Do you need a custom 1911? The short answer is, no. Needs and wants are two separate things. No one needs a custom 1911 but a lot of folks need a 1911 that works. Given the fact that companies are turning out 1911s in record numbers to meet demand, its easy to see how some non-working specimens make it out the door.
Here’s the deal, the 1911 is the most customizable handgun platform available. Because of that, shooters like to tweak it to better appeal to what they think a 1911 should be. I believe there’s no such thing as a perfect 1911. However, there are a lot of 1911s folks think are perfect and it is usually the one on their hip.
How much should you spend on a custom 1911? As much as you want or as much as you can is the obvious answer. It goes back to the old dollars and sense thing. The trick is balancing the dollars in your pocket with the sense in your head. Let’s look at it another way. A 1911 needs to be reliable, accurate, comfortable and easy to shoot and configured for the purposes you have in mind. Dollars spent to this end make sense, additional money for things like engraving and fancy grips are an expression of vanity. They’re not necessary but if you’ve got the dollars, go for it.
Nighthawk Custom’s GRP (Global Response Pistol) is an exercise in common sense. It is a collection of features designed to maximize the reliability and shootability of a handgun intended to be used to save your life in military combat, during a SWAT team raid or when the things you would only dream of wake you at night. Any pistol so configured will also be adept in various competitive shooting venues like, IDPA (International Defensive Pistol Association) matches.
The best thing about the Nighthawk Custom GRP is that it is a 1911 and you can have it in 9mm, .10 mm or .45 ACP. The second best thing is that it’s not a Glock. The worst thing about this pistol is that if you order one today, expect to wait maybe a year before it shows up. That’s a long time to wait on a dream gun but all Nighthawk Custom pistols come with a lifetime warranty so some things are worth waiting for.
Now, I’m sure Glock fans and 1911-haters will all want to respond with comments. Don’t even go there. This is a fine pistol and I tried to make it puke. Over a six month period I put in excess of a dozen different defensive loads through it with bullets ranging in weight from 160 to 230 grains and never cleaned it. It ate everything shoved in it like a pig cleaning out a slop trough. No, its not plastic and yes, it cost more than a night at the Bunny Ranch but this pistol works.
