What's gonna be the next handgun "fashon"

[krochus]

I've been reading through some old books and gun rags and I've noticed about every 10 years more or less, handgun fads change.

In the 70's it was a wheel gun world. Then came the 80's the golden age of the wonder nine. In the Clinton dark ages everything was plastic phantastic. currently the 1911 brotherhood still holds power.... But for how long?

So my question is what's next?

[KriegHund]

Good question.

Im gonna bet on
A) the re-emergaence of classics (High caliber, larger frame, metal, low capacity)

And also the antithesis-

B) Polymer, low cal, high cap (possibly even things like the FN 57) and med-large frames.

Just based on current trends. I think the smaller pistols aside from mkarovs and pocket defense will be away for a little while.

[azredhawk44]

CCW designed weapons.

Autos along the lines of the Kahr PM9 or the newest Keltec 9mm single stack offering.

I'm waiting for someone to re-engineer a revolver to use a chain-fed oval-like cylinder or otherwise reinvent the 6-gun to make it thinner to conceal.

I'm also waiting for the extractor star on a 5-shot 9mm to be moved so the extractor ledge is inside the cylinder where the cartridge headspaces. When you push up on the extractor, it pushes against the cartridge mouth and extracts the cases without a need for moon clips.

[sm]

Prediction:

Other Polymer Gun Mfgs are now eating away at the Market Dominated by Glock.

Glock will come up with a Polymer Revolver to regain shares lost to other semi's and to fill a niche in the small, concealable, less upkeep revolver.

My guess, something to go head to head with the 642 Club.

[cookekdjr]

absolutely, positively, no idea.

[AirForceShooter]

BUGS!!!!!!!!!

AFS

[kasTX]

I would venture a guess that the next big fashion would be whatever the military adopts as its new sidearm. :rolleyes:

And for the next, next fashion? If domestic manufacturers follow the trend of Winchester (think Miroku-made "Winchesters", the end of the 94/70/1300, and now some Russian 22 bolt action) I would think the next, next fashion would be anything made in America when guns were made in America. :mad:

The next, next, next fashion? Whichever single firearm the law allows you to have, that has the requisite internal locks, user identification, radio frequency ID serial number, remote disable feature, two round magazine, and shot data recorder (ala Taser). :cuss:

Oh I so hope I am wrong.

[Standing Wolf]

Glock will come up with a Polymer Revolver to regain shares lost to other semi's and to fill a niche in the small, concealable, less upkeep revolver.

Uglier than a Charter Arms? It boggles the mind!

[Jkwas]

autos with high quality DAO triggers similar to the direction of the taurus 24/7 and better ccw weapons as someone said earlier, like the kahrs and such, but much cheaper as more people carry as a way of lifestyle. I don't think you'll see too much change in revolvers. They are already as refined as they can be.

[jungle]

More widespread use of finishes like Tenifer to resist corrosion.

Better triggers in automatics. Already in progress.

Some fairly compact, light, and powerful gas operated pistol designs capable of handling small cartridges in the 50,000PSI range. Nothing at all like the Deagle.

Improved powders for more velocity or reduced pressure for equal velocity.

A big upswing in very high velocity, very high capacity small caliber pistols like the 5.7x28 or H&K versions. Or something like them, but more effective.

More widespread use of very high velocity/light bullet NATO 9mm loads by the military to deal with body armor.

Smoothbore fin stabilized projectiles fired from pistols at 5000FPS.

[sm]

Standing Wolf-

I do not agree with my prediction, I just "predicted". :p

Ugly? Yes I agree today's definitions totally baffle me as well.

Now I really feel if NAA does get the 32 revolver out into the market place, we may see that as a popular CCW.

If it does take off, maybe more .32 and .22 Revolvers as in yesteryear Like S&W and Colt did , will again be revived.

Just perhaps folks will again appreciate fine craftmanship and demand it. Product will meet standards of old. Pride of ownership and the abilty to pass forward these qualities will again become the norm.

