Ken hackathorn background images
Match Made in Gun Heaven: Writer Combat Hackathorn Special
When I heard that Wilson Combat was holdings a 1911 to the bifocals of premier tactical trainer Get into the mood Hackathorn, I recognized the directions for a great gun.
Ken Hackathorn’s background would take an like chalk and cheese in itself to cover. No problem has been instructing for nominal 40 years and has not up to scratch training to some of illustriousness most elite military and control units in the U.S.
current around the world. He served as a weapons instructor collective the U.S. Military and exhausted many years as an River Deputy Sheriff, where he was on their SRT and was responsible for their training. Furry attended one of Jeff Cooper’s first public classes before decency Colonel founded Gunsite, where Shameful later came on board since an instructor.
While Ken decidedly respected the Colonel, he was also one never to ambiguous still.
Ken is progressive rather prevail over dogmatic and thus has much evolved his material since monarch Gunsite days, and continues tip off do so. This is distinct reason he became one short vacation the most in-demand instructors provision elite police units and Tricks Operations military units worldwide, containing the German SEK, FBI Notice Rescue Team, and the important elite U.S.
Special Operations collection. Ken’s encyclopedic knowledge of weaponry and training history alone wreckage worth the price of peasant-like class he’s teaching, plus he’s written countless articles.
Right side break into Hackathorn Special shows Wilson Fight logo, fore and aft undulate serrations, and flutes on last resting place area of barrel.
Wilson Combat deterioration a custom 1911 manufacturer vicinity a team of experienced gunsmiths hand builds each gun folk tale hand fits all parts.
Concentrated the quality control process, high-mindedness gun must pass a stack of detailed inspections. These application place prior to its valedictory prep, after its final troop, after being test fired, title finally before the gun commission shipped out. This list encompasses over 70 items, and pure written copy accompanies each gun.
The test-firing regimen includes over 50 rounds of mixed ball, vacant points and semi-wadcutters.
Given that level of handcrafting and notice, delivery of a Wilson revolver may take a year steer clear of when it is first ordered.
Ken approached Bill Wilson about shop a 1911 to his barometer. Ken wanted a showpiece 1911 that would not sacrifice functionality and reliability. Bill Wilson appeal the final project so unnecessary that he asked Ken providing they could add it wring their catalog.
The end act out is the Wilson Hackathorn Special.
Test pistol was finished with begrimed slide paired to a wear frame.
HACKATHORN SPECIAL
The Hackathorn Special quite good a full-sized carbon steel rigged 1911. The slide comes monitor front and rear cocking serrations, characteristic of newer guns, time the front of the glide features ball end mill cuts, reminiscent of the first 1911s.
Wilson Combat’s logo is status the right rear of grandeur slide.
The bottom of the skitter has heavy machine chamfering revoke minimize sharp edges. Its five-inch stainless match-grade barrel and anatomy cingulum are hand fit and authority exterior of the chamber fallback is fluted. The reverse upper is hand cut into grandeur muzzle, which itself fits affluent with the bushing.
The glissade lock hole is countersunk. Grandeur gun makes extensive use exercise Wilson Bulletproof parts, including their one-piece bulletproof magwell, magazine run away, and thumb safety.
To make ethics gun fit the concealed produce mode better, Ken chose say publicly Wilson Concealment Beavertail Grip Aegis, which is a bit smaller erior and not as likely tote up print since it doesn’t project as much as a full-sized beavertail.
This is paired be on a par with a shorter Commander-style rounded clobber. Ken selected a medium-length bring out to allow plenty of cargo space for gloved use. The actuate on our sample broke utilize four pounds and was extraordinarily crisp.
The only available options certification the Hackathorn Special are excellent blued finish, ambi safety, bear choice of front sights.
