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Old July 28, 2014, 10:31 AM   #51
Walt Sherrill
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You can have all the icons you want. You can have combat Tupperware on your list if you want. But for me, for the 9mm, its the Luger. Nothing else is the same.
The P-08 was certainly the FIRST 9mm icon, but the P-35/BHP needs to be sitting somewhere nearby, too: the P-35/BHP was more reliable in the field, easier to maintain (with little or no hand-fitting needed when repaired), and had a higher capacity. It also had a stellar reputation in use over several wars -- and was a close match to the 1911 in that respect.

Last edited by Walt Sherrill; July 28, 2014 at 11:11 AM.
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Old July 28, 2014, 03:03 PM   #52
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Excellent collection! Thanks for sharing, and I agree with most of them!
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Old July 28, 2014, 03:12 PM   #53
Guv
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Luger
Broom Handle
P.38
P.35
S&W 39/59
92 Beretta
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Old July 28, 2014, 03:23 PM   #54
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While certainly an interesting and important pistol, I would never have thought of the Mauser as an iconic >9MM< pistol. I'm aware of the Red-9 pistols, but always think first of the Mauser as a .30 cal. pistol. I still think bac's list is about as close as it gets for iconic metal framed 9MM pistols. I wonder, if pistols are still in use in the far future, say 100 + years from now, if anything other than Glocks will be viewed as "iconic." Everything else might be viewed as quaint artifacts of ancient history. Perhaps something akin to a pretty and interesting, but useless, artifact from King Tut's tomb.............
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Old July 28, 2014, 03:30 PM   #55
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IMHO and only mine, I'd put the P08, the P38 and the BHP in the top row by themselves as they are the most iconic 9mm.
I'd move the Smith to the second row with the CZ 75, the Sig 226 and Beretta 92 as they are major players.
The P210 and HK P7 get honorable mention for being outstanding in their own right. The Random and Star are really kinda also rans in my book good guns but really didn't bring anything new or special to the table.
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Old July 28, 2014, 03:59 PM   #56
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I don't think I'd go beyond Luger, Hi-Power and P38 for iconic.
You might want to add something striker-fired, as then you'd have just about all the bases covered, in terms of a developmental family tree.
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Old July 28, 2014, 06:25 PM   #57
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Love the VIS-35

My buddy got one from his father-in-laws collection before he liquidated. Really nice gun. Only complaints are the really small fixed sights.
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Old July 28, 2014, 06:32 PM   #58
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Beretta 92fs...

Luger P08...
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Old July 28, 2014, 07:21 PM   #59
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Thank you bac1023 for posting this. Great collection, great pic and an interesting discussion. I have previously seen and admired pics of your extensive 1911 collection, and this is just as interesting.

Gotta love that Sig P210. Maybe iconic, maybe not, but a beautiful pistol for sure.
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Old July 28, 2014, 09:23 PM   #60
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One I think may be missing would be the Uzi. If iconic is defined as widely known and recognized, the Uzi would probably fall into that category. It is also metal construction and has seen a fair amount of service use.
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Old July 29, 2014, 01:22 AM   #61
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One I think may be missing would be the Uzi.
Good call!!!

If not that what about an MP5 or MP40?
(I suppose they don't qualify as pistols)
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Old July 29, 2014, 01:34 AM   #62
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I use to own a S&W 39 and I would not consider it Iconic.

My choices would be in this order:
P-38
Browning High Power
Sig P226
Luger
Walther PP
Beretta Bearcat
Colt 1911

That would be about it.
Jim
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Old July 29, 2014, 05:08 AM   #63
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Quote:
I use to own a S&W 39 and I would not consider it Iconic.

My choices would be in this order:
P-38
Browning High Power
Sig P226
Luger
Walther PP
Beretta Bearcat
Colt 1911

That would be about it.
Jim
I'm only talking 9x19 pistols.

However, a Beretta Bearcat is more iconic than a S&W 39?
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Old July 29, 2014, 06:09 AM   #64
Mike Irwin
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"One I think may be missing would be the Uzi."

The Uzi is a submachine gun, not a pistol. While there is an Uzi pistol, I'm going to say that it's not even remotely iconic.
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Old July 29, 2014, 09:48 AM   #65
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Brian,

the responses here are encouraging. You know what I mean. I want to bump the P210 and Radom up on the list. I can shoot one of my Luger P.08s with great accuracy but the P210 is the icon of 9mm Luger semi autos for me.
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Old July 29, 2014, 11:03 AM   #66
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Quote:
I'd put the P08, the P38 and the BHP in the top row by themselves as they are the most iconic 9mm.
I'd move the Smith to the second row with the CZ 75, the Sig 226 and Beretta 92 as they are major players.
The P210 and HK P7 get honorable mention for being outstanding in their own right. The Random and Star are really kinda also rans in my book good guns but really didn't bring anything new or special to the table.
I really have to ARGUE with what you said here.

I'll quote the part that's pure nonsense:
Quote:
IMHO and only mine
Nonsense!
I'd say that makes the most sense of anything posted thus far. Pretty much nails it. If we're also going "left to right", you could make secondary arguments about how they get placed in each row.

Your second row in particular makes extreme sense because each has genuine historical paths through time that did long service by issued agencies, countries and outfits, but still find themselves one tier below the true icons on the top row.

And if the third row showcases pistols that have definitely made a name for themselves for particular reasons, it might be worth an argument to expand that third row.

Well done.
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Old July 29, 2014, 11:10 AM   #67
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mavracer
IMHO and only mine, I'd put the P08, the P38 and the BHP in the top row by themselves as they are the most iconic 9mm.
I'd move the Smith to the second row with the CZ 75, the Sig 226 and Beretta 92 as they are major players.
The P210 and HK P7 get honorable mention for being outstanding in their own right. The Random and Star are really kinda also rans in my book good guns but really didn't bring anything new or special to the table.
I agree with Sevens that every point you made is correct, mavracer. Your ranking plus a Glock 17 would probably cover the true 9mm icons. I don't think the Radom or Star are iconic in any way, personally.
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Old July 29, 2014, 11:11 AM   #68
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Nice to see the M39 and the top of the list,

only one missing is the Colt Combat Commander in 9mm.

I think the 3913LS is best current generation of the M39 but don't have one as I got all I need (I think??).

I use the 124gr XTP's thru my 9's.
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Old July 29, 2014, 11:15 AM   #69
lifesizepotato
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Originally Posted by jrothwa
only one missing is the Colt Combat Commander in 9mm.
I don't see how. Who uses those? In my mind, the true icons in the photo are ones that have been widely adopted around the world and/or have a level of recognition outside of the gun nerd arena. There's obviously some debate to be had about what "iconic" means but I don't know how a 9mm 1911 variation could be on that list.
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Old July 29, 2014, 11:32 AM   #70
Mike Irwin
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"The Random and Star are really kinda also rans in my book good guns but really didn't bring anything new or special to the table."

I may be wrong about this, but I think that the Radom was the first full-size 9mm to adopt a hammer drop. Unfortunately, it didn't do so in the context of a double-action.

I love my Radom. It was the first "modern" gun I ever bought (even if my Dad had to buy it for me because I was 18). Unfortunately, the extractor seems to have gone soft and it's no longer positively extracting empties.
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Old July 29, 2014, 11:54 AM   #71
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Quote:
Excellent collection! Thanks for sharing,




If you like those you should see his "nice" pistols.
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Old July 29, 2014, 07:04 PM   #72
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After stating that the Browning Hi Power is THE 9MM, I will have to say my BYF 41 Mauser P-08 is probably the last 9MM I would sell. It is accurate, reliable, and very classic.
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Old August 1, 2014, 01:14 AM   #73
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Actually, the most iconic of "all metal" 9mm pistols is the Hi-Point. Hundreds of post have attested to its ability to fire millions of rounds with no appreciable wear or failures, and, of course, its lifetime warranty.
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