Obscure and ultra-rare firearms are always fascinating to me. Maybe it’s the FOMO. Maybe it’s the cool factor most of these guns have. Some guns are so rare you would never have a chance to own one, and that’s not a lot of fun. What about ultra-rare handguns, from major manufacturers that you could own? Guns are rare and expensive; admittedly, opportunities rarely come up to purchase them, but owning one is still possible. With those conditions in mind, I gathered five rare handguns you could potentially own from major manufacturers.
Barely Rare Ruger P89M?
The Ruger P89M is the most common of the rare handguns. Ruger produced less than 800 of the Ruger P89M series. Ruger produced the P89 as their DA/SA, all-metal wonder nine from 1989 to 2009. The Ruger P89M is still a 9mm pistol, but it’s a bit different from our standard P89. Ruger trimmed the barrel and slide to 3.9 inches rather than the standard 4.5 inches.
The frame remains the same size, and the capacity is still 15 rounds. Ruger also ditches the DA/SA design for a DAO design without a manual safety. It’s a fair bit different than the Ruger P89. If you’re a fan of the Ruger P-series, that sounds an awfully lot like the Ruger P93DAO. That’s because it’s a P93DAO with a different marking. Why does this gun exist?
Somewhere in that production lifespan, the Chicago Police Department approved the Ruger P89. They did all the testing, shooting, and, most notably, all the paperwork to adopt the Ruger P89. However, Ruger released the P93DAO, and the Chicago Police Department really wanted that gun. The P89 and P93 are all that different in reality.
Both guns are reliable, accurate, easy to shoot, and feature a modern capacity. However, it’s Chicago, which means they’d have to do the testing and paperwork all over again. That didn’t seem appealing, so Ruger sold them the P93DAO marked Ruger P89M. Ruger sold a few to the civilian market as part of a contract overrun, but it’s doubtful Chicago would ever sell their P89Ms to the civilian market.
Colt 1971: A Rare Handguns Prodigy
Believe it or not, there was a period when Colt attempted to be modern and to create modern guns. In the 1970s, it seemed like the future of handguns would be the 9mm cartridge and the double-stack magazine. While America clung to the 45 ACP, the single-action trigger, and the single-stack magazine, Europe was slowly moving to 9mms with double-action triggers and double-stack magazines.
S&W developed the Model 39 and later the 59, and Colt wanted to keep up. This led to the production of approximately 30 to 50 rare handguns known as the Colt 1971. The Colt 1971 took some cues from the 1911 but was smaller and lighter by just a bit. They used a double-action design and offered the weapon in 9mm, .38 Super, and .45 ACP.
Colt wanted to primarily sell the gun as a 9mm pistol with a 15-round magazine. The .38 Super would also have a 15-round magazine. The 45 ACP version was stuck with a nine-round magazine. The Colt 1971 ditched the grip safety but implemented a slide safety/decocker combination.
The gun failed to draw much interest, so Colt shelved the entire project. In 1979, the Army started looking for a modern 9mm pistol, and Colt brought the 1971 back as the SSP. The SSP featured an ambidextrous safety and a removable fire control unit. SSP stood for stainless steel pistol, and Colt produced 50 SSPs. While very expensive, Colt 1971s have been sold by some high-end auction houses.
S&W .30 Carbine Revolver
Revolvers in .30 Caliber aren’t common, but they aren’t exactly rare handguns. Ruger has made a Blackhawk in .30 Caliber for years. AMT even designed a semi-auto .30 caliber pistol. While the concept isn’t rare, the S&W .30 Caliber revolver fits the ultra-rare category. It’s not clear how many S&W revolvers were produced; it seems to range between three and five. Some of those leaked to the civilian market, where they fetch a princely sum.
S&W designed these guns as prototypes in 1944. They were intended to be stand-ins and supplementary to the 1911. Aircrews commonly carried revolvers and .30 Carbine could be a dual-purpose round for the M1 Carbine and a revolver. S&W used a large N-Frame design, much like the S&W M1917 revolver.
The S&W .30 Carbine revolver used moon clips and could hold six rounds. It has all the standard military revolver features. A simple fixed front sight, a rear trench sight, a lanyard loop, and simple wood grips. S&W produced a target model with adjustable target sights but lacked a lanyard loop.
Army testing showed the guns were accurate, and the recoil was equivalent to that of a .45 ACP revolver. The gun did have a crazy amount of concussion and noise. The .30 Carbine is a rifle round, so I can see why they would occur. It’s known that there were two post-war products for an Army general, and a few K-frame models were also produced. Where they all are isn’t clear.
Savage Trials Pistol
Savage produced an art deco piece disguised as a pistol with the Model 1907. The Model 1907 is best known as a small, concealable pistol in .32 ACP and .380 ACP. In those small calibers, the pistol was massively successful. You can buy these rare handguns for less than 500 dollars these days, depending on the condition. However, Savage did upscale the gun to .45 ACP.
The Savage M1907 in .45 ACP is most commonly called the Savage Trials Pistols. These pistols were developed to compete with the M1911 and a Lugeri n .45 ACp for the Army’s next shot as a service pistol. The Savage M1907 didn’t change much. They kept the ‘delayed’ blowback design, although it’s arguable how much the rotating barrel in this gun delayed the blowback.
The gun implemented grip safety, which wasn’t a feature of standard M1907s. The M1907 retained the striker-fired design with an external cocking mechanism. It looks like a hammer, but it’s not. A standard manual safety sits on the rear of the grip, and the magazine release is awkwardly placed on the front of the grip.
The Savage Trials Pistols used single-stack, eight-round magazines. Original M1907s utilized double-stack magazines. These ultra-rare handguns were produced in small numbers and, after the trials, were seemingly sold on the open market. They are incredibly expensive at auctions but can still be owned.
Walther AP
The German military carries an association with the Luger pistol, but by World War 2, they had moved on to the very modern and robust Walther P38. As Walther developed the P38, they developed several guns known as the Walther Model AP. AP standards for Armee-Pistole. The AP became the P38, but the various models of the Walther AP series have found their way to the collector’s market.
This gun is last on the list because it seems to be the rarest. Any AP model is rare, but every AP model is likely one of a kind. Each represents changes to the design. This means no two AP pistols are the same, and each AP pistol is extremely rare. These rare handguns have sold for upwards of 50,000 dollars.
They are all 9mm handguns that feed from single-stack magazines. The AP series is tough to describe since they are all essentially working prototypes. Some have stock attachments, some have shorter barrels, and most seem to have concealed hammers. Wood grips are common, and blued finishes that look gorgeous are also common.
The Walther AP series are easily some of the rarest pistols you could ever own.
Read More: Bond Arms Cyclops 45-70: The Derringer That Packs a Giant Punch
The Rare Handguns
When you get deep into the history of any firearms company, you’ll find some rarities. Rare guns that have been developed and prototyped but are often failures. Rarely do these guns ever enter the main market and when they do, they cost as much as a luxury vehicle or a house in Missouri.
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