After shooting a few different handguns (BHP 9mm, USP .40, SIG P226), I've recently decided to purchase a BHP as my first handgun. I'm looking for a 9mm version. I chose the BHP because I'm more comfortable with it than the others, and my fiance also shoots it very well. My question is what variant would I be best off with, and what custom touches do you guys recommend for a home defence BHP? I plan on getting a trigger job, and getting the mag safety removed, and also adding some night sights, anything else I should do? Is it worth the extra cash for the HP Tactical? What mags do you BHP guys use? Lastly can you recommend a place to purchase mags and accessories, and a gunsmith to do good work for a reasonable price? Thanks in advance.
Customizing the Hi Power
- Thread starter Rogue2
- Start date
hello.
i owned one at one time (there is few brand i didnt own, berretta is one because i was a Marine and was sick of seeing them and wasnt really impressed with em but anyway,) and i believe it was the mk III. the only difference besides finish that i can see is the comander hammer. if this is important to you by all means get it. if not screw it. id get the mk III because i hate that big ass shark fin on the front of the adjustable sight and i prefer fixed sights for combat.
on gunsmiths id recomend Garthwaite or Kurt Whickman.
cant go wrong with either of these two wild and crazy guys. both known for hi-power work.
what should you get done? well first of course reliability. bhps are of course very good and reliable guns but this will make almost foolproof. trigger jobs really help the bhp because the reset isnt the best(compared to a 1911 nothing is) and the pulls are a little gritty. next you wanted sights, novak or hienie. i personally like novak. bigger front sight dot and bigger rear "apature". and you can get a bar/dot pattern just like hienie. maybe mmc.
some extras would be a recrown of the barrel(id get a bar-sto installed) and a king's ambi-safety.
hope this helped.
k.s.
i owned one at one time (there is few brand i didnt own, berretta is one because i was a Marine and was sick of seeing them and wasnt really impressed with em but anyway,) and i believe it was the mk III. the only difference besides finish that i can see is the comander hammer. if this is important to you by all means get it. if not screw it. id get the mk III because i hate that big ass shark fin on the front of the adjustable sight and i prefer fixed sights for combat.
on gunsmiths id recomend Garthwaite or Kurt Whickman.
cant go wrong with either of these two wild and crazy guys. both known for hi-power work.
what should you get done? well first of course reliability. bhps are of course very good and reliable guns but this will make almost foolproof. trigger jobs really help the bhp because the reset isnt the best(compared to a 1911 nothing is) and the pulls are a little gritty. next you wanted sights, novak or hienie. i personally like novak. bigger front sight dot and bigger rear "apature". and you can get a bar/dot pattern just like hienie. maybe mmc.
some extras would be a recrown of the barrel(id get a bar-sto installed) and a king's ambi-safety.
hope this helped.
k.s.
Bartholomew Roberts
Moderator
One thing to consider if your fiance will be using the weapon - has she actually loaded the guin with the slide forward or just fired it? Some women (and some men too for that matter) have difficulty with the stiff recoil spring in a Hi-Power and it makes it hard for them to rack the slide if they aren't familiar with semis. This will be even tougher on a .40 Hi-Power. You can overcome it by learning good technique; but its worth taking a look at that issue.
If you are going to get a custom Hi-Power, I highly recommend you visit http://www.fnhipower.com/
They have write-ups of Kurt Wickmann and Jim Garthwaite's work as well as links to several good Hi-Power smiths.
As for what custom work you should have done, I think that depends on budget and personal taste. I recommend keeping a new gun stock until you have put about 500 rounds through it. This will help you determine what you would like to improve on the gun and it will also give the gun a little wear (which will help the smith determine where it needs to be tightened up, polished, etc.)
The only major thing that almost always needs attention are the sights and a trigger job. The Hi-Power is already highly reliable; but a reliability package only runs about $80. On my Wickmann custom Hi-Power, I've fired 6,000 rounds now with no gun related failures (and only four magazine related failures - all the same mag (Ramline)). One other thing you'll probably want to look at are grips... the stock grips (wood and plastic) aren't bad; but the Spegel grips are great (as are the Navidrex and Uncle Mike's copies of them). The Spegel grips and their copies can also require a little fitting, so it will save you some work to have the gunsmith do it.
However, I'd still wait and shoot the gun stock for a while just in case you decide you want to change something besides those four items after a little experience with the BHP.
