Pistol Timeline

Hugo Borchardt’s toggle-lock design becomes the first commercially successful semi-automatic pistol.

The “Broomhandle” Mauser arrives with a fixed box magazine ahead of the trigger and a long service life around the world.

Georg Luger refines the Borchardt toggle action. The 9mm Luger cartridge follows in 1902 and becomes the most popular pistol round in history.

John Moses Browning’s pocket pistol designs for FN and Colt put small semi-autos in coat pockets across Europe and the United States.

The U.S. Army adopts Browning’s .45 ACP pistol on March 29, 1911. It serves as the standard U.S. sidearm for more than 70 years.

Japan adopts the Type 14 pistol in 8mm Nambu, used through World War II.

The Soviet Union adopts the Tokarev, a simple single-action pistol in 7.62x25mm.

The compact PPK follows the 1929 Walther PP and popularizes the double-action first shot in a pocket-size pistol.

FN introduces the Hi-Power, finished by Dieudonné Saive from Browning’s work, with a 13-round double-stack magazine.

Sturm, Ruger and Co. is founded on a single .22 pistol that becomes one of the best-selling rimfire handguns ever made.

The first double-action 9mm semi-automatic pistol made in the United States.

Czechoslovakia’s CZ 75 earns a reputation for ergonomics and accuracy that still drives its fans today.

The U.S. military adopts the Beretta 92F as the M9, replacing the M1911 as the standard sidearm.

The Austrian Army adopts Gaston Glock’s polymer-frame, striker-fired pistol. Glock reaches the U.S. market in 1986.

Smith and Wesson and Winchester introduce the .40 S&W, which becomes a law enforcement favorite for two decades.

The M&P polymer pistol line launches. The slim M&P Shield follows in 2012 and helps start the single-stack carry boom.

The U.S. Army selects a version of the Sig Sauer P320 as its new service pistol.

A micro-compact 9mm with a 10-round magazine kicks off the high-capacity micro pistol category.