Posted: 5/17/2006 10:21:59 AM EDT
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Which would you go with, both seem very well made, seem to have low amounts of problems and are right at the same price. I am leaning toward the nighthawk GRP. Thanks Matt |
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I don't honestly see how you could wrong buying either one. The Springfield Armory Pro has proven itself to be one of the best semi-customs on the market. It has little or nothing in common with SA’s production guns. While Nighthawk is relatively new to the market, the gunsmiths that started it are not. They have a long history of building reliable & high performance weapons with Wilson Combat. Nighthawk also seems to be getting some great praise from industry experts like; Larry Vickers, Ken Hackathorn, and Hilton Yam. That says alot in my book. Personally, it would just come down to availability to me. Either one will serve you well. |
How much is the GRP? I know the suggested retail is around $2,400 (About the same as a Pro), but can they be found cheaper? Judging by the one year wait time quoted by Springfield’s custom shop recently the Nighthawk will probably be easier to locate. Although, I have seen a couple of Pro’s available in the $2,000 price range. Mostly from online dealers. Have you actually located both for sale? |
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The problem with Nighthawk is the huge dealer purchase requirement. Most dealers cannot afford the buy-in a minimum stock requirements to sell them. The SA Pro does use the same frame/slide as the regular models, doesn't it? Made by Imbel in Brazil? In all fairness, I have never heard of anyone having a problem with the Professional model SA guns, they are about as close to perfect as you can get in a Semi-Custom gun. It's right behind the Nighthawks on my list. |
I found the Talon online for $2100 and GRP for $2200, both with 4-6 week leadtime. I believe the Springfield custom shop frames are made in house(dont quote me though). ETA: btw why the hell is my typing so big? I havent hit any buttons. |
I got this from Deb at the custom shop about six months ago. "The Professional pistol is a full custom pistol which begins with a national match frame which has the oversized slide rails, cut into the frame in our Geneseo machine shop." |
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Either one is great. I lean towards Nighthawk (surprise, surprise) mainly because the turn around is short (I had my Talon in LESS than one month) and they'll spec it out however you want it. Don't want the big "Nighthawk" billboard on the slide, just tell 'em. You want Heinie's, just ask. R |
| I have a couple of Pros and the Custom Shop is building me a 10mm to pro specs. In comparisons with others I have found the pro to be the best production 1911 out there. That being said, I have my checkbook ready for the vickers/nighthawk and the 10-8/nighthawk--if they are 2 different pistols. The Pro is a great gun, and I bought a couple after comparing them to wilsons, browns and baers. I thnk they are overlooked by alot of people because they are springfields and don't have the big custom name, even though they are built by some top notch smiths. I could be wrong, but one of the best things going for the Pro is the big shop supporting a custom shop mentallity---they take care of their stuff and you don't get lost in the shuffle like you might at some of the smaller builders---as of yet, nobody beats deb of you have problem. |
that is why I havent ordered my Nighthawk yet. Once I read about the collaboration I started saving. 10-8 always makes some pretty useful changes to their guns, except for the basic 3 dots on the 10-8 Kimbers...they should have had night sights. |
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You really can't go wrong with either. Nighthawk has 10-8 and Vickers backing them, Springfield has the FBI. Thats pretty impressive. I give Nighthawk the edge simply because you can spec it out any way you want, and the wait is not as long. Last I heard, the wait for a Pro is over 6 months. I have a GRP on order that I made a few functional changes as it is a duty weapon. 4.5 pound trigger as I wear gloves a lot, slotted grips screws, extra fitted extractor and firing pin stop, long solid trigger with a small amount of over travel, and hopefully the new 10-8 sights if it is finished in time. I told Craig that it will be in a sandy military enviornment and that I want it to run no matter what! Oh and Nighthawk offers a 10% discount on firearms and 20% on accessories for all Military/LEO which is a super deal! |