What is each handgun maker's Masterpiece?

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-detail-L.jpg


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


You did say price was not an object:-)
 
I'd say that the Ruger "masterpiece handgun" is the GP100. Not only has it been a big hit it also spawned the Super Redhawk and the SP101 which are essentially scaled up and down versions of it. I personally think that the GP100 was the first handgun that Ruger felt like he got exactly right the first time. It did everything he wanted right from the beginning. Contrast that with the evolution/updates seen over time in his other designs.

It's tough to pick a Glock and call it a masterpiece, but I'd say that the G17 comes the closest. Even after all the other Glock pistols have come out, the 17 still seems to be the standard all the other models are measured against.

Beretta is even harder. I think in the U.S. people are going to choose the 92FS or one of the 92 variants simply because that's what is most common here. In spite of that I really think that their 8X series .380 pistols are better candidates for a "masterpiece" title. It's unfortunate that they don't get a lot of publicity, they're really very nice pistols.
 
Ruger: Early Flattop .357, no doubt.

Colt: Single Action Army. The 1903 and 1908 Pocket Autos are really sweet too.

Smith&Wesson: 3.5" N-Frame .357

H&K: P7

Walther: PP or PPK.

Sig: P210.

Browning HiPower, for sure.
 
I have been into this hobby for a while and have had, until recently, a wildly evolving assortment of pieces. Yes, I can be flighty. From my times of trading everything under the sun, I've found a few that are gems.

I'm of modest means and am a utility-type guy so my choices aren't top-end luxury jobs, just great shooters; I figure in bang-for-the-buck. I'll call something a masterpiece if it spectacularly succeeds in doing that for which it was designed. For example, I think slant six Dodge Darts or VW Beetles (originals!) are masterpieces because they were made to get you somewhere affordably and they did just that.

Here are a few handguns that I think qualify as masterpieces:

The Makarov is a great utility semi-auto. It's about as powerful as a .38 SPL, easy to shoot, easy to maintain and as reliable as they get. It's a good size and it's also a very easy gun to master. Newbies love it and always do well with it.

I think the original Whitney Wolverine is a masterpiece. They're dead on accurate, have the best factory trigger and are all-day reliable, simply, great .22 with the wildest looks ever.

I'm crazy about .38 SPL K-frames, particularly with the 4" pencil barrels. Just this year I happened on a 4" Model 14. No pencil barrel but it's the sweetest shooter of all the handguns I've ever tried, no exceptions. My 8 3/8" Model 14 is the most accurate handgun I've ever shot. A 64-2 is my bedside gun (it's easier to see this one in low light.) I do love the K-frames.

The Star MOD 30MI DA/SA 9MM. Just so long as it's not for CC. It's a little heavy. But, it always works and it's accurate, too. Just goes and goes. Go shoot 500 rounds of Wolf; it won't jam.

The lowly P3AT! Yes, it's crude but it was a miniscule .380 for cheap.

I have a very soft spot for the H&R 676 DA convertible .22. I have one with a 7.5" barrel. The trigger pull is pretty nice and it's a vicious tack driver. It's a serious gun with those magnums. I don't understand why most manufacturers don't make a DA .22 convertible. It seems like such a cheap, natural thing to do with a DA .22 LR revolver. Anyway, the 676 does everything the Single Six does and then some; it's way more accurate with LRs and is double action. Yet, strangely, they are usually overlooked or ignored.

Since someone has introduced long guns, I have to pipe up for the ol' Glenfield 60s and the Norinco Paratrooper SKSs. If I could keep only two of my rifles, I'd keep these.
 
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Ruger: Old Model Blackhawk, 45 Colt.

HK: P7. (I guess I'll have to tell my EDC P7 and my plate-match-winning range P7 that they're only good for table talk.)

Glock: None. (They all look alike to me :barf: )
 
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Beretta: Early 92 with steel frame and deep blue polish.

Glock: 17. The original design that created the phenomenon.

Ruger: Single Six. accurate and indestructable, cheap to feed. The ideal first handgun for a boy.

Colt: Single Action Army. 1911A1 as the runner up.

S&W: As a design, the model 66. Balance, accuracy and an effective caliber. As a work of art, Registered Magnum.

Walther: PPK. It's not perfect, but it created the double action pocket pistol phenomena, and it's envelope is the one all new guns in the class are compared to.

