Smith & Wesson's Elite Gold

As I write this, the Euro has just reached a record high against the US dollar. It's small wonder that non-Euro gun producers like our NATO ally Turkey are getting more work. When Smith & Wesson announced that it was reentering the shotgun business a year ago, it should not have come as a surprise that the company would make its guns in Turkey. S&W's last effort at shotguns was from 1972 to 1984, when the company imported a line of pumps and autos from Howa in Japan. Today production in Japan is far more costly, whereas Turkey offers an enviable combination of gunmaking skills and moderate production costs.

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