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Springfield Armory’s Rob Leatham Discusses Wayne Gretzky, Jackie Gleason, and Getting Whooped By His Sister

April 24, 2012 By 4 Comments

We had the opportunity to catch up with Springfield Armory Team Captain Rob Leatham at the recent NRA Annual Meeting. In between winning everything that there is to be won in the action shooting sports, Rob paused to share some war stories with us…

My Gun Culture: We’re here at the NRA Annual Meeting with TGO! TGO stands for “The Great One”, Mr. Rob Leatham, world class shooter and Captain of Team Springfield Armory.

Rob Leatham: TGO is Mr. Wayne Gretzky! And before that, who was the first TGO?

MGC:  Oh, I should know this…

Rob: Jackie Gleason!

MGC: At least you’ve got good taste in comedy! So Rob, you’ve been shooting forever. You grew up in Arizona, right? In the desert? Tell our readers a little more about how you got started.

Rob: Well I don’t remember not shooting! As a kid we lived in Mesa, Arizona and just 15 minutes out of town in any direction we could shoot – as long as we weren’t in a farmers field! There’s a lot of alfalfa growing out there you know. The shooting range where I now shoot was there when I was a kid, but I never had to go that far to shoot.

MGC: We’ve dug in to your past and we found something called the 5 yard game. Do you want to tell us about that? Or is it still a sore subject?

Rob: You know I keep hearing rumors about how my sister used to beat me at this game, but I have no recollection Senator! When I was about 12 or 13, my grandfather made us 12 inch diameter steel plates on posts. We would stick them in the ground and shoot at them. So my dad invented a game where everybody would shoot – my whole family shot and it was all pistols for this – and you shoot at the plates. If you hit them, you get to move back 5 yards. So everybody would keep moving back until you didn’t hit the target, then you were out. And it’s  funny I still use that as a training drill in my classes when we have enough distance. But now I can go a couple hundred yards and still hit the target. But again, my mom and dad like to tell stories about that but I have no recollection of being beat on a regular basis…

MGC: Don’t worry, we’re going to be validating some of those stories to “help you” remember. Yesterday we were here in the booth and saw the new XD-S .45 ACP with a 3.3” barrel. Rumor is that you are going to be shooting that as your primary competition gun next season. That seems a little challenging to me – you know, shooting a compact gun like that for competition. Do you care to comment?

Rob: (Laughs) Yeah that’s a challenge I don’t think I’m ready to come up against. Yeah, the 5.25’s I’ll shoot in competition, but the XD-S is the polar opposite of what a competition gun is designed for. The XDS is designed to be the thinnest, smallest, flattest concealed carry gun and the XDM 5.25 is designed to be the biggest – it barely fits in the standard box!

MGC: Do people actually call you “TGO” to your face and live to talk about it?

Rob: No, I don’t really like that. It’s a long story how that came about. A friend of mine, Brian Enos, we got into shooting at the same time. Sometime after he quit shooting he just started calling me The Great One, then it just became TGO. Then a co-worker named Vickie started in on it. So she and Brian are completely responsible! I don’t really fight it anymore… What can you do?

MGC: No worries, this conversation is just between you and me. And the internet.

Rob: So everybody knows that cell phones, the internet and all that stuff – it’s never gonna catch on.

MGC: I think that your distinction of being the only one to ever win the Triple Crown is still holding right? That’s kind of weird because I always thought the Triple Crown was for horses. Can you explain?

Rob: In the early days, back in the 80’s, there weren’t different categories shot at the matches. Everybody shot the same category and the three major tournaments for action shooting were The Steel Challenge, which was the super speed shoot, The Bianchi Cup, which was the super accuracy shoot, and the IPSC Nationals, which was supposed to be a combination of everything. In 1985 I won all three of those. And so that’s where the whole Triple Crown thing came about. Now, I’m not sure that other people have not won them all in other categories since then. That’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done.

MGC: So you’re implicitly saying that no animals were harmed in process of winning the Triple Crown?

Rob: Basically, yeah. Not in that endeavor anyway.

MGC: Tell our readers what it’s like to be Captain of the Springfield Armory Shooting Team. Is there a lot of butt kicking, screaming, yelling, pushups, and so on?

Rob: No, it’s actually easier than that because the Springfield Armory Shooting Team is just me! Over the years I’ve managed to take care of the competition by getting rid of all of them! So now I’m not only the senior member and the captain, but I’m also the newest member of the Springfield team!

