Smith & Wesson recently released some interesting and odd variants of some existing guns. First, let's look at the guns we think people will be interested in:
Model 327 WR Jerry Miculek World Record Revolver
With a $3499 MSRP this won't be a revolver that everyone will buy, but for those wanting a tricked out 327 to Jerry Miculek's specs this is an awesome package. Chambered in 9mm and topped with a Vortex red dot, I could pretend I'm great shot. I'm not, but perhaps I would be a bit better with this beautiful gun.
M&P9 Shield Plus Threaded Barrel
The Shield Plus is a solid improvement over the original Shield with capacity and form factor similar to the SIG P365 and Springfield Hellcat. This new version has a threaded barrel, night sights, and 3 magazines. It's also optics ready so with an MSRP of $569 this is a compelling concealable pistol that's suppressor ready. Overall it's a solid package at that price point.
Bodyguard 2.0 w/ Thumb Safety
The original Bodyguard 380 was small, thin, and lightweight making it a great fit for someone needing a very compact gun. The downside for most people was shooting it. I've heard some customers like theirs however the majority of people I've spoken to do not. I warned my friend not to buy a Bodyguard 380 and after a couple months of owning it said "You were right." The new Bodyguard 2.0 is kind of a blend of the Shield Plus and the Bodyguard 380. Sizewise it's in between, but gets capacity on par with the Shield Plus as well as a far nicer trigger and grip. With an MSRP of $449, this is a nice gun for conceal carry if you want something a little softer than 9mm.
Model 1854 Chambered in .357 Magnum
A new 'Stealth Hunter' line of the 1854 was released, but S&W also launched multiple versions of the gun in .357 Magnum. Having this caliber option is great for those wanting a feature packed lever ation rifle with their revolver chambered in .357 Mag. This Stealth Hunter pictured has a spacious top rail in addition to the included Hiviz H3 sight and features a threaded barrel with thread cap. It looks like a winner.
Now for the guns that made us scratch our head
Before we begin and get a bunch of hate mail, we will just say that the .40 S&W is not a terrible round. It's just not as abundant or economical given the proliferation of 9mm. Designed for the FBI because they were worried their agents couldn't handle a full 10mm round, S&W cut the cartridge down to make it softer. It's similar to comparing a .380 ACP to 9mm. When the US government agencies dumped the .40S&W and went to the more common 9mm a lot of state and local police departments followed suit. For a while there was a surplus of cheap .40 S&W ammunition as it was all being offloaded so it kind of made sense to buy a handgun in that caliber. Unfortunately that time is long gone and the demand for .40S&W handguns went with it. Companies like Sig Sauer dropped all of their commercial .40 S&W handgun offerings along with their own .357 SIG. We rarely get anyone wanting to buy a new .40S&W handgun however plenty of people want to sell their old .40 S&W handgun. Unfortunately the used market is also really bad for .40S&W so we can't buy or sell them for anything close to their 9mm counterparts. Buying a new .40S&W gun is a terrible financial decision if you think you may ever sell it so combined with the ammunition cost we generally don't recommend buying one. All of that being said, it didn't stop S&W from dropping a slew of guns in .40 S&W. Take a peek!
S&W SD40 2.0
The SD series is what you get when S&W decided to build an inexpensive Glock 19 inspired gun. They're actually decent lower priced handguns if you're on a budget, but we suggest you get the SD9. If you buy this in .40S&W you will immedietly lose 50% of the value if you try to sell it and even more if it's well used. It's shocking that they went to the trouble of updating the SD40. This has an MSRP of just $349 and we won't have one in stock, but we can certainly order one if you really want it.
M&P40 M2.0 Fullsize Metal
Everything we said about the SD40 above applies to this, but you will lose even more money when you sell it. With an MSRP of $899 it's almost 3 times the price of the SD40 2.0 so you will lose 3 times as much when you unload it. If this was a car you would find it on a Mitsubishi dealer lot trying to be sold to someone with bad credit. You also won't find this in our store, but once again we will get one for you if you must have it.
M&P FPC .40 S&W
The FPC is an interesting gun and a tidy overall package however being limited to S&W magazines instead of Glock magazines really dumped cold water on this gun from the start. There's virtually no pistol caliber carbines in .40S&W so I guess they have this market cornered. With an MSRP of $699 you won't lose as much as the M&P40 M2.0 Metal when you try to dump it, but you will still lose your shirt if you can find someone that wants it.