I hope the price comes down some once production exceeds demand.
I hope you are right, but honestly don't know of any precedent for that.
--I bought the first EMP I saw when they first came out (s/n 1073, March '06). Paid $1069, and price hasn't gone down a dime since.
--I bought an LCP when they first came out. My LGS treated me right, $255. When I sent it in for the warranty, I bought another from Bass Pro--$269. (Sold the second when I got the first back from Ruger.) They've been out a while now, and I still don't see new ones going for less than that (usually $299 or so). Note: all prices are before tax.
I usually buy lightly used guns and save ~20%. For example, I bought a year old, 200-300 round Kahr P45 for $500, and a LNIB Kahr PM45 for $450. Sold the PM45 to a friend for what I paid (same guy I sold the second LCP to). He likes both.
He is now talking about buying an XDs. American rifleman shows MSRP as $599, which means "real" retail should be between $500-525. That strikes me as being quite reasonable.
All that said, I agree with BigJimP--renting or at least handling a number of different pistols prior to buying saves a lot of time, money and frustration.
Oh, and as a former Illinois resident I am keeping an eye on the process, and I am rooting for you. When I retire (just about ten years from now, if all goes well) I'd like to be able to consider Illinois as an option. Wisconsin is officially in the running.