Hi Guys,

This will be a short one and may be the last for this year.

The product launch for the "Spartan" was done in Manila last week and it was overwhelming. Our Distributors there sold all that we had been able to allocate to them in the first two days of the five day show. From that point on, they took reservations to be delivered after their pre-election gun ban. Additionally, the "buzz" on the forums has created an unexpected feeding frenzy here in the U.S. It may be a while until Europe , South America and the rest of Asia get to see any volume of this product.

That was the good news from our perspective. The "less than good" news is that we miscalculated the transportation, customs, F.E.T. and "other import" costs. That is my subtle way of saying that we'll honor the agreed upon price on all Spartans that we had on order prior to December 1, 2006 for delivery before March 31, 2007, but new orders and deliveries that were scheduled past 3/31/07 will be at a higher cost. New MSRP is $660.00. Listen to the buzz!

Well, maybe 6-axis, ultra high speed machining centers aren't totally up to their advertising yet, but what is? The Texican is delayed! Samples at the SHOT Show, production in the first quarter.

The Distributor/Dealer/Retail price adjustments in the parts lines for 2007 will be primarily in 1911 frames and some small parts. Probably up some.

Additionally, some of the small parts on the OEM list will receive some adjustment. As many will go down as will go up, and the decreases are larger than the increases. A couple of new items will be added to this list. A few will be removed.

The new 2007 catalog will go to the print shop on Monday and will be available by SHOT. Pictures and descriptions of the Escort, Guardian, Sentinel, and Legend should be on the web by the end of the week.

The weakening U.S. dollar seems to be having a major impact on our Export customers. Those order levels are increasing rapidly. I repeat: "Get your scheduled orders on the books."

We are still increasing our outputs but you guys are tough to keep up with when things are going your way. We are currently on pace to exhibit a 15% business increase this year with a 40% increase in gun production, exclusive of the Spartan and Texican. You need to come visit and see what's happening here.

S.H.O.T. Show Booth # 1277

IWA Show Booth #3-136.

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