To me, this year has been such a bland year for new product. Aside from the madness surrounding the 365, not much else has happened. And even the hoopla with the 365 has been tempered somewhat thanks to its teething problems. If SIG could've just done it right, right out of the box, it could've MADE the year. But no, they didn't. And we have consumers that, though highly interested, look at the gun with sideways eye. After all, this IS from the company that didn't make their previous 'home run' completely drop safe, right? Amazing just how many customers KNOW these things...

Sure Walther now has a subcomp version of the PPQ, but that was introduced back in January and I still hear pins dropping over the dearth of excitement surround that one. Add to that the lack of enticement with any other new product out of them. S&W made some real noise with their new Shield .380, only to rain on their own parade with their consumer advisory 'upgrade' (aka, a recall without actually calling it a recall) to the "auto-on even when you don't want it on" thumb-safety version. The spectre of the infernal lock casts its shadow...

Ruger has been conspicuously quiet considering that they normally LOVE to flood the marketplace with all sorts of variants and distributor exclusives, only offering a dumbed down LC9 in the EC9 and the low rent Security-9. The Saturday Night Special crowd never had it so good. Meanwhile their American pistol has been a near complete flop and I just got emails from distributors discounting SR9s, more or less like WE do if we ever hope to sell any of them. No thanks, Mr. Distributor. Their new revolver offerings are a little more interesting but frankly aside from them trying to bring back from the dead .41MAG (Redhawk) and erroneously thinking that a uber heavy 10mm wheelgun (GP100) is an excellent alternative to a plastic G20, not much else stokes any flames of desire and lust.

Heckler & Koch is HK Usual, working away at their military contract wins and not doing much to augment and/or add to their lineup of pistols. Well it was nice that they brought into the country some seldom seen guns from the past like the USP Elite. Aside from the 'American mag release' version of the VP9 (copying Walther, I see), all else has been quiet. SIG of course has their P365 keeping them busy and then there's the civvy M17 production, but that's just more 320s with a different name tag. CZ has their expanded P-10 family coming and they continue to entice those who are willing to part ways with serious money with new Shadow and high end 75-based guns, but for us in the service shooter realm they're more or less just standing pat as well, hoping to cash in on their past triumphs.

Beretta has their interesting Langdon 92 Elite LTT and their all-black M9A3 (um, woohoo?), along with some import reboots of other 92 series and older designs in limited runs, but not much else. Their APX stinks in terms of consumer interest, the PX4 has its fan base (albeit small), and the Nano may as well disappear from the ranks of 'currently in production'. At least you can again buy a 3032 Tomcat and 22 Bobcat again, if you can find a dealer that actually realized that Beretta brought them back for the year (there was no formal announcements; they just kinda showed up in the dealer catalog, after-the-fact).

FNH is another that is milking their recent and existing gun designs. The 509 is probably an excellent design but it's too much like their existing FNS series and the two step on each others toes too much for their own good. Everything else is just them doing the same mundane thing. Who else would think that a compact Five-SeveN might be cool? About the only REAL news out of FN was actually on the sad side, when they officially retired the legendary Hi Power. Speaking of Browning, aside from some interesting limited production 2018 SHOT Show specials (the Varmint is oddly compelling to me btw, as is the Bronze), they too are not really doing anything 'must have'.

The evil company out of Geneseo had a couple of guns that I suppose are of note, a .380 and 10mm. That's all I say about them, just because. I don't need to go through the reasons again. Canik/Century Arms has been holding steady with the current TP9SF series, which is a good thing because it's a great design, but I'm surprised a compact and/or subcomp variant hasn't shown up by now, not that either would be something that's truly groundbreaking. Kimber is just doing what they normally do, releasing an endless array of variants. The smaller and lesser players like Kahr, Taurus, Bersa, Charter Arms, etc., haven't exactly lit up the gun world either.

As for the the 1911 world...what change? They're 1911s, and they generally DON'T change. It's same old, same old. There's comfort in that. Yes there's variations like the WC EDC X9, but at its soul it's still based on a 110+ year old design. Besides, it's so last year (2017, when it was announced). The other premium builders are like everyone else, just creating variations on the same thing and hoping that 'lipstick on a pig' (so to speak) marketing will bring in the buyers.

