Bill Laughridge (left) and Robbie Barrkman (right)

Robbie Barrkman, ROBAR founder and owner, is an American entrepreneur.

Barrkman, a legal immigrant from South Africa (SADF Company Sergeant Major Ret), loves his adopted country and her Constitution with a fervor.

Bill Laughridge (1stSgt USAR Ret), owner of Cylinder & Slide, is a patriot of the same caliber.

Robbie and Bill are top-tier gunsmiths, and good friends, and had lunch together recently.

Bill Laughridge began as a gunsmith doing general repair at a small sporting goods store in Fremont, Nebraska in 1974. He purchased the gun smith business that he had helped build up in November 1978 and incorporated Cylinder & Slide Inc. at that time.

He continued to do general repair for several more years until he built up the pistolsmithing business. Bill’s break came when a one-page article on his shop was published by the American Handgunner.

IPSC shooting was just starting to gain popularity and good pistolsmiths were not plentiful at that time. His backlog for building pistols quickly passed 1 year.

He has continued to build Cylinder & Slide through the years and they now customize mostly concealed carry pistols and revolvers. Cylinder & Slide sells its own line of custom 1911 pistols and premium fire control parts for the 1911 and Browning Hi Power.

Cylinder & Slide Inc. now employees 6 pistolsmiths and 7 administrative people.

One of Bill’s greatest honors was to be elected Pistolsmith of the Year in 2005 by the American Pistolsmiths Guild.

Bill is a member of the American Pistolsmith’s Guild (Robbie is an Associate Member). He is a superb gunsmith instructor and this is the second year that Bill has come to ROBAR to spend several days with ROBAR gunsmiths, giving them gunsmithing “tune-up” lessons.

Last year Bill instructed on Colt and S&W revolvers; this year, on Monday 23 Feb and Tuesday 24 Feb, he passed on technical smithing instruction on 1911s and Browning Hi-Powers.

This is a friendship and collaboration of 2 icons in the gunsmithing business; both amazing men whose work is the stuff of smithing lore.

And ROBAR Guns, dedicated to the best of the best for your firearms, is made even better with the knowledge imparted by our great friend, legendary gunsmith, Bill Laughridge.

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