Opinions on Browning Hi-Power 9mm

BHP

I tried other 9mm semi autos before getting a Browning HP

and the Browning HP is the only one that never malfunctioned, it eats any kind of ammo too, very strong & reliable

I also tried a WWII German P-38 and it malfunctioned the first time I test fired it and was also finicky on ammo, sometimes it jammed and the slide broke / cracked.

the Browning HP is the first hi capacity military pistol design ever adopted
 
I don't like that the only new ones Browning makes come with the old school 1911 GI style hammers, and that you have to get an aftermarket "Commander" style hammer fitted to them.

Otherwise, it's a great pistol. I have an FM detective. Have been mulling to get the "new" run BHP.
 
Just about every negative expressed about the HP above, could be applied to any number of pistols.
It's not like the HP is the only gun on the market without a sweet trigger, or with a magazine disconnector.
I wonder why guns designed 50 years later, show so many shortcomings compared to the HP!
 
I totally agree with 44 AMP on the reasons of what I dislike about the BHP ....yet , there is something about this pistol that I truly like ! Maybe , a commander type or semi- bobbed hammer , removing the magazine disconnect ( yuk ) , and a good action job would put this pistol as my favorite 9mm !
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Many people over the decades have done just these things to their P35s. The trigger pull can be made better, the mag disconnect removed (of course it is for some a controversial move), the thumb safety improved on, the hammer can be replaced or easily bobbed, etc.

Aftermarket grips are plentiful.

For many years FN made and sold the guns with Commander style hammers.

A few comments on these things from Steven Camp...

On the mag safety;

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/MagazineSafety.htm

On what mods may be needed;
http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/Defense.htm

On hammer bite;

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/HiPowerandHammerBite.htm

I want to encourage folks to study some at Camp's site.

Not everyone cares for single action pistols. Nothing I can do about that, folks know their own business and their are many other options aside from the Hi-Power. But many of the objections to the pistol are easily remedied.

tipoc
 
Great info , tipoc......thanks for sharing !

I'm one that prefers SA semi-auto centerfire pistols and now (some will say going backwards ) I've become a big 1911 fan ! None of my 1911's have the magazine disconnect , they all have excellent triggers , and they feel as good in my hand and point as well as the BHP ( IMHO ) ! Should include they have the beavertail grip safety and commander style hammer in stock form...so hammerbite is pretty much totally eliminated !

The option of removing the magazine disconnect from the BHP is a personal one but I'm nervous enough to worry about consequences ! I asked a friend that owns a gunshop about this and he told me if you ever sell it you better put it back in !

I have no intention of selling my BHP because it is an excellent quality pistol and with the options you brought forward would make it more so ! However , as of now I'm more partial to my 1911's in stock form !
 
Acquired five different variations over the years....9mm's, 40, .22's and a Renaissance. Would like to find a nice shoulder stocked w/tangent sight. The old saying goes...."High Power is everything that JMB failed to incorporate into the 1911".


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Biggest shortcomings of my 1967 vintage BHP are 1) the small and hard to see sights-the M1911 and most other pistols of the same era no better and
2) the small and hard to engage safety. Of course they didn't know about the "Modern" school of pistol shooting back then.
 
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The BHP is a classic design and it is not for everyone. It is does not meet everyone's idea of a perfect 9mm or 40 S&W pistol in the world of tactical plastic. Comparing it to the latest wonder 9mm might display its shortcomings. It is a relatively simple design by JMB and Savie. I love it because it fits my hands and points naturally. I have smaller hands and it is a perfect double stack which I can load with 15+1 and keep the holes on target.

For larger hands hammer bite is an issue but it is correctable. Out of the box triggers range from crap to good. They can be made into 4-6 lbs magic. Removing the disconnect helps the trigger but it really does not lighten it. It makes it smoother and gives it a more positive feel which people mistake for lighter IMHO.

If you buy new in the box they are expensive but surplus or used examples can be had for reasonable prices $450 to $600 depending on the configuration. Too many people over pay for BHPs IMHO. I have never paid more that $575 OTD for one and own a few.

