Nighthawk Custom
Encyclopedia
Nighthawk Custom is a firearm
company based in Berryville
, Arkansas
, United States of America that manufactures custom M1911
pistols, rifles, shotguns, and tactical knives for competition shooters, military, law enforcement, and self-defense.
left to focus exclusively on custom pistol
s. Both companies are located in Berryville, Arkansas. The company is owned between three people. Craig Gholson, Mark Stone, and Jeff Phillips. Nighthawk has been praised highly for its quality and customer service. Mark Stone stated that
Nighthawk has expanded and opened a Tactical branch specializing in Rifles, Shotguns and Knives.
.
The GRP or Global Response Pistol is the main pistol in the Tactical range. It is a base model which isn't as customizable as the Custom range. Nighthawk state that
The Enforcer pistol is considered to be Nighthawk's flagship in their tactical line of handguns. This handgun has been designed and built to address several weak points in the 1911 handgun platform. Its unique 'features' include a plunger tube that is integral to the handgun frame, a magazine-well that is also integral, and a slide stop that has been cut flush with the frame. However, one could argue that each of these designs has been borrowed from another custom 1911 builder by the name of Dave Lauck. These very features, and many more, have been pioneered, developed, and offered on his line of 1911 handguns for many years.
, 7mm Remington Magnum, .300 Winchester and recently, the .338 Lapua Magnum.
or Remington 1100
.
The finish is Perma Kote and a range of sights is available, whether added to the frame such as the Fiber Optic front sight to the picatinny rail AimPoint Comp M4, a sight more regularly seen on the M4 Carbine
and M16A4 assault rifles. The shotgun is available with a M4-inspired five-position crane stock or a more conventional Hogue butt stock with in-frame pistol grip. Tactical lights, shell holders, recoil buffers and sling attachment swivels are available.
Firearm
A firearm is a weapon that launches one, or many, projectile at high velocity through confined burning of a propellant. This subsonic burning process is technically known as deflagration, as opposed to supersonic combustion known as a detonation. In older firearms, the propellant was typically...
company based in Berryville
Berryville, Arkansas
Berryville is a city in Carroll County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 4,433 at the 2000 census. Along with Eureka Springs, it is one of the two county seats of Carroll County...
, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, United States of America that manufactures custom M1911
M1911
The M1911 is a single-action, semi-automatic, magazine-fed, and recoil-operated handgun chambered for the .45 ACP cartridge. John M. Browning designed the firearm which was the standard-issue side arm for the United States armed forces from 1911 to 1985. The M1911 is still carried by some U.S....
pistols, rifles, shotguns, and tactical knives for competition shooters, military, law enforcement, and self-defense.
History
Nighthawk was formed in 2003 when some of the gunsmiths who worked for Wilson CombatWilson Combat
Wilson Combat is a custom pistol manufacturer located in Berryville, Arkansas that specializes in customizing and manufacturing M1911 pistols. First started under the name "Wilson's Gun Shop" in 1977, Bill Wilson started his new gunsmith business in the back of the family jewelry store, “Wilson's...
left to focus exclusively on custom pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
s. Both companies are located in Berryville, Arkansas. The company is owned between three people. Craig Gholson, Mark Stone, and Jeff Phillips. Nighthawk has been praised highly for its quality and customer service. Mark Stone stated that
"Creativity is an important part of gunsmithing, but customer satisfaction is always the goal"
Nighthawk has expanded and opened a Tactical branch specializing in Rifles, Shotguns and Knives.
