There's only a handful of forges producing about 90% of everything for everyone out there. The difference between different manufacturers is often very small these days, although you do get a better product from the higher end companies.

Similarly, handguns are largely very reliable. S&W, Sig, Glock, CZ, Springfield, FN etc. all make very good firearms and have a variety of good options to choose from. Hard to go wrong with most of them.