Accokeek, MD Beretta is pleased to announce the signing of a new athlete to our professional pistol competition team – Sal Luna. Luna will compete with the 92X Carry Optic in USPSA Production and Carry Optic matches and the 92X Performance Defensive in IDPA competitions.
Luna is a Grand Master in USPSA and IPSC events and is a 4-time SCSA (Steel Challenge Shooting Association) World Speed Champion, a World Champion in the Limited and Production divisions, and the 5th person ever to break 90 seconds in the Production division. At the 2018 Bianchi Cup, he won a gold medal and was named to the NRA World Action Pistol Shooting Team.
“My very first memory at my dad’s shooting range, at the age of 5, was learning how to shoot using a Beretta 71,” Luna said, regarding his personal history with the Beretta brand. “This compact 22lr that fit perfectly in my hands was, by far, my favorite. Growing up, I had the opportunity to learn about Beretta’s history and how the 71 was an iconic gun used by Israeli forces; since then, I have become a fan of Beretta firearms and their unmatched prestige.”
Luna is also an IPSC USA National Champion and a 2-time USPSA team member for the Production division, where he represented the US during the IPSC World Shoots XVII and XVIII.
“As the 92X competition line of pistols grows to support more divisions, Team Beretta is expanding with top competitors to showcase the 92X on the field,” Amanda Popp, Sports Marketing Manager, said. “As a world-class athlete, Sal came highly recommended with immense long-term potential to promote the brand in divisions Team Beretta wasn’t already competing in. Beyond his impressive accolades in competition, Sal’s desire to grow shooting sports participation through the education and training of new shooters perfectly aligns with the goals and long-term strategy for Team Beretta. We’re looking forward to being a part of and fully supporting Sal’s continued climb to the top.”
The new 92X Performance Carry Optic model retains the same ergonomics and features of the popular 92X Performance platform with a red dot optic-ready slide, included optic plates, and improved trigger performance. Compliant with the USPSA (United States Pistol Shooting Association) Carry Optic division regulations, the 92X Performance Carry Optic provides an uncompromising performance aimed at earning you a spot at the top of the podium with power, speed, and accuracy.
Specifically designed for those consumers who participate in IDPA competitions, the 92X Performance Defensive maintains the same ergonomic design and controls as the popular 92X Performance Production platform with new enhanced features such as a lightened steel frame and slide, a red-dot optic ready slide, and aggressively textured 92X-style thin grips for instinctive control.
Luna will join his fellow Team Beretta athlete, JJ Racaza, at the 2023 USPSA Open/PCC Nationals held at CMP Marksmanship Park in Talladega, AL, from September 8-10, 2023.
Team Beretta, founded in the early 1980s, is a team of professional shooters of various ages and experiences that compete as Brand Ambassadors for Beretta USA in the fields of trap, skeet, sporting clay, pistol, 3-gun, and precision long-range competitive shooting. Since 1977, Beretta has led the way in all forms of competitive shooting sports and continues to strive for excellence. During the 2016 Olympic Games, Team Beretta shooters took ten out of the possible fifteen podiums in trap, double trap, and skeet shooting events. Team Beretta competes not only at the highest professional levels as well as national and regional competitions, but our shooters also mentor and train future competitors. Team Beretta athletes brought home five out of the six possible medals in the men’s and women’s skeet events at the recent 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, with one gold (Vincent Hancock), two silvers (Diana Bacosi and Jesper Hansen), and two bronzes (Wei Meng and Abdullah Al-Rashidi).
Beretta, established in 1526, is the longest-standing industrial dynasty in the world, tracing its roots through 15 generations of continuous family ownership. Firearms bearing the Beretta name have been sold for almost 500 years. Beretta USA Corp. was founded in 1977 and provided the most widely deployed sidearm throughout the U.S. Armed Forces. Today, Beretta manufactures, distributes, and markets a complete line of firearms, accessories, and apparel. Beretta also owns and operates six retail Beretta Gallery stores worldwide. For additional information, visit www.Beretta.com.