There is strong aftermarket support for BHPs. C&S, Novak, Mecgar etc.... There are tons of smiths from a local guy to guys like Yost, Jim West, Don Williams, Novak, C&S etc... to make it what you want.

No gun is a 100% fit for everyone. My advice is if you are interested shoot one. Not just a few round but a lot of round if possible. 100+ I did not love it at first. It took a few hundred rounds to convert me from a Sig 9mm man to a BHP man. Don't let a few round tell the whole story.

Here are a few of my favorites.....









My newest is an Alloy BHP which weights the same as a Glock 19 IIRC. It is being sent to Don Williams at Action Works for some magic!!!!!

 
The Hi Power is about as ugly as a gun can get.
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What an incredible, ludicrous statement. Like some of the others, I would really like to know what you consider a "good looking" gun.
 
They are a great service pistol and are easily made even better.
Mine has the mag safety removed, which is all i've done to bring the trigger down to a managable 6#. I had the front sight narrowed to .110 and had a tritium insert put in it and had a Novak rear sight with a tritium bar sunk into the rear of the slide. I installed the ambi extended safety and had the rear of the frame welded up to add about 1/4" to eliminate hammer bite. It also has a barsto barrel. It was my HD gun for many years but the sights have grown dim and I have switched to a 1911 in the nightstand, but my Hi Power isn't going anywhere soon.
 
Soes the SAS still use Brownings?
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No they are currently being phased out of British service after about 6 decades. Cost is a major factor. They are transitioning to the Glock 17.

The HP first entered British service during WWII. Workers from the FN plant in Belgium fled as the Nazis approached and took the plans for the Hi-Power to England. From there the British sent them and the plans off to Canada to produce the "Inglis" version of the gun. This gun then went back to England and the Commonwealth, China, etc.

But there are other reasons as well they have explained...

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/01/11/browning_9mm_finally_replaced/

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-20978842

Interesting to note that, other than cost, the reasons given are interesting. Mostly that they did not carry the gun in Condition one but in Condition 3. They've been doing this a long time. If it was a serious problem they could have settled it a few decades back.

FN has been slowing down production of the guns for several years now in favor of their less expensive to produce/higher rate of profit handguns.

tipoc
 
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"The Hi Power is about as ugly as a gun can get."
Yup, the only thing uglier is a 1911 :rolleyes:

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My P35 has been nothing but roses. I think my extractor is a bit lazy (not broken, at least yet) since the very last round consistently refuses to eject, just sitting atop the follower with the slide locked back. More annoying than harmful to function, honestly, and manual ejection works just fine. I'll pull apart the slide some time and see if there's some gunk in the extractor tunnel that's causing this.

TCB
 
Great gun if you shoot 9mm. Everyone should have at least one. But you know what they say, two is one, one is none.

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barnbwt, that last case left sitting on the mag follower was common with both my old INGLIS and my approx 1950 production FN with internal extractor. Cleaning, adjusting extractor tension, etc. did nothing to change this....
 
As many have said before... points naturally and feels about as good in the hand as imaginable. Being a 1911 lover, I couldn't get used to the trigger pull. Sold it. Before I get bashed... it was the digital camo version, so give me a little slack about selling it. Might have kept it, had it been blued. :)
 
There is a lot to recommend the Hi-Power, even today; and I am very fond of mine.

It all comes down to what you are looking for and familiar with. The Hi-Power is a single-action semi auto; but with a horrendous factory trigger. It is easy enough to remedy but annoying to do so on a gun that is already retailing at $900. The height over bore suffers in comparison to modern designs.


On the plus side, they are accurate, tough, slim and easy to conceal.
 
barnbwt, that last case left sitting on the mag follower was common with both my old INGLIS and my approx 1950 production FN with internal extractor. Cleaning, adjusting extractor tension, etc. did nothing to change this....
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Ah, so it's a feature, then. I suppose I'll just defer to Mr. Saive's judgment on this one...:D

TCB
 
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