History of semi-automatic pistols

[500]

Borchardt C93 - 1893

First successful semi-automatic pistol. It uses short recoil barrel system which is still used today, but complicated toggle-lock mechanism. It also used magazine in a handle. It worked well, but was not comfortable and bulky, thats why few thousands were produced.

Mauser C96 - 1886

First mass produced semi-automatic pistol - nearly a million produced. It used stripper clip loading instead of magazine in handle. Overall it was powerful but bulky and not so comfortable.

Luger - 1898

Based on Borchardt design, but with drastically improved ergonomics. Its first comfortable pistol, but was too complicated and expensive to produce. Still about 3 millions were made.


FN Browning M.1900 - 1899

Its first compact pistol. Designed by Browning. First one which used a slide and blowback action. Blowback action is used on weak self defence guns. These two innovations allowed to make very compact, comfortable, simple and cheap gun. It is basically a first modern pistol.

 

[500]

Colt M1900 - 1900

First powerful military pistol with a slide and locking system based on lowering a barrel. It used two barrel links to lower a barrel. Modern guns use one link:

This gun was bulky uncomfortable and not so successful, it passed many modifications and slowly it evolved into an iconic M1911.

Savage 1907 - 1906

This gun used delayed blowback action. It was unreliable for powerful military cartridges and too complex for weak self defence (simple blowback is better there). But it had two innovations: recoil spring around the barrel (which makes guns more compact and used on most blowback guns since then - FN M.1910, Walther PP, Makarov...) and double feed magazine.

Colt M1911 - 1911

Its M1900 which evolved into perfection. Browning used tilt barrel locking mechanism with barrel link (see illustration above). First this action was applied on experimental M1909 and used till today on almost all modern military guns. Improved ergonomics and safety. Its produced and popular till today.

 

[500]

Walther PP - 1929

Its first pistol using double action mechanism. It also had a decocker. Used blowback mechanism with spring around the barrel.

Browning HP - 1935

Simplified M1911 design. Replaced barrel link with barrel hook. Double stack magazine. Best WW2 pistol.

M1911 above vs. Browning HP below:

 

[UkroTurk]

Browning HP dream of every Turkish man from the Black Sea region .

The first pistol i used

 

[500]

CZ-75 - 1975

I was not sure if add it to the list, but let it be. It's basically a Browning HP with perfected ergonomics, better trigger, added double action. Most accurate and fun to shoot pistol if u ask me (out of standard pistols not specially designed sportive).

Glock-17 - 1982

Even more simplified Browning tilt barrel design. Striker instead of hammer, no external safety, plastic frame. All this made Glock very simple (to produce, to maintain, to operate), very reliable and very light pistol.

Glock has some downsides too: due to light weight it has high recoil (but if u carry a pistol whole day its not a big con), its trigger, ergonomics, sights are not so good, lack of external safety can cause problems.

Most of pistols in production today are Glock clones. Many are better than Glock: better ergonomics, sights, trigger... But still they remain only clones of Glock.