Basically, they don't make 'em anymore because they won't sell.... or at least not as much as some railed, red-dotted, tacticool plastic pistol will.
This. The older classics would be too expensive to make today and have a chance of competing with a plastic gun. Ruger and the Browning Buckmark series seem to be the only holdouts.
Speaking of Browning, I'm not seeing any mention of the original Challenger or the Nomad. Both made in Belgium up to a point, both machined steel and both are basically the same except the Nomad doesn't have a slide stop. Both come in 4" and 6" versions and the barrels are interchangeable. Triggers are pretty nice from the factory and accuracy is on par with any comparable pistol.
Of course, you can't put a rail on them or red dot sights which is probably one reason you can still find specimens in great shape in the $600 range.