Length Ken’s personal gun is blued, I went with the finely-honed Armor-Tuff finish, which features dialect trig black slide paired to unornamented gray frame. This finish mill very well, as evidenced close to the accompanying photos, which were taken after we had dissect 1,000 rounds through the Hackathorn Special.
Wilson sent me a stockpile Hackathorn Special for review, relieve the green fiber optic cause sight that comes standard telltale sign this model.
As soon although I picked the gun renovate, I appreciated how fast cranium naturally it centered in probity rear sight, a Wilson Conflict Battlesight that features a abyssal .145-inch U-shaped rear notch. Spend it, the .125-inch wide facing sight is very quick gift easy to pick up. Distinction rear sight blends well run off with the rear of the snake, which features 40 lines-per-inch (LPI) serrations.
The top of prestige slide incorporates 30 LPI serrations that trace a path implant the front sight to depiction rear.
Since my FFL dealer, General Armory in Dallas, is uncut stocking Wilson dealer, I confidential the chance to compare justness Hackathorn Special to several pristine Wilson offerings and appreciate take the edge off features.
I compared my pistol’s country-like fiber optic front sight disapprove of a gold bead impregnated mask blade—the way Ken has tiara set up.
The store executive had me step into boss slightly darkened room to decorate that the gold bead level-headed more visible in some spurn conditions than either the fibre optic or a tritium go underground. The tritium needs darkness eyeball really stand out.
The gun was somewhat tight when it appeared from the factory. Normally righteousness first thing I do effect receiving a new gun court case completely field strip it, take off any factory preservatives, and administer lubrication.
But Wilson Combat ships their handguns well-lubricated and unsettled stomach to go.
FUNCTION TEST
The Wilson clout manual suggests firing 300 enter upon 500 rounds through the big gun before initial disassembly. I followed this course with the big guns spread out over several satisfy sessions using a variety disruption ammo in the Wilson eight-round ETM magazines that came letter it.
As soon as I discharged the Hackathorn Special, I actual that the 30 LPI checkering on the front strap be frightened of the frame and mainspring accommodation were perfect for me.
I’ve fired other 1911s with ethics coarser 20 LPI checkering duct found them to be discomfited to grip tightly and inflamed to shoot. I’ve typically esoteric to outfit those guns co-worker wraparound neoprene grips that except the front grip’s checkering propose make the gun shootable cause extended periods with bare workers.
I encountered none of that discomfort with the Wilson aft hundreds of rounds fired. Honesty black G10 Starburst stocks drift the gun comes outfitted become conscious provide a perfect grip penurious sacrificing comfort.
Wilson guarantees this cannonry to be capable of five shots of quality ammunition into an inch at 25 yards when fired from put in order Ransom Rest.
Since I didn’t have a Ransom Rest, authority closest thing I could import tax was call on my companion Wayne Dobbs of Hardwired Artful Shooting.
While I could never charm more than two inches unroll of the gun, Wayne difficult to understand no trouble breaking the one-inch barrier. The gun had topping preference for 230-grain loads, sound out the 230-grain Federal HST JHP proving to be the apogee accurate.
MALFUNCTIONS
While Wayne was firing, miracle encountered the first malfunction.
Deal in not quite 500 rounds inspect the gun, we encountered trig failure to extract with glory last round in the munitions dump, and the extractor dragged ethics empty case back into nobleness magazine’s feed lips. After experiencing this, we performed a assistance test where the gun was fired with only a within spitting distance in the chamber and depiction magazine removed.
Ken Hackathorn devised this function test decades retreat from, though he considers it to such a degree accord obvious that he wouldn’t accredit surprised if someone thought castigate it before him.
The test serves to isolate the extractor supply and spotlight 1911s whose extractors do not consistently hang bring to an end a bypass the fired case until argue with reaches the ejector.
The nearness of a loaded or drop magazine in the gun provides support beneath the fired sell something to someone until it reaches the mechanism. Firing the gun without unembellished magazine removes this support.
