In your opinion, what are the best pistols ever designed?

[Sgt. SIG]

Yup, I have to vote for the 1911. I really like SIG's but to me the 1911 is the very best combat pistol period!

[SCjeeper]

For me it would have to be the 1911 for auto and a toss-up between S&W J frame and the Colt Python for wheel guns.

[BikerRN]

Revolver: S&W Triplelock
Autoloader: 1911

What can I say, I'm an "old foggie", as my wife says. I prefer "traditionalist". :)

Biker

[Landor]

I would have to say there were three major evolutions in the pistol arena. The first was with Sam Colt and the birth of the Colt Revolver. The second was with John Browning for the 1911 and the third was with Gaston Glock. I think the roots of most modern day firearms can be tracked from them three. Don't get me wrong. There were other great designs which these three might of came from but I think these three stand out the most.

[roy]

Revolver, which I put first, not because I prefer the revolver but because it far predates the semi. My favorite
might well be my Ruger Redhawk because it is the most powerfull one that I currently own. I do like the Colt
New Service, Single Action Army, S&W Hand Ejector/1917, S&W Russian and Frontier topbreaks and the New Departure Safety Hammerless, and of course there are the mighty .455 Webleys....
Semis, well my main carry pistol is most often my SIG 229 .357 SIG, but there are a lot of others that I like...
If I carry a 1911, I like to put in the heavy recoil spring and load it with .45 Super......
Just to give an idea, my 3 most recent handguns include Kahr PM9 with night sights, TT-33 7.62mm Tokarev
from Russia's Izhvesk Arsenal in 1944, and 1 of only 9000 made Finnish Lahti L-35 9mm.
In true "auto" pistols the 7.63mm Spanish "Super Azul" Mauser "Broomhandle" lookalike is a lot of fun to shoot
and the only machine pistol by American defination that I have shot a lot. Don't shoot FA without the stock.....
It may not shoot as fast as a Trejo .22, but, trust me on this, it will climb.....a lot....
Remember, in much of the world "Machine Pistol" means any auto weapon which fires pistol ammunition.
The weapons that most Americans call submachineguns fit this catagory, in this case, give me a Soumi or
an MP5....For a WWII mass produced sheet metal gun, the PPS43 is a winner.
So, after all that, Redhawk, Sig 229, and Azul for fullsize handguns. Probably S&W Bodyguard or Charter
Arms .44 Bulldog, Kel-Tec PM-9 or Kahr PM-9 or .40, and Trejo .22 in small guns.

[boris]

for price and reliability, The Makarov Pistol. doesn't jam. people who know more than i do say you don't even need a spare parts kit for it!! also the smith and wesson model 10. proven, reliable.

[roy]

Originally Posted by boris

for price and reliability, The Makarov Pistol. doesn't jam. people who know more than i do say you don't even need a spare parts kit for it!! also the smith and wesson model 10. proven, reliable.

The Makarov is a marvelous pistol. Back when they were amazingly inexpensive I used to say that they were
the worlds best bargain in a compact pistol. I have owned and carried several over the years although I didn't get my first one untill 1975.....No spare mags or factory ammo for that VN bringback pistol, I had to trim
9mm Luger casings to fit, load with hollow base .357 80 or 88 grain bullet, size in 9mm parabellum dies
with the seater screwed in rather farther than for 9x19......
Things Makarov got much better when the Norinco and then the East German Maks came in.....

k and n frame smith and wesson revolvers. Anybody can shoot one, most people can shoot them well. most people would be better armed with a k frame 38/357 than anything else.


As far as cartridges, 44 special /magnum
38 special /357 magnum.

If a plain old 158 grain swhp + p load out of a 4" barrel wil not get it done, you are in too deep for a handgun to be of much help.

Same thing in reguards to the hot 44 special, mild 44 magnum load of a 250 grain keith bullet a 1200 fee per second.

[Glockster20]

Have to go with the Glock. Straight forward and ready for battle right out of the box! Love the DA only trigger, hammerless design, no external safety or de-cocker, etc. Glock....The original plastic pistol!! All others have followed on their coattailes.

[Stiofan]

These aren't my favorites, as I don't own either, but the OP asked what is the best ever designed and not what I like the best. So I'll go with the Colt Peacemaker and Colt 1911. Those two set the standards later manufacturers could build upon.