Wilson Combat Buys Chip McCormick Custom/Shooting Star Industries

Wilson Combat has acquired Chip McCormick Custom/Shooting Star Industries, a leading manufacturer of 1911 magazines and related products. The move combines two of the best-known manufacturers of quality equipment and magazines for John Moses Browning’s famed 1911 handgun.

The change was an amicable one, too. “Bill Wilson and I have been good friends, shooting competition competitors and friendly business competitors since the early 1980s,” said Chip McCormick, president and CEO of Chip McCormick Custom. “When I made the decision that I wanted to simplify my life and retire, there was no one that I felt more comfortable selling the company to than Bill Wilson and Wilson Combat. With Ryan Wilson now running the daily operations of Wilson Combat and his sons Josh and Hunter being interested in firearms, I’m confident Chip McCormick Custom will be in good hands well into the future.”

The new firm will be known as CMC/Shooting Star Industries during the transition and will remain headquartered at its current location in Spicewood, TX. Once a new facility is completed in northeast Texas, however, the company is scheduled to move.

“The CMC/Shooting Star line is a very important group of products within the 1911 industry and has a great history of innovation and success.” said Bill Wilson, president and CEO of Wilson Combat. “Wilson Combat is committed to ensuring the broad availability and future development of more quality and innovative products under the Shooting Star banner for years to come.”

No interruption of service from CMC/Shooting Star is anticipated during the transition. All orders for magazines and customer service will be handled at the current CMC/Shooting Star location. Wilson Combat started business in 1974 as a sporting goods store, but by 1977 it was offering high-quality firearms and accessories. The company is still based out of Berryville, AR.