As to the Practical, the only advanatges it offers are slighty different sights, a Pachmayr grip and a hard chromed frame. Not everyone likes the Pachmayr grips and you already plan to install night-sights so the only real change from a regular MkIII is the hard-chromed frame and a commander style hammer. A gunsmith can do both of those for you if you decide you want them. I'd stick with a plain MkIII for the best value - especially since you plan to do some customization anyway.
I've had the best luck with Browning factory, Mec-Gar, and Inglis. CDNN offers some 17rd mags from KRD that are a good deal but quality control seems spotty. I've been happy with all of mine but they can require some tweaking or a lengthy break-in period before they are good for self-defense use.
Here is a Browning Hi-Power Magazine FAQ that may help you out.
Again, check out http://www.fnhipower.com/ for info on the above. I had my Hi-Power customized by Kurt Wickmann and I have been very happy with the work. At the same time, his delivery times are much longer now than they were when I had my gun done - if you can't wait at least 6 months, then you'll probably want to look at other smiths.
I've been shooting my HP for about a year (plain vanilla Mk. III), and find it doesn't really need anything. I've been using mine for IPSC, IDPA, and currently as the bed-side gun. If you like night sights, then go for that, but I don't find the trigger objectionable; and if fourteen Cor-Bons won't get the job done, a drop-free mag probably isn't going to help much!
Thanks for the replies guys. My girl is able to rack the slide without too much trouble, She finds it a lot easier to manually cock the hammer before chambering a round. I also have a few more questions. First, how can I tell a mk3 from the earlier versions? Second, how much will a new barrel (you mentioned Bar Sto) improve accuracy? Thanks for all your info.
don't shoot it's me
New member
I have a 1982 Hi_power. I put on Novacks, an extended thumb safety, commander hammer and had the trigger lighened to 5 pounds with the mag disconnected.....shoots like a dream....Cylinder and slide did the work about 8 years ago....only problem was the front sight popped off and I had to send the slide back....he fixed it free of charge (except for shipping)...
Probably the most collectable HP is the model with hard chrome slide and frame with Pachmahr grips, gold trigger, adjustable sights. It's no longer offered by Browning. I think I got the last one in 1999 (retailed for about $725).. If you see one, grab it.
As for custom work: the best would be a reduced power spring set and a trigger job. The former will make the gun much easier to cock and rack, and the latter will make it easier to shoot accurately.
As for custom work: the best would be a reduced power spring set and a trigger job. The former will make the gun much easier to cock and rack, and the latter will make it easier to shoot accurately.
BHP
...or you can get a CZ75B, which will give you a double action trigger and firing pin block as well as 15 round capacity for about $350.
www.cz-usa.com
...or you can get a CZ75B, which will give you a double action trigger and firing pin block as well as 15 round capacity for about $350.
www.cz-usa.com
TaxPhd has a great link. Check out the pictures, especially the close ups of the grips. Those Spegel grips make the HP oooohhhh sooooo sweet. I had a lot of plans to modify mine that stopped with just adding Spegels.
Before you disconnect the magazine safety, try polishing the face of the magazines and the plunger with 800 to 1600 grit wet/dry sandpaper from a NAPA dealer. It won't really lighten the trigger, but it makes it a world smoother.
Before you disconnect the magazine safety, try polishing the face of the magazines and the plunger with 800 to 1600 grit wet/dry sandpaper from a NAPA dealer. It won't really lighten the trigger, but it makes it a world smoother.
Bartholomew Roberts
Moderator
The MkIII is the most recent model of the Hi-Power. Pretty much any Hi-Power made after 1989 (with the exception of some military contract guns on the used gun market) will be a MkIII. Externally, it will have a larger ejection port, larger ambi safety, high-visibility sights, and most are marked "Made in Belgium, Assembled in Portugal". Internally it will have a firing pin block that prevents the gun from firing unless the trigger is pulled (can't discharge when dropped) but also gives it a longer trigger reset.
Here's a picture of what the firing pin safety on a MkIII looks like:
If you see that paddle on the sear lever, then for all practical purposes, the gun is a MkIII. Earlier guns will just have a long narrow sear lever and no paddle (as well as a shorter trigger reset - which some people like).
Another thing to look for is ridges on the butt of a gun - that indicates a cast frame Hi-Power and all cast frame Hi-Powers are MkIIIs (some forged frame Hi-Powers are MkIII also - those made between 1988 and 1994).
