Full metal gas blow back replica, RedWolf Licensed - powered by CO2 - of the Nighthawk Custom Recon pistol. It is a part of the RedWolf Airsoft offer of replicas licensed by real firearms manufacturers.The replica was made for RedWolf Airsoft by KWC.

Introduction

GBB Nighthawk Custom Recon replica is basically a replication of the weapon manufactured by an American company named Nighthawk Custom, with headquarters in Berryville, Arkansas - making custom firearms. The company offers models based on the 1911 pistol and also shotguns and knives.

Nighthawk was founded in 2003 when a few gunsmiths working for another well-known handguns manufacturer - Wilson Combat, left the company willing to create their own make, focusing on manufacturing custom pistols. The owners of the company are Craig Gholson, Mark Stone and Jeff Phillips. Nighthawk is praised on the American market for the quality of its products and customer service. Company mottos are:
"Creativity is an important part of gunsmithing, but customer satisfaction is always the goal" and "We never say "That's good enough"".

Nighthawk Custom is the main part of the American company that specializes in offering perfectly made pistols meant for competitive shooting. The company and their products are connected with names such as Bob Marvel, Richard Heinie or Chris Costa. All parts of offered pistols can be customised to clients needs. Since September 2012 the company uses only machined parts, but what other companies treat as their finished products' standards, at Nighthawk Custom it is just a starting point for hand fitting every part, and every individual firearm is made by a single gunsmith - from start to finish - until a fully satisfying effect is achieved.

RWL Nighthawk Custom is a replica of the Recon series. Currently Nighthawk Custom offers four basic Recon models.

Advanced Armament Corporation Recon

Costa Recon

Heinie Signature Recon

GRP Recon (Global Response Pistol)

PACKAGE

The replica is being sold in an attractive looking box made of stiff cardboard. The package has colors typical for RedWolf, dominated by back, with other colors being red, white and a bit of grey. On the package one can find all the necessary information about the model of the product, the manufacturer and replica's basic parameters.

The box has a Styrofoam insert. The top of replica is secured by a lid and side folds which, together with the Styrofoam, immobilize the replica and its accessories. The safety function of the box is executed very well.

Inside, apart from the pistol, there are: a spare magazine, a pack of BBs, hex wrenches for clamping the CO2 capsules and a black and white manual. The user receives two hex wrenches, one for each magazine, but one is obviously enough, therefore we get an extra hex wrench. (The box of the tested replica also contained the RedWolf Airsoft catalogue but we do not know if it is a standard issue for this product).

The manual.

FIRST IMPRESSION

The pistol is heavy and makes an impression of being solid - its weight is similar in feel to a real firearm. The grip is firm thanks to the porous surface - it is comfortable despite being quite massive (broad).

The replica is well balanced and despite its weight it is not to heavy on the barrel. The appearance of the pistol is esthetic and the quality of the finish is very high. For many people the size and weight of the Nighthawk Custom Recon should be a big advantage, since they make the replica much realistic.

The parts fit of the replica is very good. Characteristically for most gas replicas, the slide has a slight side slack and when moved quickly it "clanks" a little. It does neither affect the comfort of using the replica nor its shooting performance. Moreover, to hear any "clanking" one has to shake the replica very hard.

EXTERNAL APPEARANCE

Basic parameters: the pistol weighs 900 g (1.98 lbs) and is 205 mm (8.07 in) long.

According to RWA it is a replica of one of the special models designed for Nighthawk Custom by Chris Costa. Out off models that are currently in the standard offer of the company, the replica resembles the GRP Recon model the most, taking into consideration the apperance of the slide and the frame, the size and similarity of the sights, the hammer, or the trigger. The replica also has standard grip panels, not the ones with Nighthawk logo. The most significant differences are the ambidextrous safety (in the replica), which the company offers as an option, and the shape of the rail mount and the magazine floor. The markings (company logo), on the other hand, are characteristic for the Costa Recon model. 

One must remember, that in the custom pistol models all of the above mentioned elements may be used in very different configurations.

