Handguns from the 80's/90's that didn't make it.

[koz5614]

Cool thread. I’m actually glad it was resurrected, as I missed it during the first go-around. My picks for this thread pre-date the 1980s:
1) AJ Ordnance “Thomas” .45
2) H&K VP-70

 

[RGNewell]

Back in the mid 90s, I bought a Beretta Mini Cougar in 9mm. Very nice gun, and at the time, was considered a great 'compact' size for 9mm. I never really got into that gun, and it a bit wide at the hips for carry, so it just sat in the safe. I sold it a few years ago, and got about all of my money back out of it. I guess the Cougar line still exists as Stoegers. But, technically, Beretta stopped making them, and I'm not sure if a Mini Cougar is made by Stoeger?

A couple of comments from the other posts:
Checkman, that's a great looking M745! Back in the day, I came real close to buying one of those, they are very nice guns. But, given the choice, I just couldn't choose the 745 over a nice Colt 1911. Still have that Colt, and many others...

Cmort, I love Colts, have a bunch of them, and have always had an interest in buying a 2000. But, holy God, every time I tried a trigger on one of those guns, I was so disgusted I just walked away! Even as a pure collectable purchase, I just couldn't bring myself to buy one. Absolutely horrible trigger!

I bought a Beretta Mini Cougar in 9mm about 20 years ago and love it. Took it to qualify for Conceal carry forgetting it was DAO.
I'm glad I love DA shooting. Great gun.

 

[adwjc]

...One major flaw is that when operated in SA/DA pistol mode the safety operated backwards - "up" is the fire position. That was the kiss of death for the design in my opinion.

Dave_n

Uh Dave, the S&W 39/59 series have had this system since their inception (yes, I know it is properly referred to as a "decocker"), sounds a little sacrilegious on the S&W Forum.

 

[scoobysnacker]

What was that Daewoo disaster in the early 90’s that had a decocking hammer by pushing it fwd with your thumb? I’m sure that wasn’t too over engineered.....

Daewoo DP-51... , and I'm gonna say Daewoo/S&T Motiv disagrees with you;

It's been the standard issue Korean handgun for the past 30 years, and it's currently being imported by Lionheart as the LH9.

 

[hemiram]

I had a friend with the Lionheart LH9, it was a decent gun. I didn't like the oddball bronze coloring it had, but I almost bought a black one after he got his. I think he still has it.

 

[CH4]

Yet another Colt is the Series 90 Double Eagle. An abomination.

 

[lrb1200]

The Randall 1911

First 100% stainless 1911, well built, high quality.

1983 to 1985, company folded.

 

[CajunBass]

AMT Hardballer. Had a longslide version too, famous from the original "Terminator" movie.

And here I've waded through this whole thing this morning thinking of AMT and I don't think anyone else had mentioned it.

Glad to see I'm not the only one who remembers them.

I remember a "Gun Test" magazine, I think that was the name, that did a cover article comparing the AMT Hardballer, to a Raven 25. They gave the win to the Raven because at least it would fire every time.

I don't think I ever even saw on in the real world.

I did see a Colt 2000 or whatever it was called once. It was pretty cheap and I came close to buying it just for the novelty of it. I kept watching it, waiting for the price to drop even more, but someone else bought it. Probably for the best.

 

[Gamecock]

I fondled a Mauser HSc at Greentops around 1980. Loved the little pistol. Didn't buy it cause I had no idea what to do with it.

<FF> into the 21st century, and civilian concealed carry, it would be a GREAT gun.

 

[browningcollector]

What about the stainless Parker 45 that looked like a 1911 but wasn’t? Didn’t even share the same grips as the old war horse. They were made in Wyoming I believe. Sorry if it was already mentioned but I didn’t see it listed

Kelly

 

[malph]

S&W 619 & 620s were 2005 editions that didn't stay in the production line-up long. I had 2 620s but sold one to a pal. Still have one and it is a real shooter. Other than the lock, these were worthy successors to mod 65 and 66 but I guess they didn't sell or there wasn't enough profit in them. The 620 is a 7 shot .357 with the cut away underlug it has the look of a mountain gun.

