Yeah, I think that too ^^^. I mean, the guy was standing right beside Warrick's door and I think Nick just didn't want to see another "Holly" situation. I think he just felt that something needed to be done before the dude pulled a gun on Warrick. Loved Warrick's move though! Damn, that was hot! :lol:
I also think that, because Nick was so calm afterwards, and was indeed the one to be calming down the overwrought Warrick, that maybe he's just matured and, (thanks to having to re-take his gun test and scoring so high on it!) was confident in his abilities. It's hard to hit a moving target, even if they're close up, but this guy was just standing there, easily in Nick's sights.
I think maybe he's just finally reached that confidence level that he has been aiming for over the years. Be it the number of times he's had a gun in his face, the trauma of being buried, the feeling that maybe he can't count on others to support him as much as he'd previously felt (after Grissom's reaction in Daddy's Little Girl) or what have you- I think he's just finally the guy who can look after number one. And add a best friend and colleague to the in-danger scenario... I'd say his survival instincts are now finely honed, and that's what kicked in here.
I also think that, due to Nick's calmness and professionalism afterwards, as well as his efforts to calm Warrick and later his offer to talk to Ecklie for him, the gun-pulling was not a "Nick's day of Rage" (or whatever you want to call it) precursor. I think if he'd been just the slightest bit weird afterwards, we'd all have been thinking, "Hmmm... This does not bode well." But he seemed OK afterwards, so I don't really see it as a warning sign moment at all. I really just think he's a harder guy now, and, like I said, much more confident in his skills and his ability to take charge and get the job done.
Or, I could have totally missed the mark, and, due to some latent moustache-induced psychosis, he really just wants to put a cap in someone's helmet, y'all know what I'm sayin'? :lol: