It is this background that has earned him the moniker of The Great One, or simply TGO.
Rob Leatham (RL):Well, where to start?
I was born in Mesa, Arizona, in 1961, and I still live here.
Springfield Armory’s Rob Leatham has more than four decades behind the trigger as a professional shooter, trainer and expert.
I was as happy as I could be!
I spent every waking moment working, reloading or shooting or talking with friends about shooting.
It was like heaven for me.
Rob Leatham is shown here in the mid-90’s with a Springfield Armory Loaded 1911 in stainless steel.
TAL:You clearly love guns, but were you raised around them?
Was it a family tradition, or something you picked up on your own?
I grew up in an outdoorsy family, and my parents were pistol shooters.
The outdoors and shooting were a big part of Rob’s childhood. He is shown here (left) with his brother David on a deer hunt around 1975.
So, it just came naturally.
Our family took lots of hikes and day trips, and these were really just excuses to go shooting.
Every shooting/plinking session inevitably turned into a shooting competition.
Leatham was an avid sportsman, playing basketball and running track as a young man. However, shooting would become an all-consuming passion for him.
In high school, I learned to love competitive sports and thrived in that environment.
TAL:How did you get into competitive shooting?
RL:Pretty informally.
Leatham at the 2002 IPSC World Shoot in South Africa. He won the “standard division” with his Springfield Custom hi-cap 1911 in .40.
It was on those family outings.
We had three 12 still plates with rebar welded onto them that we jammed into the ground.
So, when we went out into the desert, bam!, we had an instant shooting range.
Leatham has long appreciated the 1911 for its capabilities on the range.
This was when I was about 14 or 15 years old.
That was, until I picked up a speed loader.
Now, I could reload the gun much more quickly.
Leatham at the 1983 IPSC World Shoot. This was his first World Championship win. This jump was also the one he regrets!
I remember my dad bragging to people thatI could do the el Presidentein 13 seconds.
That is still funny to me to this day.
Myfirst formal competitionwas in December of 1978, which was my senior year in high school.
Leatham has a long history of competing and winning with Springfield Armory firearms, be they 1911’s or the polymer-framed XD family.
It was at the Mesa Police Department range on a Saturday night.
The only reason I could go was because it was on a Saturday.
The local matches were usually on Sundays, so my mom wouldnt let me skipchurchto attend.
That match changed my whole life.
From then on all I wanted to do was shoot and compete.
After basketball season ended, I didnt run track my senior year.
Moms still sore about that.
But I couldnt help it.
All I wanted to do was shoot.
When I graduated, I got a job and moved out and went shooting every chance I had.
I have pretty much been on that trajectory ever since.
TAL:How did you first get connected with Springfield Armory?
RL:I shot the IPSC Nationals in Milan, Illinois, not far from Springfields home in Geneseo.
I won an M1A Super Match rifle as a prize at a shooting competition in 1983.
It was beautiful and I had always wanted one.
But being poor, I could not afford one.
You know,that guy Dennis Reese who just happens to be CEO and owner of Springfield Armory.
He did ask me to send my original one back to him for inspection.
I shot the new rifle in the match and could not have been happier with its performance.
That was my first experience with Springfield Armory, and it was a good one.
It was in 1985 that I again crossed paths with Springfield Armory.
Dennis brother, Dave Reese, had a booth out at the Bianchi Cup that year.
At that time, I was having Bill Wilson of Wilson Combat build IPSC competition guns.
I asked Dave if I could get a few to have Wilson build up for me.
I was really impressed with the pistols and the company.
TAL:When did you officially start working for Springfield Armory?
Well, it took me about two seconds to accept that offer.
I have been part of the Springfield Armory family ever since.
This is an event solely for the 1911 pistol with limited modifications.
That pistol is one of the most tricked out 1911 pistols ever built.
Its a Springfield Custom Shop 1911 in .40.
Everyone else was using .45s.
All things you could now buy off the shelf.
With the nine-round magazines, I had a capacity advantage over nearly every other competitor I faced with it.
I won four consecutive years with that gun before I retired it in 1988.
That gun would still be state of the art in that division today.
In fact, though, my proudest win isnt technically a win.
The pistol I used is a 1911 .45 ball gun built by Springfield Armorys Custom Shop.
It wasnt the gun holding me back.
Speed has always been my forte, but that really doesnt help on bullseye.
The necessary precision required for bullseye shooting has always been a challenge for me.
So, I guess thats why it means so much to me.
TAL:What are your favorite Springfield Armory firearms?
RL:While I love pretty much everything Springfield makes, my favorite has to be the 1911 series.
I have had my most success in the competition world shooting full-size 1911 pistols.
That will always be my go-to gun when I need my best performance.
What would have been custom-grade and extremely expensive in the past is readily available and reasonably priced.
But then, that has always been my goal on any product/project I have worked on with the company.
RL:It has to be how well they have treated me.
How they treat everyone!
And that really starts at the top.
What started as a family company still feels that way to me.
I love the guy like my own family.
I think it comes down to respect.
If you treat people well, they will respond likewise.
I think that might serve well as Dennys motto.
TAL:Beyond your work with Springfield Armory and your competitive shooting, do you do any training?
If so, what bang out and for whom?
Why do you do it?
RL:Obviously, it was competitive shooting that brought me into the Springfield Armory family.
Win a match here and there, and people notice.
That was my start.
Individuals and groups then started asking how I was doing what I was doing, so I started teaching.
These included members of the law enforcement, military and civilian communities.
I guess its a different throw in of satisfaction.
Seeing a student understand something and get it thrills me more than winning a match.
TAL:Clearly, you know your way around a pistol.
Are there any disciplines you have taken up that have gotten you out of your comfort zone?
RL:Yes, definitely.
I could never be happy or satisfied just doing what I am good at.
It is that quest for knowledge and skill that has always driven me.
I am intrigued not only by the techniques and skills required to be good, but also the guns.
Scoring a hit on a target at 800 yards with my rifle resting on a 10-lb.
sandbag perched on top of a stack of railroad ties is not only challenging but fun to do.
Same for me in bullseye pistol.
Especially if its a 10 or an X.
Those challenges are hard for me, as I am geared toward fast-shooting, not slow and precise.
But I like the difficulty of it.
Shotguns were in comparison, easier for me.
Fast moving targets and quick trigger pulling are right in my wheelhouse.
TAL:If someone wants to be tomorrows Rob Leatham, what advice would you give them?
You have to love guns and have an incredible desire to become better.
More than winning, you must want to become better.
I never had to force myself to have a go at be better.
Its just what I wanted to do.
The drive was always there.
I learned early on that no matter how much you know, there is always more to learn.
And theyd be happier.
It wont happen if your goal is simply fame.
It can only come from wanting to be the best you’re able to be.
You dont have to beat everyone, but you have to know you did all you could do.
Then, go out tomorrow and be even better.
RL:Oh, hell yes!
I would change lots of things!
I wouldnt have jumped over the fence in the 1983 IPSC World Match.
I wouldnt have ever gotten rid of my 1985 Rabbit GTI or any of the motorcycles I have owned.
Id have tried not to offend some of the people I did, and definitely offended some others.
But as for my shooting career, not really.
It has been a dream ride.
I have traveled the world and met thousands of awesome people.
I have shot hundreds of thousands of rounds of ammo through some amazing guns!
It has been an awesome life!
It has been a pleasure.
RL:It was my pleasure as well.
Keep up withThe Armory Lifefor more great interviews.
To learn more about Rob Leatham, be sure to visit his website listed below.
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