Handgun of Our Time

Say What?!

originally posted by TripleTap: Unfortunately its a Glock pistol. Not because it deserves it, like everything else, we live in the age of no taste.

Most glock owners bought them due to lack of knowledge about firearms but, such is the time we live in.
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Way to generalize. :p

I agree that a polymer pistol fits "our" generation, BUT I wouldn't go as far to say that most people who pick up say a Glock or a M&P 9 do so because of a lack of knowledge.

With 12+ years of shooting/hunting experience and a decent collection, the Glock was only recently added to my must have list (and my interest in it was only peaked) because of its innovation in design. I didn't know that it would be accurate too until I shot it. :)
 
Wow. Handgun of Our Time.

Since the timeline was restricted to 20-30 years, it is without question the Glock (38 votes). The number of military, and law enforcement agencies around the world that use them, together with its popularity with the civilian population would make it #1. Then all the striker fired, polymer pistols, XDs, M&Ps, etc., etc., etc., owe their existence to Gaston Glock and his revolutionary handgun. Accurate, reliable, easy to service, and holds a lot of rounds.

However, the progression has been amazing. Samuel Colt and his revolutionary revolver changed the firearms world and was the handgun until the turn of the last century.

The S&W double action revolver in 1898 was the basic gun for law enforcement and civilian use for about the next 80 years, and is still popular today. Just look at the sales of S&W and Ruger revolvers. The S&W and the Colt revolvers, have seen military use as well in two World Wars and smaller campaigns.

The 1911 has been the best military sidearm of our time, and, of course has a huge following. (It received 13 votes.) Most SA/DA automatics have John Moses Browning to thank for their existence. Sure there were European designers, like Luger, who made successful pistols, but most designs have the 1911 as their basis. However, I would guess there are more DA revolvers out there in drawers, safes, nightstands, and holsters than 1911s.

For the last 30 years, Glock and its clones.

For the last century, S&W double action revolvers and clones.
 
There are a few pages already and I don't feel like reading the entire thread, so I assume what I've got to say has been said time and time again. But I'll say it anyway.

For work guns, I'd have to go with the Glock family, specifically the Glock 22. While the Glock 17 may have popularized the polymer hi-capacity pistol, the Glock 22 and the .40 S&W are the pistol and cartridge that vast numbers of law enforcement have carried and shot. For those LE who had never been around firearms before becoming law enforcement, they'll think of a Glock 22 when they think of a gun.

Similarly the men and women in our military will feel the same way about the Beretta 92F / M9.

For BBQ/fun guns I'd give it to the 1911. Yeah, its low capacity, metal, and old. It's also the handgun that every boutique and big-name seems to be producing right now. Its kinda the counter culture to the hi-cap/polymer found everywhere. Not saying one is better then the other, just that for every person who like to or is mandated to shoot a tupperware gun you have another person who chooses a 1911. For whatever reason, every one seems to want one.

I honestly think the truest handgun of our times is Kel Tec P-3AT. With the increase of shall-issue concealed carry laws more and more people are arming themselves with inexpensive, serviceable, and small firearms in a caliber suitable for self defense. While there were other small .380 ACP handguns before it, the Kel Tec found a balance of cost, size, and power thats hard to argue with. Like the Glock and 1911, there have been a plethora of copies/competitors that came about to try to grab a share of the market.

I think that honorable mention mention goes to the Taurus Judge, Ruger LCR, and Smith and Wesson Md 500. The Judge is a show of how good marketing can make what many view as a dubious concept a best seller. The LCR shows how innovation and the urge for "new and improved" can invade even the most traditional sectors. The Model 500 just shows how there is always going to be a want of something bigger.
 
I vote Glock. I don't own one and probably never will, but I can't deny that they have changed the entire market. Most people's biggest problem with Glock is that it isn't a 1911. Other than that, it's a light, reliable gun.
 
well the issue of issues is what defines the current "standard trend" in handguns. as a result there is TWO handguns of the current era

1. polymer guns in lightweight calibers such as 32acp,380 acp, 9mm with 18 round magazines

2. microscopicly sized poly guns in lightweight or heavy weight calibers of a typical size and shape that makes a jframe feel like a ruger blackhawk.
 
Sad to say but I think the best answer is the Glock. It works, it uses modern technology, it works, it's affordable, it's issued by dozens (hundreds?) of LE agencies, it's easily carried and concealed, it's ugly, it works, it's easy for new shooters to train on (see LE).....did I mention that it works? Nope, don't have one @ the moment but I will again. :)
 
I agree with the general consensus. Over the time frame mentioned, it has to be the Glock. If you shorten the time to the last 10 years, I think it is the mini .380 pistols.

Something else to think about. The cowboy era Gun is the Colt SAA, the U.S. military issued sidearm. From 1911 through both world wars the Gun is the Colt 1911, the U.S. military issued sidearm. Now? No one said the Berretta 92. I wonder what that says about the 92 or the influence of the military's choice.

The Glock is the most popular Law Enforcement issued gun, maybe the military or in our time the law enforcement choice defines the handgun of the era.
 
I'd have to say Glock. And I don't even HAVE one! :p

Glocks are the Toyota Camry of handguns; just about everybody has one.
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Somebody said it wasn't how many were sold. Well, yes it is! Sort of. I mean, how many 1911s were sold, and USED? THAT's what distinguishes it in my mind. So far as the little compact guns, I think they're popular, but not established enough to yet be an icon. My .02.
 
There may be some parallels to a Glock being the "handgun of our time"; if the VW beetle was the "car of the Sixties".
Good enough, cheap, dependable, and good marketing. Remember Dustin Hofman's ad for the Beetle?
 
No one said the Berretta 92. I wonder what that says about the 92 or the influence of the military's choice.
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It says our military went cheap and got what it paid for.

Historically, our military officials have made some pretty dumb decisions regarding firearms when arming our troops.
 
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