Monday May 14, 8:43 am Eastern Time

Saf-T-Hammer to Buy
Smith & Wesson

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (Reuters) - Gun safety equipment maker
Saf-T-Hammer Corp.  said on Monday it has
acquired well-known gun manufacturer Smith & Wesson Corp. from a unit
of Britain's Tomkins Plc  for $15 million.

The price is well below the $112 million Tomkins paid for Smith &
Wesson, a 147-year-old gun brand name, the Financial Times noted on its
Web site on Sunday.

``Tomkins' motivation to sell Smith & Wesson as part of its refocused
worldwide operation presented an extraordinary opportunity for
Saf-T-Hammer,'' Mitchell Saltz, chairman of Saf-T-Hammer, said in a news
release.

The agreement called for Saf-T-Hammer to pay $15 million in cash, with
$5 million paid upon closing and the balance due in May 2002, the
company said.