New Nighthawk Thunder Ranch

Wow, I just looked at the NighthawkCustom.com website to see what the prices are on a Thunder Ranch Combat Special and the other poster's T3. Yes, the used T3 was a great deal.
I suppose my relatively fixed retirement income hasn't kept up with what new Nighthawk 1911s now go for. I'm glad I have the four 1911s which I decided to keep (Kimber, Doublestar, Guncrafter Industries, Springfield-Armory).
Post 1 and other post, I really liked seeing both the Thunder Ranch and T3 models. They both look great. I actually considered Nighthawk back in 2011/2012 when I then decided to get the Guncrafter. As I recall, back then, Guncrafter had the shorter lead time of various semi-custom builders.
 
L-2 said:
Wow, I just looked at the NighthawkCustom.com website to see what the prices are on a Thunder Ranch Combat Special and the other poster's T3. Yes, the used T3 was a great deal.
I suppose my relatively fixed retirement income hasn't kept up with what new Nighthawk 1911s now go for. I'm glad I have the four 1911s which I decided to keep (Kimber, Doublestar, Guncrafter Industries, Springfield-Armory).
Post 1 and other post, I really liked seeing both the Thunder Ranch and T3 models. They both look great. I actually considered Nighthawk back in 2011/2012 when I then decided to get the Guncrafter. As I recall, back then, Guncrafter had the shorter lead time of various semi-custom builders.
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I bet my $300 hand polish & tuned SDS Tisas will shoot as good as my future NH!

I bought my NH just to show off at the once a year BBQ and to say I own one.

But… what have I learned in 10 years of serious adult shooting…??? You can’t buy skills! I have only recently started shooting pistol good, to the point that I can pick up any pistol and be confident I can hit what I’m aiming at.

For me: Double Action revolver shooting was were I learned how to finally shoot a pistol
 
So funny Mark Mark, and right on the “Mark,” so to speak. I’ve been a recreational shooter for over 40 years, and I was always just “so-so.” I enjoyed rotating my guns around, going to the range, and pretty much just blasting. Only this year have I really paid attention to things like grip, stance, trigger finger position, repeatable sight picture, breathing and follow-through. I agree that DA revolver shooting has been key to honing my skills with a handgun. I’m no bullseye shooter but I can now shoot pretty tiny groups at 25 yards offhand with my handguns.

I like to stretch to 50 yards now on a 12” silhouette and can go 10/10 pretty easily now (except with my Walther PPK and S&W 442). Almost any firearm of good or better quality can be made to shoot very accurately, depending on how the shooter pulls the levers within his or her control. Again, it took me 40 years to figure this out but now I’m enjoying the shooting sports so much more. That’s also increased my thirst to acquire premium firearms, not only for their quality but for pride of ownership. With that said, I also like to find “cheaper” guns just to see what I can do with them. That’s why a gun like the Tisas 1911A1 intrigues me so much, and I’ll probably get one soon. ‘Til then, you may find me slumming it at the range with my Nighthawk. :)
 
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vanfunk said:
So funny Mark Mark, and right on the “Mark,” so to speak. I’ve been a recreational shooter for over 40 years, and I was always just “so-so.” I enjoyed rotating my guns around, going to the range, and pretty much just blasting. Only this year have I really paid attention to things like grip, stance, trigger finger position, repeatable sight picture, breathing and follow-through. I agree that DA revolver shooting has been key to honing my skills with a handgun. I’m no bullseye shooter but I can now shoot pretty tiny groups at 25 yards offhand with my handguns.

I like to stretch to 50 yards now on a 12” silhouette and can go 10/10 pretty easily now (except with my Walther PPK and S&W 442). Almost any firearm of good or better quality can be made to shoot very accurately, depending on how the shooter pulls the levers within his or her control. Again, it took me 40 years to figure this out but now I’m enjoying the shooting sports so much more. That’s also increased my thirst to acquire premium firearms, not only for their quality but for pride of ownership. With that said, I also like to find “cheaper” guns just to see what I can do with them. That’s why a gun like the Tisas 1911A1 intrigues me so much, and I’ll probably get one soon. ‘Til then, you may find me slumming it at the range with my Nighthawk. :)
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40 years to get confident with a pistol! I’m glade we can be candid about our abilities and progress.

Get a SDS T-sauce! it’s fun to strip it and polish parts. Great way to learn the guts of a 1911 too.

