Reader Brad_In_IL suggests that Palmetto State Armory has an overstock of the excellent S&W Model 686; that, or they’re just using it as a loss leader — the retail term that is used to describe an advertising campaign which features a product at a ridiculously-low price to attract customers into the store, where they’ll buy not just the featured loss leader but (hopefully) other products at regular retail prices (which carry higher profit margins).
Here’s the aforementioned S&W 686 from PSA:
Phew. Okay, that’s really tempting. [checks bank account]
Shit.