These are very good revolvers. I think they suffered from coming out at a time when there was a mad scramble toward semiautomatics by law enforcement and general public.

Medium frame revolvers were just not the rage at that time and for those that liked them, there were a lot of Model 66s, 686s, ... in circulation.

And...having the lock didn't help. There were some real hard feelings about the lock in those days.

 

[malph]

I own one. The Smith & Wesson Model 745. Only lasted four years (1986-1990). Picked this one up for $350.00. I like it, but it never caught on.

I had one of the 745 IPSC guns. Amazingly good trigger, at least to me. It worked well out of the box too which could not be said about some of the 1911s of the era.

Should have caught on but didn't. It was fighting an uphill though against the 1911 which was immensely popular and around which an industry sprang up customizing and tuning them.

 

[Kevin J.]

Browning BDM - Wikipedia

I still have mine, model BPM-D (Browning Pistol Mode Decocker) and is one of my favorite full size 9 mm. The grip is nice and thin and fits my hand like a custom glove. Great shooter too.

 

[Moo Moo]

What about the Walther P88 9mm.

[ame]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Pgnq7Ddy5As[/ame]

 

[7tenz]

Yet another Colt is the Series 90 Double Eagle. An abomination.

I have one bought in 1995 or 6, NIB consignment in 10mm. I thought it a sweet shooter even though I only shot maybe one or two magazines of Winchester silver tips through it.

 

[malph]

Many years ago the LGS had one on the shelf. It sat there for a very long time, I don't know if they ever did sell it. You couldn't give me one for free.

I remember the initial magazine reviews for that gun were glowing. That thought me something about gun magazines.

 

[Echo40]

Would it be accurate to say that the original Smith & Wesson Sigma SW40F was a failure considering that it was critically panned and didn't see any real success until it had been slightly redesigned and improved a few years later?

Honestly, it's reputation still proceeds it decades after the fact, and folks still knock its predecessors as if the issues were never addressed and the line remained in production regardless.

What about the Walther P88 9mm.

YouTube

Amusingly enough, in 1994 Bersa cloned the Walther P88 and released it under the name Thunder 9, and it has been successful.

 

[NMPinNYC]

The Firestar M43 was the "New Pistol of the Year" in Guns & Ammo 1991. I have one and its a great little gun. About the same size as all the new "wonder nines" - but a lot heavier since it is all steel. Of course that weight really tames the recoil so it's actually a pleasure to shoot. If it were DA as well as SA I'd carry it a lot more.
Too bad they couldn't keep the company afloat...

Buddy of mine who joined the NYSP bought hisself one of these upon entering the cadre back around then. He's retired now. Might have to see if he's still got it laying around anywhere. Would love to compare it to my SIG 365.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

I could be wrong, but I think "Sonny Crockett" carried two of the guns mentioned here in that upside down holster on Miami Vice. The S&W .45 and the Bren Ten. I know Don Johnson was given a S&W .45 auto by Rolling Stone Ron Wood.

That would be correct. AFAIK. The Bren Ten for sure.

===================

The Astra Constable comes to mind. Walther PPK replica. I had one for awhile. Never shot it.

I'm not sure when Beretta made their Model 70 in .22 and I think .380 caliber. But the Cheetah series replaced it, I beleive.

I have one but no picture.

Then there is the SIG P 230. Gorgeous gun.

 

[Echo40]

Huh? The Astra Constable seemed to be a reasonably successful pistol during it's production, it was merely cut short when Astra folded up.

As for the SIG P230, that was a highly successful firearm which is still being manufactured to this very day abroad, albeit in the updated P232 configuration with a lightweight aluminum alloy frame. They stopped importing it into the US in 2015, and not because it wasn't selling anymore, but rather because of this whole overblown thing at the time. If I recall correctly, SIG had sold the US Army some guns which in turn were supplied to lawmakers in a conflict zone, which apparently was against German law, so they tried to throw the book at SIG eventhough they had nothing to do with it, and in the meantime SIG couldn't import any firearms made in Germany out of the country anymore, so that marked the end of P232 sales in the US.