Handgun Collection (not just modern)

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Firepower!

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If one wants to put together a collection 10 handgun that he thinks represent a different aspects; and that becomes part of discussion when demonstrated in ones study. What would you pick and frame. A condition is that they should be all in working condition:
I think (and close completing) the following: (not in order of preference)
1. Mauser Broomhandle semi
2. Mauser Broomhandle auto
3. Luger P08
4. Luger P08 long barrel
5. Walther P38
6. Skorpion semi or auto
7. Stechkin
8. Colt 1911
9. Colt Python
10. Ruger Super Redhawak 44 mag

what do you guys suggest in your own list and as advice in mine.

Much appreciated
 
I'm not 100% sure that I recognize your question. It seems to me that you'll looking for a collection that has a lot of historic significance in the history of firearms, thus promoting discussion and admiration, am I correct? In that case, my collection of handguns would be thus:

1. Colt Walker
2. LaMatt
3. Colt 1903
4. S&W Model 29
5. Colt 1851 Richards Mason Convertion
6. S&W Model 39
7. Nagant Revolver
8. Walther P-38
9. Walther PPk
10. Nambu

I picked these weapons for their uniqueness, historical significance and under estimation. These are the types of weapons that nobody ever thinks about as being significant, but are infact VERY significant historically.
 
1. I gotta have a cap & ball just because.
The Remington 1858 is a better design than the Colts.

2. Colt 1873 Single Action Army.
7 1/2" barrel and standard black rubber grips. If I could find one associated with a specific cavalry unit that would be better.

3. Toss up between a S&W Schofield or a Russian .44.
In this case I'd opt for a reproduction cause I'd have to shoot this one a lot.

4. Webley Mk IV .38/200
Gotta have something European.

5. S&W Triple Lock .44special

6. Colt 1909 New Service .45
and it's twin

7. Model 1917 .45acp revolver.

8. Singer M1911

9. S&W K38

10. the list is too short.
 
1. LugerP08
2. Colt 1911
3. BHP
4. P38
5. P210
6. HK P7
7. CZ75
8. P220
9. Glock19
10.Colt Python
 
Are you looking for guns that have significance in the 20th century? Earlier? Different mechanical philosophies? What?

For starters, a Mauser "full auto" (711), a Czech Skorpion select fire and a Stechkin are going to cost you many, many thousands of dollars to acquire if you can even find any one of them.

Perhaps, if you could better define the parameters of your request, it would be easier to give an answer.
 
There is no particular criterion. It all depends on what you think of a certain handgun that needs to be part of your collection.
I already have most on my list. The most recent aquisition was my Broomhandle semi that I got for $2000. Its auto version cost me $3000 some year back, and the stechkin was about $5000. I am looking for a long barrel Luger and auto scorpion to complete my list.
 
Oops, I forgot that you live in Pakistan. Sorry.

If you are looking for unusual or influential weapons, I would suggest the following:

Borchardt 1893
1900 Colt .38 auto
1900 Browning .32 auto
1910 FN Browning .380 (used by Gavrilo Princips to assassinate Archduke Ferdinand, thus touching off WW I.)
Charola y Anitua 5mm auto
Sossa 9mm auto
Trejo "Tipo Rafaga" .22 lr auto
Lahti L-35 9mm auto (Finnish)
Webley-Fosberry .38 or .455
1900 Parabellum (Luger) 7.65 auto

BTW, your Mauser 711 and Stechkin would probably cost at least 5 times what you paid for them here in the U.S. if you could even find one.
 
How about Iver Johnsons? Breaktop .32s got William McKinley and King Alfonso of Italy and Sirhan Sirhan used an Iver Johnson Cadet to kill Robert Kennedy.
 
I assume you're asking for our Top 10 handgun picks. If that is correct, here are mine, in no particular order.

1. Ruger Super Redhawk - .454Casull/45Colt - 7.5" Barrel
2. Ruger GP100 - .357Mag/.38Spl - 4" Barrel
3. Glock 22 - .40S&W
4. Glock 20SF - 10mm
5. Para USA S14-40 Limited - .40S&W
6. Para USA Limited - .45ACP
7. Para USA PDA - .45ACP
8. Glock 19 - 9mm
9. Sig P229DAK - .40S&W
10. Sig P229 Elite Stainless - 9mm

Sorry, I like modernish guns...
 
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So far, I've managed this:

1. Walther TPH Interarms blue .22
2. " " " SS .25
3. " " Germany blue .22
4. " PPK " " .22 Dural frame
5. " PPK/S " " .22
6. Manurhin PP Sport " .22 6 inch bbl
7. Walther PPK/S Germany .380 (OK, probably doesn't belong here)

I suppose that I should look for a steel frame German PPK .22, and maybe PP in .22 as well. I'd like to top it off with a Dural frame PPK in .32 someday. I suppose a German TP in .25 would fit into the group as well.

It's worth noting that the German TPH has the Dural frame: I believe that's the only way they came. It's significantly lighter and overall smaller than the steel Interarms examples which were made in the US.

I seem to have no interest in the S&W Walthers. Truth be told, I'm not that impressed with the US TPH examples, but the .25 has a low s/n (0006) and came from an Interarms VP. I suspect a higher level of care was taken for pistols meant for presentation to the execs, as this one was.

If I were a true Walther nutcase I'd have gone for pre-WWII examples, which are the only ones really made in Germany, as I understand post-war Walthers were all made by Manurhin.
 