Nighthawk Custom
Nighthawk Custom was the original branch of Nighthawk. It specialised in offering accurate pistols made for competitive shooting. The range includes the Talon, Dominator and Predator lines. The Talon has three varieties, the Talon 5", Talon II and the Talon II with Bobtail. All pistols in the Custom range are fully customizable from finished to sights to grip design. The finishes are done using a Perma Kote due to its durability. They range in price from $1500 to $3500.Richard Heinie models
Richard Heinie, a respected figure in the M1911 community had requested Nighthawk to build a range of his renowned pistols under his supervision. This partnership arose when Heinie witnessed some of Nighthawk's pistols at a shooting event and was impressed with the quality and workmanship. The Heinie range comprises the Lady Hawk, PDP and Tactical Carry. These aren't as customizable as the normal Custom range however are still made to the same high standard. The Lady Hawk is aimed at females and has a thinner grip and fire the less powerful 9x19 mm round instead of the standard .45 ACP.45 ACP
The .45 ACP , also known as the .45 Auto by C.I.P., is a cartridge designed by John Browning in 1904, for use in his prototype Colt semi-automatic .45 pistol and eventually the M1911 pistol adopted by the United States Army in 1911.-Design and history:The U.S...
.
Nighthawk Tactical
The Tactical branch specializes in military and home defense products rather that competition pistols. The range covers a small selection of pistols, customizable precision rifles and tactical shotguns.The GRP or Global Response Pistol is the main pistol in the Tactical range. It is a base model which isn't as customizable as the Custom range. Nighthawk state that
The Enforcer pistol is considered to be Nighthawk's flagship in their tactical line of handguns. This handgun has been designed and built to address several weak points in the 1911 handgun platform. Its unique 'features' include a plunger tube that is integral to the handgun frame, a magazine-well that is also integral, and a slide stop that has been cut flush with the frame. However, one could argue that each of these designs has been borrowed from another custom 1911 builder by the name of Dave Lauck. These very features, and many more, have been pioneered, developed, and offered on his line of 1911 handguns for many years.
Tactical Rifle
Because Nighthawk are one of the sponsors for the annual International Sniper Competition at Fort Brenning, Georgia, they built a precision rifle. Nighthawk took inspiration from the rifles present at the Competition and what makes them good. Nighthawk took these rifles one step further and created their tactical rifle range. With the option of either bolt on or integral picatinny rail, the rifles can be customized with scopes and different finishes. The finish is Perma Kote. The rifle can be finished in camoflage or a customized color scheme. Nighthawk's stocks are made of 35% air grade carbon fiber and 65% of multi-layered fiberglass. To test the strength they placed a rifle on two steel beams and put the wheels of a full size truck on it. With the rifle bearing the full weight it did not break. The rifle can be chambered in .308 Winchester.308 Winchester
The .308 Winchester is a rifle cartridge and is the commercial cartridge upon which the military 7.62x51mm NATO centerfire cartridge is based. The .308 Winchester was introduced in 1952, two years prior to the NATO adoption of the 7.62x51mm NATO T65...
, 7mm Remington Magnum, .300 Winchester and recently, the .338 Lapua Magnum.
Tactical shotgun
Nighthawk offers customizable shotgun services including a massive range of add-on products and peripherals which are external and internal. The gun is buolt from a stock Remington 870Remington 870
The Remington Model 870 is a U.S.-made pump-action shotgun manufactured by Remington Arms Company, Inc. It is widely used by the public for sport shooting, hunting, and self-defense. It is also commonly used by law enforcement and military organizations worldwide.-Development:The Remington 870 was...
or Remington 1100
Remington 1100
The Remington 1100 is a gas-operated semi-automatic shotgun, popular among sportsmen. The Remington 1100 was the first semiautomatic shotgun to feature significant reduction in felt recoil, light weight and reliability.- History :...
.
The finish is Perma Kote and a range of sights is available, whether added to the frame such as the Fiber Optic front sight to the picatinny rail AimPoint Comp M4, a sight more regularly seen on the M4 Carbine
M4 Carbine
The M4 carbine is a family of firearms tracing its lineage back to earlier carbine versions of the M16, all based on the original AR-15 designed by Eugene Stoner and made by ArmaLite. It is a shorter and lighter variant of the M16A2 assault rifle, with 80% parts commonality.It is a gas-operated,...
and M16A4 assault rifles. The shotgun is available with a M4-inspired five-position crane stock or a more conventional Hogue butt stock with in-frame pistol grip. Tactical lights, shell holders, recoil buffers and sling attachment swivels are available.