8 BUSINESS MATTERS August 2011

Rob Bianchin, president of the Cabot Gun Co., shows off one of the company's 1911 model pistols.

Penn United launchesCabot Gun Co.

On TargetA project that began

as a simple moralebooster at Penn UnitedTechnologies Inc. hasresulted in a whole newcompany - and possiblysome of the best hand-guns in history.

Cabot Gun Co. LLCofficially launched July22 with four models of1911 pistols after morethan two years in devel-opment at Penn Unitedin Jefferson Township.

But Cabot Gun firstattracted the attention ofthe gun world in Aprilduring the NRA's annualmeeting and exhibit inPittsburgh.

"The reactions werevery, very reaffirming,"said Rob Bianchin, pres-

ident of Cabot Gun.Bianchin, an entrepre-

neur, analyst andinvestor from ButlerTownship, said the cre-ation of the Cabot GunCo. can be traced toearly 2009.

As a result of the slow-down in manufacturingduring the recession,Penn United had anengineering team with alittle extra time, he said.

Never a company to sitstill, Bianchin said PennUnited formed a focusgroup, which decided todevelop and producePenn United's own ver-sion of the 1911pistol.

The 1911 - a piece ofAmericana that happensto be celebrating its

August 2011 BUSINESS MATTERS 9

100th anniversary thisyear - is a semi-auto-matic .45-caliber pistoldeveloped by legendaryfirearms designer JohnBrowning.

It was the standard-issue sidearm of theUnited States militaryfrom 1911 to 1985, andsome specialized branch-es continue to use vari-ants of the gun today.

Also, because of the1911'splace in Americanhistory, as well as itsperformance, it is stillpopular among collec-tors and competitiveshooters, Bianchin said.

Ray Rozic, who hasworked at Penn Unitedfor seven years and is anavid hunter and shooter,said when he heardabout the focus group,he jumped at the chanceto volunteer and con-tribute.

"There are a lot of-these guns on the mar-ket," he said. "We said,'What can we do to make

ours better?'"Rozic, now chief gun

technician, said PennUnited developed thegun as it would any oth-er project, which meansnot compromising onquality.

As a result, he saidthe pistols are manufac-tured in such a precisemanner that every com-ponent of every gun iscompletely interchange-able.

The main componentsof the gun - the frameand slide aremachined from solidblocks of steel instead ofbeing forged or cast, hesaid.

Bianchin said a metal-lurgist on staff uses heatand cryogenic tech-niques to harden thesteel, and every part ismeasured by lasers toensure exact tolerances.

Penn United evenbuilt its own bluing sta-tions to give the steel itsfinal treatment, he said.

Bianchin got involvedin the project afterlearning Penn Unitedhad a 1911 prototype inthe works.

Bianchin said he hasbrought business oppor-tunities to Penn Unitedin the past and hasalways been a fan of thecompany's work.

So, he approachedPenn United with theidea of starting a sepa-rate gun company.

Because much moneyhad been invested, PennUnited decided to manu-facture the gun itselfinstead of letting a massmanufacturer producethe design.

Bianchin came onboard in December, andin less than four months,he and Penn Unitedassembled a team oflegal, sales and market-ing professionals todevelop the brand.

"I understand how toContinued on Page 10

Parts at different stages of production for the Cabot Gun Co.'s 1911 models.

Cabot Gun Co.ADDRESS: 799 N. Pike Road,

CabotPHONE: 724-602-4431 or 1-855-

THE-1911WEBSITE: www.cabotguns.comE-MAIL: info@cabotguns.comPRESIDENT: Rob BianchinEMPWYEES: 8

PRODUCTS: Four trim lines of1911 pistols - the Mr. Jones, theRangeMaster, the GIlClassic andthe CGI/Classic

QUOTE: ''There are a lot of theseguns on the market. We said, 'Whatcan we do to make ours better?'"

- Ray Rozic, chief gun technicianfor Penn United Technologies

10 BUSINESS MATTERS August 2011

find talent," Bianchinsaid. "It's all about get-ting the right peopleinvolved."

Bianchin said the pop-ularity of the 1911 willdrive demand for thegun. According to a 2009report from the Bureauof Alcohol, Tobacco,Firearms and Explo-sives, nearly half of the500,000 .45 calibers soldin 2009were 1911s.

"We don't believe indriving blind," he said."We do our homework."

However, the gun'sreal selling point will bequality, he said.

Bianchin said the com-pany coined the term"post-custom class" todescribe how the gunscome right off the pro-duction floor with partsfitting in a way only pre-viously done by expertgunsmiths.

Most importantly,Bianchin said the goal isto build an enduringproduct that will be

passed down by genera-tions of enthusiasts, col-lectors and competitiveshooters.. "This will be the 1911to own," he said.

However, this level ofquality will not comecheap. Prices range from$4,350 to just under'$5,000.

The four models cur-rently available are:

• GI/Classic, anauthentic tribute to theoriginal military issue1911.

• CGI/Classic, a classic1911 with contemporaryfeatures.

• RangeMaster,designed with featuresspecially catering tosharpshooters.

• Mr. Jones, the flag-ship model, which paystribute to Carl Jones,one of the co-founders ofPenn United.

Bianchin said eachgun takes four months tomanufacture, and thefirst production run of 45

was completed in July.Now, production runs

will be scaled from thedozens to the thousandsbased on demand, hesaid.

Along with ramping upmarketing efforts,Bianchin said plansinclude introducing thebrand to 25 markets bythe fourth quarter of theyear and 50 markets by2012.

He also said CabotGuns plans to have twomore models in produc-tion by the end of theyear: an all stainlesssteel 1911 and a left-handed model, whichwill be the only left-handed 1911on the mar-ket.

Other models in theworks are a thinner con-cealed carrier modeland a women's model,which will be re-engi-neered to have uniqueergonomics, he said.

"We feel we can builda small arms manufac-

Ray Rozic, chief gun technician at Penn United, explains how the Cabot Gun co.s1911 model pistols are made and assembled.

turer here in WesternPennsylvania," he said,adding there is no othergun maker in the state.

"We feel there isopportunity to diversifysignificantly," he said.

Bianchin said estab-lishing a high-end gunbrand will help increasePenn United's namerecognition.

More importantly, hesaid the venture is

another way Penn Unit-ed is diversifying andstrengthening its busi-ness while attractingattention to the high-quality manufacturing inour own backyard .• :.