EDX2308
CGN Regular
- Location
- Bring Cash, Penticton
Ladies and gentlemen, I want to thank Gary and his staff at Wanstalls for the most incredible service you’ll ever find in the industry. And to pay tribute to that, I’m going to do the review of my Nighthawk Custom GRP (Global Response Pistol) that I had bought recently.
Note that the version I have may be a "GRP Recon" because it has a rail underneath.
I’ve taken quite a few pictures to prove the quality of this 1911 as Nighthawk is renown for their quality and accuracy.
Edit* I wish to state that I was NOT paid or endorsed to do this product review by the staff of Wanstalls or Nighthawk and have done this work on my free will.
Oh one last thing about the photos. I don’t think Gary will do this for anyone but he and/or his staff had placed an additional 2 Wilson Combat magazines in the bag for me…… I feel special!
Please note that my terminology may be off because I’m primarily a rifle user. Enjoy the pictures everyone! This is for all the times Gary has taken pictures of guns I want to see.... only fair I take pictures of one the finest product he has to offer!
The good
- High quality finish all over the gun, I believe the perma-coat on it is flawless with no splotches etc.
- The slide to the rest of the pistol is TIGHT with no wiggle
- Just like I was told to check the rear of a hot woman, the rear of the 1911 is flawless with only a slight gap on the left of the hammer (which is acceptable and normal). The rest is basically flush.
- Came with a single (black) magazine) that was made in Italy… the Nighthawk factory magazine. Not sure about the Wilson Combat ones though…. All were very high quality. There was also 1 Nighthawk magazine that was silver but no country of origin. Overall I received 4 magazines.
- Surefire flashlight attachment is BRIGHT.
- Comes with Trijicon Novak night sites (front and rear sights are the same brand). They really do glow green at night.
- Trigger is 3.5 pounds (not sure exactly) and is a surprise trigger. What does that mean? You won’t flinch when you pull heavily on it and should fire with a clean crisp snap during the pull.
- The overall 1911 wasn’t greasy on arrival. Only grease/oil that came out were the rear of the gun near the hammer after firing.
- I was told the slide serrations can cut you on a regular 1911. No cuts here! Smooth feeling on the serrations when I pull the slide back.
The bad
- If you don’t have $3300, you’re out of luck
- Recoil is not sharp like a .357 or kicks like a mule but the recoil is still mild. I’ve fired a custom 1911 that had minimal recoil that wasn’t a Nighthawk.
- It comes with a soft case rather than a hard case like many other handguns…. Maybe I haven’t bought enough handguns to find out. I personally like the soft case just as much as I would for a hard case.
- Combat sites are not easily adjusted. In fact I don’t think you can adjust them…. I’ll look into it.
- While the 1911 itself is tight, the magazines that sit inside it are NOT. There is a lot of wiggle with a magazine fully seated inside. The magazines can rattle in there.
- If you’re using brass shells I will warn you that this gun can damage the outside of the ejected cases. Not serious damage but makes a small sharp indent on the brass after firing. Manual ejection of the round won’t damage the shell casing. Not sure if it’s the slide or the magazines pushing up too hard. I will need more time to analyse.
- Unless you are around handgun enthusiasts, your NHC 1911 is going to get very little attention. It looks plain Jane and only upon further inspection would anyone even notice anything special about it.
The ugly
- The Surefire mounted flashlight was NOT mounted on correctly. Future Nighthawk GRP owners should ensure the section that presses up into the rail is correctly into the recess of the under rail. Mine fell off during shooting and was lucky the soft dirt didn’t damage the flashlight or do any scratches or nicks.
- This is a high maintenance firearm. Any sort of dirt grit or sand of any type will damage your slide or your magazines if you don’t ensure that they are clean.
- To some, the 1911 may not be your type of gun because of the weight it carries. I wish I had a scale but with the Surefire attached and a magazine+7 rounds of 45 ACP should be roughly 3 pounds+. Some of you won’t like that type of weight, but I like a heavier pistol. I tried to weigh the 1911 with a loaded magazine up to 7 rounds but my scale sucks and won’t work.
- Parts of the 1911 that had easily scratched or got scuffs or reciprocating movement scratches were of course the aluminum trigger and the beavertail at the back.
- I’m not sure if this is normal but the section that says “Nighthawk Match 45ACP” right above the slide, that section scuffs easily after a few shots as well.
