I'm done with Nighthawk

[Rule10b5]

I haven't posted here in a while; busy with life, family, etc. But I decided to pop back in to share a little something that's been bugging the hell out of me.

Last year, I bought a Nighthawk Talon. It's fantastic. Absolutely reliable, beautiful workmanship, dead-on balls accurate. The only problem is, like every other 1911, it's big, heavy, and I'm little and skinny. So I figured I'd buy a Bobtail Talon II to carry.

In January of this year, I looked around and found one in the area for around $2500 or so, I forget the exact price. Beautiful gun, except that I noticed a small ding hidden by the zip tie they used to secure the warning label. Of course I noticed this when I got home. But I blew it off; all good equipment gets dings, it's not a collector's piece, and I was going to shoot the snot out of it and carry it every day. So what did I care?

I got it to the range. Out of 100 rounds, probably 7-10 or so didn't go into battery, and I'd need to swat the back of the slide to pop the round in. But I was ok with that, too, after all, it's a tight 1911, it needs a little break in. But what really annoyed me was that every time I pulled the trigger, the mainspring housing bounced a millimeter or two.

I called Nighthawk. They said to send it in, and they'd fix it. Apparently they had a batch of back mainspring pins. They sent a call tag, and I took the gun to UPS, including a letter detailing the mainspring and battery issues. About a week later I got it back. The mainspring issue was fixed.

So I took it to the range. Shot another 150 rounds or so. Same issue with the battery/FTF.

I called Nighthawk. They said to send it in, and they'd fix it. They sent a call tag, and I took the gun to UPS, including a letter detailing the issues. A couple of weeks later I got it back.

So I took it to the range. Shot another 100 rounds or so. This time it fed just fine, but it wouldn't lock back on an empty magazine.

They said to send it in, and they'd fix it. They sent a call tag, and I took the gun to UPS, including a letter detailing the issues. A couple of weeks later, I got it back, and they'd replaced and recut the slide stop lever.

Took it to the range, yadda yadda, and now it wasn't feeding right again, and it wouldn't always lock back.

I called Nighthawk. Call tag, send it in, etc., got it back weeks later. Still didn't work right.

Repeated the process. This time the offered to replace the POS with an identical gun. But they wanted me to pick up the cost to transfer it. Fine with me; at this point I just wanted a gun that worked and not to have to box up a gun and go to UPS every few weeks. I'd spent countless hours drafting letters, hundreds of dollars of ammo wasted testing the gun, and making trips to UPS. I just wanted to be done with it. What was $30 to me, now?

Oh, and would I please not mention this to anyone, they asked?

They say they're shipping it out as soon as they get my old gun back. I send it. A week passes. I call. It'll ship tomorrow. In a few days, no gun. I call again. It's shipping today. In a few days, no gun. I call again. We meant to ship it, but it didn't go out, but we shipped it yesterday. In a few days, no gun. I call again. There was a shipping glitch, but it'll definitely go out today. I finally get it a few days later.

It's now about 8 months after I paid $2500 for a gun that never worked, and I have a totally new one that looks awesome. I'm stoked.

I go to the range, load up a magazine, and blast away. It works perfectly, except for one thing...the fucking mainspring housing bounces when I pull the trigger.

I call Nighthawk, and explain the problem. They tell me to take down the gun, and check the mainspring pin to see if it's cracked. It's fine. Ok, send it in. We promise we'll fix it this time. I send it in, including a letter, yadda yadda...

I don't hear anything for a week or two, which is fine, I'm out of town, anyway. I finally hear back, and the issue has been fixed, they say, and the gun runs great.

I get the gun at home, take it out of the box...and...the mainspring housing bounces when I pull the trigger.

I sold the gun. For a very substantial loss. And I'm fucking overjoyed about it.

And I'm better for it. I replaced it with a Springfield, which has worked perfectly from day one, and is just as accurate. Sure, it's not as pretty, and the S&A funnel I bolted on isn't blended, but it bloody shoots well.

Sure, I still like my full size Nighthawk, but I think I just got lucky with it. The next time I decide to spend money on super-high end 1911, my business is going to Bill Wilson. Or Ed Brown. Or Springfield's custom shop.

And I retract my prior defense of Nighthawk. TonyF, you were right when you said you weren't impressed by them.

Edit to add: I neglected to mention. During one of my calls I spoke to one of the owners. The owner was arrogant, unhelpful, and acted like the whole issue was my problem, that they were doing me a favor by fixing the gun, and that I should be happy to have paid that kind of money for a gun that wasn't perfect. I'm not sure what his issue was, but it sure wasn't customer service.

[gf45acp]

I would be SO PISSED!

[Rule10b5]

I would be SO PISSED!

I'm still pissed. But when I get angry I go pet my Springfield, and hope that nobody's believing the shit they print in the gun rags about Nighthawk without doing their research.

[gf45acp]

For 1911's I stick with my Colt's. My series 70 MK4 Combat Commander does anything I ask of it. I have other .45acp's, but not 1911's.
Aside from that, I can't thing in numbers as large as what that Nighthawk costs, it makes me dizzy!

[PA Rifleman]

Sorry to hear of your woes, obviously they weren't checking it when it left. Poor companies are often rotten at the top, which is consistent with your phone experience with one of the owners. Thanks for the heads-up. I won't buy one.

I prefer old school, especially with 1911s. I've had very good luck with this 1911. I used to carry it in cold weather. Sometimes I still do in wintertime, it drops right to the bottom of my parka pocket.

It's a 1943 Ithaca that was re-parkerized sometime after the end of W.W.II. It's *never* jammed, failed to feed or extract.

-

[synergy]

Rule, long time no see!

Sorry to hear it turned out that way. I remember some of the bugs you had, but that shit is out of control....didn't you have a Colt that shit bricks too (and that god-aweful S&W PD1911)?

I told you Patrick's Vickers came with the WRONG SLIDE (standard slide, on a light-rail frame), he sent it back and get a new slide (hand finished and inspected by one of the owners) when he got the gun back, we couldn't run a mag through it without have at least 1 FTF. Went through about 100 rounds, with normally 2 or 3 jams per mag, down to about 1 at the end of the 100 rounds. He bought the gun for the LAV course, and couldn't even take it cause it was fucked.

Add to that the T3 in .40S&W this guy on the range couldn't get to run. The Talon that hammer-followed that I took in for a cleaning...they are NOT doing their jobs well.

I tell you though, H's Vickers hasn't jammed yet...then again, neither did my RIA.

Between LAV, and 10-8 pulling out, and the bugs you and I have seen first hand with these money-pits....it's a fucking joke that they charge what they do. They're getting to be the "Kimber" of the semi-custom shops.

I'm really starting to think a SA-GI or Colt 70 series, MINIMALLY dicked with is the way to go. The Quantico guys don't have problems making the 1911 run...

None the less, sorry to hear you got boned again on a 1911.

[PA45ACP]

Yeah, sorry to hear. Don't know ya, but feel angry with you also. If I were to put my name on something that my company made, especially that expensive, I would want to make sure the thing worked before I produced and sold it. Again, sorry to hear.

Oh yeah, +1 for Colts.

[aryfrosty]

I'm glad to have that information. I was giving that brand a hard look, but that is out the window. Thank you.

[normanvin]

Boy that sure sucks..

[Robert Kayland]

Thanks for the update... likewise here, I'll be giving them a wide berth.