New to me FEG Hi Power PJK-9HP

J

jad0110

New member
I don't frequently buy guns sight unseen, but I was home sick with my laptop on gunbroker and a wad burning a hole in my pocket :evil:, and I came upon this wonderful HiPower clone.

Trigger was the usual gritty, stiff Hi Power with mag disconnect. I removed the disconnect and cleaned everything up. It is significantly better, but it definitely isn't smooth. Still, it is great fun to shoot. I've been wanting a Hi Power for nearly 10 years, feels good to finally own one. Few semi automatics feel so lovely in my hands.

This FEG was imported by KBI, Inc, and has a serial number of B19xxx. I know its tough to determine manufacturing dates for these guns. After searching around the internet and noting other serial numbers and manufacturing dates, I estimate it was made in 1992. Can anyone provide a better guestimate?

Anyway, enough yapping, onto the photos. :D Feel free to post pictures of your Hi Powers, I'd love seeing them. FN, FEG, Browning ... etc.


















 
Those are pretty good guns, all steel and clones of the BHP to the point that parts interchange, but with more hand fitting. They have one serious (to me) problem. If you decide to disassemble that pistol, stock up on adhesive bandages. FEG apparently didn't believe it important to tumble their parts or deburr anything, and everything inside is sharp, burred, and generally nasty to the fingers.

Jim
 
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What He Said^

I have the second version of the FEG Hi Power, still SA but with the extended safety and smaller slide release. The Sprinco Buffer will fit in the SA version of the FEGs. And it works like a charm. It shrank my groupings. Mine just got sent off to Mahovsky's for hard chroming. That's going to be my Christmas present. A friend is handling the process for the wife. If it comes out well the Astra A70 is going next year.

Have fun with the FEG. I love mine!
 
I have to agree with JamesK, every time I messed with one of those it seems like I ended up bleeding. They are a solid chunk of steel though. If a person ever decided to refinish one, I would first take a stone to the corners of a lot of parts.
 
Wow, you got a really nice one -- and, pardon my GB snooping, at a very nice price too. And it's the true BHP clone (with the oval cam and correct slide stop/slide cuts), of course, rather than one of the later variations. Very nice score! Congrats!

The bluing on the 1990s FEGs is really impressive. (I worry a bit that this might be as a result of using softer steel, but I haven't heard of anyone shooting their FEGs to pieces at unexpectedly low round counts.) I bought a pristine copy of their ACK model -- FEG's DA/SA .45 S&W-Hi-Power lovechild, imported as the GKK-45 -- on a whim a few years back just because of how attractive the bluing was. I wish it had been the P9 (PJK-9HP) instead, but I went for it anyway. I'd still like to add a P9 to the collection at some point.

I don't have pics of my 1970s BHP on this computer/online yet, but I'll contribute a couple of pics of said FEG DA/SA S&W-BHP lovechild. :D


 
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No problem on the GB snooping, I don't mind at all :cool: .

I paid a little over $400 out the door, including shipping and FFL fee. The last decent FEG I saw locally was priced at $400 or $425 about 4 or 5 years ago; it was nice but not as nice as this one. I feel like I got a pretty good deal all-in-all. Thank you for the compliments.

I bought a pristine copy of their ACK model -- FEG's DA/SA .45 S&W-Hi-Power lovechild, imported as the GKK-45 -- on a whim a few years back just because of how attractive the bluing was. I wish it had been the P9 (PJK-9HP) instead, but I went for it anyway. I'd still like to add a P9 to the collection at some point.
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I gotta say, that is a fantastic looking GKK. Had I not been so interested in acquiring a Hi Power or one of the true clones, and had I enough funds and room in my safe, I would proudly have purchased a gun like that as well. I've never fired a S&W 59, but they have a following, so I think the GKK is an attractive proposition if one isn't dead set on a Hi Power.

---

BTW, I did experience one FTE and a couple of failures to feed the first round upon slide release (came with 1 13 round mag), I'm thinking a set of new springs (recoil and magazine mainly) might be in order. I did that for my DWM P.08 Luger and it did wonders for that gun's reliability. Does anyone know the stock recoil spring weight off the top of their head? Is the OEM weight best, or would a slightly stiffer spring be a better option. I don't plan to shoot +P, just standard pressure.

Thanks!
 
Thanks for the compliments on the GKK. I wasn't looking for it when I stumbled on it, but I'm a sucker for beautiful bluing. I also like the occasional "oddball" firearm. :)

I think new springs would be a good idea. I'm no FEG expert, but I've read a number of FEG owners' comments to the effect that the factory springs (recoil and magazine springs, specifically) are a bit weak. I'd get just Wolff's "Service Pak Type II" for the BHP at the bottom of this page: http://www.gunsprings.com/Semi-Auto Pistols/BROWNING/1935 (HI POWER)/cID1/mID3/dID5. You could buy just the recoil spring and the magazine spring, but the cost of these two puts you within just a couple of bucks of the full 7-spring kit. May as well have these other springs on hand in case one of the originals fails at some point, especially you'd essentially get them for free.

