Cooler heads have prevailed. As I said in Sgram #97, I was preparing to dump some really good guns from the product line just because they hadn't really caught on yet and we needed the production time to focus on more popular models. Because they are good guns, and because they haven't been on the market long, your sales folks here have asked me to simply do a little changing of the product itself to see if you like it better. The proposed "re-vamps" are as follows:

• We feel that the "Trojan SS" is a beautiful (as well as damned functional) gun that hasn't caught on due to its' first visual impression. The change to it is the replacement of the grips. Henceforth, on new orders, we'll be installing the "Legacy" grips at no extra charge. The new picture is on the website now.

• We feel that the "Legacy" is a beautiful (as well as damned functional) and forever lasting gun that hasn't caught on due to its' price point as dictated by the PVD finish that we've been promoting. We are kicking around the thought of changing the finish from the PVD to a lustrous blue thus reducing the Retail price by about $240.00. Whadda' ya' think? If we do decide to make this change standard, we won't be able to offer the PVD as an option. It'll have to be on an SRA. The SRA quantity can, however, be 10 pieces.

• We feel that the "Duty One" and "Duty CT" are solid, workman-like guns and don't understand why they haven't caught on, other than I may not understand that market well enough to be effective. In a further effort to penetrate that market with something that may "click" and lead to the better acceptance of those two, I've got the engineering group working on one that we'll probably call the "Off Duty". It's currently planned to be a Commander Length steel frame with a tactical rail under a 3.25" barrel. Does this make sense?

As promised in Sgram #95, we've conceptionalized and launched into production the "USPSA" guns. One is the USPSA Single Stack and the other, the USPSA Double Stack, is on our patented modular double stack frame. There's some pretty nifty detail work on these and, while complete units are not yet available for photography, the descriptions are on the website.

Well, it looks like we're in the "about to be rockin'" stage for the "Texican". First production units are on the way. Top name SASS shooters waiting to get them and start showin' ‘em off. Belated Marketing plans beginning to come together. In conversation with "Super Machinist", it has become very apparent that other barrel lengths and further calibers are not a very big deal. If you've got preferences, please let me know!

Escorts, Guardians, Sentinels, and Legends are beginning to roll out! Just as a reminder, the Escort and the Guardian are now available in 9mm.

Spartans are beginning to roll in and roll out on a regular basis now and are lookin' better with every batch. Many of you have scheduled monthly releases through the end of this year at a given monthly quantity. Sometimes we actually have a few extra that are not committed to that schedule and our Sales folks are playin' favorites with ‘em. If you want to be a "favorite", you'd better let your contact know.

In Sgram #97, I asked: "Is the Distributor/Dealer network that STI currently works through ready yet for a polymer framed, DA/SA triggered and safetied gun, suitable for competition or carry, competitive with the foreign made XD's ( Croatia ) and Glocks ( Austria ) of the world?" The responses that I got were pretty mixed and probably of no real use to me because I asked the wrong question. The question should more properly have been asked as: "Is the Distributor/Dealer network that STI currently works through ready yet for a polymer framed, DA/SA triggered and safetied gun, suitable for competition or carry, competitive with the "FNH P-9 ", the "Browning Pro-9 ", the "H&K USP-9 ", the Walther "P99-9 ", and the "S&W M&P-9" ?" To be even more specific, the particulars would be as follows:

This one points like a real gun and doesn't recoil like a Glock!

Updated price lists are now available with all of this year's changes to date.

We've got room for only about 200 more guns on the schedule for the third quarter.

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