New Wilson Beretta -- Centurion Tactical

[JSGlock34]

IIRC, Bill Wilson hinted at "something in between a full size and a compact" shortly after the Brig Tac was released, which a lot of us took to mean a Centurion style gun. We later got the Compact Carry, but I suspect a Centurion may still be on his to-do list.

You are correct - after the Brigadier Tactical was introduced, Bill Wilson previously stated on Beretta forum that he has two other projects planned with Beretta USA. He stated one will be smaller than a Brigadier Tactical and larger than a compact. I agree that the Centurion size is a logical progression. He also hinted that the other will be neither a 'FS' or 'G' (D or SAO?)...but GJM noted that Bill Wilson builds pistols he likes to shoot, and Mr. Wilson doesn't carry a D or SAO model...however he has sometimes paired the 'D' upper with 'FS' lower...

Alright, who volunteers to search all his Beretta posts for hints about what the hell he's talking about?

Just because I like stirring the pot with rampant speculation and old posts...

I have a picture of a gorgeous 92D, so converted by a friend, but since it is his pistol, with a bunch of neat mods, I am not comfortable posting it until he gives the go ahead. I don't have one of these converted yet, just a 92D Centurion to serve as base gun for such a project.

[M2CattleCo]

Compact railed frame with full size top end. Dovtailed sights. ??

[opmike]

The Centurion has always left me cold, and I don't understand why someone wouldn't just go for the Brig Tac. The longer top-end isn't nearly as challenging to deal with in a carry role as is the length and width of a pistol's grip.

DAO? God I hope not.

[GardoneVT]

.

DAO? God I hope not.

The Beretta incarnation of DAO is one of the most hailed in terms of trigger feel ,as it's just the DA press with the SA hammer notch removed. That's in factory form; a DAO Beretta Centurion with a bobbed hammer , slick slide ,fiber optic and/or night front sight featuring an action tune is about as close to the perfect hammer fired carry gun you'll get this side of a Smith and Wesson ASP (remember those?). I'm a dedicated DA/SA guy ,and the idea of a DAO Wilson Centurion is giving me the mental goosebumps.

[Lon]

Compact railed frame with full size top end. Dovtailed sights. ??

That would be cool.

[JSGlock34]

I am on a short leash here, but I will say this is not merely cosmetic, it is the configuration that I always wished Beretta built. I am down for multiple copies.

DAO? God I hope not.

I don't think DAO is a configuration that GJM always wished Beretta built...

I had picked up a 92D Centurion a few months back, that I got around to shooting. After shooting it, I have to say that I prefer the classic Beretta DA/SA trigger.

On a lark, I grabbed a regular 92 lower and put it on making a slick side, no de-cock DA/SA Beretta. Bill Wilson had told me about this. Liked it much better with the classic lower, and boy is it a slick package!

[Willard]

...however he has sometimes paired the 'D' upper with 'FS' lower...Just because I like stirring the pot with rampant speculation and old posts...

If it is a D, I am going to be in a lot of marital and financial trouble. I may also develop a 'hoarder' disorder.

[opmike]

The Beretta incarnation of DAO is one of the most hailed in terms of trigger feel ,as it's just the DA press with the SA hammer notch removed. That's in factory form; a DAO Beretta Centurion with a bobbed hammer , slick slide ,fiber optic and/or night front sight featuring an action tune is about as close to the perfect hammer fired carry gun you'll get this side of a Smith and Wesson ASP (remember those?). I'm a dedicated DA/SA guy ,and the idea of a DAO Wilson Centurion is giving me the mental goosebumps.

Yeah, I've spent enough time behind a 92D to come to the conclusion that it's just not my cup of tea. Lord Timer says I'm faster and more consistent with DA/SA than the various DAO autos I've tried to warm to, so I've run out of any kind of objective argument for them to replace my current preferred configuration. I'll stop there so I don't drift the thread into a debate about DAO vs. DA/SA. Such a system just wouldn't be a part of my special snowflake gun.

All that aside, I was going to pull the trigger on a PX4 Compact Carry tomorrow during my lunch break, but this news has put everything on hold to be sure.

[GJM]

It is amazing is how far BerettaUSA has come in just a few years, in making handguns that meet the needs of enthusiasts. I can remember, not that long ago, when a Beretta handgun was as cool as your grandfather's old Buick. Now, they are cranking out very interesting, high quality pistols. Since we know success has many parents, consider:

1) Beretta got out of Maryland, which sent a message to state governments that pass onerous gun laws. They made the move to TN, which was enormous logistically, to restart manufacturing in a different place.

2) we have multiple people from Beretta management that participate on PF, and are engaged in what we think.

3) Bill Wilson got tired of paying a lot of money on GunBroker, buying used Beretta pistols, since all the good models were out of production. Taking a big financial risk, he committed to a big lot of pistols with the Brig Tac, in a configuration he was passionate about. That has made high quality pistols, in a configuration we want, available new for a lot less money than they went for used. Wilson Combat followed up with the Compact 92, and are on the verge of doing it with a new model.

4) Wilson Combat manufactures high quality Beretta accessories, including their trigger bar, the Pepperoni rear sight, and much more. They also have in incredible in house pistolsmithing capability now for the 92 series.

5) You have all the work Ernest Langdon did with the PX4C. That gun had a terrible reputation, through no fault of the gun, and EL turned that 180 degrees, by combining the right mods to make it perform, and proving with his shooting, how well it can be shot. I think it punches way above its size, and is one of the best carry guns period. And, then you have all the other projects he is working on.

This is a great time for Beretta and Beretta pistol enthusiasts, and five years ago, I would never have guessed it would happen. Heck, I have even got Darryl shooting Beretta pistols, which given his fan boy status with HK, uunderscores how far Beretta has come.

[Lon]

I'm still waiting for EL to do his magic on a MRDS PX4C. I really wish BUSA or WC would come out with a compact slide that's got a front dovetail. That was my only complaint with the M9A1 Compact I tricked out a few years ago.