tinner man
Member
The California Highway Patrol is buying 9,700 semi-automatic pistols from gun maker Smith & Wesson Corp. in a deal the CHP says is worth $6.6 million.
Delivery of the .40-caliber firearms will start in June and be completed over the next 18 months, Smith & Wesson Vice President Liz Sharp said.
The new firearms will replace older Smith & Wesson pistols that CHP officers have carried as their primary service weapon since the 1990s, Sharp said.
Leland Nichols, Smith & Wesson’s chief operating officer, said the Springfield, Mass.-based company was “honored” that California’s premier law enforcement agency had decided to stick with his company’s guns.
“They are happy with the brand and happy with the reliability and durability,” Nichols said. “They have some units that have fired over 100,000 rounds.”
News of Smith & Wesson’s CHP contract pushed the company’s shares higher onTuesday. The stock rose 32 cents, or almost 5 percent, to close at $6.73 in trading on the American Stock Exchange.
The 4006TSW pistols, which weigh 37.8 ounces each, are made in Springfield and sell in stores for between $850 and $996 each, the latter the suggested retail price on the company’s Web site.
Nichols declined to disclose anyfinancial details aboutof the contract, citing competitive reasons.CHP spokesman Tom Marshall said his agency paid about $683 per weapon. He said the CHP is getting a $1.3 million credit for trading in its old Smith & Wesson service pistols as they are replaced.
The credits will cut the CHP’s actual out-of-pocket costs to $5.3 million, Marshall said.
A Smith & Wesson distributor in California, Allstate Police Equipment of Claremont, will supply the pistols.
The CHP sought public bids for the contract in March.
The U.S. affiliate of a rival Swiss pistol maker, Sigarms, submitted a bid, but its offer was disqualified by state officials, Marshall said.
The Smith & Wesson 4006TSW has a stainless steel frame, and a four-inch barrel and is 7 1/2 inches long. The pistol, which can be equipped with light and laser devices, holds 11 rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber.
The CHP order was the second big sale this month for Smith & Wesson. Last week, the firm announced that the Cincinnati Police Department had placed an order for 1,100 of its new advanced M&P9 polymer pistols.
About the writer:
The Bee’s Andrew McIntosh can be reached at (916) 321-1215 or [email protected].
A CHP officer demonstrates the 4006TSW. Smith & Wesson had only one rival for the CHP contract, but Sigarms' bid was disqualified because the firm did not have a model that met CHP requirements.
Sacramento Bee/Randall Benton
Delivery of the 4006TSW will begin in June and be finished over the next 18 months. The 40-caliber pistol, which can be equipped with light and laser devices, holds 11 rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber.
Sacramento Bee/Randall Benton
Delivery of the .40-caliber firearms will start in June and be completed over the next 18 months, Smith & Wesson Vice President Liz Sharp said.
The new firearms will replace older Smith & Wesson pistols that CHP officers have carried as their primary service weapon since the 1990s, Sharp said.
Leland Nichols, Smith & Wesson’s chief operating officer, said the Springfield, Mass.-based company was “honored” that California’s premier law enforcement agency had decided to stick with his company’s guns.
“They are happy with the brand and happy with the reliability and durability,” Nichols said. “They have some units that have fired over 100,000 rounds.”
News of Smith & Wesson’s CHP contract pushed the company’s shares higher onTuesday. The stock rose 32 cents, or almost 5 percent, to close at $6.73 in trading on the American Stock Exchange.
The 4006TSW pistols, which weigh 37.8 ounces each, are made in Springfield and sell in stores for between $850 and $996 each, the latter the suggested retail price on the company’s Web site.
Nichols declined to disclose anyfinancial details aboutof the contract, citing competitive reasons.CHP spokesman Tom Marshall said his agency paid about $683 per weapon. He said the CHP is getting a $1.3 million credit for trading in its old Smith & Wesson service pistols as they are replaced.
The credits will cut the CHP’s actual out-of-pocket costs to $5.3 million, Marshall said.
A Smith & Wesson distributor in California, Allstate Police Equipment of Claremont, will supply the pistols.
The CHP sought public bids for the contract in March.
The U.S. affiliate of a rival Swiss pistol maker, Sigarms, submitted a bid, but its offer was disqualified by state officials, Marshall said.
The Smith & Wesson 4006TSW has a stainless steel frame, and a four-inch barrel and is 7 1/2 inches long. The pistol, which can be equipped with light and laser devices, holds 11 rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber.
The CHP order was the second big sale this month for Smith & Wesson. Last week, the firm announced that the Cincinnati Police Department had placed an order for 1,100 of its new advanced M&P9 polymer pistols.
About the writer:
The Bee’s Andrew McIntosh can be reached at (916) 321-1215 or [email protected].
A CHP officer demonstrates the 4006TSW. Smith & Wesson had only one rival for the CHP contract, but Sigarms' bid was disqualified because the firm did not have a model that met CHP requirements.
Sacramento Bee/Randall Benton
Delivery of the 4006TSW will begin in June and be finished over the next 18 months. The 40-caliber pistol, which can be equipped with light and laser devices, holds 11 rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber.
Sacramento Bee/Randall Benton
