Are Nighthawk Custom pistols worth the money?

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  • 10mmfan

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    I have been looking at adding a custom 1911 to my collection and i have been looking at ed brown, wilson, les baer and nighthawk but i heard nighthawk on some models uses frames and slides from remsport which i am told are made from forgings from korea and then machined here in the US as well as caspian cast frames for a couple models. Wilson claims 100% made in usa from forgings to final product. I think baer and brown are made in USA too. Nighthawk is priced similar to wilson for similar featured pistols but to me if its true their using korean steel/forgings they should not be in same price range. If anybody can let me know if this nighthawk\remsport/Korean thing is BS or can confirm it that would be great or at least let me know that baer wilson and brown pistols are doing same thing but i heard it was only nighthawk.
     
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    357 Terms

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    Between SB and FT.W
    Wilson, Les Baer, Ed Brown, Nighthawk are all very nice 1911's, but not really "custom".
    "Semi-custom" is how they are usually described.
    A true custom 1911 will cost you!!


    Jeremy Ried
    Ct Brian
    Stan Chen
    Ted Yost
    Lou Biondo
    Chuck Rogers
    Chris James
    Joe Chambers
    Brandan Bunker
    John Jardine
    Jason Burton

    These are just some, most will charge as much as a 10yr old Camry, but the quality will be impeccable.
    For a semi-custom gun, my Dan Wesson is not far off from the higher priced manufacturers.
     

    churchmouse

    I still care....Really
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    I have found that the offerings from the Standard Mfg. people hold their own to and DW I have fondled/fired and that is more than a few.
    Some local smiths will build you a really nice custom 1911 to your specs. For about the same money as the Wilson/Nighthawke. And the ones I have had built are superior to those offerings.
     

    Bigtanker

    Cuddles
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    After shooting a few of AllenM's pistols, that's what I'd put my money into. They may not have the resale value of one of the bigger names, but I don't think I'd sell it anyway.
     

    rhino

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    I have been looking at adding a custom 1911 to my collection and i have been looking at ed brown, wilson, les baer and nighthawk but i heard nighthawk on some models uses frames and slides from remsport which i am told are made from forgings from korea and then machined here in the US as well as caspian cast frames for a couple models. Wilson claims 100% made in usa from forgings to final product. I think baer and brown are made in USA too. Nighthawk is priced similar to wilson for similar featured pistols but to me if its true their using korean steel/forgings they should not be in same price range. If anybody can let me know if this nighthawk\remsport/Korean thing is BS or can confirm it that would be great or at least let me know that baer wilson and brown pistols are doing same thing but i heard it was only nighthawk.


    Did you ask Nighthawk?
     

    churchmouse

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    After shooting a few of AllenM's pistols, that's what I'd put my money into. They may not have the resale value of one of the bigger names, but I don't think I'd sell it anyway.

    He is my go to guy for the heavy lifting I can not do. He has built me several complete customs and man they are stellar. He has done some serious machine work/mods on so many 1911's for me I have lost track. He has one in the "Q" right now.

    There is another member here that posts up pics of his work that might be considered. Just because it has a fancy manf. name on it does not make it a custom.
     

    Trapper Jim

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    I have been looking at adding a custom 1911 to my collection and i have been looking at ed brown, wilson, les baer and nighthawk but i heard nighthawk on some models uses frames and slides from remsport which i am told are made from forgings from korea and then machined here in the US as well as caspian cast frames for a couple models. Wilson claims 100% made in usa from forgings to final product. I think baer and brown are made in USA too. Nighthawk is priced similar to wilson for similar featured pistols but to me if its true their using korean steel/forgings they should not be in same price range. If anybody can let me know if this nighthawk\remsport/Korean thing is BS or can confirm it that would be great or at least let me know that baer wilson and brown pistols are doing same thing but i heard it was only nighthawk.

    Ed Brown Les Baer Springfield Custom Springfield Production. These if you want to spend more time shooting than looking around on the ground for missing parts and malfunctions.
     

    bcannon

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    Ive had both custom and stock. There is a place for both. If you want a out of the box accuracy guarantee, stellar performance, with a lifetime warranty and hold their value Wilson, Les Baer, Nighthawk, Ed Brown, Cabot, Novac, Rep. Forge are the choices youre looking for imho. They can be built to your specs. They are not 100% custom but are not mass produced by any means. Each are hand fitted/built and adhere to their very stringent QC. Yes there are a few skilled smiths here on Ingo that can build you a very nice 1911 but wont hold their value as well. You will still spend close to the same for either depending on the level of customization youre looking for. You can build a Chevy to out perform a Ferrari but its all in what youre looking to invest in. If either is what you want, decide and dont look back.
     

    cundiff5535

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    As a long time “custom” 1911 shooter, I’ll say I personally lean to Nighthawk or Gun Crafter over the others. All are well built, all will likely surpass your expectations!

    I personally think it’s wise to to choose either a Wilson, NH, or Crafter... and buy used as you can get a really lightly used gun right now for around 2k. Which if you ever need to sell, you will likely never lose a dime on.

