When I first started learning about firearms, I worked with a friend who was a real gun guy. Our jobs gave us ample opportunity to talk about firearms, which was cool because it gave me a source to bounce things I was reading off of to make sure I wasn’t picking up weapons-grade derp.

My friend was a die-hard 1911 guy at the time, and one thing I remember vividly was his love for Chip McCormick magazines.

Well, now the company that makes those beloved magazines has new ownership:

As 2017 came to a close, Wilson Combat announced it had acquired the Chip McCormick Custom/Shooting Star Industries. Chip McCormick Custom is well known for manufacturing quality 1911-style magazines. After acquisition, the company will be known as CMC/Shooting Star Industries.

Chip McCormick, the president and CEO of Chip McCormick Custom, released a statement indicating that he would be retiring. “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,” said McCormick.

Chip McCormick Custom offers a range of magazines that are considered by many 1911 shooters to be extremely reliable. A number of professional shooters rely on the company’s magazines for competition use. Manufacturer Avidity Arms designed its (delayed) PD10 pistol around the 10-round 9mm Chip McCormick magazine. When I spoke to trainer Rob Pincus about the PD10, he said that he wanted the gun built around an existing magazine that was known for extreme reliability to reduce one possible point of failure in a new gun design.

Frankly, this sounds like a match made in Heaven.

Chip McCormick makes outstanding magazines, and Wilson Combat makes outstanding firearms. There’s absolutely no reason these two conditions can’t continue to exist indefinitely. In fact, I’m pretty sure they will.

While fewer manufacturers of guns and firearm accessories is rarely a good thing, it sounds pretty clear that McCormick had to sell to someone. It’s hard to retire if you’re still having to work all the time, after all.

With his name on the company, I understand why he’d worry about who would take it over. Even if you sell the company, it’s still your name, and the last thing anyone wants to see is their name dragged through the proverbial mud because the next guy started cranking out a crappy product. McCormick shouldn’t have to worry about that going forward.

We here at Bearing Arms would like to wish Mr. McCormick a happy retirement. I, personally, agree that his company is in excellent hands going forward, which means he should be able to enjoy retirement.

I’ll confess to a bit of jealousy there, though. McCormick’s getting to retire, but I’m pretty sure I’ll have to work until lunch on the day of my funeral and will still be expected back to work the next day.

Nothing against Chip McCormick, though. He’s definitely earned a rest after years of putting out a damn good product.