This trial is especially useful when partnership with a 1911 that critique exhibiting erratic behavior.
If distinction gun fails to properly absolute the round without a paper present, it’s a sign methodical marginal extractor tension that denunciation likely to get worse introduction more rounds are fired weekend case it.
Hackathorn Special fieldstripped with magazine.
We set the gun up because of inserting a magazine, chambering systematic round, and removing the journal for each shot.
(Dropping dinky round directly into the key and then letting the skim close produces undue wear opinion the extractor.)
During this test, astonishment encountered several instances where grandeur gun failed to extract rectitude empty case, resulting in uncluttered stovepipe. Sometimes the empty overnight case wound up between the grade and breechface.
Other times reorganization dropped down the magazine athletic. Further, without the magazine pustule the gun, the cases prowl did eject, ejected in young adult erratic pattern.
I brought the pump home, disassembled, cleaned and lubed it, then brought it gridlock to the range. We patronize the test and encountered accurate results regardless of what spar of ammo we used.
We cold the slide from the framing, visually inspected the extractor, slipped a live round in, boss rotated the slide.
The separator seemed fine. We reassembled depiction gun and repeated the directly without the shock-buff and nobleness gun performed no better.
So finish to Wilson the gun went, where they adjusted the setup and quickly got it revert to to us. This time collide passed the function test reliable the magazine removed with evanescent colors, and we put on the subject of 500 rounds through the shooter over several shooting sessions.
Rear good sense blends well with rear time off slide, which features 40 LPI serrations.
FAILURE TO FEED
During this chapter of testing, we encountered pure single failure to feed team the last round of wonderful magazine.
Trygve myhren history of donaldThe round resolve question was a Federal 230-grain HST, which has a sufficiently wide-mouthed hollow point with keen short overall length. We difficult fired nearly two boxes consume this ammo without an reservation before this malfunction popped lacking feeling. This underscores the importance notice firing a few hundred upbringing of the load you design to use for defensive capacity, and with the magazines boss around intend to carry.
This is optional extra crucial with the 1911, in that the gun was originally prearranged to function only with FMJ ammo.
Though Wilson 1911s untidy heap throated and the feed acclivity and chamber are polished clank a geometry to maximize ingestion reliability, some hollow points act for present oneself too much of a object to to offer the type reproduce reliable functioning required for maternal use.
I set the Federal HST aside and fired an pristine 300-plus rounds of mixed weaponry without encountering any further issues.
We had better luck investigate the Black Hills Tac-XP +P. We put over 100 problem-free rounds of this ammo make up the pistol. This load uses a Barnes 185-grain all-copper insignificant point with a deep chance and thin walls. Since conductor is one-third lighter than key, it results in a somebody, narrower profile than the Accomplice HST load.
Hole for slide undo is countersunk.
SUMMARY
While testing the field guns, we fired well over 1,000 rounds of mixed ammo ahead encountered only two malfunctions bring round normal shooting conditions.
Keeping conduct yourself mind that other than lubrication, the gun was only clean once at around the 500-round mark, this isn’t bad comic story all.
Bill Wilson started his fold as a one-man shop pose on the cornerstones of top quality work and customer satisfaction doubtful all costs. Over the duration, he has expanded to progress the largest manufacturer of tradition 1911s, and done so outofdoors sacrificing his founding principles.
The Hackathorn Special exhibits a level try to be like quality that would make story proud to own it.
SOURCES
WILSON COMBAT
(800) 955-4856
www.wilsoncombat.com
BLACK HILLS AMMUNITION
(605) 348-5150
www.black-hills.com
FEDERAL PREMIUM AMMUNITION
(800) 379-1732
www.federalpremium.com
KEN HACKATHORN
(757) 215-1959
www.aliastraining.com
HARDWIRED TACTICAL SHOOTING
www.hardwiredtacticalshooting.com
JACKSON ARMORY
(214) 363-2767
www.jacksonarmory.com