The next legend?

I've posted the following for those who think Gaston Glock invented the polymer pistol, he just perfected it. The following is from www.hkpro.com . Could the last, best steel pistols be the HK P7M8-M10-M13, HK P9, and the Sig P210?
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Die hard Glock fans might wish that they could claim the original polymer frame pistol. Unfortunately they cannot. The VP70 is the original polymer frame handgun, with a design genesis of 1968. Way ahead of its time, the VP70 had a lot going for it, and it was designed hand in hand with a buttstock that converted the pistol into a three round burst submachine gun when the stock was attached.
The VP70 got its name with abbreviations. VP stands for the German "Volkspistole." "70" is the year of introduction. Volkspistole translated means 'people's pistol.' No longer in production, the VP was known as the VP70, the VP70M and the VP70Z. 'Z' stands for 'Zivilversion,' or civilian version. This was not available with the buttstock attachment. The 'M' in VP70M stands for Militär, or Military in German. When in burst mode, the cyclic rate of the VP70 is a blistering 2200 rpm.

The VP70 was produced in small quantity in caliber 9mm x 21, 400 units. Some examples in this caliber have been offered for sale in the United States.

The VP70 itself was designed by the great HK engineer Helmut Weldle and company co-founder Alex Seidel. Production of the VP70 series was halted in August, 1989.
 
What about the CZ-75? Perhaps it could be the "dark horse" that comes out of nowhere, especially as the CZ is priced in a way that lets anyone afford to own one. Plus, like any good handgun, it builds upon the legacy of another- in this case, the CZ is an outgrowth of the P-35 Hi-power.
 
Next legend?

Sig-Sauer's P220A .45 ACP. Introduced as the Browning BDA,
this fine firearm is world class, in every respect. From it's
extremely good looks, to it's out-standing out-of-the-box
accuracy the P220's craftsmanship remains as an example
for other gun maker's to follow.

Best Wishes,
Ala Dan, N.R.A. Life Member
 
The only reason the 1911 is a legend

is because many have not tried a Browning Hi Power.
I have and shoot and like both.
If I had to dump one, it would be the 1911.
 
Lavan,

You argument might hold water if the two guns were the same caliber. But otherwise, no, I have handled both, own both, and am competent with both, and I'll take the 1911 (in .45 of course).
 
schild,

Yeah, except the VP-70's trigger makes the Glock's feel like that of a Hammerli free pistol. Also, not one of the five people who actually bought VP-70s uses one for CCW or even admits that they own one in public. One gunsmith I know refers to them as the "Hi-Point & Koch". ;)

The VP-70 is proof of two things:

1) Glock wasn't the first polymer-frame auto on the market.
2) Even the boys from Oberndorf crank out a real dog every now and again.
 
The CZ 75. While, not as well known here yet, it is popular worldwide. Americans are only now starting to see the light on this one. However, it is among the two or three most cloned guns in the world (anyone own a Baby Eagle or EAA Witness?).

The Glock. I don't like the trigger but they were one of the first polymer guns out there. Now everyone makes one. Even the Glock trigger is being copied now, by no less than Springfield Armory.

The 1911 is such a classic it will certainly still be around, and probably as popular as ever.
 
Tamara---
You never heard me make ANY claims about the VP-70 trigger!!! I know of the legendary trigger! Most people are totally ignorant of the fact that Gaston didn't invent the plastic pistol.
 
As Dean Grinnell once pointed out, the 1911 pistol has not always been such a legend. It was, in fact, considered suitable only for rough military work throughout much of its history. Very highly regarded experts preferred the .38 special revolver or the .357 magnum revolver for combat work at least into the 1970's.
Remember when autoloaders had a reputation for jamming? The only thing that set the 1911 apart in those days was that it was more reliable than, say, a Luger.
The 1911 didn't become popular until Jeff Cooper, gun games, and effective hearing protection equipment all came together. It was gun games that gave us tuned-up, tricked out 1911's. Hearing protection that was comfortable and worked came from the invention of the jet engine and the necessity to protect technicians. It also made it possible to shoot really LOUD pistols w/o distraction from muzzleblast. Much of what had given the 1911 a rep as a hard kicker was muzzleblast. Cooper, of course, has promoted the 1911 relentlessly as the best available instrument for decades now. Am I the only one here who is old enough to remember that gun magazines didn't always have the 1911 of the month on the cover?
The next legend? Probably the Glock because it is familiar to so many people from TV and movies and such.

Edited to add that another factor contributing to the 1911's popularity was that for a long time they were available cheaply as surplus.
 
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