Inherited a Browning Hipower

J

JSG81

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I have my father’s Browning Hipower since his passing. I know that he complained about FTF using 15 year old Ammo about 10 years ago that I suspect was due to old reloads. Is there anything that the good people here would recommend me replacing in order to do a proper function test?

This is a pistol I will never part with and would like to put into a CCW role for family sake. I can think of no better tribute to my father than using his handgun to defend our family. I know if used I might have to give it up for a time to the police but think my father would approve greatly. I also have others that can serve this role if need be.

Thanks for feedback in advance.


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I believe it is a MIII but I will double check when I am back home.

Currently trying to get a grandson’s mind off of his missing Grandfather. Thank you Chicago Cubs for that.


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Just fill up a few mags of any brand of factory 115 or 124 grain FMJ and see how she goes. Before the range trip, however, I would give the pistol a nice cleaning and lube.
 
I suggest disassembly and cleaning will be your first order of business. Buy fresh brass cased factory loads, and shoot it. If it's reliable then you are done. If it jams and FTF's then a new magazine may be in order. After that I'm lost on the intricacies of Hi-Powers.
 
If it’s a MkIII with a Browning mark, then it ishould be a solid shooter with no other modifications. All of the Browning marked Hi-Powers will be a MkIIIS that has the firing pin block.

A pre-2000ish MkIII has an older slide stop that is prone to cracking after about 20-25k rounds, so I wouldn’t rush out to replace it but keep an eye on it and have a spare ready when the round count starts getting higher.

Magazines will be the biggest issue for reliability. Factory, Mecgar, and KRD are all solid choices.
 
I honestly can't see why a hi power could ever be inherently unreliable. It's not likely.

Clean. Use reliable american FMJ. get new magazines. Tweak a bit if necessary.

There's really nothing there to cause trouble. Openings are right, ejector and extractor are simple, this thing was built for and has been used as a combat weapon for well over half a century. The only reason it isn't still a contender is that other designs have just pushed it aside. There was nothing wrong with it. Have you noticed that the 1911 has never been replaced? That's because nobody wanted to go to the trouble of designing a better .45, we already had a perfect one. With the hi power, making 9mm pistols was all they wanted to do in europe, and you had the entire world at work duking it out over who would wrench control of the market away from the others. browning simply could not compete with all of the others.

Browning is not the first, nor the only nine to become functionally obsolete.
 
Nothing inherently wrong with the hi power, you might want to just clean and shoot good ammo, possibly think about new mag springs, or even new mags. I've had great experience with the, Mec gar I believe, 15 round mags.

Mine bites me with the slide and the spur hammer jabs my ribs when carrying (I carry at 2 o'clock) both issues I could fix with a trip to C&S, but the short grip height makes it conceal really easily IWB and mine is quite accurate, a good pointer, and solid shooter.

Trigger is heavy, can be reduced with removing the mag safety, further slicked up by C&S, but I found my MK III to have a crisp, if heavy, trigger and was certainly workable.

Now you've reminded me I really need to send mine in for the commander hammer, beavertail and trigger package to C&S
 
I read that it's wise to avoid using +P 9mm loads (to keep the slide from cracking) for the Browning Hi-Power; unless you use the 10mm slide atop the 9mm frame.

I also prefer rubber Pachmayr grips for my Hi-Power Mark III; and I had it outfitted with a double-ambi thumb safety.

As evidence...under a court of law --- It's not wise to remove the mag-safety.
 
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Photos will confirm what you have, the MkIII is a really neat pistol with good sights, there is little that would go wrong with that pistol. Clean and shoot it and then smile at grand dads good taste.
 
If you do plan to use this as a defensive pistol, I would consider a new recoil spring. Other than that and a good cleaning and lubrication, you should be good to go.
 
One of the issues I've seen in old semi-autos that have been stored for years is a reduction in recoil spring strength. Typically the slide will come back too fast and then lack power to feed the next round. Sometimes not being able to strip the round or completely go into battery. That also tends to beat on the internals. Also if the gun is not lubed it robs power from the spring.

If the gun, cleaned and lubed, seems to function, yet starts failures as it warms, gets dirty, and the lube starts to fail that is a recoil spring problem.

I'd clean, lube and replace the recoil spring before I fired a round.
 
I read that it's wise to avoid using +P 9mm loads (to keep the slide from cracking) for the Browning Hi-Power
Click to expand...

