The Nighthawk Custom Bob Marvel Special 1911 is a modern rendition of this classic design. Among its many enhancements is the EVERLAST recoil system claimed to handle more than 10,000 rounds fired.

As my friend Butch and I examined the targets I opined, “Didn’t I tell you that this thing was going to be accurate.” Butch just nodded his head. The “thing” under discussion was the new Nighthawk Custom Bob Marvel Special pistol and yes, it was accurate.

Nighthawk Custom specializes in building some the finest custom 1911 pistols available today. Their staff includes some of the most noted 1911 master craftsmen in the industry today with over 75 years of combined experience. As behooves any entrepreneur wishing to make a profit, Nighthawk will build a pistol to the customer’s exact specifications but an examination of their catalog shows that they offer a number of “off the shelf” models that are designed for just about any conceivable use to which one might care to put a 1911. This includes police/military service, personal protection, concealed carry or competition shooting—from no-frills to fancy.

Looking down the muzzle shows the special bushingless sleeved barrel. Texturing on the top of the slide extends into the angled grasping grooves.

Now, “no frills” does not mean that their pistols are not attractive, but several of them display a subdued exterior that, to my way of thinking, emphasizes their intended role as serious fighting handguns. You might say that while Nighthawk pistols don’t have any features that are not absolutely necessary to the task at hand, they do possess every feature that is necessary for that task.

The rear of the slide is also textured. Note the extended thumb safety, Commander-style hammer and Bob Marvel/Trijicon adjustable rear sight.