And now I come to Glock, which actually up to now in this rant of mine I've been avoiding. As many of you may know, Glock is my favored brand of gun. It's what I rely on. It's what I carry. It's what I'll choose to defend and fight with if it ever comes down to that. It's what I've shot the most by far for the last 28 years. And therein lies my quandary with the company; a 2018 Glock more or less feels and pretty much looks just like a 1988 Glock. One COULD argue that you just don't change greatness. But who's arguing that Glock is greatness? They DO modify the guns every 6-8 years or so, however incrementally it may actually be. Change is still change, however seemingly slight it might be. And even sometimes the change breaks things, like the aftermarket from generation to generation. The current Gen5s introduced in 2017 are not game-changers; they're evolutionary and even DE-evolutionary in some respects. They don't stir the pot, mainly because they ARE the pot and have been for some time. Everyone else are the ones trying to spill them over.

So the Gen5+ guns come out, the G19X, G45, the MOS G19 and G17...same formula once again. Tweak the details a bit, address the previous complaints; at least Glock appears to be listening and for them, actually acting upon such gripes and grousing with a level of expediency that in the past was rarely if ever seen. That in itself is rather shocking. Glock never changes up things fast, unless it's to address a serious flaw (like the Gen4 9mm RSA, for example). Mind blown. However, it STILL hasn't resulted in product that is actually groundbreaking. In the end one can't escape the feeling--and the fact--that it's still just a Glock.

And so this is my summary of the State of the Handgun World in 2018. Yes I avoided (or just outright ignored) some brands. Mostly because there's not much to tell. After all, 2018 has been a boring year for handguns.

quote:

(GP100)

You meant Super Redhawk, right?

I'd like to argue with you, but the most exciting news about Ruger handguns for me is, when you think about it, kinda boring and a dealer exclusive at that: blued revolvers with 5" barrels. They've also brought back the SP101s in 9mm that a lot of people, including myself, wanted to see, but again that's not really something new.

Smith and Wesson has reintroduced the model 19. Much thicker barrel, sleeved and tensioned. 3rd lock up point. so it can handle a steady diet of 357 mag.

B&T introduced two, three new Pistols. Yeah, they are large, but from a PCC standpoint they all over a lot of new thinking to the market.

Cmmg just released their banshee. It looks spiffy.

The star model B's of this year while not new, are newly imported and a fantastic buy.

It is times like these that people begin to finally look at that upgrade pistol. Dumping that one that has been in the back of the safe.

It is my favorite gun season. So far i have been able to pick up a large number of used guns in the last year.

P225 X2
P 226 40, 357, 22lr
Ruger p85
Smith 627 PC
Smith 625
Smith model 40 centenial
Smith model 19 (original, not new release)
Smith pre 14 target master piece
Smith model 18-3
Browning t bolt 22lr
Winchester 75 target in manlicher stock.
HK USP in 9mm
HK MK23

Yeah i sold a few of my unfired guns, and bought some new ones. Take a trip back in time. remember those old pistols and rifles you wanted. Hunt them down. Do a little horse trading. I find that process far more enjoyable than waiting for the newest toy to come down off GB high prices.

I actually think it's a good thing. It gives us a chance to look back and maybe acquire some of the old classics.

Maybe manufacturers are tired of to much complaining about new releases? From what I read here there's many that won't buy anything new for at least a year anyway.

Never is boring to me. Like phones you are seeing product maturation. What else is there to do?
Make folding pistols? Invent another worthless caliber? Gun sales are down since Trump took office so if I was a manu I wouldn’t be tripping over my dick to release all new platforms either. The

I think this is part of the chicken and egg situation with gun sales. Because the Obama-era panic buying has ended, gun sales are way down. With sales down, the gun makers don't see a benefit / can't afford to design and set up manufacturing for new models. And given that gun technology is pretty stable at this point, new designs may be more about cosmetics and gimmicks than real improvement.

quote:

Originally posted by pony220:
I actually think it's a good thing. It gives us a chance to look back and maybe acquire some of the old classics.

Hear, hear! One other thread in this section already has me looking at Beretta 81s and 87s that I don't need just because they're kinda neat.

You complain about FN basically stepping on their own toes, then basically wrote a whole essay saying why every other company should do exactly that for novelty's sake.

You complain about endless variations of the same stuff then want compact versions of (essentially) novelty handguns.

STI just released a single stack 2011 and they, reportedly, have made a duty quality 2011 Tactical. Maybe not "crazy innovative" but it is new. They also released the OMNI which by all reports is about as modern a 1911/2011 package as exists.

Kimber, a major 1911 mfg, has a railed RMR ready 9mm 1911 that will retail well below $2k. That's actually pretty cool.

