Flagship Guns

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Flagship Guns (only 10 MISSING!)

Can you help me establish what the more or less undisputed flagship SD handguns are for these respective companies? That are being produced today? (no vintage/discontinued guns) I need this for an article.

Manurhin = MR-73
Glock = Glock 17 Gen4
Kahr = K9
Sig Sauer = p226
CZ = CZ 75B
Smith & Wesson = Model 29 (Dirty Harry), Model 27 or 686
Walther = P99 or PPK
Ruger= Redhawk or GP-100
Beretta = 92FS
IWI = Jericho 941
Colt = M1911 Special Combat Government
Springfield Armory = 1911 Loaded or TRP
Browning = Hi Power
Heckler und Koch = P30 or VP9 or USP
Steyr = M9
Magnum Research = Desert Eagle
Cabot Guns = Jones Deluxe
Seecamp = LWS .32
NAA = .22lr revolver
Detonics = MTX
Dan Wesson = DW Valor Black
FN = FNS-9 or FN Five-Seven
Remington = R1 1911
Guncrafter Industries = GI 50 Model 1
Sphinx = SDP
Boberg = XR9-S
Tanfoglio = Witness Elite
Valtro = 1998 A1
Korth = Classic 3 Zoll
Bond = Snake Slayer IV or Bond Ranger II
Freedom Arms = Model 83 Premier Grade
Caracal =
Coonan =
Daewoo =
Infinity =
Lionheart
Les Baer =
Wilson Combat =
Ed Brown =
Nighthawk Custom =
STI =
 
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P7 is out of production. I'd say the P30 is heir to the throne.
Seecamp-.32.
NAA-the standard .22lr revolver
Wilson, Les Baer...see what's most expensive. I have a Wilson master grade. That's as good as it got in the early 80's.
Remington. Nothing right now.
Detonics making guns again? I'd say the Combat Master but, web site shows out of production. I think they make one gun.
 
Id make a few changes....The 686 is iconic no doubt, but when it comes to Smiths nothing is more well-known than the model 29, the "dirty harry" 44 mag that started a craze that lives on still today. Yes, its still in production. Springfield Armory---no question here, its the XD line. It put them in the mainstream handgun market and is gaining quite the following and converting Glock'ers as I type this.

For Remington i'd say the R1 1911, cuz heck, its about the only handgun they make. For FN, thats a toughy. FNS-9 or the FN Five-Seven. When i think flagship, im torn between what the company sells the most of vs what they are known for. Sometimes they arent mutual.
 
Why isn't Taurus and Chiappa on this list?
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Same could be asked for Bersa, Canik/Tristar, and several others. The OP seems to only want to know the flagship guns for what he has defined as "Class A" companies in another thread. But hey, whatever trips your trigger...
 
The list is flawed you are listing the most popular not the flagship. For example the P320 is no where near the best that Sig produces.
 
The Sig 320 does not belong on that list, and I would put the H&K USP over the P30 or VP9 if you are talking about flagship guns, though really it should be the P7 but it's not in production anymore. Also the Colt SAA could easily be considered Colt's flagship gun over the 1911, same with the S&W model 10 over the 29. You really cant make a list of flagship guns for a company and not include discontinued models. Not including discontinued guns makes it a bit tough and kind of defeats the purpose of making a list of flagship guns for companies. Flagship guns are not what is most popular today, it's what the company was known for and what put them on the map.
 
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Since a flagship is the most important ship belonging to a shipping company, then a flagship gun would be the most important gun to a gun manufacturing company.

For Boberg, it would be their XR9-S
For Tanfoglio, it would probably be their Witness Elite line.
For Sphinx, it would be their SDP line.
 
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In addition to the list not being the best/most revered guns made by the gunmakers listed, the list has a LOT of overlap. The list, for example has a number of 1911s listed, built by different makers, and the main difference between them is build quality, and THOSE variations can be found within a single maker. As for the manufacturers that build both revolvers and semi-auto, the list should arguably include the BEST OF BOTH... (S&W, for example, has built, is still building both stellar revolvers and semi-autos... Ruger arguably has, too.)

Guns like the Jericho 941 are simply variants of the CZ 75 (or the later Tanfoglio version of the CZ.)

Browning didn't make the BHP (and JMB only played a part in it's design) -- the Hi-Power was (then and still is) made by FN. The BHP is arguably a dated design. FN, in the meantime, has since made many substantial guns that are newer (and, arguably, more versatile.) The FNS is a fine gun (I've got two), but they're too new to be sure that they're the best or a flagship gun.

I wouldn't be surprised to see the Walther P99 discontinued in the not-too-distant future. Some of the new Walther semi-autos seem pretty good.

H&K? I would expect their new "striker-fired" models to quickly move the hammer-fired guns to the back burner, as they become beter known.

