Massad Ayoob - Massad Ayoobs Greatest Handguns of the World Volume II

W elcome to Volume II and if you bought Volume I, thank you, because the good sales of that one were the reason this one was commissioned.

A whole lot of chapters scheduled for the first one didnt make it when we ran out of room. Editor Dan Shideler wanted to make it more visual with more and bigger pictures, and that left less space for words.

There was an angry thread at www.sigforum.com which took me to task for not mentioning the SIG-Sauer series as among the greatest. Alas, that had been one that wound up on the cutting room floor after Volume I. It is, most certainly, here in Volume II.

Some at www.coltforum.com were shocked that a book with the words Greatest Handguns in the title did not include the Colt Single Action Army. When we had to cut some out, we decided to keep a twentieth century focus, so the SAA was deferred to the book we hoped would follow if reader interest warrantedthe book you are now reading.

Both of those chapters appeared originally in Dave Brennans magazine, The Accurate Rifle. So did several of the other chapters appearing here. The Thompson/Center chapter originally appeared in American Handgunner magazine, and is reprinted here courtesy of editorial director Roy Huntington. Some chapters, including those on the Mauser C96, the Colt Pocket Model, and the .41 Magnum, were written expressly for this book.

Criteria were simple enough: Did the gun in question make a difference? The Colt Peacemaker, the Gun That Won the West, obviously qualifies; the qualifications of some others were less obvious. Sometimes, the difference was limited to a relatively narrow field of users, as with the High Standard Supermatic. There were good .22 target pistols before and after it. Yet, the Supermatic ushered in the age of a .22 auto engineered for super accuracy, and equipped with quick change barrels that delivered modularity and flexibility without sacrificing precision grouping capability. (Yes, the S&W Model 41 had that toobut it came later. The High Standard gets the credit for establishing the concept.)

The Colt Pocket Hammerless set the stage for one of the most widely produced genres of handgun the world has ever seen, the flat little .32 and .380 carry autos. The .41 Magnum never met the expectations of popularity that heralded its arrival in 1964but the reasons why it didnt make it an important case study in how ebbs and flows in trends and forces outside the gun design room can influence firearm trends and sales. And then, there are handguns such as the Mauser C96, whose effects can reach far, far beyond the world of the hand-held firearm.

I had a great time researching this material, research that spans several decades. It was a labor of love. I hope you get just as much enjoyment out of reading it.

Massad Ayoob

October, 2011