Disclaimer: I am not a photographer so excuse the quality of the pictures
In late 2006 I got in on an order with Nighthawk for a GRP Recon. A dealer I know was looking to become a stocking dealer and needed to come up with 10 guns for the start. In helping him out he cut me a deal on the price. I had been carrying a Springfield MC Operator for about 2.5 years at that point and it was at about 20,000 rounds. I figured it was a good idea to have a replacement/spare and being a 1911 geek I was ready for a custom gun.
The gun arrived in about February 2007 and the only changes I made were to replace the standard grips with a set of Gunners. I had to do a little work to get the policy expanded beyond just the Springfield and I noticed that with my duty rounds the gun shot 8" high at 25 yards. Here is where my work with Nighthawk Custom customer service started. I emailed them about the gun shooting high and they responded quickly. They asked what round I was carrying and asked for me to send the gun in. I did and within a week they sent it back with a different front sight. Problem solved and all I paid for was shipping to the factory.
Here is what the gun looked like about a year after carrying it. It spent a lot of time with the X200 on and the finish started to wear on the frame rails.
I shoot a lot and I carry the gun every day. The gun started to show signs of wear but that was to be expected and I had no issues with the "used" look. The round count started to add up quickly. I shoot this gun weekly and have taken it to 5 or 6 classes. I have also used it for local USPSA matches.
In late 2008 at about 13,000 rounds I replaced the extractor. Other than that it ran on a steady diet of 230 grain FMJ and JHP's. I replaced the recoil and firing pins on a regular schedule at every 3000 rounds. It digested every thing I threw at it and continued to run very well. Somewhere in early 2011, around the 24,000 mark, I replaced the extractor again. When doing this I noticed the front sight was loose and would wiggle slightly. I did a little further checking and realized the cold rolled pin that secured it to the slide was sheared off. I emailed Nighthawk and within 24 hours they mailed me an envelope with 10 extra cold rolled pins. I was back in business.
All was well and the gun continued to chug along. I cleaned the gun on a regular basis of about once a month or about every 500 rounds. I detail strip the gun every 6 months and look at the hammer and sear engagement and the rest of the internals. In June of 2011 I was out shooting with Badger and while reloading some magazines I noticed something didn't feel right as I went to top the gun off. I looked closer and found that the safety had broken off right in front of the cross pin that attaches it to the frame. Below is what I was looking at.
You can see in the second picture that the finish is pretty worn on the slide. The gun was at about 25,500 rounds at this point. I emailed Nighthawk told them what had happened and the approximate round count. They told me to send the gun in. I paid for shipping and had no issue with that. The gun was over 4 years old and had a high round count. They received the gun and fitted a new safety free of charge. The rep called me and asked if, since the gun was such high use and looked "pretty beat up," I would like it refinished in the new Nitride finish they were doing. I agreed and paid for the gun to be refinished. It was $200 and they covered the cost of return shipping. The gun was gone for roughly a month and came back looking good as new. I was happy and went back to shooting it.
About a month ago the gun was at just under 31,500 rounds. I was doing some dry fire prior to starting my shift. As I went to load back up I noticed what I thought was a dog hair on the side of my slide. (I have a dog with a thick undercoat and those little hairs end up stuck to everything) I tried wiping it off and realized I was looking at a crack on the side of the slide. I flipped it over and noticed the other side had a similar crack but it was a bit harder to see. Here are the pictures of what I was looking at.
Once again I emailed Nighthawk. This was at the beginning of my power shift so the email went out around 7pm. I had a response by 8am. It told me to wait for a call tag and shipping label. I had the gun boxed up and shipped by noon on a Thursday at Nighthawk's expense. I got an email on Tuesday of the next week saying they would be replacing the slide and other components. The email didn't specify what components but I read that as everything above the frame. The email also said it would be about a month. This was on the 16th of October. I was a little shocked to hear it would turn around that fast because I know if you order a Nighthawk it is a significantly longer wait time.
Fast forward to Thursday 11/15. I received a shipping notification stating my gun was on the way. I never was called or emailed about payment, costs involved or any other item. The gun showed up yesterday. It is a new gun. Well let me clarify that. It has the same frame and serial number. Other than that every part was replaced. It has a new slide, barrel, bushing, guide rod and spring. That was what I was expecting based on the email. It also has had all the parts in the frame replaced. The hammer, trigger, disconnector, sear and safety are all new as well.
I did not expect this to be free. I have used this gun hard for over 5 years. I average 6000+ rounds a year. I know this is a wear item and like all machines they will break. Nighthawk Custom went above and beyond on this and I had to share it with the community. This is what it looks like this morning!!
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