The slide stop, thumb safety and magazine catch are all slightly elongated, and the extended beavertail grip safety makes for comfortable shooting. The VZ Diamondback grip panels provide a firm hold.

At our first opportunity, my friend Butch Simpson and I headed for the range with the 10-8 and a lot of ammo and ran it through the standard accuracy testing with five different types of .45s, the results of which can be seen on accompanying table.

The pistol showed a definite preference for lighter, faster projectiles--with honors going to Speer 200-grain +P Gold Dots that put five rounds into an impressive 1.38 inches--but the 10-8 produced impressive groups with all five brands of ammunition.

I then set up a pair of USPSA targets, and Butch and I spent an enjoyable hour running the 10-8 through a series of offhand drills at seven, 10 and 15 yards, firing the pistol supported and unsupported (one handed).

We were both impressed with the 10-8’s accuracy, sights, handling, reloading speed and overall ergonomics, and out of the many rounds we fired, only two landed outside the A zone. Butch was likewise impressed by the sights, noting that they were easily picked up in the dappled shade of midafternoon.

That evening, I reshot some of the same drills under low-light conditions and found the 10-8’s unique sighting arrangement to be one of the more practical I have ever used. Unlike with a three dot system--where I always seem to waste time attempting to line up the dots--with the 10-8’s wide rear notch and single glowing dot up front I could quickly and accurately engage multiple close-range targets.

I also used the 10-8 to compete in several local USPSA matches and found it to be a fine handling, fast shooting pistol. Using Cor-Bon’s Performance Match ammo, I was able to engage multiple target arrays quickly and accurately, recoil control was above par, and both the pistol and its magazines functioned 100 percent.

In one match I captured second place with a respectable 78.04 percent score, so I can tell you this is one shootin’ pistol.

I can think of only one thing I’d change on the 10-8: an arched mainspring housing. I tend to shoot low with a 1911 fitted with a flat housing and cannot for the life of me understand their current popularity, especially on custom pistols. I would also prefer a slide stop lever that has less extension.

Having said that, though, Nighthawk’s 10-8 is without a doubt one of the finest pistols I have ever had the chance to shoot. And while it costs a lot, remember that quality has its price, and it is generally worth it.

ACCURACY RESULTS | NIGHTHAWK CUSTOM 10-8
.45 ACP	Bullet Weight (gr.)	Avg. Velocity (fps)	Avg. Group (in.)
UMC JHP	185	1,016	2.13
Speer Gold Dot +P	200	1,017	2.00
Winchester SXT	230	854	2.50
Cor-Bon Performance Match	230	724	2.38
Black Hills FMJ	230	820	2.50