Assuming you are buying an actual Browning and not an FEG or other Hi-Power clone, the aftermarket match barrels are kind of a waste of time in my opinion. I have a KKM match barrel in my custom gun and the stock barrel in my Israeli surplus beater Hi-Power is just fractions of an inch worse at 25yds. The stock Browning barrel is very good. If the stock barrel is worn out or you find the cost of the Bar-Sto worth a possible 0.2-0.5" or so improvement at 25yds, then you may want to look into a match barrel (Bar-Sto and KKM are the two big ones - although Olympic and Bushmaster offer Hi-Power barrels as well I believe)
Actually, there are two different "base" models of BHP offered today. There is the standard gun, which is blued, has wood grips, and non-whitened sights. Then there's the Mk III which has a polymer finish, rubber grips, and whitened sights.
The standard is much rarer than the Mk III.
The standard is much rarer than the Mk III.
Bartholomew Roberts
Moderator
Gino, MkIII is also used to refer to the "generation" of Hi-Power as well as the base military/LEO model offered by Browning.
A new out of the box "Standard" is a blued, adjustable sight model with walnut grips; but it is also a MkIII generation (larger ejection port, ambi safety, firing pin safety, hi-vis sights)
A new out of the box "Standard" is a blued, adjustable sight model with walnut grips; but it is also a MkIII generation (larger ejection port, ambi safety, firing pin safety, hi-vis sights)
I think the best mods are the simple ones, better grips ( I use a hogue monogrip), high visibility sights. Some people have a had time operating the slide stop so an extended on is usually a good idea. The "original" safety on most Brownings and Clones are AWFUL (read gritty and small) an extended safety is a good idea on older pistols.
I have a recent production "standard" BHP, blue finish with fixed sights. I agree that the less you do the better.
TRIGGER: Remove the magazine safety, this should improve the trigger pull considerably. Add a pre-MkIII trigger return spring for a quicker trigger reset. BHP trigger jobs are expensive, and need to be done by someone familiar with BHP's. Don't go with the C&S modification unless you want to drill extra holes in your gun.
SIGHTS: I like the standard dovetailed sights fine. I would take the front sight off and send it somewhere to have a tritium dot installed.
RELIABLITY: BHP's are supposedly one of the most reliable semiautos right out of the box. Never had a problem with mine. Polish the feed ramp or re-crown the barrel, fine.
HAMMER: I have the standard hammer, and thick little hands, and I've never been bit. The commander "ring" hammer is more traditional, though.
SAFETY: Stick with extended factory safety. It's fine.
BARREL: Don't waste your time on a match barrel.
GRIPS: Save the originals. My thick little hands like thin, checkered Navidrex.
MAGAZINES: Buy used factory magazines or Mec-Gars.
Shoot Federal 9BP standard pressure 9mm and you'll be fine. Great choice for a handgun.
TRIGGER: Remove the magazine safety, this should improve the trigger pull considerably. Add a pre-MkIII trigger return spring for a quicker trigger reset. BHP trigger jobs are expensive, and need to be done by someone familiar with BHP's. Don't go with the C&S modification unless you want to drill extra holes in your gun.
SIGHTS: I like the standard dovetailed sights fine. I would take the front sight off and send it somewhere to have a tritium dot installed.
RELIABLITY: BHP's are supposedly one of the most reliable semiautos right out of the box. Never had a problem with mine. Polish the feed ramp or re-crown the barrel, fine.
HAMMER: I have the standard hammer, and thick little hands, and I've never been bit. The commander "ring" hammer is more traditional, though.
SAFETY: Stick with extended factory safety. It's fine.
BARREL: Don't waste your time on a match barrel.
GRIPS: Save the originals. My thick little hands like thin, checkered Navidrex.
MAGAZINES: Buy used factory magazines or Mec-Gars.
Shoot Federal 9BP standard pressure 9mm and you'll be fine. Great choice for a handgun.
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I believe NIBs are going for about $650. I bought mine lightly used with two hi-caps in the box for $499.95. BHP's suffer from some of the same rumors as Colts, i.e. that production runs are ending, no more will be imported, etc. etc. This tends to drive up prices.
P.S. The pre-Mk III trigger return spring I mentioned above is available from W.C. Wolff Precision Gunsprings
www.gunsprings.com.
It is not a catalog item but is listed on their Internet page as Stock Number 15071, price $4.99. It is a two-coil design rather than the Mk III three-coil design and "provides postive trigger return which is especisally desireable in tactical pistols" according to Wolff.
P.S. The pre-Mk III trigger return spring I mentioned above is available from W.C. Wolff Precision Gunsprings
www.gunsprings.com.
It is not a catalog item but is listed on their Internet page as Stock Number 15071, price $4.99. It is a two-coil design rather than the Mk III three-coil design and "provides postive trigger return which is especisally desireable in tactical pistols" according to Wolff.