The slide and the frame of the pistol are flat matt black. Both are made of metal. The slide is quite heavy and makes a loud metallic sound when released. We noticed that the black paint comes off quite easily.

The grip is massive, the panels are made of synthetic fiber which feels like rubber to the touch. The hand does not slip and the pistol is hold firmly.

The front of the slide is silver which is characteristic for Nighthawk Custom pistols. The metal external barrel is also silver (similar to the real firearm - it has no internal thread for attaching a silencer).

Integral to the frame, the under barrel rail mount allows for attaching tactical lights or laser sights. It looks very different than in the Recon series pistols, but more "ribs" on the rail allows more kinds of attachments to be added, e.g. tactical flashlights (which is important in Airsoft), since it offers the ability to mount attachments in different position from the trigger guard. (This feature will be appreciated by any user, who just once after buying a dream flashlight realized that one rib in the rail is not enough and the flashlight does not fit in front of the trigger guard, when in theory it should).

The hammer (the shape is identical as in the Recon models). The safety button in the back of the grip is a single element, together with a "claw" in the back of the frame. The claw moves slightly down once the safety is pushed, when one tightens the grip on the pistol.

The safety lever is ambidextrous and functions properly on both sides. In the real firearm the manufacturer gives the customer an option for an ambidextrous safety lever, as the standard one is on the left side.

The slide release lever, the magazine release button and the trigger. The magazine release works without effort but holds the magazine firmly in the grip.

The sights are similar to the GRP Recon model. They are very esthetic. The rear sight is locked in place by a small hex screw and can be adjusted horizontally after loosening the screw. Both the front and the rear sight have big, visible, white dots - facilitating aiming (the real firearm often has an optic fiber in place of the white dot at the front sight).

HU ADJUSTMENT

HU adjustment is done after taking off the slide which is neither comfortable nor fast. More over, the HU adjusting wheel is small and access to it is difficult (the small wheel is in the back, in the hole between the screws). Moving the wheel to the back of the slide tightens the HU rubber and turning it to the front of the slide loosens the HU rubber.

MARKINGS

The replica has licensed markings of the original firearm manufacturer - Nighthawk Custom, from Berryville, Arkansas/USA. They are white.

The right side of the slide has no markings. The left side of the slide has the logo and Nighthawk Custom name on it (the appearance of the trademark and the fonts used are identical to the original firearm).

These markings are identical as used on e.g. Costa Recon models (below is the real firearm photo):

At the front of the left side of the frame there is a small sign stating the Airsoft caliber.

The right side of the frame has a serial number and the RedWolf Licensed logo.

MAGAZINE

The magazine is mostly made from metals. It has a synthetic fiber floor. It is flat matt black. Its capacity is 17 BBs (but it is best to load a bit less BBs e.g. 15, since 17 BBs are simply squeezed inside). The magazine is a double stack type. It fits smoothly in the grip and similarly smooth falls out when released - magazine change is quick and fluid.

The Nighthawk Custom Recon magazine size is realistic, as far as length and width are concerned. In our opinion, comparing to magazines of many other replicas powered by CO2, it is very well designed and manufactured.

The 12 g CO2 capsule is inserted in the cutaway that resembles its shape and secured with a hex wrench - using a clamp screw hidden in the magazine floor (first the clamp screw has to be loosened a bit to allow putting the CO2 capsule inside, then tightened to secure it).

The magazine floor is much smaller that in other CO2 powered replicas and looks more esthetic. Clamping the capsules with a hex wrench is more time consuming and less comfortable than with a butterfly clamp knob. On the other hand, the buyer gets two magazines with the replica which decreases the frequency of exchanging the capsule itself. Eliminating the butterfly clamp knob shortened the magazine and downsized its floor which is a big pro as far as the looks of the replica are concerned.

The synthetic fiber magazine floor has a slightly porous surface.

DISASSEMBLY

It is the same as in other 1911 models.

APPERANCE OF A PARTLY STRIPPED DOWN REPLICA

SHOOTING

The overall feel of shooting the replica is very positive. The replica is accurate and the hop-up does not get out of adjustment by itself.

The slide workings are quick and strong. It moves smoothly and the blow back is powerful.

