First and Foremost: The change of servers and programs seems to have gone well. The Sgram #74 mailing seems to have functioned correctly. Again, you may refer to the website ( http://www.stiguns.com/ ) for issues you may have missed.

Speaking of our website, I hope that you are paying attention to the number of guns that we are managing to put in inventory now. We've got a pretty good cross section of the most popular models available to ship from stock. Starting in April, we'll be trying to inventory some of the standard models with some of the most requested options, again reducing some of your lead times. (all suggestions considered) Also, if you have been following the website closely, you are aware that we've recently put up new pictures of most of the product line. Keep your eyes open; there is more to come. If you have other angles or features that you would like to see showcased there, please contact our man John Kestel. All of that credit belongs to him.

Sad to say in late March, but we are still shuffling our product mix for 2005. We got marvelous customer feed back from the SHOT Show and from IWA. Things that are changed are:

1. The "Tactical" and "Tactical Lite" have been categorically redefined. Instead of those nomenclatures we will now have the '4.15" Tactical' and the '5.0" Tactical'. The aluminum frame will now simply be a "no charge" option on both of the models. That effectively drops the MSRP of the lighter version by $100.00. The guns will all be all blued except for those that have the aluminum frame, on which the frame will be a black polymer.
    
2. Due to the continually increasing price of stainless steel and the continuing erosion of the U.S. Dollar verses the Euro, the MSRP of the "FPI 2200" (our new name for our.22 cal. Rifle) must increase by about $50.00. All parts sets that contain the barrel must also go up.
    
3. It's "done deal" on the "VIP". It has historically been an aluminum-framed gun (the lightest full power gun on the market at 25 ounces) that is currently polymer coated black on the slide and gray on the frame. This has now been expanded to have a steel frame as an option. The optioned weight would increase to about 30 ounces at that point. The all steel gun would come standard as blued overall with a hardchrome option. The aluminum-framed gun would have a blued slide (HC option) and an untreated frame.
    
4. The "higher end" gun featuring black chrome will happen. Look for a mid-2005 introduction. It has been decided to name it the "Legacy".
    
5. We are seriously considering the discontinuation of the BLS series of guns.
    
6. Because of feedback from you guys, we probably won't be doing further changes to the "Tactical" and "Duty One" dustcovers. What you see on the website is it's configuration. At least for the time being.
    
7. If you'll remember, we do supply the "30th Anniversary" and the "Special Edition" guns with two magazines. We have been asked to offer additional magazines for sale with these guns, so we will. I do not expect many of your customers to order extras. They are EXPENSIVE!
    
8. Due to the number of calls that we get from your customers (who are quite sure that they, and a set of wire cutters) know more about the RecoilMaster than we do and ultimately call for replacement springs, we will be adding the outer springs for the RM to the price list. Since most of them won't want to meet our $500.00 minimum order level, they will be calling you. Unless you want to be thought of as something less than a Full Stocking Distributor, you should probably put in some inventory. They will be sold to you in "five packs", though you are obviously free to break the packages down for individual sales.

For those of you who do not yet have them, our evolving Customer Service Software Package now has the ability to provide you with price lists at all levels complete with STI part numbers. This should make your ordering, and our order entry, even more seamless. If you don't have a copy yet, please ask.

IWA was a marvelous show again! Nurnberg is the perfect place to hold it and the organizers have acquired great expertise in presenting the event. It was good to see all of our European associates (as well as some of our Asian) again. I'll hold off announcing any new additions to the "STI family" until all the details are worked out.

Any of you Europeans who shoot IPSC and who do not yet plan to travel to Philipsburg , Germany to participate in the "STI European Championship" match (May 26-28) ( http://www.sti-euro-open.de/ ) are missing a good one. It will be an "IPSC Sanctioned", two day, sixteen stage, 327 round event with approximately 330 competitors. Herbert Jacob and Karl Prommersberger again promise to promote a grand event.

Sales of the "IPSC 30th Anniversary Commemorative" gun are going very, very well! It appears that STI's folks did an excellent job of selecting the proper balance of style and functionality for this model. If you've missed it on our website, at shows and matches, etc., I believe that it will soon be viewable on the IPSC ( http://www.ipsc.org/ ) and World Shoot XIV ( http://www.worldshootxiv.com/ ) websites.

Some of you Domestics have inquired as to whether STI will be producing a " USPSA 30th Anniversary Commemorative" edition gun as we are doing for IPSC. We have inquired of the USPSA "powers that be" as to their desires but, as yet, have received no response.

Many, many of you have asked why STI does not market "Air Soft" replicas of our guns. About seven years ago we licensed a Japanese manufacturer to tool up and produce them, not realizing that that firm only marketed in Japan. We subsequently made arrangements with small marketers to distribute those products in several countries, but in all cases those companies were too under funded to survive the "shake out" in that market. We have now hooked the "BIG FISH" in the business. For any of you, world wide, who have an interest in Importing or Distributing a wide range of STI (as well as other soft air products) the folks to contact are "ActionSportGames A/S". ( http://www.actionsportgames.com/ ) Based on their booth and display at IWA, they are "Da' Man" and are continuing to look for outlets for their products. Nice, nice people with a huge line of fine products! We should have a link to their site established next week.

LAST, BUT FAR FROM LEAST: With the "IPSC World Shoot XIV" to be held in Ecuador , August 21-27, STI is proud to announce that we are the OVERALL MATCH SPONSOR! If there is anything that we can do to aid any of you in your pursuit of STI business through this activity, please let us know. We should have the link to the WS website linked to ours, also next week.

Do good. Sell a bunch. Have fun. Not necessarily in that order!