Tag Archives: Nighthawk 1911

Nighthawk Custom’s stuff really does make you want to cry

Berryville, Arkansas-based Nighthawk Custom has a very impressive 1911 Commander-sized handgun in 9mm or .45ACP they hope will appeal to female gun enthusiasts. The niche specialty gun maker’s Lady Hawk 2.0 builds on their legacy design and pairs a Rose Gold TICN finish on the surface controls and barrel with custom obsidian, abalone and zinc grips, topped with lots of high-speed tweaks and Heine night sights.

Still, you almost hate to shoot it.

 

An elegant weapon, for a more civilized age

At SHOT Show last month I saw a bunch or really sweet 1911s  and shot a few (the rebooted Colt Combat Commander is squared away), but I have to admit, the nicest of the pack were (IMHO) the 1911’s of Berryville, Arkansas-based Nighthawk Custom.

These guys are the Jedi knights of the next-level longslide experience and I have long admired their work.

Their new Tri-Cut Carry was formulated by one of their gunsmiths as part of a successful application for the American Pistolsmiths Guild and features a flattened trigger and a very futuristic styling to go along with Heinie Ledge Straight Eight Tritium rear and Nighthawk tritium front sights. The distinctive tri-cut continues throughout the gun, making the grip more narrow which Nighthawk’s owner Mark Stone told me has been well received by those with smaller hands.

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Another new entry for Nighthawk is The Turnbull VIP, or Very Impressive Pistol. The collaboration between Stone and Doug Turnbull of Turnbull finishes produced a limited run of heirloom firearms whose case hardened frame and cross cut mastodon ivory grips vary from gun to gun, making each one unique. Crowned barrels, custom triggers and a complete dehorning make the guns not only beautiful but functional as well.

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More in my column at Guns.com

Of suppressor deregulation and upcoming ATF changes

At SHOT Show this year I had a chance to throw some knives and hawks on range day and did so like shit. They were SOGs and, while I can make the excuse I wasn’t used to them and prefer my own edged weapons which I do throw much better, I still did miserably.

sog knives and hawks

However, I also did it right behind Josh Waldron, the co-founder and CEO of SilencerCo, the company that is like the Glock of suppressors. How big are they? They ship 10,000 cans a month, which is more than most suppressor makers ship in a year.

I had a chance last week to catch back to up him without the tomahawks and talk about various states dropping prohibitions against private suppressor ownership (42 states now allow it), hunting with suppressors (39 now allow it, up from 22 in 2011), potential deregulation of suppressors from NFA requirements via the Hearing Protection Act, and the impact that ATF 41F is going to have on trusts and CLEO requirements.

SilencerCo.founder.believes.in_.creating.a.lifestyle.to_.mainstream.suppressors
“We’re trying to make guns sexy again because they always really have been in this country,” Waldron said. “It’s been part of the fabric of the culture here but we want to make sure that that continues and so we’re trying to revive that.”

You can read the interview over at Guns.com.