I am always amazed at the ads and the monstrous prices, of Nighthawk Handguns, especially over the last 5 years or so. Almost everything they have is $2,000 and up & up, into the $4,000 range.

I do not know anyone who ones one and I know a lot of handgun shooters. I have never even seen one in person, let alone shoot one. I have handled many, many handguns and many, were top of the line superb guns and they have all been in the $1500 or so, top end prices, many in the $800 to $1200 price range.

What is it that makes the Nighthawk Handguns worth the crazy prices they sell for, or are they even worth those prices?

An Old Fart would love some input!

Nighthawk, Ed Brown and several other high end makers. It's like a lot of other things, some can afford them and then there's the rest of us.
I'll just have to make do with my cheap old Colts and S&Ws.

I do not own the semi-custom 1911's (yet), but I've handled them all. I have a Springfield TRP (which is a very nice production 1911). Here's the difference I can tell.

1) The semi-customs are hand built. Each slide is fit to the frame precisely. Very tight.

2) Each part is machined from billet steel. This takes time, and then hand fitting.

3) The guns are inspected with extreme care. They are fired by the maker around 200 rounds, and then disassembled to check for even wearing.

4) some of the higher end semi-customs have fancy additions like cool checkering at the rear of the slide, just to show off.

Scour the forums, and you'll find all sorts of complaints about QC problems with production guns. S&W's putting out canted barrels, loose cylinder lock up, etc. Colt 1911's get dustcover rub from slightly off center slide to frame fit. Beretta 92's have barrels that are not centered inside the muzzle end of the frame.

With the higher end semi-customs, all that stuff gets inspected by the maker to ensure 'perfection' before it reaches the consumer.

I have one. I've used and carried everything over the years from box stock Colt, to "loaded" models from Colt/Springfield and on up to one built by Dave Williams in the Custom Shop at Springfield. As mentioned above, there really is a difference in semi-custom or full blown custom 1911s.

My particular Nighthawk is a pretty unique piece of steel, which really was the reason I now have it. A few years back, I moved into the .357sig caliber for duty and most off duty carry. I stumbled across this piece and was thinking long and hard about it...quite a few dinner table conversations as well...do I need it, no, but I want it, yes...etc etc. In the meantime, my wife went and bought it for me since it was Christmas and she enjoyed a few weeks watching me mope around the house once I found it was gone from the shelf. When I opened the box, I almost dropped it in disbelief!

How does it shoot? Laser accurate and 100% reliable with full duty loads.
The most unique part, besides the caliber being .357sig, is the serial number is 01. I spoke to the guys in the shop and they said it was the first one they built in 2006 and they haven't done many in that caliber since. Sig is finally releasing a few factory versions of their 1911 in the same caliber.

Worth the money?? Yes, but that's just my opinion.