Each year, the SHOT Show presents handgunners with a smorgasbord of new product offerings from manufacturers large and small. Some are really new. Some are new variations or configurations of previously proven models. Some are, well, not much more than a new finish or a different rear sight on the same old gun.

Major brand names may have as many as a dozen or more new SKUs to offer for the coming model year; others have only one or two. At the January 2009 SHOT Show in Orlando, I rough-counted more than 60 "new" handguns being presented on the floor displays. Some break new ground and will definitely be long-lasting additions to the handgun world; others will likely not even be cataloged a year from now.

So, here's just a quick survey of my "Top 10" new handgun picks for 2009. These are the ones I think are the most interesting, innovative, and have the best chance of becoming popular players in the marketplace. The choice wasn't easy because most of the manufacturers responsible for the following handguns have several interesting new items in addition to the one or two I'm mentioning here, but these are my picks for cream of the crop.

Ruger LCR

Ruger
"Best of Show" for this year's handgun field has to go to Ruger's new Lightweight Carry Revolver (LCR). The LCR is a compact, five-shot .38 Special that weighs only 13.5 ounces; has a fully shrouded hammer, double-action-only trigger pull, 1⅞-inch nominal length barrel; and is rated for "Plus P" ammunition. It is essentially the same size as a classic S&W Chiefs Special or Taurus Model 85, and it maintains basic holster compatibility with these guns. So what's so special about another lightweight, snubnose .38? Well, the LCR's lower half, which contains the entire operating mechanism, is constructed of polymer. Yes, that's right; the Ruger LCR is a +P .38 Special revolver with a plastic frame. It's the first polymer-framed revolver in history.

The LCR's construction consists of three major modular subcomponents: an upper cylinder-frame/barrel assembly, a lower frame/fire-control-housing assembly, and a cylinder/crane assembly. The cylinder-frame/barrel assembly is constructed of a 7000-series aluminum forging with a 1714 stainless-steel barrel sleeve threaded into the barrel shroud. There are also hardened insert bushings for the center pin and firing-pin opening in the recoil shield at the rear of the cylinder window. The barrel is controlled for barrel/cylinder gap by its thread-in depth, so there is no hard-fitting (filing) required at the breech end. This allows for a precisely finished and dimensioned forcing-cone area for consistent transition of the bullet from the cylinder into the barrel. There are no moving parts in the cylinder-frame/barrel assembly except for the cylinder-release latch mechanism; it merely serves as a housing for the cylinder/crane assembly and interfaces with the lower frame/fire-control housing. The grip is a soft-rubber Hogue Tamer with a cushion insert in the wraparound behind the rear of the frame.

During a visit to the Ruger factory a few months ago, I took two LCRs loaded with 158-grain +P ammunition, rapid-fired all five shots from the first, quickly set it down on the bench, and fired all five shots through the second. I fired about 100 rounds doing this in less than 15 minutes. My shooting hand felt no punishment at all. As far as I'm concerned, the LCR is a shoot-all-day gun, unlike any other ultralightweight revolver made.