BERRYVILLE -- Custom gun-maker Wilson Combat is again joining forces with industry giant Beretta, this time to build a pistol designed to appeal to the concealed-carry market.

Photo by J.T. Wampler

The Wilson Combat/Beretta 92G Compact Carry pistol is designed for the concealed carry market.

Photo by J.T. Wampler

Guy Joubert, who oversees new stock service pistol development at Wilson Combat, takes aim with a Wilson Combat/Beretta 92G Compact Carry, a 9mm, semi-automatic pistol.

The Wilson Combat/Beretta 92G Compact Carry, a 9mm, semiautomatic pistol, will be built by Beretta but comes decked out with specialized Wilson parts and components made in Berryville.

The pistol's features include a compact frame with rounded trigger guard; a beveled magazine well; Wilson Combat G-10 grips; a Wilson Combat rear battle sight; and a match-grade, blackened, stainless-steel barrel. The pistols come with two, 13-round magazines.

Guy Joubert oversees new stock service pistol development at Wilson Combat. He said the 29G Compact Carry can be further customized by Wilson gunsmiths but that for many shooters that won't be necessary.

"They're great shooting pistols right out of the box," he said.

The pistols are becoming available at a time when the firearms market is red-hot.

According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation -- the trade association for the firearms industry -- December saw record numbers of background checks for the period by the National Instant Criminal Background Check system. The checks are commonly considered precursors to firearms sales. The foundation's adjusted count stood at 2.34 million for December, up 37.6 percent compared with the same month a year ago.

Gun sales jumped after a November terrorist attack in Paris killed 130 people and a shooting rampage in San Bernardino, Calif., killed 14 in early December. Industry watchers said sales were motivated by concerns over increased regulations regarding some types of firearms, AR-style semi-automatic rifles in particular, along with gun buyers' growing concerns regarding self-protection.

For 2015, the adjusted number of National Instant Criminal Background Checks was 14.24 million, up 8.7 percent from 13.1 million for 2014 but down from the 14.8 million checks during 2013, the highest yearly total for checks to date. Gun sales surged in 2013 after gun owners grew concerned about more firearms restrictions after several mass shootings, but sales cooled in 2014.

Publicly traded gun-maker Smith and Wesson Holding Corp. saw its shares surge last week when it raised its gun sales forecast after President Barack Obama issued executive orders expanding background checks for firearms purchases. Smith and Wesson projected that revenue for the quarter ending Jan. 31 could be $180 million, a 16 percent jump compared with its projections in December.

Wilson Combat sells custom model 1911 pistols, AR-15-style rifles, tactical shotguns, ammunition, magazines, custom gun parts and other shooting gear. The privately held company, formed in 1977, is headquartered in Berryville in Carroll County and employs about 145 people, including 50 gunsmiths.

Italian gun-maker Beretta was established in 1526 with 16 generations of continuous family ownership, according to the company. Beretta USA Corp. also was founded in 1977.

The Wilson Combat/Beretta 92G Compact Carry will be sold exclusively through Wilson Combat and the company's dealer network. The pistols are marked with serial numbers that start with WC and will include Wilson logos on the pistol's grips and slide. The 92G Compact Carry retails for a suggested price of $1,195.

Plans are to produce at least 2,000 pistols in small batches, according to Wilson Combat.

In their first major collaboration, Wilson Combat and Beretta teamed up in late 2014 to offer the Beretta/Wilson 92G Brigadier Tactical pistol. Company founder Bill Wilson, a longtime Beretta collector and enthusiast, proposed the collaboration. About 5,000 92G Brigadier Tactical pistols have been sold, according to Wilson Combat.

Rafe Bennett, vice president of product marketing at Beretta, said that after the success of the 92G Brigadier, it made sense to partner again with Wilson on the 92G Compact Carry. He said further collaboration is likely.

Beretta's 92 models are the civilian version of the company's M-9 pistol, which has been the mainstay of U.S. military since it replaced the the 1911 platform in 1984. The U.S. Army is seeking a new contract for sidearms, with firearms makers, including Beretta, competing for what's expected to be a $580 million contract.

Michael Bane, television host and producer under contract with The Outdoor Channel for programs including Shooting Gallery and The Best Defense, co-authored The Combat .45 Automatic: A Complete Guide to Purchasing, Modifying and Customizing the .45 Automatic for Competition or Carry with Bill Wilson in 1985.

Bane called Wilson's collaboration with Beretta brilliant, noting that the 92 platform is time-tested and familiar to millions of shooters but is also ripe for customization and upgrades.

"With a little bit of Wilson magic, it now appeals to a new generation of shooters," he said.

He said the G92 Compact Carry concealed carry focus makes it attractive to gun buyers but added it comes at a time when some attitudes about what type of firearms are viable for concealed carry are shifting.

He noted over the past few years that smaller and smaller handguns have become more popular for the concealed carry market. He said gun companies like Smith and Wesson, Sturm, Ruger and Co., and Glock Inc., all now are offering pistols chambered in .380 ACP and 9mm in small, subcompact and highly concealable packages.

Bane said over the past year, with an eye toward mass shootings, a small but growing number of top firearms instructors are stressing the need for concealed carry guns with longer barrels, better sights and that carry more ammunition.

"The thinking now is we have to carry a significant gun," he explained.

He said the G92 Compact Carry falls right into that trend.

"What you want is a gun you can make a shot with," Bane said.

SundayMonday Business on 01/10/2016