Review of my most recent purchase.

[mav]

As some of you know from the "Show and Tell" section, I recently purchased a Nighthawk Talon with the FLX upgrade. I wanted to do a little review since I have now put 500 rounds through it.

I have been recently shopping around for a new EDC pistol chambered in 9mm. While I love .45 acp, I prefer 9mm. A little over a month ago I had asked my local dealer to find me a 9mm H&K P30 in the V1 configuration. After about 3 weeks I started to get a little impatient, so I started shopping around online. As I was looking around, I ran across a FLX upgrade on Nighthawk Custom pistols. The FLX upgrade is basically a double stack 5" government model 1911 built on a STI frame. The FLX upgrade is offered on Nighthawk's Talon, GRP, and Dominator lines in either .45 acp or 9mm. The FLX uprgrade is also offered on their Predator line, but it is only in 9mm. Standard capacity mags for .45 are 12 rounds, and 17 rounds for 9mm. Being a fan of the 1911 platform, the FLX upgrade was rather intriguing. The downside to the gun is the huge price tag. It is incredibly expensive.

Another option I had for an EDC gun was another customized Glock. Since I could not find the P30 I wanted my choices were between a customized Glock and the Nighthawk. After a few days of debating, I decided to go with the Nighthawk.

I received my gun earlier this week from Bud's. The Nighthawk Talon came with 2-17 round mags, pistol bag, and test target. As you can see from the pic, the Talon came with front cocking serrations and Novak 3-dot night sights. The top of the slide is serrated just like my Nighthawk T3. The finish on the Talon is black Perma-kote, which I have never been impressed with. From my experience Nighthawk's Perma-kote finish is not as good as Wilson's finish.

The trigger on the Talon has horizontal serrations with a trigger pull around 4-5 pounds, which is a little heavier than my other semi-custom 1911s. There is absolutely no creep in the trigger; it is definitely a glass breaker. The grip on the gun was suprisingly narrow. It is not much wider than my Wilson CQB with standard grips.

The next day I took it to the range, I was quite surpised at the weight of the gun fully loaded. The weight was very managable. Although I haven't put the Talon on a scale, it did not feel any heavier than a 5" government model 1911 in .45acp.

Once I started putting rounds down range I was totally blown away with how the gun handled. This gun is a tack driver with very minimal recoil. The recovery between shots is extremely fast. Over the next several days I managed to put 500 rounds through the Talon with zero problems. While I am not a fan of Nighthawk's Perma-kote finish, I was pleased that none of the finish has already started to wear. Maybe I got a good one.

In summary, this gun isn't for everyone. The main deterrent is the price. While you do get what you pay for in most instances, this gun is just too expensive. For most people, the price just isn't worth it, which is certainly understandable. However, if you do have some extra money and are looking for a high capacity gun that is very fast and accurate, then I would highly recommend a Nighthawk with the FLX upgrade.

As final note, the Talon was sort of an impulse buy since I was unable to find the H&K I wanted. Funny thing is three days after I got the Talon in, my dealer called me and said they had a H&K P30 in the configuration I wanted. Well , I guess I will be getting the H&K next week, and depending on how it handles, either it or the Talon will go in the safe.

[mousegunner]

Very nice gun, and thanks for your review.

[leroy]

mav:________________

Thanks for the neat review and pictures. Congratulations on your new "tool". I like it when Americans continue to arm themselves and take responsibility for their own self protection (...remember, "when seconds count, the police are only minutes away...."! Looks like this one was a great choice.

RE:

...This gun is a tack driver with very minimal recoil. The recovery between shots is extremely fast. Over the next several days I managed to put 500 rounds through the Talon with zero problems. ...

You are experiencing the same thing we did years ago with the old 38 super. Great accuracy, lots of power, and light recoil. I'm terribly tempted to have someone do me a full size light weight carry model 38 super. The super round is a tad longer than the 9mm. Thanks for the great review!!

Enjoy!

leroy

[MacGyver]

Nice review, and a nice pistol. You may as well just go ahead and tear up those New Year's resolutions.