Which handguns do you think will be discontinued soon?

[Carl the Floor Walker]

To be fair I’m not sure the Ruger forum is the most unbiased estimate of sales of Ruger products.

The P365 has been out for 3.5 years, the Hellcat for almost 2 years, and even the SCCY DVG-1 has been out for over a year (nor does SCCY get the same level of press as the others in my estimation). The P365 has been one of the best selling pistols since it’s release and the Hellcat seems to do well too. There is usually a period of time after a product is initially released where it sells, seemingly in no small part because people like to try new things. The bigger question, to me, is how well it will keep selling a year and two years from now. Near me the LCP Max is $370, so it’s not priced unfairly imo.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I get the impression that the LCP Max is also going through the Sig 365 beta testing as they seem to be having a lot of issues. But, again, who knows what will be going on in two to three years. The LCP Gen 2 is still being sold as well as the Sig 938 and 238. Lol (At least I think they are still being sold, and personally would prefer them if given a choice)
I think it will be interesting to see how the New Taurus GX4 will do.

 

[Lima Oscar 7]

In a free market economy, justification is paramount to any financial decision. I have dealt with ammo manufactures for going on 3 decades. The .40 caliber it’s nowhere near extinction although it’s popularity has been diminished with the advent of advances in technology particularly with 9mm choices.

I have had excellent results with both the HKVP9 and HKP 30. HK has never been a market sales leader per se. They tend to focus on specialized applications but usually have a few nice contracts. The issue with HK is practicality. It’s hard to justify the $50-$70 magazine cost of a VP9 when a Glock 17 will do just fine and the magazines are $15-$25 depending upon who is buying them.

I say justification will determine what handguns are continued and which handguns get the axe.

 

[TunnelRat]

In a free market economy, justification is paramount to any financial decision. I have dealt with ammo manufactures for going on 3 decades. The .40 caliber it’s nowhere near extinction although it’s popularity has been diminished with the advent of advances in technology particularly with 9mm choices.

I have had excellent results with both the HKVP9 and HKP 30. HK has never been a market sales leader per se. They tend to focus on specialized applications but usually have a few nice contracts. The issue with HK is practicality. It’s hard to justify the $50-$70 magazine cost of a VP9 when a Glock 17 will do just fine and the magazines are $15-$25 depending upon who is buying them.

I say justification will determine what handguns are continued and which handguns get the axe.

I don’t know your location, but assuming you’re not in a restricted state if you’re paying $50-$70 for a VP9 magazine you’re not shopping hard enough:

https://gun.deals/search/apachesolr_search/50255803


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Lima Oscar 7]

Duly noted. Thanks.

 

[wild cat mccane]

CZ Shadow 2 appears to answer this question if the question is soonest.

It's being replaced by the CZ TS2.

CZ might rival Sig for making 50 million variants of the same thing and killing them off at random.

 

[bamaranger]

GAP .45

I am astounded that GLOCK still offers pistols in .45 GAP. (?) I suspect and have seen stated, that the GAP survives as it has a following in countries where "military calibers" are prohibited. I wonder though how large that market might be?

Similarly, the continued survival of the .357 SIG is a wonder. With US and Euro LE agencies almost universally adopting the 9mm, the bottleneck SIG's day might be c0ming soon.

The old speedster, the .38 Super is on my endangered list as well.

 

[lll Otto lll]

CZ Shadow 2 appears to answer this question if the question is soonest.

It's being replaced by the CZ TS2.

I kind-of doubt that.. the TS2 is single action only so it's not legal for Production division.
But the Shadow 2 is legal and arguably one of CZ's best selling models.

Anything made by Sig, who has a nasty habit of continually discontinuing models.

Sadly true. What's worse, is that certain spare parts will no longer be available.

 

[TruthTellers]

Hopefully.40 ammo will still be available. I have a vested interest, since I still own four.

All those millions of .40 cals that were sold in the 90s and 00s surely didn’t just disappear, and I think the bigger bullet is an advantage for an outdoors gun.

But looks like ZERO incentive for manufacturers to make any, these days.

You look at all the unpopular calibers like .45 GAP, 7.62x25, 9x18 Mak and ammo is still made for them. .40 is far, FAR more popular than all three of those calibers combined, they'll be making ammo for .40 for a very long time.

Also, .40 shoots fine in most 10mm's, so if people want a lower recoil and cheap/available ammo for 10mm, .40 is it.

