Nighthawk Custom DTS

Among the advantages of the 1911 pistol is its straight-torear trigger press. This trigger was usually found to be six to eight pounds of compression on military pistols. Good work could be done in combat shooting with this trigger, although there is a huge difference between a smooth, tight, but heavy trigger compared to a rough, heavy trigger typically found on cheap pistols. Shooters want a smooth and lighter trigger action, especially for accuracy work.

Of course, this is achievable providing the gunsmith doing the work is skilled. Quality trigger action can be expensive consider the time involved in honing parts by hand. Even purchasing a trigger set from a maker doesn’t guarantee that fitting isn’t needed and some parts require more fitting than others. Nighthawk Custom has introduced an innovative and interesting trigger component to address this with their Drop-In Trigger System.

A trained gunsmith will It was invented by Mark Dye, the Director of Gunsmithing Program at Montgomery Community College. find the DTS a great option compared to ordering an ignition set and then installing it. While the home hobbyist is discouraged from working trigger actions, a gunsmith skilled with the 1911 and its function will find the DTS a workable system with a minimum of experience. The DTS combines the hammer, hammer strut, disconnect, sear, and sear spring into a single compact housing.

The machining is excellent—first class, in fact. All of the ignition parts are held together by the DTS unit’s housing and the parts are constructed of 416 stainless. Given the needed skill and time is involved in fitting trigger parts, the DTS saves a great deal of effort. The unit consistently yields a 4.0 pound trigger action—smooth, crisp, and tight. A great advantage is that every single unit is the same.

As those who have owned Nighthawk Custom handguns will tell you, there is practically zero variation between pistols as far as fit, finish, and trigger compression is concerned. I have done dozens of 1911 trigger jobs. Some time ago I realized

that attempting a trigger job on existing parts isn’t a good idea, largely due to indifferent metallurgy in budget-grade pistols. MIM and cast parts are not the best candidate for this work. I use quality aftermarket ignition kits for these upgrades. Just the same, there is some fitting as even purchasing a quality ignition kit doesn’t guarantee the job will be fit free. The Nighthawk is a quality unit and much easier to use.

To install, strip the frame of the pistol to remove the grip safety, hammer, hammer strut, sear, and trigger. The DTS is installed by angling the drop-in unit from the rear. The disconnect will slip into the frame opening. Next, work the sear and hammer pins into the DTS. There are a few concerns. As one example, I had to call Nighthawk and get a few tips as the unit did not seem to sync properly with the grip safety of the pistol I was using. The Springfield Range Officer I was using wasn’t quite drop-in.

If the grip safety requires fitting with he DTS unit, file the grip safety. The slide lock safety of the 1911 also may require a degree of fitting. There is a chance the slide lock safety, if already filed to a tight fit with the existing sear, might need to be replaced though this won’t happen often. According to Nighthawk, they foresaw this possibility and made certain the sear is tight enough that almost all thumb safeties will fit properly.

In this case the grip safety required fitting while the slide lock safety required only a minimal amount—a few passes with the file was enough for crisp operation. After working the DTS into a 1911, I had occasion to talk with the folks at Nighthawk. They area good group, very helpful. The actual inventor of the unit is a gunsmith and instructor named Mark Dye who has taught gunsmithing on a university level and is currently the Director of Gunsmithing Programs at Montgomery Community College.

The unit is designed by an accomplished gunsmith and built by one of our reputable custom shops. Once the unit is installed the action is very good. The DTS unit features a very short take-up—what we call tight. The only factor that may affect the trigger pull weight or trigger compression that is the mainspring weight is out of the control of the maker. Nighthawk says the trigger compression may

be slightly higher before a modest break in period. In the case of the DTS unit I have, trigger compression settled in at 4.0 pounds. An interesting innovation of the DTS is that the sear spring is hardly recognizable. The Nighthawk DTS sear spring features a single finger rather than the standard three finger sear spring. The system is simple and works just fine. Going over the Nighthawk DTS with magnification I found the machined stainless 416 parts very well made and finished.

This is a drop-in unit that lives up to the name. Gunsmiths will find the Nighthawk DTS a cost effective option and viable for any pistol needing an upgraded trigger action. There may be an occasional need to hand fit the slide lock safety but this isn’t likely—and if needed, the work is not difficult. I believe it is more likely the grip safety may require fitting. Figuring out what was going on took more time than applying the fix itself and the phone call to Nighthawk Custom was pleasant and informative.

Most importantly, the Nighthawk DTS drop in trigger system works as designed and offers a real improvement over standard trigger actions. The slide lock safety and grip safety may require some fitting. Let’s take a look at the economics. The Nighthawk DTS unit lists for $299. The unit allows installation of the same type of unit in several pistols—say a competition pistol and back up pistol—and is economical based on how long this work normally takes.

Most ignition units cost over two hundred dollars and then there is the time involved in fitting and stoning the parts, not to mention the time involved in all of the side work of choosing parts. The DTS may be a good choice and economic option for your next custom 1911 project. AG