MGC: We’re hearing rumors that The Justice League of America is going to be entering The Bianchi Cup next season…

Rob: You’re correct, WE are! We ARE joining the competition next year.

MGC: One more question. We’re going to be doing feature stories on a couple of Springfield Armory products. We’re going to feature the XDM in .45 ACP, but the other thing we’re going to do is a feature on a Springfield Armory 1911 for every day carry. In the Springfield line, what would you steer the average Joe or Jane towards in a 1911 format gun?

Rob: Well I like the EMP style carry guns, but they come in 9mm and .40 S&W. If I were going to get a small 1911, I would probably choose an EMP. That model is the best gun for that use. Now, if you’re a dyed in the wool .45 ACP shooter, I gotta be honest with you, for carry I would get an XDS. I doubt anybody is a bigger 1911 nut than I am, but there is no doubt that I would carry an XDS. It’s the best gun in that size, weight, length, caliber combination.

MGC: Is there anything else you would like to share with our readers?

Rob: Take a kid shooting! My big drive right now is getting the children shooting. It’s our responsibility to take a kid shooting. The average kid can’t go on their own – they need someone to take them. Adults may not be able to get into my class, but if you’re 14 years old, I’ll take you shooting!

We’d like to thank Rob and the Springfield Armory folks for helping us to arrange this interview. Rob talked at length about the new XD-S and it seems to be a pretty impressive gun. We can’t wait to get our hands on one. These will be shipping soon – keep an eye out on www.xdspistol.com for the latest news.

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Glock 18 For Home Defense? We Ask Tori Nonaka of Team Glock

April 19, 2012 By 2 Comments
Team Glock's Tori Nonaka at the NRA Annual Meeting 2012

Team Glock’s Tori Nonaka at the NRA Annual Meeting 2012

We caught up with Team Glock shooter Tori Nonaka at the Glock booth at the recent NRA Annual Meeting in St. Louis. After a fair bit of begging and whining, Tori agreed to sit with us for an interview. Here’s what she had to say.

My Gun Culture: We’re here at the NRA Annual Meeting talking with Tori Nonaka of Team Glock. Tori, tell our readers how you ended up shooting for Team Glock.

Tori Nonaka: Sure. I’ll start back when I was 3 years old and I shot my first gun. It was a .22 long rifle. I target shot for a while, and then when I was 12, my father and I got into the shooting sports together. We took a class out at USSA, then came back and shot a local match. We got really involved with the sport. I tried out a number of different guns and then I tried out the Glock and it shot the best for me. At that point, my name was out there and Glock asked me to be on their team! Now I get to represent Glock across the US and sometimes internationally at matches and events like this.

MGC: Obviously you’re on the road a lot of the time. I’m guessing that your school administrators have fits over you!

Tori: I had to really find a good balance between high school and shooting – bringing my work along with me on planes and doing homework in cars. My school has been very supportive and understanding of my goal to have this become my career. I’ve made sure to have good grades at home so that I can come out here and be part of the shooting industry.

MGC: You’re a Junior category shooter right now, and when you turn 18 you move into ladies category. You have to tell us, and this is just between me and you – and the internet – who do you most want to beat?

Tori: The internet???

MGC: Yeah, it’s no big deal. So who are you ‘gunning’ for?

Tori: Well, my goal is to be the dominant force in the women’s category so I’m just trying to improve my skills. This is my last year as a junior shooter and I want to end on a good note, a positive note, and transfer into the ladies category.

MGC: OK, now come on. We all know that Julie Golob is really, really nice, but you can tell us. You want to beat the tar out of her right?

Tori: (Laughs) Well, I wouldn’t put it that way! We enjoy competing together and it’s always been a good competition. I’ve been running with the ladies for a while and so I hope in the next few years I can represent the younger generation and carry the torch.

MGC: So you have to tell us, how many Glocks do you have?

Tori: Oh, gosh…

MGC: And if its more than a hundred, you can estimate to the nearest ten.

Tori: Well, I don’t have a hundred! But I like to keep a primary and backup. Glock treats me well, so I have some 34’s, 35’s, and 17’s.

MGC: So is the Glock 34 your primary competition gun?

Tori: It was for a while for Production Division. This year I’m just choosing to mix it up and shoot the Glock 35 in the Limited Division.

MGC: This next question could be a little controversial with the Glock people, so we’ll tell them not to listen to this next part. Let’s say Dr. Evil came out with a new evil ray device that made all the Glocks in the world instantly disappear. Would you quit shooting or choose a different gun?

Tori: Well, I think that we would have to come up with the Glock anti-evil ray device to compete against it! I think that’s what we have to do. It’s called Glock protection!

