Well, part of the issue is that understanding of aerodynamics and engine reliability/output were advancing by leaps and bounds in the 50's. Once they started stabilizing, you begin to see a lot more long-lived designs like the F-4 and F-8 or Mig-21 and F-5. The F-15 celebrates its 40th anniversary of being operational (not first flight!) next year.
Anyway...
One of the last gunfighters, the Hawker Hunter, packing a quartet of 30mm revolver cannon in the nose.
One of a series of short-lived US Navy aircraft (The story of nearly every US Navy fighter between the dawn of the jet age and before the F-8/F-4 alternates between unreliable or underpowered engines, and sometimes both), the McDonell F3H Demon:
The same image but larger (and B&W):
The F11F Tiger (yup, unreliable and/or underpowered engines again). As previously mentioned, a 'Super Tiger' with the J79 greatly increased performance but lost the Navy contract to the Crusader and foreign sales to the F-104. Also one of these managed to shoot itself down.
The F9F Cougar (the straight-winged Panther shared the F9F designation)
And a collection of oldies: Crusader, Skyhawk, recce Cougar, and a Demon