Pistols of the 90's

[colt_saa]

Are we talking guns that came out in the 90s? Or guns that were for sale in the 90s?

I think the 90s was a great decade for us firearms enthusiasts

By the 90s I had already been carrying a SIG P220 for more than a decade, the one on the lower right has been with me since 1977

However the P229 family of autoloaders were introduced to us in the 90s along with the NEW 357SIG cartridge

The following were all also introduced in the 90s.

In the 90s Smith and Wesson introduced the 10xx family of autoloaders chambered in the 10MM Auto cartridge. Many Federal agencies adopted the 1076 variation after the FBIs study. It is a shame that the pistols did not work out.

At least the MP5/10s that HK introduced for the FBI were kept in Federal service.

Lew Horton in conjunction with Smith and Wesson collaborated to produce that Company's first 8 shot Magnum revolver.

Smith and Wesson introduced the Company's first stainless steel 45 Caliber revolver.

The 90s also saw the introduction of the J-Magnum from Smith and Wesson. My ankle gun was upgraded to 357 Magnum as soon as I could get one

What would the 90s be with out Smith and Wesson's introduction of the Personal Defense Revolver and the Ultimate Defense Revovler (PDR/UDR)? We all know that Clint Eastwood was thankful for that

It was during that era that Smith and Wesson entered the plastic, striker fired world with the SIGMA. I have a few. These are the more unusual ones

The 357SIGMA

The only Titanium SIGMA known to leave the factory

I have to agree with BAM-BAM that the Smith and Wesson Performance Center stuff of that decade was really choice.

This is the only 3566 Limited to leave the factory with two top ends

This is the only Shorty 357 to leave the factory

Taurus offered us a large variety of 5 shot, L-frame sized, Big Bor snubbies in everyting from Stainless steel to Total Titanium. The first two are 41 Magnums. The last one is a 45 Long Colt. These were too far ahead of their time. The Concealed Carry movement was not like it is today.

Now when the Swiss set out to copy the CZ75 design, they do a great job. This has one of the most amazing Double Action trigger pulls I have ever felt on a production firearm.

Then you have the Heckler and Koch USP family of autoloaders. Not very pretty, but built like Tanks

I am sure that I am forgetting lots of the GREAT firearms that were introduced in the 90s.

 

[Lostaro]

I owned multiple Taurus 92 9mm's in the early 90's....shot IPSC and other competitions with them. Great guns, absolutely reliable and with the Taurus safety you could start out "cocked and locked" instead of having the 1st shot dbl action...

Also had a Ruger P90 .45...very accurate...solid gun.

Yes.... by today's standards they were big and heavy but I really wish I still had one. Had a lot of fun with those guns and put a gazillion rounds down range with them.

 

[panther]

I loved 90's era guns, and I liked 90's prices. If I could just find a way to get 90's prices and current wages, I would have one killer collection!

 

[LedFowl]

I've got a few hammer-fired heavyweights from the 90's. They were built then, though designed earlier. I may be out of line.

Browning Hi-Power Practical in 40 S&W: Built 1995



CZ 83: Built 1990



Beretta 84F: Built 1994

 

[scoobysnacker]

I'm not in this for the money, but I imagine those 90's pistols will eventually become worth a little something down the road. Sooner or later, we'll see nothing but compact polymer pistols in the stores, and as useful as they are, they're neither very fun to shoot, nor do they exude much in the way of craftsmanship. They're simply a molded plastic frame with a blocky slide attached.

 

[American1776]

I agree. The Browning Hi Power has been recently discontinued, and I think the CZ 75 and Sig hammer fired P-series is an 'endangered species'. The Ruger P Series is long gone.

There will come a day when the Beretta M9 will have the 'legendary / cult status' that the 1911 now has.

 

[Lostaro]

Seems like every action movie in the 90's had heroes carrying hi-cap 9mm's with those bottomless Hollywood magazines...

What real American kid didn't want a Beretta that never missed and never needed reloading?!?

 

[American1776]

Seems like every action movie in the 90's had heroes carrying hi-cap 9mm's with those bottomless Hollywood magazines...

What real American kid didn't want a Beretta that never missed and never needed reloading?!?

I was a kid during the late 80's and through the 90's, and I saw good guys with Beretta 92's in the movies. Die Hard, Lethal Weapon, Kuffs, The Professional, and the like, made me a big fan of the Beretta M9.

It's a big plus that out of the box, there isn't a more reliable pistol in reality.

 

[Lostaro]

This is a Beretta 9mm...

"Do you have a bigger gun that holds more bullets?"

No....

"Then I'll take two"

Spent a lot of hours watching those same movies...

 

[American1776]

This is a Beretta 9mm...

"Do you have a bigger gun that holds more bullets?"

