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Smith & Wesson(R) Debuts New Products and Earns Industry Awards at 2009 SHOT Show

Posted on: Thursday, 22 January 2009, 07:00 CST

Extensions to Military & Police(TM) Series, Pro Series, Night Guard(TM) Revolvers, New Classics Models and Thompson/Center Arms Hunting Firearms

SPRINGFIELD, Mass., Jan. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation (Nasdaq: SWHC), parent company of Smith & Wesson Corp., the legendary 157-year old company in the global business of safety, security, protection and sport, announced today that it unveiled several new models and extensions to its Smith & Wesson and Thompson/Center Arms firearms brands at the 2009 Shooting Hunting & Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show held in Orlando, Florida, last week. The new product lineup featured extensions to the Company's popular Military & Police (M&P) Polymer Pistol and Rifle Series, as well as new pistol and revolver models in the Pro Series, Night Guard Series and Classics lines. In addition, Thompson/Center Arms also unveiled three new hunting rifle product platforms, as well as a number of product extensions to the ICON(R) family of bolt-action rifles.

Sponsored by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the four-day SHOT Show is the largest trade show of its kind in the world. Featuring 1,800 exhibiting companies encompassing more than 715,000 square feet of space, the 31st annual SHOT Show attracted more than 48,000 industry professionals representing all 50 states and numerous foreign countries. Among the firearms launched at the trade show event were:

Smith & Wesson

• M&P Pistol Series - Compact and full-size M&P pistols, in all calibers, are now available with an optional frame-mounted ambidextrous thumb safety.
• M&P15 Rifle Series - Three new AR-15 style rifles were introduced, including a fully automatic rifle for military and law enforcement agencies and models with a piston impingement operating system. Smith & Wesson also launched a dedicated .22LR platform (M&P15-22) that provides sport enthusiasts with a popular rifle design chambered in the more economical ammunition.
• Night Guard Series - Two new mid-size revolvers were added to this line, which is designed for personal concealed carry and home protection.
• Pro Series - Three new pistols were added to the series, capitalizing on the success of John Moses Browning's popular 1911 design, including a 3" compact model suitable for concealed carry.
• Classic Series - Five new retro-revolvers were launched, all based on past models from Smith & Wesson's 157 year-old history.

Thompson/Center Arms

• ICON bolt-action rifle - New long action calibers with a corrosion resistant Weather Shield finish were introduced.
• Triumph Bone Collector Series - This new series is comprised of new muzzleloaders designed in collaboration with Professional Hunter Michael Waddell.
• ICON Precision Hunter - This brand new bolt-action rifle has been engineered for long-range hunting applications.
• T/C(R) Venture - This mid-range, new market entry is an economical bolt-action rifle with match grade barrel that carries the Thompson/Center Arms quality with an economical price tag and is capable of shooting 3 shots within 1" of accuracy at 100 yards.

"As the premier trade convention in our industry, SHOT Show has always served as an important venue to unveil a variety of new products and services," said Michael Golden, Smith & Wesson's President and Chief Executive Officer. "This year, we expanded our very popular M&P Pistol and Rifle Series with several new introductions designed to answer the needs of both law enforcement professionals and recreational shooters. During the show, we also unveiled three new hunting rifle product platforms, and a number of ICON bolt-action product extensions under the Thompson/Center Arms brand, each designed to address a specific market segment, and each to perform as a frontrunner in both accuracy and innovation. The T/C Venture product line is particularly exciting and very timely, because it extends the high-quality, Thompson/Center Arms brand into a more affordable segment of the large, bolt-action market."

Smith & Wesson was named "Company of the Year" during a special ceremony hosted by SHOT Business. SHOT Business recognized Smith & Wesson for the Company's numerous contributions and overall dedication to the shooting sports industry. Smith & Wesson's Elite Gold(TM) Shotgun also received the coveted Best of the Best award from Field & Stream magazine. The Best of the Best awards were announced earlier this year and Field & Stream presented the actual awards during SHOT Show in order to recognize the recipients among their peers. In addition, the Smith & Wesson Shooting Sports Center was also recognized by the NSSF for its participation and active leadership in the First Shots program. The First Shots program was designed to help introduce and educate first time shooters to the sport of handgun and long gun shooting.

About Smith & Wesson

Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation, a global leader in safety, security, protection and sport, is parent company to Smith & Wesson Corp., one of the world's largest manufacturers of quality firearms and firearm safety/security products and parent company to Thompson/Center Arms Company, Inc., a premier designer and manufacturer of premium hunting rifles, black powder rifles, interchangeable firearms systems and accessories under the Thompson/Center brand. Smith & Wesson licenses shooter protection, knives, apparel, and other accessory lines. Smith & Wesson is based in Springfield, Massachusetts with manufacturing facilities in Springfield, Houlton, Maine, and Rochester, New Hampshire. The Smith & Wesson Academy is America's longest running firearms training facility for law enforcement, military and security professionals. For more information on Smith & Wesson, call (800) 331-0852 or log on to www.smith-wesson.com. For more information on Thompson/Center Arms, log on to www.tcarms.com.

Contacts: Liz Sharp, VP Investor Relations Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. (480) 949-9700 x. 115 lsharp@smith-wesson.com Industry Contact: Gary Giudice Blue Heron Communications (800) 654-3766 gary@blueheroncomm.com

SOURCE Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation

Source: PR Newswire

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