    If if you are buying new, throw my thoughts above out the window as you should either just buy a Dan Wesson or get a Joe Chambers “working mans gun”. New semi custom offerings are gonna be $3k-6k. A WMG is going to be like $4500. So IMO it doesn’t make sense to go any other route!
     

    drillsgt

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    I have been looking at adding a custom 1911 to my collection and i have been looking at ed brown, wilson, les baer and nighthawk but i heard nighthawk on some models uses frames and slides from remsport which i am told are made from forgings from korea and then machined here in the US as well as caspian cast frames for a couple models. Wilson claims 100% made in usa from forgings to final product. I think baer and brown are made in USA too. Nighthawk is priced similar to wilson for similar featured pistols but to me if its true their using korean steel/forgings they should not be in same price range. If anybody can let me know if this nighthawk\remsport/Korean thing is BS or can confirm it that would be great or at least let me know that baer wilson and brown pistols are doing same thing but i heard it was only nighthawk.

    RemSport was/is a pretty big OEM supplier but I don't know of anyone that ever could confirm who they supply. I built 4 guns on RemSport frames/slides and two sets I got were OEM overruns. All the machining was already done and it looked exactly like a typical Nighthawk, they look similar to Guncrafter as well. Typically you can tell by the ejection port treatment and the front strap treatment. I got that frame/slide set for well south of 500.00 if I remember correctly so that lets you know how much money those companies are making (they do have a lot of overhead though). This was several years ago though, looking at new Nighthawks their front straps do not look like RemSport style anymore so who knows. Nighthawks are nice guns though if you like them don't worry about it but like Cundiff said buy used.
     
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    10mmfan

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    Well i already have a "semi custom" its the professional aka fbi pistol from springfield custom shop but even it has at least 3 mim parts as well as i believe a 5 pound trigger was what was speced for that model although for a 5 pound trigger it feels really good and my budget is in the lower end of wilson or nighthawk or a used one like some replies advised or a dan wesson i really like their quality and features for their price point. I also like the les baer pistols and i can get a baer with all features i want with nothing i dont for about 2200.00. But what original post was about was nighthawk using those korean remsport frames same source said wilson is 100% made in usa if i am buying used not a big deal but if i am laying out cash for new it will probably be a wilson or baer i know nighthawk builds a quality good shooting gun but dumping 3-4k on a new one for made in korea frame just dont sit well with me. I have never seen or handled a republic forge pistol just seen them in magazines. I have a couple springfields that may find their way to allenm as he seems to have quite a following on here.
     

    rhino

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    rhino's opinion based on 25 years of experience with 1911s:

    If you really want a boutique 1911, Les Baer and Rock River Arms (now that they are doing pistols again) are the best value by far. There are not as many options or luxury features available, but in terms of function, durability, accuracy, quality of constructing, fitting, and finishing, they are equal to any other and better than most. In terms of what you get for the money, you can't beat them with offerings from any of the other high end shops. Check the prices of Les Baer vs. a comparable Wilson gun and go from there.

    If what you want is a really good shooting and durable pistol, start with a Springfield TRP, STI Trojan, or something similar and have a really good 1911 gunsmith tune it to your liking.
     

    churchmouse

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    You guys really need to fondle and run both of my Standard Mfg. pieces. They rival/exceed any DW I have ever dealt with. For a decent price point.
    My Blued finish piece is amazing as to the finish and fitment. Dead on accurate and has been reliable.

    The high polished Nickel piece is shear sex on rails when you pull the slide back.

    Just check one out. The Blue finish is SA TRP money. The High polish model is DW mid grade money.
     

    Hohn

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    Wilson claims 100% made in usa from forgings to final product. I think baer and brown are made in USA too. Nighthawk is priced similar to wilson for similar featured pistols but to me if its true their using korean steel/forgings they should not be in same price range.


    Not necessarily true. It depends on what you mean by "steel". There are very exotic grades of specialty alloys that only come from certain producers. Some of those are US. Some are German. Or British. Or Japanese. Or Korean. Or Swedish.

    If you want a pistol cut from Carpenter Aermet 310 it will cost a LOT more than a pistol machined from a high carbon steel regardless of the country of origin.

    And almost every steel maker in every country will offer steel of varying grades of quality (free of inclusions) within each alloy.


    In other words, country of origin should be the last of your concerns. You should instead care about what the actual steel is, how it is produced, processed, and fabricated into the final product.
     

    Expat

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    Are Nighthawks worth the money? I would say yes, otherwise they wouldn't have been in business as long as they have.
    If you visit the 1911 forums, people that have actually owned them seem pretty happy with them.
     

    cundiff5535

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    Are Nighthawks worth the money? I would say yes, otherwise they wouldn't have been in business as long as they have.
    If you visit the 1911 forums, people that have actually owned them seem pretty happy with them.


    Go to 1911addicts.com and see what the feedback is on semi custom 1911’s.

    It will likely mirror my advice...
     
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