Nighthawk Custom, the Berryville, Ark., gun maker best known for its top-of-the-line 1911 pistols, has created quite a buzz at the 145th NRA Annual Meetings and Exhibits by rolling out a new line of revolvers for hunting, personal protection and competitive shooting. And as you’d expect from Nighthawk, the wheelguns in the family are just as precisely made and highly tuned as the company’s semi-automatic handguns—maybe even more so.
Nighthawk partners with German manufacturer Korth to offer the revolvers, which initially include the medium-frame Mongoose chambered for .357 Mag., target-style Super Sport also in .357 Mag., and lightweight Sky Hawk in 9mm. Korth craftsmen build the revolvers at the company’s Lollar, Germany, factory and incorporate design elements suggested by Nighthawk such as polished triggers and sight enhancements.
“This collaboration with such a renowned maker as Korth, who has the same attention to detail and unwavering commitment to quality that Nighthawk does, is a natural progression for both of our brands,” says Mark Stone, owner and CEO of Nighthawk Custom. “We are proud to have our name on these Nighthawk-influenced Korth revolvers.”
Like Nighthawk pistols, each Nighthawk/Korth revolver is hand-assembled by an individual builder: “One revolver, one gunsmith,” company literature touts. More than 600 operations are required to build each revolver, most of which are completed entirely by hand.
Noteworthy features across the line include an extremely durable Diamond Like Coating finish, Hogue grips and a five-way, user-adjustable trigger. The Mongoose and Super Sport also have push-button cylinder removal for switching to an interchangeable 9mm cylinder.
The initial Nighthawk/Korth revolvers include three models. A medium-frame (think L-frame), six-shot .357 Mag. called the Mongoose is available with a 3-, 4-, or 6-inch barrel. Its frame is machined from AISI 4340 steel billet, a nickel-chromium-molybdenum alloy known for its durability and resistance to heat erosion, hence its use in power transmission gears and shafts. Weight of the Mongoose is about 38 ounces with a 4-inch barrel, and the gun has a fully-adjustable rear sight.
The Super Sport is another six-shot .357 Mag. built on a medium frame, only it has a 6-inch Lothar Walther barrel. It features side-mounted Picatinny rails for attaching accessories and fully-adjustable target-style sights. Weight is about 58 ounces.
The Sky Hawk is a built on a shortened frame to accommodate its 9mm cylinder and has a 2- or 3-inch barrel. Thanks to a proprietary ejection system, moon clips are not required. With a 7075 aluminum frame, the 2-inch-barreled Sky Hawk’s weight is less than 20 ounces.
Craftsmanship and attention to detail does not come cheap. The Nighthawk/Korth revolvers are very well made guns, and their prices reflect that. The Mongoose starts at $3,499 and the Super Sport is listed at $4,799, while the Sky Hawk sells for $1,699. If you can afford one, you’ll likely have one of the finest revolvers made today.
