It may be of no interest to anyone else, but my buying this particular pistol is very unusual as it represents in many ways my journey through the 1911 space. In the late 1990s through 2001 or so, my carry pistol was a Robar-smithed and NP3-finished stainless "Colt Lightweight Commander". It was my first customized 1911, and I learned a lot from the process. After that pistol, I was disabused of the notion of an alloy-framed carry pistol being a good idea for me. A lot of reloads on the timer caused a lot of damage to the magazine well opening of that pistol.
That pistol was retired and then sold to help fund the purchase of a stainless Colt Series '70 Government in the first stainless repro run that John Harrison reworked to resemble the Commander. It had retro sights, a plain round top slide, a good single-side safety, a good action with a rat tail grip safety and rowel hammer, and a decent traction treatment. It was pretty much the Government Model equivalent of that Commander. When times I got tough due to my wife having to stop working due to medical issues, I sold that Harrison pistol for a princely sum. It is one of the few pistols I regret selling, but family comes first.
As I financially recovered from the loss of income and the staggering medical bills (at one time, I owed medical providers more than $250k as my wife had to have physical therapy for more than two years to relearn how to walk), I thought about that Colt. But I never asked John to build me another one. The time was never right when we lived a few miles from his shop, then we had to move, and then his order book closed. I took it as a sign that I was not meant to replace that pistol.
Almost twenty years later, I am preparing for my retirement in the next decade. Over the past four decades, I have acquired quite the firearm collection that is no longer needed as I transition to retirement. I have been slowly liquidating that collection. That collection included many 1911 pistols, including all of my competition pistols for USPSA and Bullseye, as well as my retired carry pistols. The plan is to keep two carry pistols, two HD shotguns, two AR rifles, and two .22 plinkers. Sounds simple except that the collection before liquidation numbered over 200 firearms, including 28 1911 variants.
So purchasing a pistol really violates the plan. Purchasing this pistol is a bit of a wild hair as I just got rid of a RRA Elite Commando Commander-length pistol that met the need. The only justification I can offer is the Nighthawk cost me less than the amount for which Elite Commando sold. I used the term "justification" because that is all it can be. There is no need other than, "Hmm. Me want."