MGC: I have a daughter who is just about your age, and we use the gun dad ritual where, when a guy comes over to the house for a date, I make it a point to have some of my guns out for cleaning. In your household, do you scatter a bunch of YOUR guns around just to let the guy know who’s boss?

Tori: Well, everyone knows I shoot and if anybody comes over, my dad is decked out in his camo wearing his Glock hat, and carrying in the kitchen. Pretty much everyone knows we’re a shooter family so we scare ‘em off!

MGC: When you have a really bad day, you’re really frustrated, and you just have to blow some targets up, do you prefer a Glock 20 or a Glock 31?

Tori: Glock 18!

MGC: Whoa! Full auto! Sweet! You’ve shot one of those haven’t you?

Tori: I have… It was great and I’m grateful I was able to shoot that down at the Georgia plant.

MGC: We have an ongoing debate in our editorial room and we ask everyone we interview this question. Is the MK19 Automatic Grenade Launcher appropriate for home defense? Some people are worried about the blast radius, but I think it’s fine. What do you think?

Tori: I would say that… Well, personally I think it’s a little too much gun. Yes, it’s a little too much gun for a home weapon. Why not the Glock 17? Or maybe the Glock 18 so we’re using the automatic Glock instead of the automatic grenade launcher!

MGC: So what’s next on your schedule?

Tori: Next for me, I’ll be traveling to Italy to shoot the European Cup in two weeks. It will be my first trip out there and I’m really excited!

MGC: So are you gonna show those Beretta folks who’s boss?

Tori: I will definitely aim to put on my best performance. My gear is dialed in and I look forward to a great match!

MGC: Best of luck with the match! Thanks again for talking to us today!

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Signs, Mom Counting to 3, and Caning by Celery at the NRA Annual Meeting

April 17, 2012 By 1 Comment

“Oh, signs, signs, everywhere there’s signs

Blocking up the scenery, breaking my mind

Do this, don’t do that, can’t you read the sign?”

While the 5 Man Electrical Band was nowhere to be found, the city of St. Louis took the message to heart – and even hired James Earl Jones to make new audio signs in case people were too busy talking about guns to pay attention to the printed signs. Well, the James Earl Jones part is not entirely confirmed – yet. We’re working on that.

We lost count of the number of “NO CONCEALED WEAPONS” signs after 14,328. And that was just on the MetroLink train. Can’t read? Not to worry – the MetroLink stations broadcast an audio message loop, part of which reminds riders that no weapons are allowed at any time. And that gum chewing get’s you caned by unripe celery. That’s where James Earl Jones comes in.

Yeah, but what if you are texting, therefore not looking at signs, while listening to Justin Bieber and his Orchestra with your earbuds? Not to worry! The MetroLink folks thoughtfully placed a 2 foot by 4 foot sign at the top of station escalators so you run right smack into it – knees first. If you read the fine print, you’ll find that reconstructive knee surgery is not covered by the city. Bummer, that hurt.

Although it may seem silly to have all those signs, there’s a good reason. Your mother can’t always be around to threaten counting to three if you don’t stop whatever it is you’re doing. Hence the signs. Given that signs are not quite as intimidating as an angry mother, it usually takes 20 or 30 of them to make you feel guilty enough to stop. Thinking about carrying your concealed gun on the MetroLink regardless? Not after you pass the 23rd sign telling you not to.

Some people think that signs are a waste of time, because people no longer read anything except text messages and Kardashian Kapers Weekly. That and the fact that bad guys will ignore the signs anyway. While there is some truth to that, scientists have discovered that inherently bad people just require more signs. Most people who turn out bad do so because their mothers would allow their bad behavior to continue all the way to the count of 4 or even 5, hence the need for more signs in their adult years. Are you beginning to see the logic? By the time the good guys get to the MetroLink ticket machine, the signs have guilted them into melting their guns to make Shake Weights. Bad guys are more stubborn, but even the worst of them can’t make it to the train platform without tearfully donating their illegal guns to Jerry’s Kids.

Taking an example from the MetroLink’s sign program effectiveness, the Americas Center also prohibits weapons through the use of signs. While these rules seemed effective on the NRA Annual Meeting attendees, as there were hardly any mass shootings at the fresh lemonade stands, gun industry employees are clearly very, very bad people. Signs or no signs, they brought tens of thousands of their guns into the show. So signs only work most of the time, not all the time – hence the need for more aggressive tactics like window stickers.

Can you even imagine how high Gun Salesmen’s moms had to count?

