Bosnian company AC-Unity became known in the United States for its AK magazines - cheap and pretty reliable; they became popular with those who wanted newer Russian AK magazines without paying collector’s prices.
First, there were copies of AK-12 magazines; later, AK-19 magazines for 5.56 ammunition. About two years ago, the company imported to the USA its version of AK-15 magazines for the a more popular 7.62x39 round.
Now, the company is also manufacturing firearms, starting with the AR-15 in 9 mm and 5.56x45 and continuing with the new pistol that they showcased at the Balkan Shield expo, the Bekto 22.
Despite having a substantial military-industrial complex largely inherited from Yugoslavia, Bosnia never really produced small arms and handguns in particular. In 2017, TRB Bratunac, a former repair depot, started producing the 9 mm ‘Vampir’ pistol, but no one tried to manufacture a striker-fired pistol with a polymer frame.
The pistol is chambered for .22 LR; the double-column magazine has a capacity of 20 rounds. At the exhibition, I had the opportunity to talk to the designer Erwin Bekto. The pistol is named after him - the ‘Bekto 22’.
According to the designer, they picked the .22 LR for their first handgun in order to work out all potential ‘teething issues’ in a smaller caliber, and we can expect a similar handgun in other calibers. He also mentioned that for years, AC-Unity specialised in producing polymer parts, so making a pistol with a polymer frame was a natural progression.
While the pistol adheres to all the modern standards, it will have to compete with Turkish designs, which often offer a unique price point.
Bosnia has a reasonable civilian market for sporting firearms; perhaps local shooters would be motivated to support domestic manufacturing and buy ‘Bekto 22’ over imported designs.