A MkIII 9mm slide will have no problem safely operating with +P loads and was tested extensively with them. Though like any pistol, it might reduce the service life of the pistol over time compared to an exclusive diet of target loads.
 
My condolences on your loss.
Give it a really good bath then buy a box of factory ammo and shoot it. I'd be suspicious of 15 year old reloads too. I'd be pulling 'em and reloading 'em myself anyway, but how the stuff was stored matters.
"...+P 9mm loads (to keep the slide from cracking) for the Browning Hi-Power..." Nonsense. 9mm NATO ammo is considered to be +P. Works just fine out of any BHP. Mind you, there's no need for +P ammo in the first place. Mine is a 1944 vintage Inglis and doesn't care what ammo it's fed.
"...the 10mm slide..." Absolutely not. Different rim diameters.
"...under a court of law --- It's not wise to remove the mag-safety..." That's nonsense too. Firstly it's a magazine disconnect, not a safety. And it's there entirely due to European Police requirements in 1935.
 
The “magazine safety” is a device designed for the occasional dope who will remove the magazine and shoot his foot with the round he did not take out of the chamber, or worse yet cycles the slide with the mag in to get the round out of the chamber and then remove the mag. Of course he cycled a round into the chamber and the same foot will suffer the consequences.
 
To the OP; you're well armed with your Dad's parting gift to you.

I've carried and used the venerable Browning for 49 years. An early one was my constant companion for over 9 months during my first tour in Vietnam...it never failed me nor had any problems.

Currently I have two, a .40 and a 9mm and carry them regularly. I've removed the magazine safety from both and found a 4.5 lb. trigger waiting for me. The mag safety removal also made mag changes a lot easier...

Aside from a new pair of Hogues grips, both are stock and either will print a mag full in neat ~2" groups. Either will feed anything I've tried in them: FMJ's, HP's, and even LSWC handloads. If memory serves, neither gun has ever bobbled a feed or ejection...

For all you ever wanted to know about the Hi Power...go to the late Stephen Camp's excellent web site. He's the accepted garu for all things Hi Power. I've used his ammunition and handloading recommendations for a cpl of decades now and have found no better advice.

Here's his site: https://hipowersandhandguns.com/

He's readable, very knowledgeable, and has a long history with the gun. My opinion: you can do no better.

Best Regards and condolences on the loss of your Dad...his gift to you will bring him back on many a future range day. Rod
Pic below is of my "Practical", a Mk lll 9mm with Hogue's grips installed.

 
Thanks for all the replies and I was thinking of replacing the recoil spring anyway just due to age. I am covered for a defensive 9mm with a few guns I already trust but thought it would be fitting to bring this one into the rotation.

I appreciate all the condolences. This was not something we saw coming. Now my 3 year old is happy someone is in heaven looking after his dog. [emoji3]

We all deal with loss the only way we know how. This is for sure a gun that will never go anywhere.


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Once again T. O'Heir posts nonsense.

T. O'Heir
"...+P 9mm loads (to keep the slide from cracking) for the Browning Hi-Power..." Nonsense. 9mm NATO ammo is considered to be +P. Works just fine out of any BHP.
Click to expand...
No, it's not.
9mm SAAMI is 35K PSI.
9mm NATO is 36.5K PSI for US military
9mm +P SAAMI is 38.5K PSI.


Mind you, there's no need for +P ammo in the first place.
Click to expand...
Sure there is.
+P is widely recognized as being a better performing round when utilizing the same bullet.


"...the 10mm slide..." Absolutely not. Different rim diameters.
Click to expand...
You need to educate yourself on what Don Williams and others can do with 9x19 using a .40 slide.;)


"...under a court of law --- It's not wise to remove the mag-safety..." That's nonsense too. Firstly it's a magazine disconnect, not a safety. And it's there entirely due to European Police requirements in 1935.
Click to expand...
Not "European Police"......the Belgian Military.
 
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When a Browning Hi-Power is involved in a shooting that results in a court case...You can be sure that the opposing lawyer will investigate whether the Hi-Power magazine disconnect safety has been removed or not.

If it has...the opposing lawyer can build a case...that the user of said pistol was irresponsible with gun safety at the time of the incident.

My bad...on posting the 10mm --- instead of the .40 S&W Browning Hi-Power pistol in my last post on this thread.
 
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