So... any of our members here have an interest in firearms?

Nice collection! I noticed that only the stainless one has the long S&W tail. The blue on in the front is it a Manuhrin?

I think it is often a matter of perspective. I bought a gorgeous S&W Model .357 with the 8 3/8" barrel built in 1954 a few years ago to compare to my Pythons and my Colt 3-5-7. I found that the S&W was a bit, shall we say lackluster. The quality was what I expected but the SA trigger was not. I used to shoot bullseye, and for me a premium revolver needs to have a superlative SA trigger, and while the S&W was good it wasn't as good as many of the Colts I own. I have also shot Colts my entire life and the lack of stacking on the DA trigger was a disadvantage to my shooting style. When you shoot a lot of Colts you learn right where that stacking breaks and learn to use that to shot better, the lack of that in the S&W meant that I didn't shoot as well with it in DA either. I wound up trading it last fall for a pickup, I still have both Pythons and the 3-5-7.

I guess it's a matter of personal taste. I agree that the S&W trigger release was not crisp enough out of the box, but a little judicious work on the sear fixed it. And I definitely preferred the S&W cylinder release for service pistol competitions involving rapid reloading.

These were my toys back in the 1970s. Each of them gave a lot of enjoyment - the .44 Magnum was astonishingly accurate at 100 yards, shooting seated on the ground with elbows on knees.

I have never been greatly impressed with the 9mm (9X19, Parabellum, Luger - whichever suffix you wish to attach to it). It's ho-hum, mundane, mediocre, and a bit tepid in my view. It can be said to be adequate, but has never impressed me when chronograph tested, gun rags, gun forums, and ammunition marketing lauding aside. Perhaps I have a prejudiced chronograph. I yet hold some old fashioned notions that include greater projectile weight and larger diameter than 9mm can provide as offering meaningful improved handgun cartridge effectiveness. I really like the 10mm and.45 ACP and feel that the .40 S&W is a worthwhile alternative to the grand old .45 ACP. Inside of 50 yards, those are the three that make me happy.

If a person likes his pistolas to hold "lots'a bullets" then 9mm will fill the bill, with many high-capacity 9mm handguns being marketed.

9mm offers the twin advantages of availability and economy. It's always available and can provide more practice rounds for the money than the larger handgun cartridges. Practice makes perfect so there is undeniable value to 9mm.

While we're at it, pontificating for fun and frolic, the excellent .38 Super, with its same bore diameter as 9mm, is everything the 9mm is cracked up to be, but isn't.

The 9mms on hand here are mostly for collecting or shooting entertainment.

Top row: A Spreewerk mfg. P.38 and a mongrel VoPo Luger
Middle row: FN High Power and a Star BM
Bottom row: 2nd generation Glock 17, CZ 75 BD, Colt Government Model

The Luger is the first 9mm pistol I ever acquired. The High Power is my very favorite. The CZ is the best shooting 9mm of the bunch and the only one I'm willing to carry. The Colt is very rewarding for 1911-gun fun on the cheap. The P.38 is innovative for its day and historical. The Star BM is as small and light as I want to go with a 9mm pistol (it pleasingly ain't light weight). The Glock is a specimen for study to try to learn what all the fuss is about with polymer, striker-fired pistols.

Two additional 9mms I'd love to add to the tribe are the SIG P210 and the Beretta 92.