A factory (or Mec-gar) BHP magazine would probably solve all reliability issues, but a better recoil spring would be good for the sake of the gun's longevity.
 
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FEG Opinions

JAD- Check into the Sprinco I mentioned earlier. It's not cheap ( around $100 or so ). Comes with a Wolff spring. And I have personally found that Federal classics for self defense run great with this set-up. Got that from Stephen Camps website. You will be amazed at your groups. I can dump a mag into a six inch circle, rapid fire. The Sprinco is great! Looks like a motorcycle shock absorber. Like I said in an earlier post, I'm getting mine Hard chromed. Most snobs would think this is ridiculous. But once you have an FEG you know they're a serious gun.

Austin, almost had one of those. Was going to get it for $450. At the last second the person jumped the price to $600! That didn't happen. I was ******. I like FEGs, but not that much. Had a FEG SMC-380 (Walther clone), great pistol. Almost the best .380 I ever shot. And I'm talking the first time I picked it up and shot it from the get get go. Almost beat out my Sig 232SL. If it didn't turn the webbing between my thumb and fore-finger to shreds (PPK Clone), Id've kept it.

FEGs are great. Unfortunately, they're becoming discovered. They were frowned upon. Not anymore. I got mine for $350. All highly blued polished finish, except for the back strap on the grip. That was beat. Carried a lot, but shot little. You got a REAL nice one JAD. I'd keep it as is. Have fun with it and enjoy your purchase!
 
It looks very clean. What are they asking for the FEG's just out of curiosity?
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What people ask and what people pay is all over the place, actually. I can't think of any lower-priced guns off the top of my head where the market rate is so unsettled/unclear.

You'll someone get a really nice one like JAD's for <$400. Then you'll see a seller asking $475 for what that's fairly beat up -- and someone will come along and pay for it! And then you'll see someone pop in and pay $500 or even $550 for one like JAD's.

It's truly bizarre.
 
Hmmm, didn't know about these SpringCo buffers. I'll have to make a note of that for when I get around to picking up one of these.

Austin, almost had one of those. Was going to get it for $450. At the last second the person jumped the price to $600! That didn't happen. I was ******. I like FEGs, but not that much. Had a FEG SMC-380 (Walther clone), great pistol. Almost the best .380 I ever shot. And I'm talking the first time I picked it up and shot it from the get get go. Almost beat out my Sig 232SL. If it didn't turn the webbing between my thumb and fore-finger to shreds (PPK Clone), Id've kept it.

FEGs are great. Unfortunately, they're becoming discovered. They were frowned upon. Not anymore. I got mine for $350. All highly blued polished finish, except for the back strap on the grip. That was beat. Carried a lot, but shot little. You got a REAL nice one JAD. I'd keep it as is. Have fun with it and enjoy your purchase!
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Yeah, like I said to buckfynn, it's hard to make sense of the differences in what people will ask and pay for them in any given auction. Perhaps it's an artifact of their becoming "discovered," but not yet being all the way discovered.
 
FEG PJK 9HP year of manufacture?

I have one with the smaller slide release with standard safety

[not extended] found used at a Pawn shop with factory 13 rd magazine

I wonder what year mine was made? I got it back in 1994
 
It cleaned up nice compared to the pics on GB. It is a solid buy for what you paid. The blue on the FEGs is nice. They are excellent clones. I have never bought on but considered one many times. :eek:

Here is a pick of my latest BHP it is a Austrian trade in Alloy which worked on by Don Williams.





 
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I bought a FEG PJK-9HP locally from a private seller and have been happy with my lower cost clone to scratch the Hi Power itch for now. After I removed the mag disconnect and did a little polishing and it is good enough for me. I didn't like the stock little safety so I fitted a C&S extended safety into it. I have been having a few extraction issues so I plan to replace the extractor and extractor spring.
 
WVsig

That is a NICE Browning. Maybe one day. A true FN is on the bucket list, but alas, lifes little foibles continue to get in the way!;)

In the meantime I'll have to stick with my FEG. When I mentioned earlier about the fast mag dump, that was at 12 to 15 yards. Slow shot aiming at the same distance is very tight. At my buddy's informal range, I want to challenge him to TIC TAC TO matches with his .45. We can both hit what we aim at slowly. I figure 2 inch blocks in the TTT target at 12 yards. Should be fun! :D

BTW, what grips are on that Browning, those are gorgeous!
 
That is a NICE Browning. Maybe one day. A true FN is on the bucket list, but alas, lifes little foibles continue to get in the way!

In the meantime I'll have to stick with my FEG. When I mentioned earlier about the fast mag dump, that was at 12 to 15 yards. Slow shot aiming at the same distance is very tight. At my buddy's informal range, I want to challenge him to TIC TAC TO matches with his .45. We can both hit what we aim at slowly. I figure 2 inch blocks in the TTT target at 12 yards. Should be fun!

BTW, what grips are on that Browning, those are gorgeous!
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You are far from stuck... with that FEG especially at the price you paid. ;)

The grips on that gun are Craig Spegels.
 
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