I’m picking up my NH on the 30th! and going straight to the range, and will give us a report
 
bc1023 said:
Very nice

I’m a big fan of Nighthawk

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iu
 
vanfunk said:
I’m pretty confident I’d buy a Nighthawk H-Power too if they ever see fit to make one.
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They did and you missed the boat. Nighthawk was just going good on dresser Brownings when FN quit making them, cutting off the supply of new guns. They will probably still work on your gun.
www.nighthawkcustom.com

Browning Hi Power | Nighthawk Custom

The Browning Hi Power offers perfect balance, size and firepower, with an impressive 13 round magazine capacity. We took one of the most revered pistols of all time and made it better - we have improved accuracy, reliability, durability, and esthetics!
www.nighthawkcustom.com www.nighthawkcustom.com
 
Jim Watson said:
They did and you missed the boat. Nighthawk was just going good on dresser Brownings when FN quit making them, cutting off the supply of new guns. They will probably still work on your gun.
www.nighthawkcustom.com

Browning Hi Power | Nighthawk Custom

The Browning Hi Power offers perfect balance, size and firepower, with an impressive 13 round magazine capacity. We took one of the most revered pistols of all time and made it better - we have improved accuracy, reliability, durability, and esthetics!
www.nighthawkcustom.com www.nighthawkcustom.com
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I had called them less than a year ago about having them do some work on my Hi Power, and it was something they were still doing at the time. I haven't sent it to them yet, but it's on my want list.
 
Well, that is interesting. There’s a Hi-Power at my LGS (80’s vintage, so cast frame I think? Not a big deal, just saying). It might be too nice to customize as it looks like new, but man oh man that would be nice. I also like the idea of sending them a new Colt “70 Series” to have their Colt hawk treatment. Those are gorgeous and functional.
 
vanfunk said:
Well, that is interesting. There’s a Hi-Power at my LGS (80’s vintage, so cast frame I think? Not a big deal, just saying). It might be too nice to customize as it looks like new, but man oh man that would be nice. I also like the idea of sending them a new Colt “70 Series” to have their Colt hawk treatment. Those are gorgeous and functional.
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The cast frames started when the 40S&W was introduced, so it should be forged.

I have some Hi Powers for the nostalgia of them. As shooters, I think they suck. Mediocre accuracy, terrible trigger design, poor durability, etc.

Cool history, poor performance
 
I don’t disagree bc1023, all are valid indictments of the design. I would imagine, though, that Nighthawk would (for a dear price) ameliorate all of these shortcomings, and then some. A Hi-Power with a 3-3.5lb trigger, no mag disconnect, bobbed spur hammer, good sights, fitted barrel and polished to feed modern hollowpoints reliably, French borders on the slide, larger thumb safety, and a smoked nitride finish. Yeah, I’d love that. Funny, the SIG M17 comes closest to the feel of a Hi-Power for me, which is why I like it and shoot it so well.
 
vanfunk said:
I don’t disagree bc1023, all are valid indictments of the design. I would imagine, though, that Nighthawk would (for a dear price) ameliorate all of these shortcomings, and then some. A Hi-Power with a 3-3.5lb trigger, no mag disconnect, bobbed spur hammer, good sights, fitted barrel and polished to feed modern hollowpoints reliably, French borders on the slide, larger thumb safety, and a smoked nitride finish. Yeah, I’d love that. Funny, the SIG M17 comes closest to the feel of a Hi-Power for me, which is why I like it and shoot it so well.
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I have experience with a lot of high dollar custom Hi Powers. Only so much you can do with it. The frame is so thin that it can’t even be checkered properly. Trigger never approaches that of a great 1911 or 2011.
 
OP, it you want a non 1911 that is an absolutely phenomenal shooter, as well as extremely high quality, I recommend a Phoenix Redback or Drake

It just doesn’t get any better.
 
Update on the Nighthawk!

The good: accuracy. The pistol shoots right to the sights at 25 yards with 230 grain factory ball ammo. It’s amazing what a well fitted beavertail can do for the feel of the gun during recoil. Smooooth and easily controlled for quick follow-ups. An absolute joy to shoot. The trigger is fantastic and the reset is tactile and immediate. Just a fantastic shooter. Accuracy? From the bench, with the gun on a Caldwell pistol rest, the gun’ll make a ragged hole at 25 yards, even with Federal American Eagle 230’s. I’ve never had a more accurate 1911.

The bad: inexplicably, I experienced a number of 5th or 6th round failures to feed with one magazine. The round would nosedive into the feed ramp. I don’t think this is a “break in” issue and I suspect the magazine spring. I’ll replace them both with Wolff extra power springs and try again.
 
vanfunk said:
Update on the Nighthawk!

