If you’re reading this article, you know who and what Nighthawk is. If you don’t, Nighthawk is a top end 1911 maker. Think of them as a company who would take the Colt Python schematics and start building Colt Pythons and hand fit them like Colt used to do, except they do it with 1911s, and they come up with their own variations.
There is nothing new about double stack 1911s. The first time I heard of a 1911 was when Para Ordnance introduced the P-14. Since then, competition and race guns in 1911 frames have been “dominating” the 3 gun and other competition circuits.
The double stack 1911 did not catch fire with the civilian carry market simply because of its weight. A loaded 14+1 Para Ordnance P14 comes in at 49.5 ounces. A loaded Glock 21 is 29.8 ounces. That’s 60% of the weight of the P14, with one less round. So why bother going with a double stack 1911? The trigger, the Nighthawk name, exclusivity, and the accuracy (see the review). And the reason most people will buy this gun…bragging rights. That’s just the reality of life.
If you can take the extra weight (and have the wallet), this is the ultimate carry gun in my personal opinion. At 36 ounces empty, it’s no lightweight. The gun will be more accurate than most shooters are capable of shooting. But I’d rather have more accuracy than I’m capable of, than being able to out shoot the gun.
The latest offering from Nighthawk is a double stack 9mm. It doesn’t have an official name yet, but in house it’s called the “Enhanced Dominator”. The trigger breaks at 3.28 pounds, and the check book breaks at $4295. That seems like a lot of money for a gun.
Why would anyone spend that much? Why is there a market for Mercedes when you can buy a Toyota? To each their own, but as is often said, you get what you pay for. You can certainly get a better bang for the buck at a lower price point, but for those who demand the best in quality at any price, this looks like a hard gun to beat.
The full specs, and shooting reviews can be found at this link for those interested in a premium 1911, double stack 9mm.
