re: #163 Mich-again

From a manufacturing engineering perspective, that’s kind of hard to imagine. Over 62 years, the materials, machining processes, and industrial controls have not improved the finished product at all? Same rate of fire, accuracy, interchangeability, cooling, magazine capacity.. no difference except for the looks?

Yes.

Change happens slowly in firearms design. The last major new design was Gaston Glock’s pistol and the only really important new thing there was his marketing. Every design bit - the barrel locking method, the striker firing system, the polymer frame, high capacity magazines - everything - had appeared in other firearms. He wrapped it up in one nice tidy package and marketed the hell out of it.