Raleigh PD Gets Free M&P's

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RPCVYemen

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I guess this is how manufacturers win contracts.

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/1373078.html

Still not quite sure how S&W makes money on the deal. I can see that a new M&P is cheaper for the RPD than a new 4566, if the 4566 is in fact a custom order.

But doesn't S&W have to see the used 4566's for more than the cost of the M&P for this to make sense? Or do they make most of their money off of parts and support?

Mike
 
S&W will probably sell the turned in used guns for close to what it cost them to build the new ones. They will break even or maybe lose a little on the deal.

What they gain is great PR, tons of free advertising, parts and service sales for the next 10 years, and lots of good will from the cops who like the new guns (I personally would prefer the old ones but that's me).

Look for distributors to have deals on the old models in the next few months as S&W wholesales them out.
 
i agree with Saxonpig

Smith and Wesson just got their name, favorably, in news papers and news casts around the country probibly, and have an additional market for parts and magazines.

Advertising and customers.
 
Spare parts, magazines, maintenance agreements, armorer training classes etc.

There is lots of money to be made by giving things away.
 
Making a profit on police contracts is not important. It's all about status. The publicity from having your gun carried by police and military is worth its weight in gold. A large percentage of buyers want what the SEALs, FBI, NYPD, etc. carry. For example, the Springfield XD is a great gun but it doesn't get the respect it deserves because no significant law enforcement agencies carry it.
 
curious if the contract addresses moving patrol rifles to M&Ps as well...

we'll see a local surplus of the old 45's here in a few weeks i think...
 
Here is how I see it

Advanatages for the PD
-New Guns
-Higher cap mags
-Lighter weight
-Less money spent in total


Advantages for S&W
-Advertising
-Stock of Used guns they can pass along to dealers and get some cash off of
-goodwill in the eyes of Raleigh PD
-Since the M&P comes in a compact version as well I would expect to see some officers purchase the compact .45's for off duty/ BUG wear when they might instead buy a glock or something of that nature

I see all wins here.
 
2 more points:
1 - tax write-off; instead of the NC taxpayer buying these guns, all of us will help
2 - liability; to whatever extent an old gun might malfunction and put a cop's life at risk, it is good business sense to buy it back (and sell it to people whose lives aren't as news-worthy).
 
Aside from the specific advantage enumerated above, I'd say it is effective marketing.

We're talking about it here, aren't we? ;)
 
The M&P really shouldn't cost that much to produce. I don't know the exact figures for the M&P but if they're even close to the Glock in production costs it's about a hundred dollars per gun. That's shipping, advertising, and production. Basically all cost associated with producing the gun.

They won't lose any money on the trade-ins and it's great advertising for their product.
 
Its a loss leader. They lose money by giving free guns to police... but they more than make up for it in the long run due to increased retail sales.

Bear in mind, alot of handgun-unfamiliar and/or first-time buyers jump to the conclusion that a particular gun must be good simply because alot of cops carry them. S&W is trying to cash in on that rationale. And it'll work.
 
SaxonPig nailed it.

How many yuppies buy Glocks because "the local PD carries it?," or "such-and-such force/agency uses it?"

That's the type of positive advertising and publicity that money can't usually buy (although, in this case........ :p).

Besides, how much sense does it make to purchase a "Military and Police" pistol.....if no military or police forces use 'em?
 
they're arguably getting a better gun.

those older 4566's have dreadful trigger pulls.

i'm more partial to the M&P/9 (lighter pull) as the M&P/45 uses heavier strikers springs, IIRC.
 
They won't lose any money on the trade-ins and it's great advertising for their product.
Click to expand...

Does anyone know where we'd find the stats on government purchases vs. private purchases of pistols like the M&P?

Mike
 
guys, according to the article, they're not losing any money on this deal. what makes you guys think S&W is taking a loss on this?
 
Well, loss is a relative notion. It woiuld not be uncommon to have a contract that contains a low-to-no margin element (say, selling pistols near/below/at cost) along with other higher-margin elements (e.g. training and support). It is also likely that S&W will resell the old pistols at/near the production cost for the new M&Ps.

S&W will be making money overall. If they didn't, they wouldn't stay in business too terribly long.
 
The PD is giving them a chance to buy their service arm, and from what I hear pretty cheaply. I don't understand why all of them are not buying their old piece. I guess a lot of the PD aren't really gun people?

Thanks for the link to the story!
 
There are a number of reasons an officer might choose not to buy his or her previous service weapon. They include:

-Not really a gun person
-An expense they cannot justify
-Don't care for the old service weapon
-Old service weapon has experienced problems

The PD I work for is going to be switching from our current issue Beretta 96FS to the Glock 22 someone in the next couple of months. We have been told we will have the opportunity to purchase our Berettas for about $200 each. That is not a bad deal for a 96FS with Trijicon night sights and three magazines. However, I won't be buying mine. I'm not a fan of the .40S&W in general or the 96FS specifically. If we carried the 92FS, I'd snap it up for $200 in a heartbeat. As it stands, I'd rather spend my $200 or so on a nice used S&W revolver.

I do like the 4566TSW quite a bit. I already have one thanks to the Durham Co. Sheriff's Office recent change from the 4566 to the M&P45, but if I can get a deal on a Raleigh PD trade in, I might pick up a second.
 
Under "expense they cannot justify" you can break that down to "already have a gun they like" and "other expenses don't justify".
 
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