I established Bob Marvel Custom Guns in 1981 to do one thing - to build exceptionally accurate and reliable custom pistols.  As the pistolsmith and owner of my shop, I adhere to high levels of standards and ethics for every pistol that I custom build.  I view my pistols as a signature of my character; thus, pistols do not leave my shop unless they reflect my philosophy about craftsmanship.  Furthermore, my custom pistols have a limited lifetime warranty as evidence of my belief system.

My passion for becoming a custom pistolsmith arose from my experiences shooting IPSC and my desire to create custom pistols that would prove to be accurate and reliable over a period of time.  My pistolsmith shop evolved from building pistols out of my basement to having a separate shop on my property in the country. 

Today, I have the reputation for building some of the finest handguns in the world. I specialize in customizing or rebuilding a variety of pistol models used for competition, personal protection and concealed carry. Individuals in the military and law enforcement, elite Special Forces members, competitive and amateur shooters, discriminating collectors, and the general public purchase my custom pistols.  Bob Marvel guns are used by some of the top competition shooters in the world, and are often referred to as "works of art that shoot".  Over 40 national records have been set and over 20 national titles in bullseye competitions have been won by shooters who own my custom pistols.  In addition, shooters using my pistols have won World Speed Shooting titles and a Bianchi Cup World title.  To date, there have not been any reported malfunctions on any of my military pistols used in either training or combat, with thousands of rounds fired.

In addition to specializing in building custom pistols, I have also developed after-market pistol products and my 1911 .22 Conversion.  My pistols and/or products have been featured in magazine articles in American Handgunner, Gun World, Handguns, American Rifleman, Guns & Ammo, Shotgun News, and Shooting Times.  My work has also been featured in Gun Digest, Book of the 1911.  "Bob Marvel Custom Oil" is being distributed nationwide and has been featured on the OUTDOOR television channel.  Over the years, my products have been marketed and sold in Brownells and Midway catalogs.  I am continuing to develop pistol-related products; the newest of which is the "Bob Marvel Custom Pro II 1911 .22 Conversion".

I believe that I am destined to share my knowledge about building accurate and reliable 1911 pistols with others in order to further the industry; therefore, I am currently writing a book, "The 1911 Pistol - The Rest of the Story".  I have also written a 1911 training/shop manual (unpublished) and use the manual as a basis for training other pistolsmiths.

Bob Marvel Custom Guns has sponsored a variety of events and individuals, including the American Handgunner World Shoot Offs, Camp Perry Junior Shooters, Bianchi Cup, Steel Challenge, USPSA area matches, and the Navy UDT/SEAL Team Memorial.

In 2010, I taught a pistolsmithing class at Montgomery College in Troy, North Carolina.  I continue to provide consulting services to individual pistolsmiths and gun manufacturers.

I currently reside in the country with my wife, Deb, and our two children - Whiski (a golden retriever) and Murphi (a silver labrador).  Since Deb's retirement in 2009 as a public school administrator, she has assisted me part-time with customer correspondence.

I can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or 402-826-3679.

My website addresses are www.bobmarvelcustomguns.com and www.bobmarvel22conversion.com.

Additional Biographical Information

1975  ~  Bacheror of Science, Pre-Law/Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln