Quote from Sgram #80: "As an additional aside, we seem to be having an unprecedented call for "2011" grips recently. It’s caught us by surprise and caused us to come up somewhat short. We’re now in a position, due to the lead-time on insert blanks, where we must ration our usage to complete guns for a period just to satisfy those orders. We’re sorry for any inconvenience." In retrospect, part of the shortfall is due to our 17% increase in business through the third quarter. I also did not mean to infer that "Shortblocks", "Slide to Frame Fits", and "Frame Kits" were no longer available. They are! We just won’t have adequate inventory to sell many unattached grips or to put them on prize tables for a while.

More "mis-speak" from Sgram #80: "With the additional capacity, we may be able to reopen the Custom Shop or expand the option list to include some of the most requested custom operations sometime in 2006. No promises, but we might." At this point, it won’t happen! The fourth quarter is shaping up to show an approximate 20-24% continued increase and we have no reason to believe that there will be a "slump" in the next couple of quarters. We just can’t do it! I’m sorry for the tease.

As a matter of fact, the moderately delayed autumn rush has commenced. Remember the last quarter from the last couple of years? In 2003, we went into the last quarter with a substantial inventory of guns in the safe and you picked us clean. In 2004, we were not as stocked as ’03 and your delivery times went out to 16-18 weeks. (Not bad, but not up to our usual standard.) This year, we go into the stretch in about the same inventory position as ’03 but our throughput demand is larger. While we have almost double the capacity now that we had in ’03, most of it is committed to large, long runs for large, long-term customers. Take a look at your "hole cards"; it may be time for you to project your needs through the first quarter of next year and order accordingly.

We also must save some machine time for the new products and expanded product lines between now and the SHOT Show. One of them will be a 4.15" length version of the "Duty One" and be offered in the same calibers. We choose to call it the "Duty CT". All "railed" frame units will now be a more industry standard length and the 1911 style will adopt the more industry standard "rounded" trigger guard. These changes should make it much easier for your customer base to find holsters to fit these products and increase your sales. The "VIP" will have the option of a 4.15" barrel to satisfy Canadian, and other, laws. The current "Ranger II" will have its caliber options opened up to match the "Trojan’s" calibers. We will also be building a run of "Trojans" in ALL stainless steel, also with the neat adjustable sight that we are using on the "Legacy". This one will be called the "Trojan SS" and will be offered in .45ACP only. Don’t bother to ask; we are NOT expanding the stainless line further.

Because we think that we have now added all to the product line that we expect to by SHOT show time, the new 2005/2006 Price List is available to all who want it. You’ll find the new guns there along with their options. If you compare this list VERY closely with the old one, you’ll find that we have deleted some seldom asked for parts and options.

This is directed specifically toward you Domestic Distributors and Domestic Stocking Dealers: We instituted the $500.00 minimum factory order as much for your benefit as for ours. More and more frequently when we refer customers to you guys, the customer is calling us back to complain that you don’t have what he wants in your inventory, primarily on parts, but more and more this is beginning to happen on guns. If you don’t want referrals or if you don’t want to inventory a full line of guns and parts, just tell us. We can make arrangements to satisfy everyone’s needs.

For a change, we got some really good feedback from you guys on one of our questions. The question was: "If you weren’t already a member of the STI Team, what kind of "SHOT Show Special" would entice you to join?" Based on your input, our Sales Group is coming up with some really cool schemes. Stay tuned to see what we settle on. It ought to be a great Show.

Speaking of shows, we plan to not exhibit at the NASGW Show this year. We feel that we have probably gotten as much mileage out of that one as we can. The jury is still out on our NRA Show attendance. We will definitely still attend IWA. May even bring some of the Sales folks that you haven’t met yet.

The proper barrel forgings for the "TruSight" guns are here now and have been launched into production. We should be filling backorders for this gun by early next month. There is some very interesting discussion of this one on the "Enos Forum".

By "popular demand", we have decided to start the "STI Million Dollar Club". Several of you are getting VERY close and one of you has attained it.

We are definitely creating a "Legacy"! Both samples of the new gun are here! They are both beautiful! (Please see previous Sgrams for descriptions.) John has posted pictures on the website and we’ve been promised a magazine cover and story on this one. We have made our decision on both finish and price. The finish that we settled on is a proprietary PVD (Physical Vapor Deposition) coating using carbon/tungsten as a base material. This makes for a very hard and long lasting surface finish that is impervious to environmental conditions and harsh chemicals. This is a finish that many "high end", high volume machine shops (including us) have their high speed cutting tools plated with to enhance tool life and efficiency. We do not plan to offer this finish as an option on any other gun!

We have reworked the wording on the "Range Program" for clarity purposes only. No real change in the program. If you are in it or want to be in it, please let your normal STI contact know and we’ll provide you with the new words.

To clear up some other confusion from Sgram #80 pertaining to the Contingency Program for 2007, let me expand on the quote: "All shirts worn by Program participants/beneficiaries would need to be either a regular STI shirt or one of you folks’ shirt in some combination of STI colors, i.e. red, white, and black. Equal logo size rules would still apply." What that means is that the only shirts acceptable in the program must either be a regular STI shirt (in any style) or another shirt in some configuration of STI colors, i.e. RED, WHITE, AND BLACK. It also means that the STI LOGO must be of equal (or larger) size as any other on the shirt, including the other largest. (I’d really prefer that you not force me to dictate a minimum size. Please?) Clear now?

Just a quick reminder to those of you who don’t receive this as an attachment; your system has got to accept RTF (Rich Text Format) for this to come through as written. Some of you probably don’t get it because your "anti-spam" filters don’t let it through. In any case, it normally hits the website within hours of being publish. Go there. Go often.

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