There were neither jams during shooting nor empty or double shots. We did not observe any siphons during normal target shooting. Only once, during a trial of very quick firing of the whole magazine, the CO2 capsule cooled down rapidly and gun siphoned, but it happened during firing the last BB.

TESTS

1. FPS and energy measurements.

The FPS and energy tests were done using Blaster 0.2g BBs. The average muzzle velocity of those BBs is 419 fps, which is 1.6 J of the energy.

Below is a table presenting 10 consecutive shots:

We did additional tests, each time loading the magazine with 10 BBs. Every time the initial shots were far above the average fps in the series. Consecutive shots had fewer fps and the value stabilized. We observed that the CO2 capsule cools down while shooting. When the magazine was reloaded the capsule had time to worm up which was the cause of stronger shots at the beginning of each new series. Nevertheless, the average of each serie was between 400 and 420 fps.

(Edit: In other series of shots the results were more varied and mostly at +/-390 fps. If it was not for the first shots with such high velocities - which is typical for CO2 replicas - the average of 390 fps should be given. If calculating an average from 8 shots, omitting the first two, it would be 389,35 fps).

2. Accuracy and grouping at distances of 10 m (10.93 yd) and 20 m (21.87 yd).

Shooting was done at professional indoor shooting range. Since the range was not heated, there were only w few degrees Centigrade inside.

Shots were fired in series of 10 BBs. King Arms 0.25 g BBs were used. Shots were fired in quick succession (without longer aiming during consecutive shots), to make the test conditions closer to the ones found in Airsoft games.

After initial HU adjustment, at the distance of 10 m (10.93 yd), all the shots hit the A4 target (all shots were within a circle of 150 mm (5.90 in) in diameter). However, there were all above the aiming point.

After adjusting HU more precisely the effect was better. At the distance of 10 m (10.93 yd), all the shots hit the A4 target (all shots were within a circle of 125 mm (4.92 in) in diameter).

At the distance of  20 m (21.87 yd), all the shots hit the A4 target (all shots were within a circle of 135 mm (5.31 in) in diameter).

3. The maximum effective and total range.

The maximum effective range of the pistol is 25 m (27.34 yd) (most shots hit the silhouette and 4/10 hit the A4 target). The maximum total range is over 30 m (32.80 yd).

4. Gas usage (how many shots can be fired on one capsule) and efficiency (after how many shots with one capsule accuracy and range decreases).

One CO2 capsule allows to fire 45 BBs, meaning 3 full magazines (loaded 15 BBs each). The first 40 shots had no degradation in range and accuracy. The gas usage is increased due to the need of moving a heavy slide (blow back is powerful).

SUMMARY

The RedWolf Licensed - Nighthawk Custom Recon GBB replica, powered with CO2, is an esthetic and well fit peace of work. The solid feel and realistic look and weight are definite pros of this replica.

Shooting impressions and performance should satisfy everyone looking for a strong pistol, guaranteeing a realistic feel when in use. It is an excellent replica for target shooting practice. The muzzle velocity is not high enough to be a downside in CQB games, and also in a open terrain, at greater distances, it can be useful when the player looses the ability to use the primary weapon (replica).

In our opinion the Nighthawk Custom Recon piston is an interesting, well made product and can be a good choice for both fans of the 1911 model and users looking for a good, solid pistol.

Pros:

+ good replication of the Nighthawk Recon models' appearance

+ performance

 
+ full metal construction

+ licensed markings

 
+ realistic weight

+ esthetic finish

+ good parts fit

+ non-skid pistol grip panels (firm grip)

+ under barrel rail for mounting attachments such as laser sights or flashlights

+ ambidextrous safety lever

Cons:

- necessity to use a hex wrench to exchange the CO2 capsule

- putting the replica's Airsoft caliber among the markings

 
- necessity to take off the slide to adjust the HU

The replica was tested thanks to the courtesy of RedWolf Airsoft:

Sources of real firearm photos:

www.nighthawkcustom.com

 Translated by SHOGUN_YAMATO

 Correction: Promant, LogaN