Dave Williams (DW):Ive been a firearms enthusiast from a very young age.
At 8, I took part in my first deer hunt.
At 9, I harvested my first and best whitetail deer, a 24-point South Texas monster.
With more than three decades with the company, Dave Williams brings expert leadership to his role as head of Springfield Armory’s Research and Development Department.
My interest in the mechanical aspects of firearms started when I was around age 10 or 11.
One of my first big projects was to refinish the stock on a rifle I owned.
Around age 13, I took on the task of restocking my dads sporterized 1891 Argentine Mauser.
Under Williams’ guidance, the R&D department configures, builds, tests and prototypes new and future firearm designs for the company.
From there, I fixed several more of his guns.
This helped improve my skills, but was not the best for my dads collection!
After a few years there, I relocated back to Tyler to work in the family construction business.
Williams played an integral role in the development of the revered Professional Model 1911 pistol.
Soon, this pistolsmithing adventure became more of an actual job and less of a hobby.
TAL:How long have you been with Springfield Armory, and how did you get started there?
TAL:Can you tell us a little bit about your early days with the Springfield Custom Shop?
Williams has the honor of also being the 2006 American Pistolsmiths Guild “Pistolsmith of the Year”.
DW:The early 90s was a great time in the world of competitive shooting.
Action shooting was all the rage, and its popularity was growing exponentially.
Springfield Armory-built pistols have been used to earn countless national and world shooting championship titles.
It has been an honor to build equipment for many of these legends in the sport!
DW:I was given the honor of being named the director of R&D in 2016.
With new models and platforms, extremely thorough testing and evaluation are required.
We do extensive endurance, reliability and function testing as part of this.
Its not uncommon to fire 30,000 to 40,000 rounds of ammunition through a prototype test pistol.
Building conceptual prototypes is really rewarding.
Taking a design from paper to steel is extremely fulfilling and something I really enjoy.
I have a great team.
These guys are gunsmiths, machinists, innovators and seemingly, from what they can achieve alchemists.
TAL:Clearly, the company has experienced a great deal of growth in your decades with the company.
And now youre located in the new Springfield Armory manufacturing facility in Geneseo.
Can you tell us a bit about the changes you have seen over the years?
DW:Its been quite a ride!
We might have started from humble beginnings, but the company has grown exponentially over the years.
A few years later, the company expanded into the 1911 market.
In those days, I believe they were making 500 or so 1911 pistols in a year.
Thats a drop in the bucket compared to what we are doing today.
And part of that growth is our brand new 200,000 sq.-ft., state-of-the-art manufacturing facility here in Geneseo.
We employ the latest, most sophisticated machining and manufacturing processes in the industry.
We have grown from four employees in the beginning to many hundreds of them today.
TAL:What are some highlights of your time with Springfield Armory?
I believe you were involved in the development of the Professional pistol for the FBI contract, correct?
That being said, the project I am most proud of was the FBI contract pistol.
This was a competitive bid with an extensive testing protocol that eight manufacturers and custom pistol shops competed for.
After exhaustive testing, Springfield Armory came out on top and was awarded this prestigious contract.
That certainly sounds like a 1911 to me!
That pistol quickly became the most wanted custom 1911 pistol available!
TAL:Clearly, you have an extensive background in custom work, particularly on pistols like the 1911.
In 2006, I was honored to be selected as the American Pistolsmiths Guild Pistolsmith of the Year.
Jones; and many others too numerus to mention.
Also, we here at Springfield are privileged to have five guild members on our staff.
TAL:What is your favorite Springfield Armory gun on which you have been a part of its development?
Or, conversely, whats your favorite Springfield?
DW:Thats a tough question.
I also have to say the Professional is definitely a favorite of mine.
The TRP was configured with the same general configuration, but at a more manageable price point.
Thats another one I really like.
TheEMP pistolwas another notable project.
Its a 1911, but scaled down around the 9mm cartridge.
This gives it a much smaller grip circumference, and a smaller overall size.
Currently I have 13 patents, and a few more pending.
And this all complements our ever-expanding lines of 1911 pistols andM1A rifles.
TAL:On the flip side, what is one gun you wish Springfield would make?
Were talking wish list here.
DW:Boy, thats another tough one.
Personally, Im a smallbore competitor and would love to offer both rifles and pistols for the discipline.
Weve got numerous new projects on the drawing board, but unfortunately, I cant get into those.
Were currently evaluating some new cartridge designs for both rifle and pistol that are really exciting.
Be sure to stay tuned!
DW:Springfield Armory started out as, and still is, a family-owned business.
And I can honestly say we truly are a family, here.
This is apparent through the many legacy employees we have at the company.
Ive had so many great experiences and opportunities over the years here.
Its really fantastic and a rare thing for your passion to become your occupation!
Speaking of family, this is particularly true for me.
I met my beautiful wife of nearly 30 years here at Springfield.
One of her duties was getting requested firearms to writers for articles and for the entertainment industry.
Considering the changes youve seen so far, what do you see in its future?
DW:I believe the skys the limit for Springfield.
TAL:Thank you, Dave, for taking the time to sit down withThe Armory Lifefor this interview.
We truly appreciate it.
DW:Thank you.
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