I should qualify that question to..what pistol catches your eye in a good way?
For me it is definitely the 1911 45’s. I only own 1 and it’s the basic Colt Government model. They are simply cool guns. I rarely even shoot mine but it still captures my attention.

Never see any on the range, but a Walther PPK always catches my eye at the counter.

I like the custom guns. Something different.

It shows the amount of thought that some will have about their abilities of their weapon of choice as well as themselves.

I'll sometimes bring a custom P227 or Desert Eagle, but there is something about a parts bin 2011 that is satisfying to shoot.

staccatos

Thomson Center Contender. couple years ago saw one at the range, buddy asked me what the hell is that? The shooter heard me talking about it, we talked for a while and he offered to let me shoot it. Said he had 8 barrels for it.
Always wanted one.

Definitely semi-custom & custom 1911s. I think it's because of all the variations. If I see one, I'm gonna gawk over it.

quote:

What pistol catches your eye at the range

Seriously, none, because I would be too busy concentrating on my shooting.

An SAA or clone. Black powder pistols, every time.

quote:

Originally posted by 12131:
Seriously, none, because I would be too busy concentrating on my shooting.

I guess it depends on the range. At an indoor, I don't look at other people's stuff because I'm too busy doing my own thing. At an outdoor range, I'll look around a little bit, especially during a ceasefire. No reason not to when I have all my stuff ready and just waiting.

^^^^ Right you are. But even at outdoor range, when I scanned around during ceasefire, nothing really caught my eyes all these years.

about anything in .22 LR that has a metal frame.

Ruger Mark IV, Buckmarks, S&W 41, etc.

Funny enough, what always catches my eye the most is the consistent lack of classic SIG P-Series pistols. Money can be an issue and I get that (I’ve been there myself), but even people that I’ve seen with nicer guns usually have 1911s, 2011s, or Gucci Glocks. Honestly, before the P320 arrived, SIGs were generally absent where I shoot.

But to answer the question as intended, I really haven’t seen anything that catches my eye at the range, other than what I have in front of me.

I'm with Q. The only pistol of interest to me is the one I'm shooting.

I tend to look at everything I can see on the firing line from my position. You never know when you might find a new friend or identify a potential risk.

At public ranges which admittedly I don't go to nearly as much as I used to, I generally don't allow my eyes to wander because I mind my own business these days. But with my ears? There it's only the ones that make a huge 'BANG', preferably NOT in the lane(s) in close proximity to me. Though I do pay attention to the surrounding chatter, mindfully listening for those individuals trying their damndest to earn their very own Darwin award and perhaps spread some of that utter stupidity to others around them. Which is a big reason why I don't frequent public ranges as much as I once did.

When I started working at the gun shop I did look at what other people were shooting at local ranges. I considered that this might be useful info when trying to figure out what people were buying and what I might suggest that our shop should carry. Nowadays our inventory is decently fleshed out that I don't need range data as an aid, since I can rely on our own sales numbers to dictate what I will continue to order.

I have not been to a public range more than a dozen times in the last decade

Most of the facilities that I shoot at are with people that I am already acquainted with so I pretty much know what's coming to the firing line

That being said 1911s always get my attention as do Smith and Wesson Performance Center offerings and of course MP5s that are not 9MM

Anything out of the ordinary...... I've seen my share of Glocks,1911 etc.

Generally the only pistols that catch my eye at the range are mine. Because no one else is around, other than sometimes the dog.

sig 365 axg legion love everything about it.

Been a long time since I've been to a public range, thankfully, but when I do go I definitely keep my eyes open because I was always pretty wary of getting shot. A muzzle of a .44 magnum Vaquero pointing at you will definitely "catch your eye!" If I do go to a public range, it's to shoot with family or friends anyway, not to put in serious work. Most of those places have rules that won't allow me to do the stuff I want to work on, anyway, like rate of fire restrictions and bans on drawing from the holster. If I can put 3-4 rounds a second on target why am I somehow more dangerous than the guy in the next lane putting a round into the dirt in front of the 7yd target every 5-10 seconds? And no, that's not hyperbole...last time I was at a public range that was happening right next to me. At least he kept it pointed downrange.

I have had some fun experiences, though. Most shooters are responsible, and many are sociable. I'm there to shoot, not to talk, but I don't mind a short conversation here and there. It's enlightening to chat briefly and sometimes give or a get a chance to shoot something different from what we're used to. I've shot some guns that I ended up buying, and others that I was interested in initially but refrained from buying after a generous guy at the range let me try his. I've also helped people fix some gun problems, as well as given shooting advice, but only when solicited.

Back to the question in the OP: Big bore revolvers tend to get my attention, as well as classic DA/SA guns. Milsurps and leverguns always get a double-take on the rifle range, too. Lots of Tupperware out there these days, not that there's anything wrong with that, but none of them really get me excited like the older stuff.

Eye? Nothing really. I will occasionally stop what I’m doing and look if I have a “what the hell was that?” level of muzzle blast in the next lane over. Some things should not be fired indoors…