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It’s no surprise: Nighthawk Custom produces excellent 1911’s. That’s the company’s reputation. That’s what it does. So the company’s T4, a compact 1911, a 9mm, ought to be an outstanding concealed carry gun. Before testing and evaluation, I have great expections for the T4…
I expect it to be tactical, but not in the corny way. I mean I expect it to be a symphony of design, engineering, and manufacturing and therefore fantasticly accurate. While a pistol is only as accurate as the person pulling the trigger, getting rounds to the intended target ought to be inherently easy and intuitive. Thankfully, the 1911 design already contributes to this. The T4’s match grade barrel, even at less than four inches, ought to help. So should the trigger. And the sights. And, well, all of it.
I expect it to be better-than-1911 thin. Carrying the T4 should be as inspiring as shooting it and as easy as simply putting it into a familiar holster. It oughta fit perfectly and have as little girth as possible. It should be a snap to conceal with just about any outfit. But also I want to be able to grasp it with a full hand and be able to hold it like a vice.
I expect it to be tight and stunningly beautiful. And I’m not just talking about aesthetics. I mean every detail should be perfect. Fit and finish should be precise, with obvious high quality everywhere. Nothing sloppy or gaudy or loose. Put another way, other pistols in this world else may be adequate, or even great, but still feel inferior.
I expect it to be trustworthy. Utterly reliable. As if my life depended on it. This 3.8 inch barreled 1911 obviously runs smaller than other 1911’s out there, perhaps outside of the scope of John Moses Browning’s original design specifications. Nonetheless, it’s coming out of the Nighthawk Custom shop, where decades of old-school 1911 gunsmithing experience will, with equal amounts of current technology and engineering know-how, combine to produce a modern defensive pistol. Defensive pistols are nothing if not reliable. As such, I expect the T4 to easily handle virtually any ammo I want to shoot through it.
Nighthawk Custom’s T4 retails for $3,350. So, if the T4 were actually mine, I might expect that eventually I’ll not want any other pistol as the T4 will be so superb that I won’t need any other. Well, maybe just a couple others.
What’s next: a real-life range report and a thorough explanation of how the T4 carries concealed.
What would you expect from this gun?
— Mark Kakkuri
Learn more about Nighthawk Custom at the American Handgunner Product Index.