 

[TruthTellers]

I am astounded that GLOCK still offers pistols in .45 GAP. (?) I suspect and have seen stated, that the GAP survives as it has a following in countries where "military calibers" are prohibited. I wonder though how large that market might be?

Similarly, the continued survival of the .357 SIG is a wonder. With US and Euro LE agencies almost universally adopting the 9mm, the bottleneck SIG's day might be c0ming soon.

The old speedster, the .38 Super is on my endangered list as well.

The .357 Sig will die a slow death, but when all it takes to make one is a different barrel and a stiffer recoil spring I don't see the current companies who still make them (I think it's just Glock and Sig now, right?) will drop them.

.38 Super will be around so long as there are people who want 1911's and something faster than .45 ACP, although I suspect 10mm is going to be replacing .38 Super soon for that role.

 

[Forte S+W]

A lot of folks seem to share an irrational preconception that if a firearm chambered in a certain cartridge which is no longer popular, then demand for ammunition for it will diminish as well and therefore production of the cartridge will slow to a stop, as if everyone who already owns firearms chambered in said cartridge has lost all interest in shooting it or has somehow amassed a practically inexhaustible supply of ammunition with which to feed it.

Meanwhile, ammo manufacturers continue to produce cartridges which have long since fall out of use such as .44-40, 7.62 Mauser, 9x18 Makarov, and more. Why? Because regardless of their current status, they were once extremely popular, and therefore a large amount of firearms were made chambered in them, firearms which have current owners who at least like to shoot them occasionally, and don't possess an inexhaustible supply of ammunition.

 

[TruthTellers]

Yeah, I think the only people who are really hurting due to a lack of factory ammo are the handfull of 8mm Steyr and .32 French Longue owners.

 

[Forte S+W]

The only ammunition I can think of that is really completely out of production are things like Volcanic Rocketball, 7.62 Borchardt, 8mm Mars, or otherwise obscure stuff that never really caught on at all like Gyrojets or Dardick Trounds.

Otherwise, metallic cartridge ammunition of basically every cartridge that was ever popular, even if only for a very short time, is still in at least limited production. Heck, there are even specialty manufacturers of old black powder paper cartridges.

So it always amazes me when folks make comments that the .40 S&W cartridge will cease production altogether soon. Folks seem to think that because .40 S&W was only popular for about a decade and a half, that means only very few pistols were chambered in cartridge, but no, it was so insanely popular that millions and millions of pistols were in production during that time, and certain .40cal pistols such as the M&P40 and Glock 22/23 are still in production.
Besides, .45 Long Colt was really only popular with the Military/Law Enforcement for about 10 years, yet the cartridge is still in production today, as are various configurations of the Colt Single Action Army, so whose to say that it won't be the same for .40 S&W a century from now, with the cartridge as well as various reproductions of the Glock 22 still in production in the year 2121?

 

[TruthTellers]

The only ammunition I can think of that is really completely out of production are things like Volcanic Rocketball, 7.62 Borchardt, 8mm Mars, or otherwise obscure stuff that never really caught on at all like Gyrojets or Dardick Trounds.

Otherwise, metallic cartridge ammunition of basically every cartridge that was ever popular, even if only for a very short time, is still in at least limited production. Heck, there are even specialty manufacturers of old black powder paper cartridges.

So it always amazes me when folks make comments that the .40 S&W cartridge will cease production altogether soon. Folks seem to think that because .40 S&W was only popular for about a decade and a half, that means only very few pistols were chambered in cartridge, but no, it was so insanely popular that millions and millions of pistols were in production during that time, and certain .40cal pistols such as the M&P40 and Glock 22/23 are still in production.
Besides, .45 Long Colt was really only popular with the Military/Law Enforcement for about 10 years, yet the cartridge is still in production today, as are various configurations of the Colt Single Action Army, so whose to say that it won't be the same for .40 S&W a century from now, with the cartridge as well as various reproductions of the Glock 22 still in production in the year 2121?

.32, .38, .41 Rimfire and .44 Henry and .56-50 Spencer owners would disagree with you there. IDK when manufacturing of ammo in those calibers ended, but those were all popular black powder cartridges and I think .32 Rimfire was loaded with smokeless powder at some point.

But the reason the rimfires went away was more than likely because they weren't reloadable and centerfire ammo was more reliable. I don't think .40 S&W is going to go the way of rimfires or less popular centerfires.

