I picked this up last night in trade. It was a really good deal and hated to pass it up. Local guy I know needed some cash for bills. Anyway, I started thinking a bit. Why? What does purpose does the NRA model serve? I can understand the M17/M18/Glock 19x and other full size FDE weapons, but why this?

Either way, it's a neat little weapon. Came with 2 12's, a 15 all with FDE base plates and the NRA coin. I already have a black XL and standard P365, so this will either be a collector piece possibly or just trade stock.

quote:

Originally posted by rockchalk06:
I can understand the M17/M18/Glock 19x and other full size FDE weapons, but why this?

$$

If they build it, we'll buy it. Simple as that.

Build anything, and they will buy, no matter how ridiculous it is. That's why.

Because gun collections are an in-(snicker), inve-(starts giggling and has to stop typing), in-VESTment! (starts laughing uncontrollably)

I guess that makes sense.

Probably it's a "special edition" that gun companies make to donate to the Friends of NRA for auction at their regional banquets to raise funds for local shooting programs, training, etc.

I'm amused that the idea of a "full size" handgun in FDE makes any more sense than this one.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mesabi,

quote:

Originally posted by rockchalk06:
I guess that makes sense.

No, it doesn't, but they and we do it anyway.

Were the octagon barrels that were available as special order on certain guns in the 19th century of any more utility than round barrels? How about silver plating or even engraving (that persists to this day)? Why ask “why?” about such things that have existed since someone decided to scratch decorative marks on a piece of seashell.

Talking about missing the point, and I'll tell ya- you sure seem grumpy lately. Ready to scrap, that's how it seems.

Octagonal barrels (which my father said have greater strength than their round, 19th Century technology counterparts), silver plating, engraving and the like, were features which were ordered by the customer.

Here, however, we have a baby shit-colored pistol which makes no sense. This is a concealed carry pistol. The FDE coloring comes from desert warfare camouflage. Does that make any sense at all? No, it doesn't, but SIG knows they can sell anything and everything they make, and this particular model seems to be for the guy who is trying to collect all variants of the P365. It doesn't matter if he owns a half dozen already. He has to have this one, too, and that is nothing like the special order adornments requested by the customer.

Sincerely, I doubt that there is any real demand for a concealed carry pistol in a desert camouflage color. No one would be ordering such a thing, but, SIG made it, so...

Cha-Ching!

It just seemed like one more of the innumerable “Why would anyone do that?” threads.
But is there a difference between pure decoration and some sort of commemorative like a John Wayne special 1911? I suppose there is, but the motives are the same: it provides a bit of special meaning to the object that some find extra appealing.

And you are right about the scrappiness. I will remind myself again where my interests in the forum should lie. I keep forgetting and honestly do not know why.

There is an ass for every seat.

quote:

Originally posted by sigfreund:
Were the octagon barrels that were available as special order on certain guns in the 19th century of any more utility than round barrels? How about silver plating or even engraving (that persists to this day)? Why ask “why?” about such things that have existed since someone decided to scratch decorative marks on a piece of seashell.

Exactly.

Why? Money. Profits. Feeding off those who are so, so "bored" of black. Or pandering to those who simply want a CCW that matches their bigger, fatter poop brown guns. So what else is new? At least it isn't in Iridescent Unicorn My Little Pony Rainbow.

For now.

BTW these overpriced (my opinion) packages sell very well, even long before the pandemic (and now rioting) panic rush. As much as I'm not a fan of him, I must concede that this Cohen fellow is one cagey dude who definitely has the pulse of the average gun buyer.

Well...

If you carried it AIWB, and didn't wear a shirt, then it might camouflage fairly well depending on your skin tone.

People like FDE for whatever reason. A portion of proceeds go to NRA and it’s about $40 more than a new one, but comes with the 2 standard mags as well as the higher capacity mag (standard 365 comes with 2, 10s and a 12rd while XL comes with 2, 12s and a 15rd) so it’s really about the same price after you factor in additional magazine and some of the profits go to a good cause.

This is a lipseys exclusive firearm so normally that means this distributor went to Sig and agreed to order “X” amount of them in exchange for them making an exclusive firearm for their company so if you want to buy one of these as a dealer you have to get it from Lipsey’s.

Why did they decide to go with baby shit brown? Well, probably because black was already taken

quote:

...so it’s really about the same price after you factor in additional magazine and some of the profits go to a good cause.

Well only if someone believes that funding Wayne LaPierre's wardrobe budget is a good cause.

Snarky commentary aside, here's why I think this NRA package is overpriced (geeky retail gobbletygook warning):

We typically buy direct from SIG, so our typical markup margins are based off of that lower pricing relative to MAP. As you've stated, the NRA editions (short and long slide) are Lipsey's TALO exclusives. Immediate uh oh, as there's always a middleman markup involved. Using those same direct-from-factory margins (MAP over cost) and applying to the Lipsey's guns, the price difference between a standard XL vs the NRA XL package would far exceed that $40 that you've previously quoted. Even when buying the base XL from Lipsey's instead of from SIG, that difference in cost is more than $40; calculate a reasonable margin markup and the difference is exacerbated further. Frankly I can't see any dealer willing to give up those margin points even during the slowest of times, and currently we are far from being in the slowest of times.

Lipsey's provides a posted MAP for each of those guns on their dealer web pages. I suppose an atypical dealer could sell them as a relative loss leader as long as those sales propagate huge volumes of ammo and accessory sales where those margins are far better and friendly to the gun shop. But by and large the posted MAP prices over Lipsey's dealer pricing barely cover operating costs for bring the guns in and then selling them (unless the dealer charges an added fee for running the background check, and of course recoup the charge card cost). An online operation like Bud's or Palmetto could make that model work since they don't deal with cost of background checks at all and sell in relatively huge volume given their national shopping pool, but a standard B&M would be hard pressed to compete price-wise, and additionally not be tempted to sell them at MSRP rather than slum it at MAP, just in the hopes of making some meager profit off each gun on the back end.

So in short, we price the NRA editions accordingly to fit our business model (and to make certain each transaction is not going to lose money). Given that reality, those guns wind up costing the end user significantly more while providing marginal adds, unless having a FDE 15 rounder is the most precious thing on Earth, maintaining LaPierre's closet is somehow important to the buyer and/or a stupid challenge coin is their thing.

FDE makes sense because the NRA is full of shit.

Wayne LP does it so he can wear those expensive suits.
Sig does it as explained by Para, knowing there are some people that think limited edition and NRA are special enough to drive sales.
I just don't get the color unless they had a bunch of extras around in that color that nobody else would buy and thought NRA branding would help them unload a few.