Orders became so robust that Keith has had to temporarily close his online store, which is found at Accurate Armory.
On the front page of the popular site there is a message that says this: "Due to the overwhelming demand for AR-15 rifles in the current political climate, we are so back ordered that we have taken our online store offline, temporarily."
While orders can no longer be made on the site, it does leave an email address for those who don't mind waiting in line to acquire a rifle from Pitts' company.
Below the header on the site is the slogan, "The New Kentucky Rifle," referring to the old Kentucky rifle (a muzzleloader) which was huge factor in the Revolutionary War where America won its independence.
As for the AR-15 rifles produced by Pitts, they are of quality that semiautomatic rifle enthusiasts highly desire.
Media outlets love to call rifles like this "assault rifles," even though data show they are very rarely used in homicides when compared to the overall picture. For example, in 2009 less than 350 people were murdered in America using any rifle in general. That's out of about 10,000 or so homicides using firearms
By fans of AR-15s, they are rightly considered what they really are - a "modern sporting rifle." That's not just a catch-phrase, it is what it's primarily used for, and guys and ladies consider them a lot of fun to play with, and secondarily as a tool for self-defense.
As for Pitts, he now has the happy dilemma of deciding on how quickly he wants to grow the company. He has had a hand in making every one of the approximate 50 rifles produced at the shop on a monthly basis, and now it looks like, according to Potts, it could rise to ten times that many.
His challenge, as with all business owners at this stage of their operations, is whether or not to let go and trust his employees with what he undoubtedly consideres his babies. That's not as easy to do as some may think.
A number of gun outlets selling Pitts' rifles consider it to be among the best guns in the world. That is because he has always built them to at minimum meet, and usually beat military specifications. Many of his customers are military, police, and those formerly in the military or law enforcement. Others include hunters, collectors and target shooters.
"We got so good that the government inspectors were told they didn't need to make origin inspections in the shop," Pitts said. Inspections now are done when the guns or parts are delivered.
Pitts does no advertising at his shop or anywhere else. It's all done by word of mouth. At his physical shop it's "by appointment only."
He offers five standard colors and a highly desirable sand matte finish. Costumers can also order custom colors if the want something different.
Another significant part of Pitts' business is government contracts for gun parts that meet materials, dimensions, durability and accuracy standards.
With the seal of approval of the defense department, that has been the main cause for the business growing, along with the current regulatory atmosphere creating uncertainty for certain rifle models.
Other than market forces driving up prices, Pitts has committed to not artificially inflating his prices, and anyone wanting a gun made by him and his company can get one as long as they place their name on a waiting list.
It sounds like he will have no trouble with customer demand for a long time to come. Those seeking the best in guns will make sure that's the case for Pitts and Accurate Armory.
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