{"id":2532,"date":"2024-09-09T21:50:28","date_gmt":"2024-09-09T21:50:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/?p=2532"},"modified":"2024-09-09T21:50:28","modified_gmt":"2024-09-09T21:50:28","slug":"the-armory-life-interviews-hilton-yam","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/?p=2532","title":{"rendered":"The Armory Life Interviews: Hilton Yam"},"content":{"rendered":"


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By Rob Garrett<\/a><\/p>\n

W<\/span>ith a career spanning both decades and disci\u00adplines, Hilton Yam has earned an enviable reputation for excellence. After more than two decades with the FBI, and significant time behind the Springfield Professional Model 1911<\/a> pistol, he channeled that experience and expertise with the 1911 into the company known as 10-8 Performance.<\/p>\n

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Hilton Yam and his company, 10-8 Performance, have earned an enviable reputation for excellence in the 1911 community. He is shown here working on a custom Garrison 1911 project. Image:\u00a0Jake Miller\/Springfield Armory<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Mr. Yam was kind enough to sit down with us for an in-depth interview, telling us about his journey from an FBI SWAT team member to a highly respected gunsmith in the 1911 world. We would like to thank him for taking the time to do this Q&A session with\u00a0The Armory Life<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The Armory Life\u00a0<\/em>(TAL):<\/strong>\u00a0For those of our readers who might not be familiar with your background, can you give us a brief overview? From your childhood to the FBI, leading up to where you find yourself today?<\/p>\n

Hilton Yam (HY):<\/strong>\u00a0Certainly. Grow\u00ading up, I was always interested in action movies, firearms, the military and law enforcement. I got my first air rifle at around age 11, later shot on my high school\u2019s competitive small-bore rifle team, back when you could do that kind of thing, and then got heavily into IPSC with my first 1911. My inter\u00adests eventually got me talking to someone who was in the FBI, and his insights and guidance encour\u00adaged me to apply.<\/p>\n

\"Hilton\n<\/picture>
Yam is shown here deployed to New Orleans for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts in 2005. Note the 1911 magazines on his belt. Image:\u00a0Author<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

TAL:<\/strong>\u00a0Continuing this theme, could you give us a brief over\u00adview of your career with the FBI? Where were you posted, and what assignments did you have?<\/p>\n

HY:<\/strong>\u00a0I started at the FBI Academy in 1997, and then was subse\u00adquently assigned to the Miami Di\u00advision. It was there that I worked for my entire career of just over 21 years. I was assigned to a Vio\u00adlent Crimes\/Fugitive Task Force right out of the academy. I also worked Bank Robbery and later became the Principal Firearms In\u00adstructor for the division, running the entire firearms program for Miami. I was also on our SWAT team for 19 years, and served as a team leader and principal instructor for firearms\/CQB\/tactics, as well as instructing in defensive tactics, active shooter, and rappelling.<\/p>\n

TAL:<\/strong>\u00a0The Springfield Profession\u00adal pistol is a legend in the 1911 world and has a highly devoted following. Can you tell us about its adoption by the FBI, and who was issued and\/or authorized to carry it?<\/p>\n

HY:<\/strong>\u00a0The FBI held trials for a 1911-style pistol for its SWAT pro\u00adgram in the 1990s, and Spring\u00adfield Armory was ultimately selected to provide what became known as the Professional Model. The pistol began fielding in the late 90s, and SWAT agents were required to pass a grueling five-day transition school where they learned the manual of arms, care and maintenance of it. They were also required to shoot a challeng\u00ading tactical pistol course qualifi\u00adcation. These agents assigned to the regional SWAT teams \u2014 each of the FBI field offices has its own team \u2014 were authorized to use the Springfield, and only after passing the transition course.<\/p>\n

\"Hilton\n<\/picture>
Yam has a long history with the Springfield Professional Model 1911, going back to his time on the FBI\u2019s Miami Division SWAT team. Image:\u00a0Jake Miller\/Springfield Armory<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

TAL:<\/strong>\u00a0When did you transition to the Springfield Professional Model as part of your duties as a member of an FBI SWAT Team? Also, what gear did you use; hol\u00adsters, ammo, etc.?<\/p>\n

