What is the next major advancement for pistols?

[Walt Sherrill]

I'd like to have a striker-fired gun with a frame-mounted safety, but one which could also be decocked and still have a true DA trigger after it's decocked.

(That may seem a bit like wanting a belt and suspenders, but it would overcome a lot of shooter reservations about the striker-fired guns that either don't have a safety, or can't be decocked, and which don't have a true DA trigger.)

There have been some guns that come close, but no CIGAR!

Some of the other suggestions above are good, such as enhancements that result in a lower bore axis.

 

[JR24]

I'd like to have a striker-fired gun with a frame-mounted safety, but one which could also be decocked and still have a true DA trigger after it's decocked.

(That may seem a bit like wanting a belt and suspenders, but it would overcome a lot of shooter reservations about the striker-fired guns that either don't have a safety, or can't be decocked, and which don't have a true DA trigger.)

There have been some guns that come close, but no CIGAR!

Some of the other suggestions above are good, such as enhancements that result in a lower bore axis.

The Walther P99 AS is awful close! No safety though.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

When I had the money, I could never find a P99 (or a S&W 99) that was reasonably priced or for sale. They always seem to show up when I'm broke.

 

[Texas10mm]

Internal parts made of ceramic alloys.

 

[mrmeval]

Weapons sighting systems will improve. I would very much like a heads up display of where my round will go. I expect phones to continue to evolve to a pair of glasses that provide all those functions and more. While google led the way I don't see them being relevant in that area in the future. The tipping point should happen within 10 years and will most likely come from an Asian country.

Chemical powered weapons won't change much other than some of the cost reductions involving plastic mentioned in the thread previously. I also feel that more exotic polymers will be used. I expect many more designs that are friendly for 3D printing with any or all of metal, plastic or composite goo emerge into the mainstream and for there to be an increase in small manufacturers for a time. I am hoping that time is not brief but current events do not bode well for such innovation.

 

[labnoti]

Remington had electronically fired rifles a while back. Big fat failure. I, for one, don't want to bet my life on a battery.

That's like saying they tried electric cars a while back and they were a big fat failure:



It's a true statement, but not the whole story. The days of spring-loaded moustrap actions with chemical primers are numbered. I don't believe electronic ignition is here to stay yet, but the advantages will someday completely obsolete what we have now.

 

[sigarms228]

I don't see much room for improvement and I am very pleased with the pistols I already own. I am much more concerned about being able to own handguns in the not to distant future or being forced into something stupid like a "smart gun" with all kinds of governmental regulations forcing a bizarre design.

 

[bersaguy]

Seems all the big advancements in the past have come about as a result of some major technological breakthrough of ammunition, or of the necessity of war. As far as handguns go, until there is either a military doctrine change regarding the use of handguns, which would require a major design update, or a major departure of propellant formulation, I doubt anything revolutionary will happen.

 

[someguy2800]

Weoponized lasers.

 

[Coal Dragger]

The most immediate improvement is going to be in miniaturized red dots, and a wider array of handguns made to incorporate them. It’s already happening of course, but it will be the next “thing” just like polymer frame guns 30 years ago.

 

[reddog81]

Most firearm advances have happened as a result of military necessity and the handgun is of minimal importance in today’s military. On top of that any substantial future advancements will probably be outlawed for civilian use.

 

[Jeb Stuart]

Maybe we should be happy just keeping what we have. We already have so many choices of fine firearms. I would love to see the Ammunition Manufactures gain the ability to produce less expensive ammo.

 

[George P]

Maybe we should be happy just keeping what we have. We already have so many choices of fine firearms. I would love to see the Ammunition Manufactures gain the ability to produce less expensive ammo.

9mm is about as cheap as I have ever seen it in 35 years of shooting 9mm. What ability are you thinking they need to gain? With huge increases in utility costs, insurances, wages, raw materials, overhead and profit, I am surprised it is isn't more expensive. remember the retailers and consumers set the final prices, not the makers.

 

[crestoncowboy]

If I were a gunmaker right now I'd be coming up with new tech but wouldn't be dumping a ton of money on anything that relied on capacity to sell. Just in case. I wouldn't completely rest on my laurels but 30 round high velocity wouldn't be my focus either (thinking pmr 30 or 5.7. Cut them to 10 rounds and noone is buying)

I'd also try to capitalize on the nostalgia that the Tompkins, m1 carbine, m1a, pw87 etc are seeing. Try to efficiently reproduce some old designs in case there is a forced shift due to administration changes from 17 round SD guns to others. Other than optics and small refinements I see very little evolution in the near future.....we are still buying 100+ year old colt patents for a reason

 

[Jeb Stuart]

9mm is about as cheap as I have ever seen it in 35 years of shooting 9mm. What ability are you thinking they need to gain? With huge increases in utility costs, insurances, wages, raw materials, overhead and profit, I am surprised it is isn't more expensive. remember the retailers and consumers set the final prices, not the makers.

It is probably as cheap now as it was 35 years ago due to better automation. Produce more for less cost. Automation is technology. And it improves all the time. Perhaps they will find less expensive bullets, something cheaper than copper etc. I doubt automation from 35 years ago is the same used now. Automation is continuously evolving.
Right now it is a competitive market, and competition fuels new and better ideas. The 9mm alone is advancing all the time.
Not to mention better distribution, faster, cheaper shipping and on and on.

 

[ArchAngelCD]

Electronic ignited ammo. Not really the pistol but I think that is the next leap. Most of the advancements already mentioned are just slight changes from current tech or cosmetic changes.

