[su_heading size=”30″ margin=”0″]Gunsmith In ‘Right Sport, Right Time’ for PRS Growth[/su_heading]

Interview by Steve Joseph • Photographs courtesy of Liberty Arms

[su_dropcap style=”light” size=”5″]T[/su_dropcap]he Precision Rifle Series is exploding, and along with it are the shooters and industry professionals who provide only the best in products and services. The PRS has extremely low tolerances for anything outside of perfect.

Meet Bob Goettel, owner and founder of Liberty Arms LLC, a full-service gunsmith capable of repairs on all makes and models of firearms. However, their specialty lies in custom-built precision rifles. Take a look at what inspired Goettel to get involved in the PRS, and what keeps his company growing.

American Shooting Journal How did Liberty Arms get its start?

Bob Goettel It started with a family friend who was a custom smith and machinist. The old story of sweeping the floors when I was 9 years old got me into their shop, and they helped me build my first .22 magnum. From that point on it was an addiction. I started building all of my own rifles for match shooting, and that started things in motion. Soon, friends would ask me to build rifles for them, and interest in my work kept building. Eventually the demand pushed me to start the business.

ASJ What services do you offer?

BG We offer all of the common gun-related gunsmithing services. However, we focus mainly on custom-rifle builds. We are set up for gunsmithing, cerakote and blueing services,and offer a full line of custom 1911s. Due to the growing popularity of long-range shooting and the growth of the PRS competition, 85 percent of our work has been focused on that portion of the industry. We also do lot of work for the local police department.

ASJ You mentioned having a line of 1911s. What other firearms do you offer?

BG We also have our Trident AR-15 and -10, as well as bolt rifles, which are built using our lines and customer specs. The great thing for shooters today is the abundance of parts and accessories that are available. Just about anything is possible.

ASJ How did you get involved with the PRS?

BG The PRS and long-range shooting in general has exploded in the past few years. From that explosion most shooters have found me. Just being into the right sport at the right time has helped set things in motion, and the PRS is a great event that keeps the rifle population alive. It’s great to be a small part of it.

ASJ Thank you for talking to us, Bob.

BG Thank you ASJ