There seems to be a few recent threads about browning hi-powers on the forum, and so I guess I can add one more. I'm not hopeful about an answer, and what's more, I'm not even sure about the question. However, any suggestions for alternative paths or different direction will be appreciated.
I bought a cylinder and slide, sear and rowel hammer (commander style hammer) set to replace the spur hammer on my hi-power. I'm at the stage of disassembly where the safety is removed to release the hammer and hammer spring. Normally, after removing the sear, the ejector pivots down from a slot in the safety, and the safety is removed from the left side, releasing the hammer. My hi-power has an ambidextrous safety, and so the lever on the right side (ejection port side) must be removed from the protruding safety shaft. It is held on with a roll pin. Unfortunately, I cannot get this pin to budge. The pin is just ever so slightly smaller than my smallest 1/16 inch roll pin punch. I think the pin is a metric 1.5 mm roll pin. I've tried cutting a smaller hex wrench and also grinding down a 1/16 inch drill bit for make-shift punches, but they haven't worked. At this point, I figure my options include:
1. Give up. Reassemble the gun with original spur hammer and parts. Move on in my life.
2. Buy a new safety and drill out the roll pin on the old one. The original part looks like a MIM part, and regardless, I don't think I can drill anything out without destroying the original part. I don't know if the gun has any collectors value, and if this will impact that value. It is a Portugal assembled, adjustable sight, brushed chrome hi-power, and manufactured around 1996.
3. Take it to a gunsmith.
4. Continue fussing with it, trying to fabricate a punch, and using a bigger hammer.
I bought a cylinder and slide, sear and rowel hammer (commander style hammer) set to replace the spur hammer on my hi-power. I'm at the stage of disassembly where the safety is removed to release the hammer and hammer spring. Normally, after removing the sear, the ejector pivots down from a slot in the safety, and the safety is removed from the left side, releasing the hammer. My hi-power has an ambidextrous safety, and so the lever on the right side (ejection port side) must be removed from the protruding safety shaft. It is held on with a roll pin. Unfortunately, I cannot get this pin to budge. The pin is just ever so slightly smaller than my smallest 1/16 inch roll pin punch. I think the pin is a metric 1.5 mm roll pin. I've tried cutting a smaller hex wrench and also grinding down a 1/16 inch drill bit for make-shift punches, but they haven't worked. At this point, I figure my options include:
1. Give up. Reassemble the gun with original spur hammer and parts. Move on in my life.
2. Buy a new safety and drill out the roll pin on the old one. The original part looks like a MIM part, and regardless, I don't think I can drill anything out without destroying the original part. I don't know if the gun has any collectors value, and if this will impact that value. It is a Portugal assembled, adjustable sight, brushed chrome hi-power, and manufactured around 1996.
3. Take it to a gunsmith.
4. Continue fussing with it, trying to fabricate a punch, and using a bigger hammer.
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