My own opinion
The Nighthawk Custom GRP is certainly different. If you’ve fired Norinco or Glock pistols, you’re in for a huge world of change in a good way. I know I’m a terrible shot with handguns but my cousin is a much better marksman on the short distance range. He was able to do really tight 1-2 inch groupings at 7 yards (before you laugh hysterically I will let you know it’s NOT as easy as it sounds).
This handgun can perform flawlessly and only human error can make it shoot poorly. You might say that about many other firearms but this pistol is accurate and is accurately inaccurate meaning that even if your sight is off, you will make groupings where you didn’t expect them to show up.
I wish to elaborate on the recoil. I fired a custom 1911 that was made by a local gunsmith and I can tell you the Nighthawk had modest recoil compared to the custom 1911 I had tried out. The custom 1911 had low recoil , had a 25 pound spring and roughly a featherweight 2 lb trigger. I would get my 1911 modified slightly but for safety concerns, I’ll keep my 3.5 lb trigger. Perhaps I’ll change the spring one day.
This pistol is definitely designed for the right handed user. I am right handed so I guess I’m lucky. But for consideration of the left handed shooter, take note.
The magazines that came with this package is interesting. The Nighthawk magazines have holes in them to indicate how many rounds you have left... or put in. I doubt you they are useful for letting you know how many rounds are left while you are shooting (as you can't see through the magwell). The Wilson Combat magazines do not have holes on them.
Another something I need to mention is the grips of this gun are some weird dense fiberglass. Not sure if it’s micarta but it feels …. Interesting. They are not soft rubber Ergo style grips but they still got roughness on them for a good grip.
I have mentioned above that I have fired a few pistols and I will say the Nighthawk Custom GRP is a cut above. While many of the other pistols/handguns I have fired were "toys" to us firearm users, the GRP is designed to kill. This gun is "meant" to do its job and do it well.
Overall the Nighthawk Custom GRP will shoot better than I can. For this price you can be assured of quality in terms of fit, finish, functionality not to mention quality.
Happy shooting! The GRP is a fine 1911 pistol that will shoot straight and is designed for hunting terrorists at night!
Thanks for reading my review and a big thanks to Gary and the staff of Wanstalls for helping me in the procurement of one of the finest 1911’s.
Ed
Note that the version I have may be a "GRP Recon" because it has a rail underneath.
I’ve taken quite a few pictures to prove the quality of this 1911 as Nighthawk is renown for their quality and accuracy.
Edit* I wish to state that I was NOT paid or endorsed to do this product review by the staff of Wanstalls or Nighthawk and have done this work on my free will.
Oh one last thing about the photos. I don’t think Gary will do this for anyone but he and/or his staff had placed an additional 2 Wilson Combat magazines in the bag for me…… I feel special!
Please note that my terminology may be off because I’m primarily a rifle user. Enjoy the pictures everyone! This is for all the times Gary has taken pictures of guns I want to see.... only fair I take pictures of one the finest product he has to offer!
The good
- High quality finish all over the gun, I believe the perma-coat on it is flawless with no splotches etc.
- The slide to the rest of the pistol is TIGHT with no wiggle
- Just like I was told to check the rear of a hot woman, the rear of the 1911 is flawless with only a slight gap on the left of the hammer (which is acceptable and normal). The rest is basically flush.
- Came with a single (black) magazine) that was made in Italy… the Nighthawk factory magazine. Not sure about the Wilson Combat ones though…. All were very high quality. There was also 1 Nighthawk magazine that was silver but no country of origin. Overall I received 4 magazines.
- Surefire flashlight attachment is BRIGHT.
- Comes with Trijicon Novak night sites (front and rear sights are the same brand). They really do glow green at night.
- Trigger is 3.5 pounds (not sure exactly) and is a surprise trigger. What does that mean? You won’t flinch when you pull heavily on it and should fire with a clean crisp snap during the pull.
- The overall 1911 wasn’t greasy on arrival. Only grease/oil that came out were the rear of the gun near the hammer after firing.
- I was told the slide serrations can cut you on a regular 1911. No cuts here! Smooth feeling on the serrations when I pull the slide back.