Sig: P210. A service pistol with the accuracy of a dedicated target pistol.

Browning: Hi-Power. There have been other attempts at browning pistol, but if someone says Browning, it is the hi-Power that comes to mind.

Mauser: C96. The first commercially successful auto pistol and a hoot to shoot. Just what you need when visiting a cantina in Mos Eisley.

Webley: The Webley-Green. I've seen a cased commercial finish gun. Absolutely beautiful. Made famous by Indiana Jones.

CZ: SP01 Shadow. Probably the best practical/target pistol available for minimal money.

H&K: P7. I'm not a fan of the USP, although I have shot six different variants, I've no desire to own any of them.
 
Best Personal Handgun

I've owned many handguns from many manufacturers, including S&W, Browning, Walther, Colt, Springfield, Glock, Ruger, Taurus etc., most all of the usual suspects. I've enjoyed many of them, and still own different makes to fill differing jobs, as do most enthusiasts; i.e. LCP for pocket carry, XD9 for plinking and so forth. The one, however, that I believe to be the best firearm I've ever owned, meaning it's amazingly accurate, completely reliable, well suited to my particular hand size and style of shooting, and the one I keep in my bedside drawer is the H&K USP Tactical in 45 ACP.

The low pressure 230 loads and H&K's remarkable recoil management system makes this piece more manageable than my once-owned .40s: Glock 23, Taurus Millenium Pro, and Springfield XD40. There's more of a "push" back than a "snap" up when firing. In fact, the H&K in 45 is way more pleasant to shoot than my Walther PPS in 9mm, and, for me at least, more consistently accurate overall than anything I've owned. At eight yards, assuming I'm doing my part, all shots will be squarely in the black. (I never got this level of accuracy from the Glock, no matter how hard I tried, and the Taurus was strictly, for my purposes, a self-defense short ranger, dependable but not so fun to shoot.) So, for me, the Tactical USP is a masterpiece, even if it is a bit pricey.
 
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Colt National Match – Colt manufactured the 1911A1 National Match between 1933 and 1941. These can be found scattered within the serial number range of C164,800 to C215,000. These pistols were the best the pre-WWII Colt factory could make. They came with hand smithed actions, match grade barrels, and fine blued finishes.

Timothy J. Mullin, in American Beauty, The Prewar Colt National Match Government Model Pistol, estimates production below 1,500 pistols.
Mullin notes that the combination of the eight year production and small production numbers might make the National Match as rare as the Colt Paterson or Walker.


Baby Nambu Pistol (Type B Nambu) - The Baby is a smaller copy of the Type A, Papa Nambu, chambered for 7mm bottleneck cartridge with a 56-grain FMJ at 800 fps.
Two factories made the Baby Nambu.
Tokyo Gas and Electric (TGE) made about 65 between 1909 and the early 1930’s.
Tokyo Arsenal 1909 made about 6,400 between 1909 and the early 1920’s.

Both factories made the Baby Nambu with the highest quality fit and finish.
Japanese officers bought them as personal sidearms in clam shell holsters with an extra clip, all matched by serial number.

Baby Nambu pistols are among the rarest of Japanese sidearms and highly regarded by military collectors. A few advanced collectors have both the TGE and Tokyo Arsenal models in original holsters with both matching clips.
 
In addition to the ones mentioned, I'll toss these in the mix:

Steyr GB - Steyr's all time best pistol.

Magnum Research - Desert Eagle .440 Cor bon - don't know why they stopped making them???

Ruger Mark II - my favorite of all of the Ruger pistols

Sphinx - best CZ clones - all of them.
 
Ruger: The old model Blackhawks, all calibers.

Colt: The SAA, but the 1911 is a very close second

Glock: They might be all the same, but the G17 has to be the "one"
 
I don't think that Glock could possibly have a "masterpiece".

I'm a big Glock fan so I'm certainly not talking any trash, but their models don't vary enough from each other.

the only significant difference between Glock models is caliber and capacity, but they all (for the most part) look and function the same.
I really wish they would come out with a completely new series, something with a whole different philosophy of use. i think they would do themselves a whole lot more justice if they did.

as far as other companies go, I think the good old run of the mill models that they're famous for would be their masterpieces IMHO.

Colt Python or the old Govt. Issue 1911's from various wars.
PPK
P226
dare I say G17 ??:D
 
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