[1911Tuner]

Hard to predict. These things ebb and flow with gunrag articles sometimes.
Usually closely follows something new and deadly-lookin'...but classic designs never really leave us...or at least not for very long. They may be shuffled to the back of the shelf for a time, but they always seem to re-emerge, ready and willing to take up where they left off.

Some examples that just don't seem to go away are:

The 1911 (of course) Nearly a hundred and still sellin'...and stirring up flame wars on internet forums.

The '98 Mauser.

The M-94 Winchester rifle. 112 years young and still here. Marlin leverguns too. Same concept. Same 19th century technology. Still hangin' in there.

The single-action revolver...notably the '73 SAA and the Bisley.

The double-action revolver. They just keep sellin' and sellin' and sellin'
in the face of 15 and 20-round semi-autos...and they're being carried for
serious purposes every day by thousands of people who understand the nature of a gunfight.

The pump/slide-action shotgun...in spite of all the killer-diller, uber-tactical semi-autos that have a "firepower" edge, whatever that means.

The double shotgun...even the exposed hammer models are regaining a spot in the market, and not just because of Cowboy Action. They're simple and practical.

The Browning P-35. The original hi-cap "Wondernine" has a faithful following for a very good reason. It's a damn good pistol.

The .22 pump rifle. Really now...Does it get any better than this on a lazy Sunday afternoon?:cool:

[f4t9r]

Those laser guns like they used on Star Trek

[afasano]

Built it laser sights.

[Dienekes]

I'm with Tuner. The classics are so called because they got it right the first time. If the user is doing his job the year of manufacture is not too important.

BTW I would add the M1 Garand. MUST be cleaned with GI bore cleaner and the sound track from "Band of Brothers" playing in the background.

Maybe a thread discussing the proper music for cleaning certain guns would be appropriate. ("Magnificent Seven" for Colt SAA, etc.)

[Warren]

How about a fad of strong, durable break-top revolvers? Yeah baby!

[Croyance]

Well in the '70s and earlier, there weren't a lot of highly regarded semi-autos around. The Sig 210 was very expensive. Writers were always talking about how much work was done on their 1911's, and the Browning HiPower used the 9x19mm, a round not popular until the Glocks and Berettas.
When the '80s came, it was the law enforcement agencies that started the double stack craze, and polymer was part of that.
During the Clinton years, it was really the concealable guns that came out.
During the last several years would be the 1911 craze parallel with the plastic craze. Both are driven by sales. People only buy so many Beretta 92s for their collection.
So I dispute the timeline.

[Braden]

Rumor has it that Gaston Glock is going to be announcing a new product today or tomorrow at the SHOT show. According to his own words, it will "be equally exciting" as the introduction of Glock pistols in the US back in '86.

IF that turns out to be true, and I'm not holding my breath, then the next "fashion" in firearms could very well be determined in the next couple of days. Whether you like Glock or not, they changed the face of handguns and ever since then everyone else has been trying to catch up. IF there is a new Glock product and IF it is as exciting as Mr. Glock seems to think it will be, then there is a very good chance that, now that some of the other firearm manufacturers are starting to catch up to Glock, they'll have to start playing catch up all over again.

[poppy]

The Glock 1911, of course. :D poppy

[M2 Carbine]

It won't "rock the gun world" but with the advent of the Kel Tec PLR-16 I think the rifle caliber pistol will become very popular.

These AR type pistols have been on the market for some time, I have a Bushmaster, but the almost thousand dollar price has been keeping many shooters, that would like to try them, from buying.

A powerful, fairly inexpensive, round in an inexpensive gun the size of a large pistol has a lot of appeal.

[HankB]

Rumor has it that Gaston Glock is going to be announcing a new product today or tomorrow at the SHOT show. According to his own words, it will "be equally exciting" as the introduction of Glock pistols in the US back in '86Hard to figure out what he could be talking about except some sort of long gun - perhaps the long-rumored uber-tactical carbine?

[Braden]

Hard to figure out what he could be talking about except some sort of long gun - perhaps the long-rumored uber-tactical carbine?

