals and consumers seeking personal protection."
Golden added, "We also launched ten new variations of our award-winning
Thompson/Center ICON bolt-action rifle and we expanded the Smith & Wesson
i-Bolt rifle lineup with the addition of a stainless steel version to
supplement the existing carbon steel models. We remain committed to building
on the strength of our Smith & Wesson and Thompson/Center brands by continuing
to deliver on our commitment to innovation, and by remaining alert and
responsive to consumer demand while we grow our business and expand into new
areas of safety, security, protection and sport."
In addition to a variety of activities at the Smith & Wesson booth, the
company hosted a special media day before the opening of the convention. Held
at American Shooter's Supply, the event was co-sponsored by Thompson/Center
Arms, Walther(R), Hornady(R), SureFire(R), Crimson Trace(R) and Trijicon(R).
During the event, industry media were given the opportunity to speak
one-on-one with product managers and executive staff as well as test new
models from each sponsor. The event, which was attended by over 150 industry
professionals, included representatives from radio, television and print
media.
Throughout the day, several media professionals gave positive critiques on
the Smith & Wesson new product lineup. The company cited Patrick Sweeney,
Handgun Editor for Guns & Ammo magazine, saying, "Out of all the new products
introduced by Smith & Wesson this year, I'm really looking forward to testing
the new Night Guard Series. The combination of features that these scandium
revolvers offer, in particular the Extreme Duty fixed rear sight and XS front
sight, make these handguns a nice fit for personal protection."
About Smith & Wesson
Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation, a global leader in safety, security,
protection and sport, is parent company to Smith & Wesson Corp., one of the
world's largest manufacturers of quality firearms and firearm safety/security
products and parent company to Thompson/Center Arms, Inc., a premier designer
and manufacturer of premium hunting rifles, black powder rifles,
interchangeable firearms systems and accessories under the Thompson/Center
brand. Smith & Wesson licenses shooter protection, knives, apparel, and other
accessory lines. Smith & Wesson is based in Springfield, Massachusetts with
manufacturing facilities in Springfield, Houlton, Maine, and Rochester, New
Hampshire. The Smith & Wesson Academy is America's longest running firearms
training facility for law enforcement, military and security professionals.
For more information on Smith & Wesson, call (800) 331-0852 or log on to
http://www.smith-wesson.com. For more information on Thompson/Center Arms, log
on to http://www.tcarms.com.
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