What is each handgun maker's Masterpiece?

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roman3

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what would be considered each pistol makers "masterpiece"?

That gun that sits apart from all the others, in fit finish craftsmenship, or that has that something unique or special?

Not measured by sales.


For Example, IMO

Walther = to me its the P88 well made, beautiful blued finish, one of the last craftsmenship items to come out of a European gunshop. The P5? The PPK?

HK = P7 Series, or is it the HKP9 ? or some other?

Beretta = to me its the Beretta 92 SB Italian made blued round trigger guard, excellent. the Inox Italian? or some other?

Colt = is it the Stainless Enhanced 1911, Gold Cup or the Peacmaker (Revolver OK for this purpose) or some other?

Smith & Wesson = The 39 or 59? The Schofield? The Second Generations? or the Model 19/29?

CZ = to me its the original CZ75 with the blued finish made in Czechlovakia.

Ruger = the Blackhawk? The Vaquero? The Bearcat?

Glock? Kahr?= can they have masterpieces? I like polymer but it seems to remove the craftsmenship of gun making.
The Glock 21 maybe? high capacity 45?

Browning = the high power "T" series? older BHP?

Star Megastar?

Other makers I have missed?

What do you guys think?
 
With HK, I would say that the USP is their masterpiece. It was the first widely accepted and popular model. The P7 is a great gun and a progressive design. Gun enthusiasts seem to like the gun and it was very accurate...but it never really caught on. The USP may be plastic, but is a marvel of engineering in my opinion. Perhaps the MP5 design could be in the running as well?

SIG would be a hard one to choose a masterpiece for. The original P210 probably. Speaking in more modern terms I would probably look to the P220 or perhaps the X-Five if you're talking 'masterpiece' in terms of well built and accurate. I think the P220 is probably the best known gun though... perhaps the good old P6.

Glock would probably be the 17 or 19. The 17 was the first model and exploded into popularity. Personally I like the compact size Glocks the best.

I don't really have enough knowledge of the other makers full line up to make a decision towards one or the other.
 
S&W M52 or M952 I guess.

Colt 1911a, after all it was made 99.9 years ago and is still running strong by the 1911 name.:rolleyes:
 
Masterpieces’:

Browning – The “ring hammer” High Power, a well-made excellent handling pistol.

Colt- the 1911, the caliber, function, and style by which all others are judged.

Ruger- (so many choices) but I will nominate two, the 10/22 an affordable yet quality shooter. The Mini-14 an affordable knock around working gun yet can be adapted to be so many things.

S&W – again so many GOOD choices, almost of any of the triple locks the metal workers art. The 38/44 the grandfather of the .357, and the M-19 as another poster stated, the M-19 is everything you need in a pistol and nothing you don’t need.

Walther – PPK, the grandfather of the quality pocket pistols.

I’m sure there are many others but these are the ones that come to mind right now.
 
Sa revolvers= fa .
Da revolvers sw =colt
Fulsize autos =colt
Mouse gun =seecamp

This list is my personal choice
 
roman3 said:
Glock? Kahr?= can they have masterpieces? I like polymer but it seems to remove the craftsmenship of gun making.
The Glock 21 maybe? high capacity 45?
Click to expand...


If Glock has a masterpiece I think that it would be the 19, without question in most peoples minds.
 
S&W: Registered Magnum, the ancestor of the 27. Far and away, no question.

Colt: Python. You can make a case for the 1911.

Ruger: Tough one...very few standouts but then again very few duds. SuperRedhawk in 454 has possibilities, Bisley Hunter in 44Mag maybe...early flattop 357 3-screw Blackhawk maybe. As far as a technical tour-de-force, the LCR actually makes sense, even if it looks like the illegitimate love-child of a Glock and a Charter Arms...
 
S&W- agree, Registered Magnum

Colt- Python is tough to beat, but instead of masterpiece I will say it's Signature. I'm going to say Colt Single Action Army

Walther- I will argue the P.38. Look at our modern autoloaders, then look back to the P.38. It was prophetic

Ruger- MKI. Masterpieces don't have to break the bank

Browning- can't beat the High Power

High Standard- Supermatic. Just say the name. I'll take a Military Citation, please
 
Well, let me put in my few cents and try to explain why:

Walther: P99. It's a little expensive for what it is, but it fits your hand like a glove, runs beautifully and is accurate to boot.

Colt: SAA. Any competition? It's a masterpiece. So many companies have felt the need to replicate and copy and try to improve upon, but none of them matches the original.

H&K: USP/P8. I've always had a sweet spot for these beasties. This is literally just "I like it"-ism.

Sig: P210. Any explanation needed?

S&W: Schofield. Break action, revolutionized reloading. Wonderful gun, feels great and last for years.

Glock: All of them. They're all the same, reliable, accurate and amazing gun.

Springfield: P14-45. I know, I should say the xD, but, that's not a real Springfield. Instead, I go back to classic. A double stack 1911 that behaves like a 1911? OF COURSE!

That's all I can really comment on. I picked masterpieces based on my personal experience/opinion and historical significance of the piece, rather than the beauty of the gun. The Colt option was a split between the 1911, SAA and Dragoon, though.
 
Are we talking their "masterpiece" as in extraordinary design & execution (including longevity, eye appeal, functionality, etc.) or are we talking their "Flagship" gun that represents the best of the company's product line?