Filed Under: Crime, Events, Life, Life, NRA Annual Meeting, Politics, Viewpoint Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Top 5 Most Interesting Products from the NRA Annual Meeting Day 2

April 15, 2012 By 2 Comments

We had more time to wander the floor today, and here are some of the more interesting things we stumbled across:

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 Crimson Trace Zombie Lasers – Well, not really, but they are green. A lot of new engineering is going on to fit power-sucking green lasers into the same form factors for which Crimson Trace is famous. We tried pre-product models for 1911 Lasergrips and a new model packed into the Lightguard frame. First out will be green lasers mounted inside Lightguard frames for all current guns where there is a compatible Lightguard.Later, we’ll see green in familiar grip form factors.
IMG_2349 Is it ethical to take gun bling manufacturers out for drinks and then, while they’re slugging down a Captain Morgan’s or Pinot Grigio, take a secret photo of a yet-to-be-released product and publish it on the internet? We think so. It’s good business right?The latest (forthcoming) creation from the folks at Hot Caliber is a man’s ring, hand fashioned from silver, that features a lost-wax casting of a bullet-shot-at-a-big-steel-plate. Yes, it’s elegant. And manly. People will ask about it, thereby giving the wearer a great excuse to talk about guns.What’s not to like?

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 We love our GunVault.It sits under the nightstand, gun and extra magazines inside, patiently awaiting the correct finger press sequence to open it in case of emergency. For example, if the cast of Jersey Shore and their one-night guests  come pounding on the door after a late night at Karma.The new SpeedVaultoffers classic GunVault features – either a biometric fingerprint scanner or 4 button touchpad – that secure your gun.The neat thing about this one is that it is designed to mount under a desk or table. The support bracket can be attached to the side or top of a piece of furniture.

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 We have a 22-250 fetish. It’s a fun round – both to reload and to shoot.Imagine our surprise and outright glee when we stumbled across the Olympic Arms booth and found the UMAR, an AR platform rifle chambered in– you guessed it – .22-250.It features a custom made magazine which is purpose built.And it’s just plain cool.

Why? Because we can.

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 Wow. We’ve been asleep at the wheel since we did not know this one was coming.Arriving at the Beretta booth for a scheduled meeting, we saw this hanging on the wall – the ARX-160 .22LR rifle.Not even on Beretta’s web siteyet, the ARX-160 is an operational equivalent to the forthcoming Beretta combat rifle.Not only does it look “beast” – it’s got fully ambidextrous operation all the way around – charging handle, mag release, and safety. It looks like a whole lot of fun – we can’t wait to shoot one.
Filed Under: Events, Life, NRA Annual Meeting, Viewpoint Tagged With: , , , , , ,

New Smith & Wesson Shield – It’s Finger Candy

April 13, 2012 By 5 Comments

We’re here at the NRA Annual Meeting in St. Louis fighting the crowds and shoppers – all 80,000 of them.

The folks at GunUp.com just arranged a private tour of some of the newest offerings from Smith & Wesson – the highlight of which was the new M&P Shield.

Initially offered in both 9mm and .40 Smith & Wesson, the shield is similar in appearance to it sibling M&P line. Polymer frame, comfortable grip contour and no-trigger-pull takedown.  While offered in two calibers, the Shield frames are the same in both offerings.

Where it differs, in addition to its slim and very concealable size, is the trigger. It’s a whole new design. Weighing in at 6.5 pounds, we found it to be exceptionally crisp with no detectable take-up and minimal overtravel. It feels a whole lot lighter than the measured 6.5 pounds. The other noticeable difference is in the trigger reset. While we weren’t able to measure the distance here on the show floor, we felt a crisp and distinct reset at what seemed to be about an eighth of an inch. The trigger on this gun is simply sporty. That’s one of our code words for “superlative.”

Also unlike the larger M&P models, the Shield does not feature an adjustable backstrap. Mainly because that would be kind of silly on a pocket sized gun. In our opinion anyway.

Another difference is the additional of a positive safety. It’s unobtrusive and machined to be embedded mostly into the slide so there is not much to catch. Smith & Wesson explained that this was added not so much for those who choose to carry in a belt holster, but to allow more flexibility for purse, pocket, and other types of carry methods.

The M&P Shield ships with two magazines – one with a flat base for maximum concealability and the other with an extension to allow better third finger grip.

This gun has a really great feel to it – we can’t wait to test one at the range.

Stay tuned!

Filed Under: Events, Life, News, NRA Annual Meeting Tagged With: , , , ,