"American Pistolsmith Guild Pistolsmith of the Year 2002"

When you purchase a firearm with the Wilson Combat® or ScattergunTechnologies™ name on it, you’re not buying “just another gun.”  All Wilson Combat®/ScattergunTechnologies™ firearms are custom built one at a time to exacting specifications by master craftsmen.  Unlike some of our competitors who build “factory custom” or “semi-custom” firearms, there are no production lines here at Wilson Combat®/ScattergunTechnologies™; we build nothing but “custom” handcrafted firearms.  But what IS a “custom” firearm?  What makes it better than a quality production firearm?

To answer these questions, here is how WE build “custom” handcrafted firearms at Wilson Combat® / ScattergunTechnologies™.

We start by using skilled craftsmen who are gun people.   Bill Wilson, company owner, and the other artisans that design the quality components and decide on the specifications for the various models we build (with input from experts such as Rob Haught and members of the Law Enforcement and Military special operations community). Wilson Combat® /Scattergun Technologies™ is fortunate to have some of the finest and most knowledgeable craftsmen in the firearms field in its employment.  Our master craftsmen have as many as 19 years’ experience building quality custom firearms!

But even the most talented and knowledgeable craftsman can’t build a quality product without top-quality components.  All Wilson Combat®/ScattergunTechnologies™ custom firearms start with the finest quality precision manufactured components.  No expense is spared in producing the best parts possible to build our custom firearms or to sell as components to our valued customers.  All our components are 100% inspected and thoroughly field tested by knowledgeable and experienced shooters before being used to build Wilson Combat®/ ScattergunTechnologies™ custom firearms.  As a further testament to the quality of Wilson Combat®/ ScattergunTechnologies™ components, they are “sole sourced” and used by the US Border Patrol, FBI SWAT, US Military Special Operations community and numerous specialized law enforcement units across the country.

So how do these talented craftsmen turn a box of top-quality components into a fine custom firearm worthy of being marked Wilson Combat® or ScattergunTechnologies™?  Probably the most important thing we do is train “specialists.”  By this we mean craftsmen who specialize in specific operations and do them to perfection.  While the majority of our craftsmen are well-rounded and can do most operations required in creating a fine custom firearm, they each are masters of their own specialties.  For example: Our custom pistolsmiths, know how to fit a 1911 slide to frame just right, but not so tight that it might affect reliable function.  They also fit our 1911 barrels the same way; tight enough that we can guarantee superb accuracy, yet with just enough clearance for totally reliable functioning.  In other words, their years of valuable experience allow them to fit a pistol up “just right”!  The same holds true for the craftsmen who create our combat-ready tactical rifles and shotguns.

Each custom firearm moves from bench to bench as each master craftsman does his own specialized “magic.”  A custom gun is always built to the customer’s specifications. First a slide is selected and tested to insure it is just right for the handgun frame.  Once the material selection is complete the slide is fitted to the frame with care and hand lapped to insure that each custom pistol is as perfect as it can possibility become.  The barrel fit is critical in a 1911 because it has the greatest effects both reliability and accuracy.  The barrel fit in a ‘true custom firearm’ has been performed by a Master Gunsmith and will lock up into the slide just right.  Only then can you expect optimized performance from your custom firearm.  It is then surface prepped by a master craftsman, as well, to ensure the flawless cosmetics Wilson guns have become famous for.  It then goes through our own in-house finishing operation for a custom Armor-Tuff® corrosion resistant polymer finish.  Each component is carefully finished one at a time to ensure a quality final product.

Next comes final assembly, where all these custom fit and finished quality components are finally put together as a completed firearm.  As with all operations, a specialized craftsman does this as well.  This is just the first of several quality control checks.  Once the firearm is fully assembled and the initial QC checks are made, it moves to test fire, where it is zeroed and accuracy checked and not just function fired as many gun makers do.  All Wilson Combat®/ScattergunTechnologies™ custom firearms are inspected independently by technicians who are knowledgeable and experienced shooters. 

 The test fire process at Wilson Combat is extensive to say the least.  Our custom firearms are not just function fired in a machine like at an assembly line gun manufacturer.  Our firearms are each test fired one at a time by an experienced test fire technician.  Furthermore, no less than three types of ammunition totaling 80 rounds are fired through each handgun to insure that it is extremely reliable, which is the 1st thing a firearm must be.  With all of our handguns, the customer always receives a test fire target to demonstrate their pistols accuracy potential.  After the through test fire process the custom firearm is sent to final inspection.  Here a craftsman with an eye for extreme quality gives the firearm a final “once-over.”  Only after all this does a firearm earn the right to be called “Custom” and wear the Wilson Combat®/ScattergunTechnologies™ name!