My position is that nothing much has changed in pistols since WWI.
What has changed dramatically is ammunition.
For those who forget, Franz Ferdinand was the guy who was assassinated thus starting World War I, not just the name of a really good band. He was killed with a .380 and Stone Age ammo.
.38 Special is no joke either, and never was.
Putting modern ammunition in them over simple cast lead may a significant game changer. Some can argue that a simple wadcutter from a .38 is their choice and I won’t argue.
Marketing. How are you going to sell a product that can last a hundred years if reasonable care is taken of it? You need “improvements”. Bigger, more, heavier, lighter, advertising, make em funny colors, strap fancy electronics on them, find ways to manufacture them cheaper and convince folks the improved profit margin is for their benefit or that a handgun is some sort of fashion accessory everyone must carry at all times, even in the shower. Lately, it seems your pistol needs to carry a whole box of ammo in the magazine to be up to fashion.
I agree, there have been some real improvements in the last 100 years to firearms. Plastics and modern alloys can provide real advantages for me, the shooter, other than reduced cost. Still, I could be just fine in my life with 1911s, blowback .22s and revolvers.
I am not okay with giving up modern bullets. While hard cast has a place in some hunting situations, hollow points work. Really well.
If I was to carry for self defense, my goal isn’t to “stop” my attacker, it’s to make him go away. Put a .380 in to someone, they are not going to be pleased. They’ll go away. That’s all I need.