RobaR EvERyThIng nEEdEd — and noThIng moRE TheVZSlim ambi-grips, NP3+metal finishandcustom handworkare bothhandsome andfunctional. FEaTuRES ITTS Logo engraved on The SLIde • ITTS edITIon SerIaL number engraved on The SLIde (gun IS cuSTomer-SuppLIed) • ScoTT reITz SIgnaTure engraved on The SLIde • vz SLIm ambIdexTrouS bLack gaTorback grIpS • beveLed magazIne WeLL • LoW mounT TrITIum SIghTS • Index mark on SLIde for fronT and rear SIghTS • TrIgger Job • commander-STyLe hammer • ShorT TrIgger • ambIdexTrouS Thumb SafeTy • TITanIum fIrIng pIn • beaverTaIL grIp SafeTy • Tuned exTracTor • ThroaTed barreL & poLIShed feed ramp • poLIShed breech face • LoWer and fLare eJecTIon porT • checkered fronT STrap: 25 LpI • checkered maInSprIng houSIng: 20 To 25 LpI • fronT cockIng SerraTIonS • TIghTen SLIde/frame fIT • Lanyard Loop • compLeTe dehorn • acceSSory raIL (opTIonaL) • maTTe roguard and np3 pLuS meTaL fInISh exTerIor and InTernaLS • TeST fIred for funcTIon and SIghT adJuSTmenT • mSrp: $1,895 (on cuSTomer’S 1911) CuSTom 1911 Roy hunTIngTon • PhoToS: RobbIE baRRkman ITTS W ith the explosion of all manner of 1911 iterations, the aftermarket parts and widget industry for the design has exploded right along with it. But there’s a lesson there. If the basic gun sells, then the “bits and pieces” makers take notice. If you open a Brownells catalog and look at it, you’ll know exactly what’s popular. AR goodies fill dozens of pages, right alongside Ruger 10/22 accessories; while 1911 parts, upgrades and components take up even more room. But … just because you can get goodies, doesn’t mean you should use them all at once. And guys like Scott Reitz, retired LAPD cop and owner of ITTS (International Tactical Training Seminars) in California, continue to stress to keep fighting guns simple. Scott (along with gentlemen like Clint Smith of Thunder Ranch, the gang at Gunsite and others) see the often “overdone” 1911’s showing up in the hands of their students. Invariably, many of these guns suffer failures during a class. These over-engineered 1911’s tend to be too tight, with too many after-market goodies attached, which usually translates to unreliability on the range — and a disaster in the real world. Enter Robar and the team of gunsmiths there. Robbie Barrkman, founder of Robar, was the first Gunsite gunsmith, and since those early years has built a successful business creating custom rifles and handguns at his own company. Robar’s proprietary aerospace metal and bake-on finishes (NP3, NP3+, Roguard, Polymax Camouflage and PolyT2) have become a benchmark; Robar’s gunsmithing team has established a solid reputation for building accurate, high performance firearms — that work. It seems Robbie knows Scott Reitz, and Scott reached out to Robbie to make a simple, solid 1911 — without bells and whistles — suitable as a defensive handgun for anyone from working cops to someone looking for a personal-defense gun. Unlike many such designs, Robar will build a custom 1911 on virtually any good-quality 1911 supplied by a customer. Robbie and Scott worked together on a series of specifications to make a 1911 run correctly, run well and be accurate, without compromising reliability. The result is the ITTS 1911, as produced by Robar, on customer-supplied guns. Novaksights,MatteRoguardslide, Commander-stylehammerandambisafetyareamongthemods chosenforthis “street-ready” 1911. Testing Creating A Tool Our sample was built on a Kimber base gun but according to Robbie, a Colt, Springfield Armory, Ruger, etc. could also be used. Robar gunsmiths cut, tune, fit and test until things are just right, then the completed gun is test-fired for reliability and accuracy, detailed and shipped back to the anxiously waiting customer! I fired our sample gun informally on 70 WWW.AMERICANHANDGUNNER.COM • MARCH/APRIL2014
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