Marco, maybe you need to think about the post that you quoted and argued so strongly against.
more popular in this case, at least in my use, means that the popularity has increased. If I had said "more popular than any other handgun" that would have been a foolish statement. If I had said "the most popular form of handgun" it would also have been wrong.
But, "more popular" without a qualifier such as "more popular than the other" means nothing of the sort.
The revolver is more popular now than the revolver has been in the recent decades.
Since the 38 and .357 revolvers have become more popular as carry pieces, I suspect that an increasing number of people are walking away leaving a box or two of brass that is almost certainly once fired. If it's factory reloaded, like 3d, it's going to be quite obvious.
more popular in this case, at least in my use, means that the popularity has increased. If I had said "more popular than any other handgun" that would have been a foolish statement. If I had said "the most popular form of handgun" it would also have been wrong.
But, "more popular" without a qualifier such as "more popular than the other" means nothing of the sort.
The revolver is more popular now than the revolver has been in the recent decades.