Smith & Wesson (SAFH) Super-Light Hand Gun
Stocks
bounce-stocknight-90845T at lyris.stocknight.com
Sat Oct 27 13:59:05 PDT 2001
[Stockupticks.com] [Image]
[Image]
Welcome to Stockupticks.com Newsletter Issue #13 - October 26, 2001
[Image]
[Image][Image] [Image]
e-Blast
[Image] *** Important News *** [Image]
MA Union News Reports New Smith & Wesson Super-Light
Guns
Could Be Carried By Flight Crews On Commercial
Airliners
In the Spring of this year, Stockupticks brought you
the story of a small-cap company that produced firearm
safety and security products. That company,
Saf-T-Hammer (OTC BB: SAFH) later acquired legendary
gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson. One of the products in
development at that time was a gun made from a new,
lightweight, exotic-metal alloy making the gun easier
to carry and conceal. Due to interest in using this
weapon for arming flight crews on commercial airliners,
the dealer response has been tremendous.
[Image]
(see article below)
-----------------------------------------------------
[Image]
Business News
Lightweight revolvers hot item for S&W
Wednesday, October 24, 2001
By WILLIAM FREEBAIRN
A new line of ultra-light revolvers in stores this
month is proving a success for Smith & Wesson, which
can't keep up with demand. The new guns are among the
first in the world to use scandium, a metal that has
been used in Russian fighter jets and baseball bats.
They are being marketed under the AirLite Sc label
and all are capable of firing a powerful .357-caliber
Magnum round that had been previously unavailable in
such a lightweight gun.
The smaller revolvers, which weight just over 11
ounces, have been shipping for several weeks; larger
guns should reach dealers in the coming days.
"It's a hot item," said Herb A. Belin, handgun
product manager for Smith & Wesson. "Our constraint
is our production rate." The guns are more expensive
than stainless-steel revolvers. New guns carry a
suggested price of between $700 and $800 each.
The lighter guns are likely to be purchased by people
who want them for personal defense, especially those
with permits to carry concealed weapons, Belin said.
Officials said developing the guns using the new
metal took longer than expected and taught them some
lessons in metallurgy. In high-speed video footage of
the gun firing, the frame and barrel moved
dramatically due to the scandium alloy's flexibility.
"That gun does the rumba," Belin said.
Designers increased the size of some parts of the gun
to reduce flexing. Titanium was used in the cylinder
for strength, but testing showed it was also needed
in the center pin and other parts of the weapon.
Steel is used for the hammer and trigger. "This
taught us to make even stronger, tougher guns," Belin
said.
Scandium is a little-known metal that occupies a
place on the periodic table immediately before
titanium. Discovered in the late 1800s, it found use
in the former Soviet Union, which had a virtual
monopoly on the supply from the Ukraine. The Soviets
used it in fighter jets and missile parts. When the
Soviet Union broke up, the metal began to see more
widespread use, for example in aluminum baseball bats
and mountain bike frames.
Although scandium costs about $7,000 a pound, the
amount needed to mix with aluminum and other alloying
agents is small. Adding a little scandium to aluminum
strengthens the material more than twofold, Belin
said.
Its weight will increase the number of people willing
to carry it, Belin said. "You don't need a holster.
You can carry it in your pocket."
The lightest of the scandium guns is less than half
of the weight of the lightest .357-caliber Magnum the
company made before. Because of their light weight
and flexible scandium-aluminum alloy frame, the guns
deliver a rapid "kick" to the hands of the person
firing them. "Recoil is an issue," Belin said.
The gun can fire less-powerful rounds than the .357
magnum, for example the .38 special, that can reduce
recoil. "You really have to work at not flinching
(when firing,)" Belin said.
Smith & Wesson officials believe there may be another
market for the super-light guns. They have developed
a prototype scandium alloy gun that could be carried
by flight crews on commercial airliners. There have
been calls for flight crews to be armed, although no
steps have been taken by the government in that
direction.
The Smith & Wesson prototypes are black with an
internal hammer, so they could be carried in a
trouser or jacket pocket without catching on the
fabric. The guns could be modified to fire a
lower-velocity round, which is less likely to cause
damage to an aircraft, officials said.
The prototype air crew guns have not been publicly
revealed before, Belin said. A spokesman said the
prototypes are simply a design concept and will not
necessarily be produced or be shared with people
outside the company.
© 2001 UNION-NEWS.
ABOUT SAF-T-HAMMER (OTC BB: SAFH)
[Image]
Saf-T-Hammer Corporation is a firearm safety company
focused on preventing unauthorized gun use and
unintentional firearm accidents. Saf-T-Hammer
customers include sporting goods distributors, law
enforcement distributors, law enforcement retailers,
law enforcement agencies and gunsmiths. Saf-T-Hammer
acquired Smith & Wesson, one of the worlds leading
producers of quality handguns and law enforcement
products, in May of this year. Law enforcement
personnel, military personnel, target shooters,
hunters, collectors and firearms enthusiasts
throughout the world have used the companys products
with confidence for nearly 150 years.
[Image] Links [Image]
For more information, visit the companys Web sites
at:
http://www.saf-t-hammer.com
http://www.smith-wesson.com
For the latest news regarding Saf-T-Hammer click here
-----------------------------------------------------
Safe Harbor Statement: Statements contained in this
document, including those pertaining to estimates and
related plans other than statements of historical
fact, are forward-looking statements subject to a
number of uncertainties that could cause actual
results to differ materially from statements made.
Disclaimer: StockUpTicks.com is a property of Market
Pathways Financial Relations Incorporated (MP). The
information, opinions and analysis contained herein
are based on sources believed to be reliable but no
representation, expressed or implied, is made as to
its accuracy, completeness or correctness. This
report is for information purposes only and should
not be used as the basis for any investment decision.
MP has been retained by Saf-T-Hammer to assist in its
on-going investor relations efforts. MP owns 180,000
shares of Saf-T-Hammer restricted common stock and
receives monthly compensation of $4,000 for
continuing financial public relations services. The
compensation received by MP for producing this
newsletter constitutes a conflict of interest as to
MPs ability to remain objective in its communication
regarding the subject company. Write or call MP for
detailed disclosure as required by Rule 17b of the
Securities Act of 1933/1934. MP is not an investment
advisor and this report is not investment advice.
This information is neither a solicitation to buy nor
an offer to sell securities. Information contained
herein contains forward-looking statements and is
subject to significant risks and uncertainties, which
will affect the results. The opinions contained
herein reflect our current judgment and are subject
to change without notice. MP and/or its affiliates,
associates and employees from time to time may have
either a long or short position in securities
mentioned. Information contained herein may not be
reproduced in whole or in part without the express
written consent of Market Pathways Financial
Relations Incorporated.
-----------------------------------------------------
[Image][Image] [Image]
[Image]
© Stockupticks 2001, All rights reserved
[Image]
---
You are currently subscribed to stocknight as: cypherpunks at algebra.com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-stocknight-90845T at lyris.stocknight.com
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: text/html
Size: 13657 bytes
Desc: not available
URL: <https://lists.cpunks.org/pipermail/cypherpunks-legacy/attachments/20011027/f8f5a47d/attachment.txt>
More information about the cypherpunks-legacy
mailing list