HY:<\/strong>\u00a0I got on our team in 2000, and was able to get to a tran\u00adsition school in 2001. We were issued Safariland 6004 holsters for tactical use, and a variety of concealment holsters were issued. These latter included thumb-break models from Don Hume and Alessi. I was issued and used an Alessi DOJ Thumb Break model. Our service am\u00admunition was Remington Golden Saber 230-gr. brass jacketed hollow point.<\/p>\n

TAL:<\/strong>\u00a0Can you tell us about the service and maintenance process the Bureau employed to support the Professionals?<\/p>\n

HY:<\/strong>\u00a0The transition schools were supported by armorers, includ\u00ading famous custom 1911 gunsmith Steve Nastoff and AMU legend John Miller. These armorers would make repairs and adjust\u00adments to the guns during the five-day transition school, as the students typically shot between 2,500-3,000 rounds. The guns in the field were then supported by either our weapons manage\u00adment facility at Quantico, or the Springfield factory.<\/p>\n

\"Hilton\n<\/picture>
Yam\u2019s personally owned, agency-approved Springfield Professional. He explained he carried it at work for many years and that it has the finish wear to show for it. Image:\u00a0Author<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

TAL:<\/strong>\u00a0When and why did you start your deep dive into the world of gunsmithing? Were you authorized to maintain the Bureau\u2019s 1911s?<\/p>\n

HY:<\/strong>\u00a0I had been around 1911 gun\u00adsmiths from day one of my IPSC shooting in the 80s. Our club had Austin Behlert building guns for all the shooters. After being issued a 1911, I realized that I wanted a deeper understanding of the gun\u2019s inner workings and started studying the gunsmithing of the 1911 in earnest. I got to see and learn an incredible amount from being around the Spring\u00adfield pistols at work.<\/p>\n

As noted, all maintenance and repair work on the Springfields was performed by our shop at Quantico or the Springfield fac\u00adtory. However, I directly oversaw our team\u2019s fleet of pistols and also got to see them fired when I conducted our team training. All of that time in and around the guns gave me some incredible insight. Those guns saw use and round counts that far exceeded anything I\u2019d seen in my years of competition, and I realized that a 1911 used in a duty setting lived a very different life.<\/p>\n

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TAL:<\/strong>\u00a0As we understand it, this ex\u00adperience with and growing inter\u00adest in the 1911 led you to create your company, 10-8 Performance. Could you explain the name and tell us about the history of the company, its products, and what you are doing today?<\/p>\n

HY:\u00a0<\/strong>The company is named after the common radio code \u201c10-8,\u201d which means \u201con duty,\u201d \u201cin ser\u00advice,\u201d or is LEO slang for \u201cgood to go.\u201d<\/p>\n

I founded the company in 2006 for the development of the various 1911 components I had begun to design. My first product was a ledge-profiled U-notch sight with a serrated rear face, which remains one of my flagship products.<\/p>\n

\"Hilton\n<\/picture>
Over the course of his more than two-decade career, Yam has learned the nuances of building and maintaining duty-grade 1911 pistols intended for hard use. Image:\u00a0Author<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

TAL:\u00a0<\/strong>We understand that these days you do not offer custom 1911 pistols and instead focus on developing and offering gun parts. But, can you tell us a bit about the guns you have built? How did you make them and how many have you built?<\/p>\n

HY:\u00a0<\/strong>I started building custom 1911 pistols around 2000, back before I had created 10-8 Performance. I was always configuring the guns in a manner that I felt was suitable for duty use. The more I built, the more I found that I wanted certain parts that didn\u2019t exist in the mar\u00adket, so I designed my own.<\/p>\n

I eventually started a series of guns simply named after the phonetic radio alphabet \u2014 Al\u00adpha, Bravo, Charlie etc. These guns combined and codified my gunsmithing and design ideas into a complete package that I felt was ideal as a duty-use 1911. Due to the time constraints of my law enforcement career, I only built 64 complete guns before I had to shift the focus of my efforts.<\/p>\n