 

[crestoncowboy]

In textiles at lesst, automation hasn't evolved a tremendous amount. My facility is the newer "state of the art" setup completely rebuilt about 5 years ago. Belts replaced chains, sensors got smaller, and rather than PLC most have a computer to control everything with a windows type interface. But very little in the last 30 or so years has changed. Go back 40 years and u see some drastic changes though. Much like the gun industry. Small refinements rather than massive innovation.

The propane powered forklifts are greatly improved over the ones sold 15 years ago. however

 

[George P]

It is probably as cheap now as it was 35 years ago due to better automation. Produce more for less cost. Automation is technology. And it improves all the time. Perhaps they will find less expensive bullets, something cheaper than copper etc. I doubt automation from 35 years ago is the same used now. Automation is continuously evolving.
Right now it is a competitive market, and competition fuels new and better ideas. The 9mm alone is advancing all the time.
Not to mention better distribution, faster, cheaper shipping and on and on.

These guys are running 24/7/365 producing ammo, primers, etc. Some have expanded operations, most are not willing to make the $$$/time commitment at this political juncture.

 

[Jeb Stuart]

These guys are running 24/7/365 producing ammo, primers, etc. Some have expanded operations, most are not willing to make the $$$/time commitment at this political juncture.

You think Small. If they are running that hard, something or some one will come up with something more competitive. And it has been very competitive for a very long time. There is always risk, always has been and always will be.

 

[Zaydok Allen]

I want this, from the film Oblivion.



It's just a movie prop gun, but I seriously want to see development of hand held gauss weaponry, and I want it to look like this. With magnetic acceleration with sequential electromagnets to keep barrels reasonable, noise would be pretty low.

Unfortunately the technology of batteries is so poor, and the magnetic fields needed would be so powerful, I wonder if such a gun could even be safe to use.

 

[Dunross]

Speaking generally I think handguns as we commonly understand the terms is a rather mature technology.

So long as the basic idea is sending a chunk of something or other out of a bore fast enough to do some damage to the intended target then it's all pretty much been done before. Oh, there will be endless tweaking as to caliber, frame material, and so on, but there won't be any major developments because we've pretty well grasped the physics of the way these things work already.

I think major innovations will see a departure away from chemically fired solid projectiles. Not sure what that would be though. Lasers, perhaps, if we see some breakthroughs in portable power storage (i.e. batteries) that would be able store enough power to produce a sufficiently intense beam. "Blasters" of the sort we see in science fiction (think Star Wars). Particle beam weapons. I have no idea. These all would require scientific breakthroughs in fields I'm not sufficiently familiar with.

 

[Corpral_Agarn]

Case-less ammunition.

 

[GEM]

Laser guided bullets from pistol mounted lasers, if they can be made small enough to fit a 45 ACP projectile. One of the biggest changes in ordnance warfare has been fire control and munitions guidance.
The computer sights on rifles for long distance are exciting but I don't see the application on handguns for closer range encounters.
Suggesting different rounds of different speeds in various platforms is not an increment.

The last major advancement was the polymer strikers. Hard to beat that significantly.

Energy weapons - we don't have the energy storage tech yet. Look at what it takes to mount one on a warship. Electronic ignition - not a major change.

Psychological motivation to get more folks out to train. Realistic simulation training might be a breakthrough, but not of guns themselves.

 

[George P]

You think Small. If they are running that hard, something or some one will come up with something more competitive. And it has been very competitive for a very long time. There is always risk, always has been and always will be.

It's not me thinking small; I don't own an ammo company. IF someone like Federal or Remington had invested the 1 billion it would take 4-5 years ago, the new plant would now be up and running; but then if new restrictions come into play (say, an end to internet sales), now they are stuck with a plant that is resulting in an oversupply and driving down prices past the point of profit. This is a delicate balancing act, especially with something in an area that has a lot of politics involved.

 

[Fiv3r]

I think the next phase in small arms is going to involve polymer cased ammo. Much lighter to pack and potentially a money saver over the long run. I also think that 3D printing will continue to improve. I see this as bigger boon to the military on the front lines producing parts instead of needing to hone the logistics of producing them at a secure facility and transporting them. However, hobbyists may see a lot of use restoring or even printing firearms long out of production. In a perfect world, we could just print what we wanted. However, I could see some sort of vetted licencing with major government restrictions for those with the money to buy a high end printer as well as jump through the hoops and red tape to print an entire gun. That said, I see it more of a realistic benefit to those trying to get old guns up and working. Printing a sear or even a hard to find barrel could revitalize a current paperweight.

I would not discredit electronic ignition. Battery technology is improving not only in how well it holds a charge as well as how long it holds a charge and how durable it is. Computer tech WILL get small enough, light enough, cheap enough, and reliable enough for firearms in the future. We already "trust our lives" to computers everyday. We tootle around town fully trusting that our car's CPU won't ignore our command and just open the throttle up completely. We drive out into parts unknown without a paper atlas.Our phone knows the way. Some of us have little machines grafted into our bodies that bleed in our lifesaving medicines or physically keep our hearts pumping correctly.

This is what I see: An app based technology where a small sealed firing system receives near instantaneous signals from our communication device (calling it a phone is a little simplistic. These devices handle every major facet of our lives currently). The app is what controls the ignition. Touching a "trigger" on the gun is all that is needed. As wireless technology improves, so will reliability and response speeds. Universal wireless connection is already happening, and there is already a mathematically possible way to charge cell phones using wireless technology. Phones that are always charged and never go dead as long as they are under the umbrella of the wifi signal. For better or worse, biometric tech could personalize our weapons to the point where they won't operate without belonging to that person.

Does that mean the government could just turn off our guns? Probably. That means in 2069 you'll find my 88 year old self sitting in my high quality assisted living facility making crass remarks to the cute robotic nurse with an 1860 cap and ball stuffed under my high density foam smart-mattress