Western revival

Michael Golden had never fired a gun when he took the helm at the company that made the .44 M agnum that inspired the catch-phrase, "Go ahead, make my day," in the Dirty Harry movies. But the former Black & Decker Corp. and Kohler Co. executive says it was clear -- even to a guy who didn't know the difference between a pistol and a revolver -- that gunmaker Smith & Wesson Holding Corp. was not capitalizing on its renown.

"The brand in many ways represents Americana, the Wild West, law enforcement," the 53 -year-old Golden says. "It's a legacy brand that everybody knows."

But previous management had let obvious opportunities slip away.

The company that once held 98 percent of law enforcement gun contracts in the country began to lose its lead in the 1980s, when Austrian gunmaker Glock GmbH began offering a polymer pistol preferred by police. Smith & Wesson had not landed a military contract in 15 years. A 2004 consumer survey found that people were naming Smith & Wesson among their top choices for tactical rifles, shotguns, and hunting rifles -- guns the company did not even make.

Golden, who helped catapult DeWalt power tools to a leading brand, brought on a new management team including executives from Coca-Cola Co. and Harley-Davidson Inc.; hired a lobbying firm in Washington; and launched aggressive product expansion.

Smith & Wesson began making a new polymer pistol targeted at the law enforcement market last year. In January, it acquired Thomson/Center Arms, a company based in Rochester, New Hampshire, that specializes in muzzle loaders and rimfire rifles. This year, it begins in earnest a play beyond handguns, for the $1.1 billion market in rifles and shotguns.

The company won four Pentagon orders worth $20 million to provide 75,000 guns for the Afghan security forces last year. Its polymer guns have brought in contracts with 191 law enforcement agencies. Anticipating that the US military will issue a $300 million to $500 million contract to replace the pistols each American soldier carries this year, the company has developed a product and a public relations strategy: American guns for American troops, who now carry the Italian Beretta 9mm.

"The key thing is new management came on a couple of years ago and really took over what was a strong brand, but not well-utilized," said Eric Wold , managing director of equity research at Merriman Curhan Ford . "Everyone knew the Smith & Wesson brand; they were very strong in pistols and revolvers. But there was nothing to move beyond that."

The company has grown rapidly, adding 250 jobs in Massachusetts since 2004. In addition to its Springfield headquarters, the company has plants in Houlton, Maine, and Rochester, New Hampshire. The company has nearly doubled its annual revenue, to $206 million, in the two years since Golden took over. All its guns, except for shotguns, are made in the United States, and Golden likes to point out that the factory floor in Springfield has plenty of room to expand .

"There are two ways of running a company," he says. "Shrink the market so small we're the biggest player in it, or make the market as large as possible, with lots of room to grow. What we've done is energized a legacy brand."

Carolyn Y. Johnson can be reached at cjohnson@globe.com.