The new Glocks have the same form factor as their predecessor, but they are truly better guns. More reliable, more accurate, better trigger. The Gen 5 MOS models are basically the MOS versions of what would come from a place like ATEI for an additional $1k in work.

We live in the golden age of handguns, across the board they're solid, accurate, reliable guns and you really can't do much so long as we're stuck with current ballistics and technology. You missed them major point of modernizations from the past year and a half: the mainstreaming of optics and compensators for duty/carry/fighting guns.

Starting with KKM, then TBRCI, now a whole host of varying level of comps. First for just Glock, now esthetically designed for all the major handgun options.

The biggest leap is in handgun optics: Gen 5 MOS, FN 509 Tactical, optics ready APX, optics ready Hudson H9, STI 2011 Tactical and DVC OMNI HOSTs, Kimber KHX line, SIG M17 with DPP standardized footprint, the RMR Type 2 USSOCOM adoption, announcement of the Aimpoint ACRO, the explosion of affordable optics compatible aftermarket slides, major LEAs authorizing optics on pistols, CBP tender requiring optics compatibility.

You were looking for innovation from what is an almost entirely mature technology when the real innovation is happening elsewhere.

ETA: I forgot to add the M&P380EZ. It's a niche gun, but it serves an important niche and serves a portin of the market that would need to pick between a light compact that's difficult to manipulate or a questionably reliable 22.

For the elderly, the handicapped, or the weak wristed this IS innovative. Not all innovation needs to service the hardcore shooter market.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: tcba_joe,

Take up archery.

quote:

We live in the golden age of handguns, across the board they're solid, accurate, reliable guns and you really can't do much so long as we're stuck with current ballistics and technology...

...The biggest leap is in handgun optics: Gen 5 MOS, FN 509 Tactical, optics ready APX, optics ready Hudson H9, STI 2011 Tactical and DVC OMNI HOSTs, Kimber KHX line, SIG M17 with DPP standardized footprint, the RMR Type 2 USSOCOM adoption, announcement of the Aimpoint ACRO, the explosion of affordable optics compatible aftermarket slides, major LEAs authorizing optics on pistols, CBP tender requiring optics compatibility.

You were looking for innovation from what is an almost entirely mature technology when the real innovation is happening elsewhere.

Pretty much this.

quote:

Originally posted by soggy_spinout:
......
As for the the 1911 world...what change? They're 1911s, and they generally DON'T change. It's same old, same old. There's comfort in that. Yes there's variations like the WC EDC X9, but at its soul it's still based on a 110+ year old design.....

The first 110 years are the hardest. Now that they'v got the bugs out of the design, rest assured that some excitement is in the cards for the future.

HK Just released their desert Jungle edition mk23

Nobody's buying anything. I'm not surprised that R&D funds are probably right, too.

It kinda was in some ways but different in others.
I picked up the 19X beginning of October and promptly became enamored with it. Have North of 1K rounds through it and still carrying it.
Did not really care for to much of the other new offerings but other people did. Lots of variety out there now.

I'm really not sure what you'd want. SIG makes strikers, HK is again, just about any size you want is available from most major manufacturers. Aside from Glock making a metal-framed, hammer fired, less-angled grip pistol, or anyone making random chamberings that only a couple dozen people will buy, there's not too much new to do. I mean, there's only so many ways to make a pistol. For all the discussions we have about triggers, reset, grip texture, etc., it's all kinda minutia. They all fire projectiles down a barrel. No pistol in the same caliber as another is any more or less deadly.

The newest design in my safe is the P320, next newest might be my M&P 22, and after that I think a Keltec P32 might be the 3rd newest. Everything else is classic designs 1911, Hi-power, J frame, K frame, P-series Sig, 1873 SAA, and some others I probably forgot.

Nothing has really caught my eye in the new designs.

Boring years are good. I save money.

[IMG]<iframe src="https://giphy.com/embed/3oEduSOF7WyQXYbZJu" width="480" height="271" frameBorder="0" class="giphy-embed" allowFullScreen></iframe><p><a href="https://giphy.com/gifs/showtime-penny-dreadful-dreadfuls-demdreds-3oEduSOF7WyQXYbZJu">via GIPHY</a></p>[/IMG]

Never mind... it was an super clever
GIF of an ever so proper English Lady tearing the center out of a target with a C 96.

So just my way of saying “ on target”.

And obviously way cooler if the stupid animated video played.

I’m off to chisel some stuff into sandstone now...

Bill R