In this day of polymer-frame striker-fired pistols stamped out by the thousands, there is still a place for customized handguns, made with skill and detail. We recently elected to test two such 9mm handguns from custom shops, both being double-action-first-shot pistols with metal frames and hammer-fired mechanisms. For contrast, we also shot a Browning Hi-Power single-action pistol whose starting price alone could buy either of the first two pistols, but which had been customized over time with some important upgrades, including a redone finish and new sights. Are any of these custom guns worth the extra cost? What we found is, a trained marksman will benefit most from such handguns.

Our first gun was a Beretta/Wilson Combat 92G Centurion, $1250. The Wilson Combat gun is manufactured by Beretta under Wilson Combat specifications. The Beretta is admired by Bill Wilson, who has used it in IDPA competition. The primary advantage of the Beretta is its proven reliability. The 92G Centurion Tactical merges the company’s Brigadier Tactical enhanced frame with a 4.25-inch Centurion slide to create an everyday carry 9mm pistol. Many shooters know there are certain drawbacks to the stock Beretta 92 pistol. The sights are smaller than many other modern sights, and the grip frame is larger than some hands may accommodate. These shortcomings have been addressed in the Wilson Combat upgrade. Wilson Combat grips are thinner while maintaining a high level of adhesion and abrasion. Also, the pistol features the Wilson Combat Battlesight and a front sight with tritium insert.

Next was the Guncrafter Industries Executive CZ 75B, $1875. Guncrafter Industries has offered its own high-end 1911 for several years. The base CZ 75 features good fit, finish, and steel and is a good choice for an upgraded 9mm handgun, but the CZ 75 hasn’t received the same customizing attention as 1911 and Hi-Power pistols. Guncrafters offers customizations on the 75B, the SP01, 75 Compact, and Shadow 2. The CZ 75 variants are built on existing CZ 75 pistols. The pistol may be built on a decocker frame if desired, as packages may be built on customer-supplied guns. Others are in stock and ready to ship.

Our third gun was a Browning Hi-Power 1979 9mm Luger, $1860. This 1979 Browning Hi-Power was obtained for $1100 originally and modified several times, to the tune of another $760. That aggregate price could easily be the cost of a used Hi-Power in reasonable shape today, with no mods.

We saw pretty early that Beretta fans were going to purchase the Wilson Combat Beretta, and CZ fans would buy the Guncrafter Executive, although there were compelling differences between them.

How We Tested

As the test progressed and we weighed individual features between platforms, we saw there was another grading scale to consider. While the overall performance of one pistol against the others was most important thing to consider, the validity of each feature’s improvement over what appears on standard handguns had to be gauged as well.

We used four types of ammunition during the evaluation. First was the Winchester Active Duty full-metal-jacket (FMJ) load during the combat-firing test. We used Remington UMC FMJs, Hornady 115-grain XTP jacketed hollow points, and Federal 124-grain Punch jacketed hollow points when firing for accuracy.

During preliminary handling, we noted the magazines of all three pistols were more or less the same in handling and loading. The 17-round Beretta magazines were not difficult to load. The 20-round Beretta magazine was another story. It became difficult to load at the 15th round. Only by using a magazine loader were we able to get to 19 rounds, and two of the four raters — men of at least average strength — could not load the 20th round, even with the loader, without great difficulty. We gave up and elected to load the magazine to 19 rounds, sometimes 18. Considering the added bulk and length of the magazine, it isn’t really worth the effort.

Gun Test Grade: A

$1250

The pistol tested is a Centurion version, the slightly shorter Beretta type. We like the looks and balance of the Centurion. The configuration is known as the Beretta 92G. There is no manual safety; the pistol is a decocker only mechanism. There is a firing-pin block like all Beretta 92 handguns. The pistol features a rounded rather than square trigger guard, a distinctive feature. The pistol features an accessory rail for mounting combat lights or lasers. This is the only pistol tested so equipped, a big plus in the minds of some of the raters. The double-action-first-shot trigger is smoother than the CZ 75 Omega, but was not as smooth as the Guncrafter CZ 75 Executive, in our shooters’ opinion. The single-action trigger is tight and crisp and breaks at 4.25 pounds. It isn’t as clean as the Guncrafter CZ, Browning, or CZ Omega in single action, but it is a good trigger. It simply suffers in comparison to other superlative triggers.

Beretta Wilson Combat 92G Centurion 9mm Luger

The hammer is a skeletonized Wilson Combat type. A magazine-well attachment on the bottom of the grip and enlarged magazine-latch button aids in quickly replenishing the ammunition supply. The raters found the Wilson Combat Battlesight to be the best sight of the test. The rear sight features a U notch that allows rapid sight acquisition and gets on target quickly. The front sight is a bright spot on the target. The rear sight is a wedge-type design that allows racking the slide on the belt or releasing the slide quickly during a one-hand reload drill, if needed. The pistol is supplied with excellent magazine support in the form of two 17-round and one 20-round magazine.

Following are the upgrades compared to a standard Beretta 92G Centurion:

• Dovetailed tritium front sight
• Stainless match-grade barrel with recessed target crown
• Fluted steel guide rod 
• Accessory rail
• Special serial number range with WC prefix 
• Rounded triggerguard
• Ambidextrous decocker
• WC rear Battlesight
• Elite skeletonized hammer
• Oversized magazine release with checkered pad 
• Checkered frontstrap and backstrap
• Beveled magazine well
• G10 grips with “WC” logo medallion 

On the firing line, the Beretta came on target quickly. The DA-first-shot trigger is much smoother than the CZ Omega’s, while the Guncrafter is smoother than the WC’s. We managed the Beretta trigger well, with lots of hits on silhouette targets with the DA trigger at 7 and 10 yards. We got on target and pressed the trigger smoothly to the rear. The transition from double-action to single-action fire was smooth, and the pistol was controllable overall. In single-action fire, the pistol was rated the most controllable of the four handguns tested.

In bench accuracy, the Beretta proved to be an accurate pistol. At 25 yards, we secured several 2.0-inch groups. Over the years we have tested several Beretta 92 variants. This is the most capable in combat firing and the most accurate off the bench. Compared to the other pistol sights, we liked the Wilson Combat Battlesights the best. The Beretta/WC was at the bottom for handfit, though the frame texture and Wilson Combat grips were great advantages over a stock factory gun’s grip. Magazine changes were rapid with the Wilson Combat Beretta. There were no failures to feed, chamber, fire, or eject.

Our Team Said: For the shooter who is already familiar with the Beretta 92, the Wilson Combat upgrade is an excellent choice. We would not hesitate to buy one.

9mm Luger Range Data

Value Guide: 9mm Luger Handgun Rankings