As the company grew and became more successful, I fo\u00adcused on product development and retired from building custom 1911s. The current catalog of items includes sights, magazine base pads and components for the 1911, as well as parts for several other popular pistol designs.<\/p>\n

\"Hilton\n<\/picture>
Yam\u2019s fo\u00adcus shifted to 1911 component product development from building custom 1911s. Image:\u00a0Author<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

TAL:\u00a0<\/strong>You clearly have had a lot of experience with Springfield Armory 1911 pistols. What current production Springfield 1911s do you like?<\/p>\n

HY:\u00a0<\/strong>I\u2019ve always liked building on Springfield Armory base guns. Of all the models I\u2019ve used, I think I\u2019ve built the most on Operator mod\u00adels. It\u2019s a very solid platform with a great feature set. In addition, I think the Ronin and Garrison are really good values.<\/p>\n

TAL:\u00a0<\/strong>Can you tell us about your 10-8 Performance Patreon page where you assist 1911 owners in building their own custom 1911 pistol, based on the Springfield Garrison 1911?<\/p>\n

HY:\u00a0<\/strong>In 2022, my Patreon students and I went through a monthly livestream class where I took them through the steps to build up a Springfield Garrison into a full-house custom gun. I\u2019m very proud of the work that my students are doing, and even more so of the level of deep understanding that they have developed on the 1911. We\u2019ve put together a great little community on Patreon, and I en\u00adjoy sharing the knowledge.<\/p>\n

\"Hilton\n<\/picture>
The Professional Model pistol represents the pinnacle in 1911 design, combining custom-grade fit and finish with duty-grade performance.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

TAL:\u00a0<\/strong>We know this is a loaded question, but do you think the .45 ACP is \u201cdead\u201d?<\/p>\n

HY:\u00a0<\/strong>I feel that \u201cdead\u201d might be a little harsh, but for law enforce\u00adment use the current technology of 9mm bonded JHP (jacketed hollow point) has absolutely leveled the playing field in ammu\u00adnition. There\u2019s no reason to have more recoil and lower capacity when the terminal results are indistinguishable between typical service handgun calibers. That said, I still prefer for my single-stack 1911 pistols to be .45 because I like the larger selection of parts and magazines as well as the proven format.<\/p>\n

TAL:\u00a0<\/strong>What Springfield model would you recommend for the per\u00adson who is buying their first 1911?<\/p>\n

HY:\u00a0<\/strong>I think that a new 1911 user would be well served with a 5\u2033 traditional bushing barrel gun in .45 ACP such as the Operator, Garrison or Ronin. I recommend this size and caliber because there are the greatest number of op\u00adtions for magazines, support gear and parts. It\u2019s also an extremely reliable platform.<\/p>\n

\"Hilton\n<\/picture>
Hilton Yam\u2019s experience on the FBI SWAT team and his other duties with the agency gave him significant insight into what characteristics true duty-grade firearms must have. Image:\u00a0Author<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

TAL:\u00a0<\/strong>Can you tell us a little bit about what the future holds for you and 10-8 Performance?<\/p>\n

HY:\u00a0<\/strong>I look forward to continuing to bring together my experience in performance shooting, tactical operations, product design, and gunsmithing to offer the best pos\u00adsible products and online training.<\/p>\n

TAL:\u00a0<\/strong>We would like to thank you for your time and for giving us this insight into your background as well as that of 10-8 Performance.<\/p>\n

HY:\u00a0<\/strong>Of course. Thank you.<\/p>\n

Editor\u2019s Note: Please be sure to check out The Armory Life Forum, where you can comment about our daily articles, as well as just talk guns and gear. Click the \u201cGo To Forum Thread\u201d link below to jump in and discuss this article and much more!<\/em><\/p>\n

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Featured in this article<\/span><\/h5>\n

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10-8 Performance Patreon<\/span><\/h3>\n


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By Rob Garrett With a career spanning both decades and disci\u00adplines, Hilton Yam has earned an enviable reputation for excellence. After more than two decades with the FBI, and significant time behind the Springfield Professional Model 1911 pistol, he channeled that experience and expertise with the 1911 into the company known as 10-8 Performance. Hilton […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2533,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2532"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2532\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}