SIG? The P220 started most of what we see today (it's the underlying design for the 226, the P6/225 and the X-Five and X-Six variants in different calibers. SIG has just introduced a 10mm version which gives it new life. (The SIG P-210 is still being made, for that matter, and it's almost universally considered one of the best and most accurate semi-autos available. And it's basically a service pistol!)

Nearly all of the Glocks are simply one model with minor variations.

A lot of the maker names on the list ought to be culled, or lumped into a bigger category...
 
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Since a flagship is the most important ship belonging to a shipping company, then a flagship gun would be the most important gun to a gun manufacturing company.
Click to expand...

Maybe in maritime it is, but from a product standpoint I would have to disagree. I had always thought of a flagship product as what a company is known for, and even looking up the definition it pretty much says as much. I am going to have to dig through my business and marketing textbooks from college and see what it's listed as in them because I know we touched upon this at some point.


Flagship Product - A primary product of a company, which is typically why the company was founded and/or what made it well known. For example, MS-DOS, Windows and the Microsoft Office suite have been flagship products of Microsoft. CorelDRAW is a flagship product of Corel Corporation.

As well as this one

What's a flagship product?

A flagship product is a product or service that you and your business becomes identified with. It's something that communicates a concept or solution that people automatically and favorably associate with you.

For example, Colt - SAA or 1911, Beretta -92/M9, Smith & Wesson - 29 (Dirty Harry make my day)

Since you say a flagship product is the most important gun to a gun manufacturing company, that would make Smith & Wesson's flagship product the Shield since it is arguably their best selling gun these past 2 years. As much as I love my Shield, I think it would be an insult to S&W to call their flagship product the Shield.
 
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Sig's flagship product is the P238 with tribal grips and diamond plate slide because it matches my diesel truck and my tattoos.:)
 
I think the number of mfg's on your list needs a lot of work...( most of them are not "flagship" worthy mfg's in my view, but ...

Freedom Arms ...model 83 is a solid choice ( I like it in a 4 3/4" barrel ).../premier grade, full action job and an octagonal barrrel ...probably in .357 Mag or .44 Mag

Wilson Combat ...full sized CQB model ...all steel ...probably in .45 acp or 9mm

S&W revolver... flagship SD is probably the .357 Mag caliber...so a model 27 in a 4" is their flagship ( in Nickel ). / .44 Mag in the model 29 in a 4"....maybe --- but I don't carry my model 29 in a 4".../ if I wanted to carry a .44 Mag, I'd carry a model 629 in a 3"..( but the 629 is not a flagship model).

Sig Sauer...I like the 226 as well..in all stainless....in .40 S&W or maybe 9mm
 
So many things wrong with this list. The premise is flawed the the actual execution is even worse.

For example:

Sig Sauer = p226

Sorry but the P220 is foundation that every other P series Sig was built on. It was originally in 9mm. From there it became a 45 ACP for the US market. It became a double stack P226. It became a compact double stack P228. It then became a 40S&W/.357 Sig P229, It became a single stack subcompact as the P225 and P239.

And if you want to disregard that foundation then the P210 is the correct choice considering it would make many peoples list of the top 10 finest combat production guns ever made. The P226 might have sold more units but it does not hold a candle to the P210 of any vintage when it comes to quality and precision.


Smith & Wesson = Model 29 (Dirty Harry), Model 27 or 686

There the 27 is clearly the winner. I is the classic N frame built to the standards.

Walther = P99 or PPK

Your "discontinued" caveat kills this one IMHO. The Luger is the best pistol they ever made. If you were going to pick a current production gun the PPQ will be around long after the P99 is gone, which IMHO is very soon. How can one of the flagships be such a poor seller.

Springfield Armory = 1911 Loaded or TRP

A loaded is not the mid range production 1911 nothing more nothing less. Should not be on this list.

Browning = Hi Power

Browning does not make any guns.... :rolleyes:

Heckler und Koch = P30 or VP9 or USP

Dan Wesson = DW Valor Black

I would argue that the CBOB or the current VBOB is the gun that made Dan Wessons 1911s known. Before they CBOB 99% of the shooting public did not now what a bobtail was. They have never seen one outside of the Ed Browns they say in gun rags.

FN = FNS-9 or FN Five-Seven

The Browning Hi power is the gun which should be listed here but clearly the OP does not know who makes the BHP.

Sphinx = SDP

This gun has been out less than a year and is the budget offering from this Swiss company. On top of that the SDP current comes in 2 flavors. Compact and Sub-compact with the standard fullsized hitting the streets anytimes now. Anyone who knows anything about Sphinx knows these are not their flagship guns.

Many of the people on this list are so small in terms of guns made per year or have such a limited pistol line that they do not merit discussion. You are mixing semi-custom gun makers who produce less than 5,000 guns a year with people who stamp out 10,000 a month. You are listing companies with large product lines with multiple guns in multiple platforms with companies that make one gun. On too many of the other manufacturers you, the OP, have simply missed your mark.
 
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