I think 30 years from now there's probably going to be a resurgence of .40 because people will be into vintage early police semi autos like Gen 1 and Gen 2 Glocks, Ruger P series, S&W 5900's, and Beretta 92's and 96's.

 

[PatientWolf]

Canik TP9SF/TP9SFX. We know a new TP9SFX version 2 is coming. Turkey is having a hard time sourcing parts to bring it to the US. When it does, all version will get an update as its rumored to improve everything.

I’m really interested if they can maintain their price point.

 

[JustJake]

Anything .40S&W. Ammo will be extremely hard to come by and get even harder as new arms aren't chambered for it.

Yep, definitely this.

Plus, with the 10mm AUTO being in resurgence, you really don't need the .40. You can buy, or handload, all energy levels of the 10mm - from mild (40-level) to wild (full-power/max).

The 40's only real appeal was that it could be had in 9mm-sized semi-autos back in the day when the 9mm was still regarded as an "anemic" cartridge, generally in L.E. circles but by a lot of civies as well.

Now that current bullet technology has made the 9mm "combat effective" for street use, the real choices are between it and either the 10mm or .45acp.

 

[TruthTellers]

Yep, definitely this.

Plus, with the 10mm AUTO being in resurgence, you really don't need the .40. You can buy, or handload, all energy levels of the 10mm - from mild (40-level) to wild (full-power/max).

The 40's only real appeal was that it could be had in 9mm-sized semi-autos back in the day when the 9mm was still regarded as an "anemic" cartridge, generally in L.E. circles but by a lot of civies as well.

Now that current bullet technology has made the 9mm "combat effective" for street use, the real choices are between it and either the 10mm or .45acp.

I don't think the .45 has much of a future as a carry gun and I do see its popularity waning over time because the capacity for anything that's not a full size like Glock 21 or FN FNX is not good and the price for the ammo is likely going to be over $20 a box once prices settle down.

Also, let's face it, the biggest proponents of .45 ACP are generally older shooters and I don't see them getting replaced by younger shooters who have all largely embraced 9mm and if they do go for more power in a handgun seem to be opting for 10mm instead.

 

[Pumpkin]

The 10mm will never come close to the 40 in sales or popularity.
Besides, the 9mm is not the only cartridge to benefit from advances in bullet technology.
I don't think that Keltec 5.7 that holds $$$$ of ammunition will enjoy a long run.

 

[FITASC]

Anything that doesn't meet sales expectations

 

[JustJake]

The 10mm will never come close to the 40 in sales or popularity.

You're focusing on a snap-shot of this moment. It's a clear trend: the .40 is in decline; the 10mm AUTO has been, and still is, in resurgence. Check back in 5 years.

Yeah ammo-wise, the .40 will hang around, but if you own a 10mm pistol with barrel-swapping capability (like the 10mm Glocks and possibly a 1911 in 10mm), you have zero need for a 40 pistol. Just get an aftermarket drop-in (or fitted) .40 barrel.

Besides, the 9mm is not the only cartridge to benefit from advances in bullet technology.

Dude, thanks for re-inforcing my point in my earlier post. Ever hear the phrase: "A rising tide lifts all boats"?

That's ALL boats - big, medium, and small. Improvements in bullet technology for one handgun cartridge cross-pollinate their ballistic benefits to projectiles made for other handgun cartridges. So improvements that benefited .355/9mm projectiles carry over to benefit projectiles for other "service cartridges," like the 10mm, 40S&W, and .45acp.

To be fair, the 9mm might well have gained the most "ballistic" ground from those improvements because it was, historically, the most anemic to start with. Except now, the "new & improved" 9mm has essentially cancelled out the entire raison d'etre for the 40S&W - i.e., a round with low-end 10mm "stopping power" stuffed into a 9mm-sized gun.

Now it's just the 9mm, 10mm, or 45acp.

I don't think that Keltec 5.7 that holds $$$$ of ammunition will enjoy a long run.

Now yeah, I can agree with that. The 5.7 is also a nichey sort of hobby cartridge. Fun for range days maybe, but that's about it.

 

[Fishbed77]

I kind-of doubt that.. the TS2 is single action only so it's not legal for Production division.
But the Shadow 2 is legal and arguably one of CZ's best selling models.

Agreed. The TS2 is most definitely not a replacement for the Shadow 2. Both are fantastic pistols, but fit two different roles.

That doesn’t mean there might not be a Shadow 3 one day.