Originally Posted by
Bigslug
I would submit that the Glock is the Darwinian champion of the Wondernine period. I regard it as the ONLY semi auto that can make an argument for having improved on the 1911 concept in terms of simplicity and serviceability. Everything else (before the Glock or since) with the possible exception of the HK P7 proceeded from the question of "but what if we give it to an idiot?", and the result was lots of extra contraptions and parts that made the gun harder to shoot well or service in the futile search for a gun a moron can't shoot himself with (morons are notoriously industrious in their ability to out-stupid smart engineers)
The Sig lockup (and other transitional designs it built on) is certainly significant. In eliminating the 1911's barrel bushing, link, and extra locking points, one gets to the same initial point of having a functional pistol while making the gun cheaper. Whether or not it made the gun better is an argument for the accountants. When you loosen up a 1911, you can install new bushings and links. When you loosen up a Wondernine, you usually buy new guns.
Bringing up that time machine again, I'd really like to go back and see just how "worn out" those 1911's were. I'd wager that twenty bucks of parts would have gotten them to where they'd be chugging along quite happily to this day, and the "need" for M9's was purely political. Hopefully the CMP starts selling them soon and we can find out.