Lots of folks are speculating that the new product, if indeed there is one, will be a .40 caliber or 9mm carbine, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see. Other folks think it's a wrist watch. :scrutiny:

[Thefabulousfink]

The sawed-off shotgun for ccw.:neener:

[ECOps_DE]

If it is in a "pistol caliber" it will cause a hell of a stir. There has been a lot of heated debate over whether there should be "pistol caliber rifles",with most of the "debaters" being pretty blinded by the truth. In that there is a place AND NEED for both pistol caliber carbines and higher octane rifles like the .223, .308 and even the 7.62 x 39mm.

I personally hope good ol Gaston is adding a new choice for those wanting a short, ergonomic, quality carbine in the 9mm, .40, and .45 range.

The new Beretta Storm is pretty nice, but won't replace my H&K MP5-SR. :rolleyes:

[Dr.Rob]

Everyone is making AR's and 1911's.

Cowboy guns are more popular than ever.

I see tomato-colored grips and exotic leather ccw holsters that contain mp3 players.

[MCgunner]

I see plastic pocket guns chambering .50AE. :D

[Rob1035]

thanks to new metallurgical technology, survey says, "J-frame in .460!":p

I'm happy that the trend is to not make more stupid laws like the AWB, and I sincerely hope that trend continues...

[tom barthel]

Glow in the dark automatic single shot revolvers with built in 80 digit combination trigger locks and recepient friendly bullets. I'm still trying to understand the baked on enamal finishes. I recall it was really something when the gun manufacturers introduced stainless steel. Who knows what's next??:confused:

[Zrex]

I'm placing bets on Polymer-framed hi-capacity revolvers (7 & 8 shot)... ya know, somthing light weight, yet cool looking, with the reliability of a revolver that doesn't quite print like a revolver....




:scrutiny:

[krochus]

How about a fad of strong, durable break-top revolvers? Yeah baby!


OH YEAH !!!!

[jerkface11]

Top break 10 shot polymer framed .38 special revolvers. Or phased plasma guns in the 40 kilowatt range.

[MCgunner]

thanks to new metallurgical technology, survey says, "J-frame in .460!":p



Yeah, Scandium framed, 9 ounces unloaded, 43 ounces loaded. :D You can only fire one shot, per arm, 'cause you'll have to have your wrist relocated before the next shot. :what:

[taliv]

here's to hoping the next fad is a Steyr S9 chambered in 5.7x28.

[Dr.Rob]

CCW does seem to be the current trend... partly fueled by the AWB that restricted magazine capacity... make no mistake the antis want that back and will fight for it.

Can I just say if Kel-Tec's 223 pistol is a fad, sign me up!

[StrikeEagle]

You've mentioned my four favorite firearms:

1911
SAA
Win94
Garand

Classics. Enduring. Whatever fads come and go I expect these four to be here. :)

StrikeEagle

[355sigfan]

I've been reading through some old books and gun rags and I've noticed about every 10 years more or less, handgun fads change.

In the 70's it was a wheel gun world. Then came the 80's the golden age of the wonder nine. In the Clinton dark ages everything was plastic phantastic. currently the 1911 brotherhood still holds power.... But for how long?

So my question is what's next?

Not quite. It was a wheel gun world from 1860 to the 1970's for the most part. The 1911 made some good in roads starting with Jeff Cooper and now people see it for what it is a great pistol far superior to most other designs. Glocks are also a great design that willbe around well into next 50 years or more. We don't really have fads on that short of time table. Gun owners are a conservative crowd.
Pat

[CAnnoneer]

I think we'll see a lot more special materials, both in revos and autos - titanium alloys, plastics, composites. That will be the vogue for the next 20+ years.

Later, there will be a revolutionary change brought about by advancements in core technologies. Some of those might be laser-ignited fusion reactors, high-temperature superconductors for electromagnetic containment. For example, the former might be miniaturizable to batteries, while the latter might make supersonic railguns practical. Finally, the combination of the two would allow plasma launchers, which could be miniaturized to plasma pistols and "rifles".

I am relatively young, so I expect to see all of the above in my lifetime.

[MCgunner]

They need to just go ahead and make a gun out of that lightweight silver metal they found at Roswell in '47. :D Surely they've back engineered it by now.