No....

"Then I'll take two"

Spent a lot of hours watching those same movies...

Christian Slater in 'Kuffs'. Great Beretta action in that film. As a kid, the rapid fire and endless magazine capacity made me a fan.

 

[scoobysnacker]

I'm running out of room, but I'd like to some day pick up a Ruger P85 for cheap. I know there's a lot out there, because I remember them being the pistol of choice for a lot of guys on a budget, shortly before Glock exploded on the scene and changed everything.

Just an example of a rugged, once-commonplace pistol.

 

[Rock185]

1995 SIG P220-1 9MM.

 

[Andyd]

That's when the Walther P88 was available for an outrageous amount of money!

I wonder since years why I was so keen on it.

 

[BAM-BAM]

colt ssa post (wow) reminded me ...... I'd switched from 1911s to a Sig220 in the mid 80s to meet my .45 needs.

I'd gone thorough Colts looking for the "right" .45 for me...... Goverment,Gold Cup, Commanders and Combat Commanders...... blue and stainless........

Finally traded a Stainless Combat Commander in for a Sig 220 (now that the mag release was 'right")...... made in W. Germany it could, and still can, shoot cloverleafs at 50 ft ( my eyes won't but the gun will).

A bit large for every day concealed carry...... I was in hog heaven when Sig introduced the Compact 245 in about 1993/94.

My 4516 was a brick to carry and pre-internet I could not find short 6rd magazines for the early Smith 4513TSW that replaced it! ...I got the 245 from a Police Supply house and they had dozens if not hundreds of extra magazines for sale.

All that said I got a soft spot for the S&W 4566....... heavy yes ......but just about the right size..... grip could be a bit shorter IMHO!

 

[BAM-BAM]

Stretching the 90s a bit.........IIRC in 2001 Beretta gave us the Elite II...the ultimate version of the 92 series IMO.

 

[petepeterson]

There will come a day when the Beretta M9 will have the 'legendary / cult status' that the 1911 now has.

You'll need the sandbox equivalent of Sgt. York to accomplish that. I'm sure he's out there, but in this society, such a feat would never be celebrated.
Plus, even when we hit 2085, there will still be folks shooting 1911s, saying it's the best combat handgun ever (even though it will probably be made of 100% polymer. or worse, by then.)

 

[colt_saa]

That's when the Walther P88 was available for an outrageous amount of money!

I wonder since years why I was so keen on it.

I also love my P88. It is probably the finest Double Action Combat Pistol introduced. However, as the name implies, it is from the 80s.

Way back then, I was helping out over at Uncle Hal's range and gunshop. We had a doctor that owned one and shot it often. He did not like cleaning guns so he left it at the shop to be cleaned after every shooting. So before I cleaned it, I went and put some ammunition through it.

That is all it took, I was in love. It was so accurate I was astounded.

Back in 1991, these puppies were selling for $1,300+ on the retail market and I did not have that kind of cash.

One of the Gun Distributors asked us if there was anything out of the ordinary we were looking for. I chimed in with the P88 but at a bargain price.

Two weeks later I owned this P88 on a employee purchase deal that I could not refuse. I have since added the Nills grips to it.

BTW Andyd, if you need magazines, the Beretta 92 are the EXACT same magazine with the mag catch cut in a different location. Once I realized this, I converted about a dozen mags, including a 30 rounder.

 

[Andyd]

BTW Andyd, if you need magazines, the Beretta 92 are the EXACT same magazine with the mag catch cut in a different location. Once I realized this, I converted about a dozen mags, including a 30 rounder.

You had told me that in the parking lot of BassPro about a dozen years ago. I still have the S&W 629 .

 

[C J]

You'll need the sandbox equivalent of Sgt. York to accomplish that. I'm sure he's out there, but in this society, such a feat would never be celebrated.

Did you see American Sniper? There are still some red blooded Americans left.

I carried a Sig P220 with me through much of the 90's. It was (and is) as rock solid as it gets. Yes I carried one before the CCW law because a state trooper told me I was crazy not to carry one in my area because all the bad guys had them. I had a wreck with a Tokarev and 2 mags in my car that ended up laying in the middle of the street. The cops picked them up and charged me because people were looking but the judge dropped the charges in court in about half a second. I replaced that Tokarev with the Sig and never looked back. I put about 15,000 rounds through that pistol and I bought it used. It had a good bit of holster wear so likely it was some LEO's carry piece before I owned it. It never flinched until the recoil spring got weak. I replaced that and it went back to being completely reliable. It's crazy accurate too.

My only other 1990's handgun is a 629.

 

[mrchuck]

My P-6 Sig is marked with the year 1980 on it.
Communist Germany then.
Superb shape and shoots even better.
If it could talk,I would really listen closely.