When your job description sends you into harm’s way, the Nighthawk 10-8 is a duty ready weapon for all missions.
10-8 Consulting is proud to present a collaboration with Nighthawk Custom, newly established as a powerhouse in the field of custom 1911 production. They have quickly become one of the top 1911 shops, and their attention to detail and responsiveness to the end user has made them our top choice.
The Nighthawk 10-8 is a true out-of-the-box ready for duty 1911. It has all the necessary attention to detail to meet the needs of the professional user at a reasonable price and in a reasonable amount of time. The pistol is derived from the battle proven original Browning design – a full sized, steel framed, 5” barrel .45 ACP. Time and time again, this format has proven to be the most reliable and durable for rugged use over extended duty cycles. The slide and frame are machined from high quality forged and bar stock blanks, and are hand fit by the skilled craftsmen at Nighthawk to achieve a perfect, glassy smooth fit. The stainless match barrel and bushing are fitted for a smooth lockup without any play or binding.
The 10-8 pistol provides a multitude of high traction surfaces to guarantee retention of the pistol in whatever environment you may need your pistol. The front strap is checkered at 25 lpi and the flat mainspring housing is checkered at 20 lpi. The logo engraved VZ Diamondback grips, cut from green/black linen micarta, provide an aggressive texture that is not too harsh for concealed carry. The mainspring housing incorporates a recessed lanyard loop that integrates well with various lanyards, including our favorite, the Gemtech TRL.
A smoothly blended high ride beavertail grip safety compliments the aggressive gripping surfaces and provides greater comfort during shooting. The grip safety features a pad for positive activation. A single sided thumb safety is standard on the 10-8 Nighthawk 1911, and an ambidextrous safety is available as an option.
The pistol features a forged slide stop with a maximum diameter .200” pin that provides optimum lockup with the match fit barrel. The slide stop features a flat ledge that makes manipulations extremely fast and positive. The extended magazine catch, which improves manipulations while wearing gloves, is unobtrusive and does not create issues with accidental dropping of magazines like larger catches. Unlike many similar extended catches, this unit is set up such that it is impossible to trap magazines by pressing the button farther into the frame.
The tool steel hammer, sear, and disconnector are mated for a crisp 4 lb trigger pull with a smooth, positive reset. The long trigger features a solid aluminum shoe and full width steel bow for maximum durability. The overtravel stop is permanently mounted from the rear of the shoe and does not require adjustment. It is fixed so that it will never move, and the end user does not need to worry about having the gun fail to fire due to a wandering overtravel screw. The trigger was jointly designed by Hilton Yam and Larry Vickers.
The 10-8 features the new 10-8 Performance rear sight designed by Hilton Yam. Precision CNC machined from heat treated 4140 bar stock, this rear sight is designed to withstand the rigors of hard duty use. Unlike rear sights machined from soft, free machining alloys, the hardened bar stock construction allows this sight to better resist the nicking and denting that is typical with the wear and tear of daily carry. It features a .125" x .125" U notch for exceptionally fast and intuitive alignment with the tritium dot front sight. The rear face is serrated at 40 lpi to reduce glare in varied lighting conditions. The front sight is also serrated to provide an extremely crisp sight picture. The extra thick rear sight blade is contoured and beveled for comfortable handling and carry.
We at 10-8 Consulting feel that a duty gun must have an integrated white light, as positive identification of threats is a must, and hands free illumination is a tremendous asset during searches. We have been using the Dawson Precision Light Speed rail for quite some time, and feel that it offers a number of very unique advantages over a traditional Picatinny rail frame. The Dawson rail is about 1/3 the size and mass of a Picatinny rail, and the weight and bulk added to the pistol is barely noticeable. Without an attached light, the pistol is unaffected in shot to shot recovery and target to target transitions, having the same net feel as a standard dust cover pistol. Additionally, it has the advantage of allowing the pistol to fit into a variety of standard holsters without modification or with only a simple end user modification. A standard pistol will still fit into a holster modified for the Dawson rail, where it will not fit into a Picatinny dust cover rail holster. With the included Dawson light adapter for the Surefire X200 series, the user has the ability to quickly attach the industry standard for weapon illumination. Other adapters for the Surefire Military light and the Nitrolon series are available separately from Dawson Precision.
For ease of field maintenance, the pistol features a standard G.I. short guide rod and spring plug, just like Browning’s original design. The pistol also features flat head grip screws and magazine catch lock, further simplifying disassembly by permitting the use of commonly available flat head screwdrivers instead of specially sized hex wrenches.
The pistol features comprehensive reliability work, to include an expertly tuned extractor machined from heat treated bar stock. The pistol’s external contours are dehorned for comfortable daily carry. A black Permakote finish provides a corrosion resistant coating for harsh environments.
Customers now have the option of adding an ambidextrous safety, Smith & Alexander magazine well, 10-8 Performance Flat Trigger, and/or deleting the Dawson Speed Light Rail.
When we wanted a 1911 built to our demanding specifications, there was only one logical choice. We chose Nighthawk. Now you can choose them as well. | 