Beretta
Masterpiece: The Model 92FS/M9 pistol.

Browning
Masterpiece: Obviously the High-Power with its (then) innovative double-stack magazine, clean lines and almost utter reliability.
051001m.jpg

Modern High-Power

Colt:
Masterpiece: (Tie) The Colt Single Action Army and the Colt 1911 pistol. Both of these guns have a long and illustrious history. The SAA continues to be the favorite for a lot of people and is legendary around the world. So is the 1911 pistol. It has even spawned a huge growth market for pistols, parts, accessories and competitions.

Flagship: The Colt Python - this .357 Revolver is renowned for it's accuracy and (in earlier models) an excellent trigger. It's full lug barrel and vent rib made it distinctive. The hand-fitted action, precisely fit parts and deep lustre bluing made it handsome as well.
Python_Stock_400px.jpg

The Colt Python

CZ
Masterpiece: The SP-01 pistol which moves the safety lever to a useful position and gives you the option of a safety or decocker model. The CZ 75 action is a well regarded reliable system too.
CZP01.jpg

CZ-75 P-01

H&K:
Masterpiece The P-7 squeeze cocker is without a doubt one of the finest designs and best executed pistols in the last 40 years. Simple, accurate and easy to use.

Ruger:
Masterpiece: The Ruger Blackhawk .357, the gun that really proved Ruger's investment casting processes were more than strong enough to compete with forged steel guns. Between the Blackhawk and Single-Six, Ruger resucitated interest in SA revolvers and cowboy shooting.
Flagship: GP-100.

Sig: The P250 with its modular design is, I think, a masterpiece of engineering.

Smith & Wesson:
Masterpiece:
Take your pick. In design & execution, the venerable M&P (Model 10) introduced in 1899 gave us the K-Frame, the swing-out cylinder and the .38 Special almost all at once. This is the gun all modern S&W's are based upon. Over 100 years of production and still a favorite.
M10M_1428.jpg

S&W Model 10 circa 1970

The K-38 Masterpiece (Model 14) was S&W's original "Masterpiece" design. A six-inch .38 Special with adjustable sights, trigger stop, target trigger & hammer and beautiful bluing. The 4-inch Combat Masterpiece equipped at least two generations of police officers too.
IMG_1658Sa.jpg

S&W Model 15 Combat Masterpiece

Flagship: The Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum. Whether you call it the Registered Magnum, "The .357", Pre-27 or Model 27, this large N-frame .357 was both beautiful and rugged. The massive counter-bored cylinder looked grenade-proof. The finely checkered topstrap cut glare with style.
M27Nq1.jpg

S&W Model 27-2, 3.5" Nickel finish

Walther:
Masterpiece: The PPK shows a simplicity of design and graceful beauty. Not without it's faults or detractors, but the PPK and its derivatives have been around for over 70 years.
Flagship: P5
 
Bill CA, I hate to be a jerk... but the Walther P5? It's essentially a "modern looking P38/P1." When it comes to Walther, the P88 and P99 are GIANT improvements in there design compared to the P5 vs. the P38/P1. Just my opinion though. If you can defend otherwise, I'll take a knee to listen.
 
Browning: HiPower Capitan

CZ: 75 (Pre-B)

Colt: S/A: 1911 A1 Rev: Python

S&W: .38/44 Outdoorsman or Registered Magnum (tie)

Ruger: Blackhawk Bisley

Sig: P210

HK: P7
 
Here is my list

Glock 18c: every handgun collector's dream.

Colt Python: finist American revolver with Anaconda as runner up.

Walther PPK: the icon for small guns. Hence used by Mr. Bond.

Ruger SRH: tough as nails.

SW Schofield: its damn beautiful gun.

HK USP: the first HK handgun that was actually generally accepted and useful. Many say P7, but its not my cup of tea. It has little use beyond table talk.

IMI Desert Eagle: King of Pistols, with UZI pistol as runner up.

Stechkin: smoothest machine pistol and a must have in collection.

Zastzva Skorpion: in .32acp its the best select fire machine pistol.

Mauser C96: part of history and also a must in collection.

Beretta: I am split on this one. The two I think really deserve the consideration a the 93R for it burst system, and the 92FS Inox for being the most stylish pistol ever.

CZ 75Auto for its rarety.

Sig Sauer P220 Elite: ultimate craftsmenship and perfection. Even the regular 220 is great and perhaps the second behind Elite.
 
I would prefer the Browning Auto-5 personally which has helped fill my game bag for decades....

BrowningAuto5JER05-01.jpg


....then again I've always been partial to the SA 22 Takedown as well, the sweetest 22lr ever designed.

browning22.jpg


Just goes to show that popularity contests don't mean much. ;)
 
Well, I can only speak for Sigs. Back THEN, it was the P210. They no longer support the design. Parts will be hard to get, mags are already getting near impossible.

So, NOW, it's the X-6 Mastershop series. Hand fitted and test fired for accuracy by German craftsmen.
Here's an X-6 P226 in "SCANDIC BLUE."
X-SIX-SCAND-BL-Detail_L.jpg


9mm P226 X-6 Mastershop series pistol
P226-X-6-detail-L.jpg


.45 P220 same
P220-X-6-detail-L.jpg
 
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