Despite gun sales declining in 2017 from previous record levels, millions of firearms still fly off the shelves each year, and personal preferences make it difficult to pin down which model is anyone's favorite. It's even harder to determine which offerings are best-sellers, because only Smith & Wesson owner American Outdoor Brands(NASDAQ: AOBC) and Sturm, Ruger(NYSE: RGR) are publicly traded.
In order to find out what firearms are most popular these days, I turned to GunBroker.com, the world's largest online auction site for firearms and accessories, which every month publishes the five best-selling firearms on its Gun Genius site.
Image source: Sig Sauer.
While Gun Genius lists the leaders in every major category of firearms sold, breaking them down between new and used, I limited the selection to the five best-selling new, semi-automatic pistols. However, GunBroker.com doesn't list specific numbers for the guns sold -- no raw unit totals or total dollar values. I compiled all of the monthly lists from this year and tallied the results for the best-selling guns of 2017 based on a rough scoring system. There were 13 different models from seven separate manufacturers that made the overall list -- here are the top 5 (with a tie for fifth place).
Image source: Kel-Tec Weapons.
5. Kel-Tec PMR-30 and Sig Sauer P320 (tie)
The Kel-Tec PMR-30 continues to be a popular firearm for gun buyers thanks to its light weight and durability. The 30-round, .22 magnum semi-auto reportedly had Kel-Tec running at full capacity earlier this year to try and keep up with demand, so it's not surprising it landed on this list.
While the popularity of the Sig Sauer P320 seemed to grow as the year progressed, even reaching the top spot in August, it disappeared from the list in September, which may have had to do with numerous reports that the firearm could accidentally discharge when dropped at a certain angle. Several videos of the discharge were recreated, leading Sig Sauer to issue free upgraded parts to correct the problem.
Image source: Glock.
4. Glock 19
The Glock 19 is one of the most popular handguns of all time and has gone through several generations of changes. However, the handgun barely registered on the best-selling lists until late summer when Glock introduced the fifth generation of the firearm that included upgrades to nearly two dozen features with some of the more important ones, including new barrel rifling, ambidextrous slide stops, and a flared magazine well. It's clear the gun buying public approved of the upgrades.