The bad
- If you don’t have $3300, you’re out of luck
- Recoil is not sharp like a .357 or kicks like a mule but the recoil is still mild. I’ve fired a custom 1911 that had minimal recoil that wasn’t a Nighthawk.
- It comes with a soft case rather than a hard case like many other handguns…. Maybe I haven’t bought enough handguns to find out. I personally like the soft case just as much as I would for a hard case.
- Combat sites are not easily adjusted. In fact I don’t think you can adjust them…. I’ll look into it.
- While the 1911 itself is tight, the magazines that sit inside it are NOT. There is a lot of wiggle with a magazine fully seated inside. The magazines can rattle in there.
- If you’re using brass shells I will warn you that this gun can damage the outside of the ejected cases. Not serious damage but makes a small sharp indent on the brass after firing. Manual ejection of the round won’t damage the shell casing. Not sure if it’s the slide or the magazines pushing up too hard. I will need more time to analyse.
- Unless you are around handgun enthusiasts, your NHC 1911 is going to get very little attention. It looks plain Jane and only upon further inspection would anyone even notice anything special about it.
The ugly
- The Surefire mounted flashlight was NOT mounted on correctly. Future Nighthawk GRP owners should ensure the section that presses up into the rail is correctly into the recess of the under rail. Mine fell off during shooting and was lucky the soft dirt didn’t damage the flashlight or do any scratches or nicks.
- This is a high maintenance firearm. Any sort of dirt grit or sand of any type will damage your slide or your magazines if you don’t ensure that they are clean.
- To some, the 1911 may not be your type of gun because of the weight it carries. I wish I had a scale but with the Surefire attached and a magazine+7 rounds of 45 ACP should be roughly 3 pounds+. Some of you won’t like that type of weight, but I like a heavier pistol. I tried to weigh the 1911 with a loaded magazine up to 7 rounds but my scale sucks and won’t work.
- Parts of the 1911 that had easily scratched or got scuffs or reciprocating movement scratches were of course the aluminum trigger and the beavertail at the back.
- I’m not sure if this is normal but the section that says “Nighthawk Match 45ACP” right above the slide, that section scuffs easily after a few shots as well.
My own opinion
The Nighthawk Custom GRP is certainly different. If you’ve fired Norinco or Glock pistols, you’re in for a huge world of change in a good way. I know I’m a terrible shot with handguns but my cousin is a much better marksman on the short distance range. He was able to do really tight 1-2 inch groupings at 7 yards (before you laugh hysterically I will let you know it’s NOT as easy as it sounds).
This handgun can perform flawlessly and only human error can make it shoot poorly. You might say that about many other firearms but this pistol is accurate and is accurately inaccurate meaning that even if your sight is off, you will make groupings where you didn’t expect them to show up.
I wish to elaborate on the recoil. I fired a custom 1911 that was made by a local gunsmith and I can tell you the Nighthawk had modest recoil compared to the custom 1911 I had tried out. The custom 1911 had low recoil , had a 25 pound spring and roughly a featherweight 2 lb trigger. I would get my 1911 modified slightly but for safety concerns, I’ll keep my 3.5 lb trigger. Perhaps I’ll change the spring one day.
This pistol is definitely designed for the right handed user. I am right handed so I guess I’m lucky. But for consideration of the left handed shooter, take note.
The magazines that came with this package is interesting. The Nighthawk magazines have holes in them to indicate how many rounds you have left... or put in. I doubt you they are useful for letting you know how many rounds are left while you are shooting (as you can't see through the magwell). The Wilson Combat magazines do not have holes on them.
Another something I need to mention is the grips of this gun are some weird dense fiberglass. Not sure if it’s micarta but it feels …. Interesting. They are not soft rubber Ergo style grips but they still got roughness on them for a good grip.
I have mentioned above that I have fired a few pistols and I will say the Nighthawk Custom GRP is a cut above. While many of the other pistols/handguns I have fired were "toys" to us firearm users, the GRP is designed to kill. This gun is "meant" to do its job and do it well.
Overall the Nighthawk Custom GRP will shoot better than I can. For this price you can be assured of quality in terms of fit, finish, functionality not to mention quality.
Happy shooting! The GRP is a fine 1911 pistol that will shoot straight and is designed for hunting terrorists at night!
Thanks for reading my review and a big thanks to Gary and the staff of Wanstalls for helping me in the procurement of one of the finest 1911’s.
Ed
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