Originally Posted by Pef

A more reasoned reply - unless there is a significant dip in sales, I don't see S&W expediting R&D for a new, higher capacity sub-compact 9mm. It will eventually come, I suppose, but I would expect it to be part of a longer term strategy than an immediate response.



Right now S&W is probably making a decent profit on the shield, because the R&D costs are now nil. The Shield name now has a lot of good will in the gun community, which also reduces marketing costs somewhat as compared to a new gun.



Merely looking at it from a dollars point of view, which is what every gun company does, rushing out a new and "better" product as an immediate reaction to a competitor may actually cost the company more in the long run than staying with the status quo for now. There's a balance between always putting out something new and staying the course to maximize profits on an existing line.



Like I said, I think there will be something new in good time. Gun companies are now entering a phase where the products are changing at a faster pace than before. But I don't think it will be any time soon.