The good: accuracy. The pistol shoots right to the sights at 25 yards with 230 grain factory ball ammo. It’s amazing what a well fitted beavertail can do for the feel of the gun during recoil. Smooooth and easily controlled for quick follow-ups. An absolute joy to shoot. The trigger is fantastic and the reset is tactile and immediate. Just a fantastic shooter. Accuracy? From the bench, with the gun on a Caldwell pistol rest, the gun’ll make a ragged hole at 25 yards, even with Federal American Eagle 230’s. I’ve never had a more accurate 1911.

The bad: inexplicably, I experienced a number of 5th or 6th round failures to feed with one magazine. The round would nosedive into the feed ramp. I don’t think this is a “break in” issue and I suspect the magazine spring. I’ll replace them both with Wolff extra power springs and try again.
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Worst feeling ever when you get a nose dive. Hopefully it’s just the springs
 
I reached to Nighthawk via email just to let them know. I also just ordered a few extra power springs from Wolff, so we’ll see if that’s the fix. The feed ramp is polished to a mirror so I don’t think it’s the gun.
 
vanfunk said:
I reached to Nighthawk via email just to let them know. I also just ordered a few extra power springs from Wolff, so we’ll see if that’s the fix. The feed ramp is polished to a mirror so I don’t think it’s the gun.
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does some of the other mags work flawlessly?
 
Good question. Embarrassingly, I’ve been trying to find my other 1911 magazines. I have 3-4 Colt mags and a few Wilsons someplace in the basement. I remodeled the basement last year and some of my stuff is still MIA lol.
 
vanfunk said:
Good question. Embarrassingly, I’ve been trying to find my other 1911 magazines. I have 3-4 Colt mags and a few Wilsons someplace in the basement. I remodeled the basement last year and some of my stuff is still MIA lol.
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got my NH in today, will get some range time Saturday if I’m not busy! Range and function report soon
 
Update:

I now have 330 rounds through the Nighthawk and I can’t get through a magazine (except one!) without a failure to feed. Consistently, at round 5 or 6, the round nosedives and wedges between the frame and throat. I put in extra power magazine springs and have tried 6 different magazines, all with the same results. Additionally, the pistol locked up on me with a loaded round, out of battery by an 8th of an inch, and the slide wouldn’t budge in either direction. Gingerly I had to remove the recoil spring plug and bushing, and was then able to hammer the slide back with a rubber mallet. Something’s very wrong and I am going to let Nighthawk sort it out. i love the pistol and want it to work. No bashing here, something they didn’t catch is clearly out of whack. Bob Reeves, the Custom Shop director, has been communicating with me but there’s only so far to go before throwing in the towel.
 
vanfunk said:
Update:

I now have 330 rounds through the Nighthawk and I can’t get through a magazine (except one!) without a failure to feed. Consistently, at round 5 or 6, the round nosedives and wedges between the frame and throat. I put in extra power magazine springs and have tried 6 different magazines, all with the same results. Additionally, the pistol locked up on me with a loaded round, out of battery by an 8th of an inch, and the slide wouldn’t budge in either direction. Gingerly I had to remove the recoil spring plug and bushing, and was then able to hammer the slide back with a rubber mallet. Something’s very wrong and I am going to let Nighthawk sort it out. i love the pistol and want it to work. No bashing here, something they didn’t catch is clearly out of whack. Bob Reeves, the Custom Shop director, has been communicating with me but there’s only so far to go before throwing in the towel.
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DANG!
 
vanfunk said:
Update:

I now have 330 rounds through the Nighthawk and I can’t get through a magazine (except one!) without a failure to feed. Consistently, at round 5 or 6, the round nosedives and wedges between the frame and throat. I put in extra power magazine springs and have tried 6 different magazines, all with the same results. Additionally, the pistol locked up on me with a loaded round, out of battery by an 8th of an inch, and the slide wouldn’t budge in either direction. Gingerly I had to remove the recoil spring plug and bushing, and was then able to hammer the slide back with a rubber mallet. Something’s very wrong and I am going to let Nighthawk sort it out. i love the pistol and want it to work. No bashing here, something they didn’t catch is clearly out of whack. Bob Reeves, the Custom Shop director, has been communicating with me but there’s only so far to go before throwing in the towel.
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I hate to hear that. Good luck and let us know how it turns out, OK?
 
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