Why is nearly every single new gun being released basically the same thing as every other new gun, but with a different name on it?

I feel like for the last 12-18 months, it seems like every manufacturer is putting out their own version of the same tactical pistol, and their own AR, and that's about it. <br><br>I get that the pistol and the AR are the two most popular platforms out there, so there's obviously a market for them. But it just seems like there's a ton of copycatting, and not a lot of innovation. <br><br>I remember as a younger man being impressed that my Glock could hold 17 rounds of 9mm, and my buddy's XD could hold 16 rounds of .40. Now it seems like every manufacturer has a pistol that holds 20+ rounds, and a lot of them are just becoming prettier versions of the same thing over and over and over again. <br><br>I'm not really an "AR guy" but I'm somewhat aware that, much like handguns, every manufacturer is putting out their own take on the AR-15, but most seem to be firmly in the camp of "tactical assault carbine/rifle". <br><br>What I don't really see much of, at least from the bigger manufacturers, is new, different stuff. I feel like there was a bit of a resurgence of the PCC a few years ago, and it seems like bullpups are still pretty strong, but I don't really see many newer, completely different designs. I remember being impressed by the Remington R51 when that came out, and to a lesser extent, the Walther CCP. <br><br>Neither of those guns were great in the long run, but at least they were *different*. <br><br>I feel like the last time I saw a truly new design was the SIG MPX, and that came out a while back at this point.