[scubie02]

maybe the new glocks are the new guns they're using on the new stargate episode tonight...:D

[Grunt]

In all seriousness, I think we are already getting into the next wave of handguns in the form of pre-cocked DAO triggers like the DAK and LEM, polymer pistols with interchangable backstraps like the HK45, S&W's SW99, M&P, and now Kimber is coming out with a new polymer pistol that also include some of these features as well. It also seems that picatinny rails are also becoming more and more common as well. I tend to think that in the next 10 years, this is a sampling of just some of the features we will continue to see and become even more refined as well.

[GEM]

I think we will see increasing compact electronics on handguns. Some really small and bright built in LED lights, lasers and maybe even really compact EOtech like sights on handguns.

I also think Glock's time has come and gone as their new GAP wasn't a world shaker and they can't seem to get into the smaller gun market.

The carbine - who cares about pistol round carbines (not me).

[telomerase]

Later, there will be a revolutionary change brought about by advancements in core technologies. Some of those might be laser-ignited fusion reactors, high-temperature superconductors for electromagnetic containment. For example, the former might be miniaturizable to batteries, while the latter might make supersonic railguns practical. Finally, the combination of the two would allow plasma launchers, which could be miniaturized to plasma pistols and "rifles".

I am relatively young, so I expect to see all of the above in my lifetime.


Oh, sure. And I suppose you think that someday men will walk on the Moon (http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig5/walker2.html)?

There is an isotope of Californium with a critical mass of around ten grams. That might finally end the 9mm vs. .45 debate.

[Agrippa]

A reputable polymer framed pistol manufacturer will join forces with a top name light manufaturer to release a handgun with an integral light or light/laser combo for the ultimate in a low light fighting gun.

[Brandon223]

High capacity handguns that shoot mini-bullets as I like to call them. Guns like the 5-7 and other sub-handgun-caliber high velocity guns. I also see a trend in "magic" ammo forthcoming, I believe that people will turn back to Glasers and start using Extreme-????e ammo.

Either that or single stack, light, CCW guns.

[SUPERMAN .45]

I think the polymer hi-capacity guns still dominate the trend, like GLOCK pistols,STI,SV pistols.

[Boom-stick]

Replacement grips with fingerprint recognition to prevent mis-use??

And bullets with micro dots embeded with the end purchasers I.D.so they can traced.


All the technology is out there for it to happen now.

It's not what I want, but I can see it happening.

[CAnnoneer]

There is an isotope of Californium with a critical mass of around ten grams.

Unfortunately, that is an urban legend:
http://nuclearweaponarchive.org/Nwfaq/Nfaq6.html

The smallest calculated one is 1.94 kg (Cf-251), while the price per round would be prohibitive.

[afasano]

Revolvers that change the cylinder and barrel so you can have a different caliber without spending a lot of money. It would be like taking Dan Wesson's idea to the next level.

[13.45]

hard to say, but probably ti & polymer designed for ccw ;)

[Richard.Howe]

My predictions:

1) Sigs will continue to become more and more popular as the gubmint buys more. P220 variants will abound as 45acp is adopted.

2) Revolvers will go tacticool. As in, rails, hi-cap (8ish rounds) and tritium sights.

Rich

[fiVe]

IMHO, the snubbie revolver always has been and always will be king.


R/fiVe
Proud owner/carrier of a S&W 642

[RyanM]

I like how you happened to put quotes around the unintentionally misspelled word.

[CypherNinja]

My crystal ball prediction is.............



4-Bores!!!!!!




:D :D :D :D

[The_Antibubba]

I'm looking forward to the Triple Action Revolver.

It cocks, shoots, and then cleans the barrel between every shot.

;)

[Stickjockey]

Aluminum frames in different colors of anodizing. Someone will come up with a method of doing multiple colors, so red-and-purple tigerstriping or even green with blue polka-dots will be possible.

[Bobo]

A lot of built-in electronics.

[WvaBill]

Guns for CC. SIG's SAS, S&W 99, Millenium, P3AT...