** When you buy products through the links on our site, we may earn a commission that supports NRA's mission to protect, preserve and defend the Second Amendment. **
ARTV's Joe Kurtenbach takes a trip down to Nighthawk Custom's Berryville, Ark., manufacturing facility, for an inside look at how they build their premium 1911s. Starting with forged frames and slides, Nighthawk gunsmiths build these handguns from the ground up, with enough pride in their workmanship to stamp their initials into every completed frame—each gun being built by a single gunsmith. For more on all the work and craftsmanship that goes into every Nighthawk Custom 1911 check out this video from American RiflemanTelevision.
Defensive gun use is defined by uncertainty. You don’t know when it will happen, how far away the threat will be, how many threats you will face or what position you will be in when it begins.
In 2025, Turkish manufacturer Derya Arms opened a new facility in Florida, enabling the company to produce a number of new products domestically, such as its new OBone suppressor.
The cycle of operation is the mechanical sequence of events that it takes to fire one shot out of a firearm. If one of those steps fails to take place as designed, there is an interruption in the cycle of operation and the gun stops firing.
The Colt Model 1911 pistol and its derivatives are among the most iconic military handguns ever made. But in 2026, does the M1911 still hold up as a quality defensive arm?