I think I'll defend my selection a bit, here:
1. Colt Walker - the Walker is interesting/unique because it's the most powerful handgun until the invention of magnum cartridges. As well, it's used by Clint Eastwood's character Josey Wales in the similarly titled movie. The other neat thing about it is its grand size, you ever seen one of these?

2. LaMat - interesting not only because it's a revolver with a shotgun barrel in the middle, but because it's an example of how "superior design" doesn't always win out. The LaMat feature ten shots before reloading, yet Colt and Remingtons designs holding 6 proved more popular and outlasted the LaMat.

3. Colt 1903 - simply because it looks cool and Bonnie Parker used one to break Clyde Barrow out of jail. Neat bit of history behind it.

4. S&W Model 29 - this gun proves how much power popular movies have over the gun industry. As the Model 29 wasn't a largely popular gun until Dirty Harry and Taxi Driver were released. It's a seminal gun in gun history, but it took Hollywood to make it popular.

5. Colt 1851 Richards Mason Convertion - I kind of just like these. I would feature the original 1851, but the RM conversion is much more interesting to me. It signifies the tenacity of the old Colt c&b revolvers, proving that they are not obsolete and just need a simple modification to remain up to date.

6. S&W Model 39 - S&W's first semi-automatic model. It features many things only previously found on European handguns and was used with a silencer as the "Hush Puppy."

7. Nagant Revolver - The only easily silenced revolver. Plus, it's history during the Russian revolution.

8. Walther P-38 - The standard handgun of the Nazi regime. Many of its features and design aspect would find their way into many handguns that we now use and take for granted without thinking about where they come from.

9. Walther PPk - Walther designed this not to be the Nazi Police/SS side arm, but rather as a simple small, concealable police carry weapon, but the gun found itself in the hands of Nazi officers, SS and Police. The gun then went on to be used by James Bond in Ian Fleming's novels and the Eon movies. This is an interesting dichotomy for this weapon, as it's most prominently featured in our minds in the hands of Nazis and James Bond. Plus, it's believed that Adolf Hitler committed suicide with a Walther PP. That's enough to get a PPk into my "interesting" collection.

10. Nambu - again, another inferior service handgun from the turn of the century. It's an interesting and minimalist design that inspired Ruger to create the Mk1 .22
 
With all these fine guns, here's one to make you wince: the "Liberator" pistol. Certainly not pretty, but an interesting concept and talking point for a collection!
 
Are you looking for historical or practical?
While history has it's place, my very modest "collection" has no room for anything that has no practical application.

As such, I limit myself to either carry guns or very effective range guns. Generally speaking, 1911s and S&W K and N-frame revolvers in calibers that start with a "4"....
 
S&W Model 39 - S&W's first semi-automatic model. It features many things only previously found on European handguns and was used with a silencer as the "Hush Puppy."
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Nope. Smith & Wesson's first autoloader was the Model 1913 in .35 S&W calibre. It was not a resounding success and its subsequent replacement, the .32 ACP autoloader, introduced in 1924, was a case of "too little, too late." (Only 957 .32 autos were made.) So, the Model 39 was actually S&W's third autoloader.
 
1. Mauser Broomhandle semi
2. Mauser Broomhandle auto
3. Luger P08
4. Luger P08 long barrel
5. Walther P38
6. Skorpion semi or auto
7. Stechkin
8. Colt 1911
9. Colt Python
10. Ruger Super Redhawak 44 mag
Click to expand...

The problem I see here is duplicate entries. The luger and broomhandle should be in a list for their actions and impact, not calibers or barrel lengths. IIRC, broomhandles were select fire OR semi so no reason to have a semi and and auto version take 2 places. My list, in no particular order:

1) Colt Paterson revolver - first revolver to be mass produced
2) Colt SAA 1873
3) Browning 1911
4) FN 1935 aka Browning Hi Power
5) Luger
6) P38
7) Glock 17 - one of the original polymer frame pistols
8) S&W Registered Magnum ca 1935 - the first 357 mag and the great grandfather of today's magnum revolvers
9) Colt Navy model revolvers - first DA with a swing out cylinder mass produced
10) Volcanic pistol - first repeating pistol to use a self contained cartridge

The only one I feel bad leaving out is the Walther PP, but the P38 upgraded the design which I feel is a better gun anyways. The PP was one of the first (if not THE first) DA semi auto pistols.
 
The PP was one of the first (if not THE first) DA semi auto pistols.
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It WAS one of the the first DA pistols, but not THE first. That honor goes to the Little Tom pistol of Alois Tomiska and was produced in .25 and .32 ACP in the 1920's in Austria by Wien Waffenfabrik.

From an inventor's point of view, there is very little new or novel about the PP, other than the slide mounted safety/decocker. The recoiling slide, recoil spring around the barrel, removable magazine, etc. were all well established ideas, quite a few of them attributable to John M. Browning, James P. Lee and others.

What made the PP special was that all of those ideas were put together in one gun, and it has endured 8 decades.
 
Gyvel, I didn't know that about the M39. Interesting, that's why I'm online, to learn things. Thanks for the info, but I still like the M39. I'd love to have one, I have a kind of love affair with single stack handguns (makes me glad that I have no use for a gun for combat duty).
 
Hi, gyvel,

Sorry, the Browning Model 1900 is an interesting gun, but the assassin of the unfortunate Archduke used a Browning Model 1910 in 9mm Browning Short (.380 ACP), serial number 19074.

Jim
 
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