It is in 2024 that manufacturers will roll out a range of new, exciting pistols that the growing and increasingly sophisticated market for arms will demand. At least at the forthcoming SHOT Show, it will be nothing less than avant-garde technology and design in guns if trailers to such larger trends are to be believed.
The Dickinson Arms ADAM Series 1911 pistols, in 9mm and .45 ACP configurations, are making fine waves, and rightfully so. With the fine quality and workmanship of pistols, a forged steel barrel, slide, and frame are featured. The 9mm models come with a 4.37-inch barrel and are chambered in nine rounds while .45 ACP models come with a 5-inch barrel with a seven-round capacity. The Premium models offer case-hardened finishes on the Fireball, color-shifting finishes on the Rainbow, and a patriotic American Eagle finish. Each is customizable and comes in wooden boxes.
What makes the Girsan Witness 2311 uniquely attractive is that it is a double-stacked 1911 but very affordably priced, with a state-of-the-art design. With ergonomic space-age grips, an optic-ready slide, multiple barrel lengths, and calibers, this semi-auto pistol happens to be very competitively priced at $999. It helps put good firearms into many more hands.
FN’s new offerings include the 502 MRD, a .22 LR version of their super popular 509 platforms, designed for extended-range practice. But that’s not all: FN now gives us “big bore” versions of the 509 in the form of the 510 MRD in 10mm and the 545 MRD in .45 ACP, both featuring polymer-lower, striker-fired designs with 4.1-inch barrels.
The all-new DUSK19 brings his hyper-experience of this Glock aftermarket parts bazaar into the Glock 19-inspired 9mm pistol. It’s a compact, striker-fired platform that boasts a myriad of features, like lower third co-witness tritium sights, an optic-ready slide, and a cool flat-face trigger. At less than 20 ounces in weight, it is made to be carried daily with no hassle.
Rossi’s Brawler is a break-open, hammer-fired single-shot handgun in .410/.45 LC. It’s really big, yet carried with intended ease by way of a thick rubber grip and optics holding Picatinny rail. This offering is certainly different, and it comes with a mere $239.
Smith & Wesson takes the M&P line further with the for-32-round .22 WMR M&P Magnum, a whole lot of handguns with fully ambidextrous controls. Meanwhile, there’s a new color option for the M&P 5.7 Pistol and a 10mm in the M&P Performance Center 2.0 line that’s bound to delight target shooters and hunters.
Stoeger’s STR-9 Combat X is a mid-size 9mm handgun designed to meet and beat military specifications worldwide. It is an all-purpose gun with features useful for an enlarged mag well, fiber-optic sights, and a threaded muzzle.
Taurus is releasing the new GX4 Carry, a higher-capacity model of its already popular 9mm GX4. Complete with a 15+1 capacity, accessory rail, and a TORO optic-ready slide, this model is shooting for home defense or concealed carry.
Uberti’s new line of 1873 Hunter six-shot revolvers melds classic design with modern functionality. They’re available in .45 LC and .44 Magnum. These revolvers come with top-mounted Picatinny rails to integrate an optic.
Walther’s 9mm PDP Match performance duty pistol is built for durability and precision. Its patented rust-resistant polymer frame, optimized slide geometry, and barrel precisely machined to house the PDPMatch barrel lock chassis allow for greater magazine capacity. A transfer-coated slide will stand up to hard use and harsh conditions yet deliver top-notch performance.
They say the SHOT Show is a barometer for the firearms market; it shows bigger trends and shifts. From the resurgence in popularity of lever-action rifles to an increase in demand for 9mm products, manufacturers are changing portfolios to stay relevant. The focus has shifted from government contracts to the civilian market, with manufacturing and design innovations leading the change.
These new handguns are changing with the industry as they keep pace with the representation it makes to be considered state-of-the-art technology transfer for firearms, offering a first look at changes in personal defense, sport shooting, and hunting technologies.