Opinions on Browning Hi-Power 9mm
- Thread starter Rogervzv
- Start date
Fantastic gun, I love my MKIII. Best ergonomic and pointing gun in my hands bar none. Accurate and reliable, great shooter. Sadly I prefer to carry .45, so it only gets range time.
Speaking of, its been a while since I've shot it, looks like my BHP just jumped to the top of the list for the next range session.
Speaking of, its been a while since I've shot it, looks like my BHP just jumped to the top of the list for the next range session.
Not true. A .45 prototype was made called the "Brigadier." It was made by NAACO
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NAACO_BrigadierAACO in Canada.
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crimsondave
New member
Really?
"The Hi Power is about as ugly as a gun can get."
You must shoot Glocks and look at fat girl p*rn.
THE best 9mm made, bar none. I am a 1911 fanboy for sure, but I'd take a BHP over even a 1911 in 9mm.
"The Hi Power is about as ugly as a gun can get."
You must shoot Glocks and look at fat girl p*rn.
THE best 9mm made, bar none. I am a 1911 fanboy for sure, but I'd take a BHP over even a 1911 in 9mm.
Slim, elegant, the perfect size for the 9MM Luger cartridge. It holds up well to anything on the market today. Some people have been conditioned to be scared of single action only yet the 1911 gets more popular each year. People balk at the $900+ price tag for a new one, yet spend two or three times that on a 1911.
The MK III Hi Power with the mag disconnect removed, and maybe a slight stoning of the trigger becomes THE 9MM. Carry, home defense, or range, it does it all.
Looks are subjective. If you don't like it, don't buy one, but you will be poorer for the lack of experience.
The MK III Hi Power with the mag disconnect removed, and maybe a slight stoning of the trigger becomes THE 9MM. Carry, home defense, or range, it does it all.
Looks are subjective. If you don't like it, don't buy one, but you will be poorer for the lack of experience.
No, it's not a feature. There is a minor problem somewhere. None of my Inglis' have the problem, nor do any of my internal extractor Belgian Hi-Powers have it. The most likely suspect is a weak or worn extractor. NOS internal extractors are still available, but they are getting more expensive by the day and are drying up.
The Hi Power is a cool gun, and fun to shoot, but IMHO a poor choice for self defense or concealed carry.
Yes, the grip feels pretty good, but that's it's only redeeming quality other then it's fairly high capacity mags.
If you send one out to a good gunsmith, like Cylinder and Slide, and have it slicked up, some reliability work done on it, the springs changed out, and the mag safety removed, it gets a lot better, but out the box, I wouldn't have one.
The safety in every configuration made is inferior to a good 1911's safety, and the 1911 is more reliable, and more accurate. Also, the slide is hard to get a grip on it you need to cycle it in a hurry. It's a cool gun but badly over rated. It's also heavy, even though it fairly compact, except the grip is a bit fat to conceal. I also shot one in IDPA, some, and I seen more jams in matches with the Hi Power, then any other gun, except maybe a CZ, they need to be kept cleaner then most other pistols with stock springs to work reliably. Out of the box, the hammer spring is too heavy and the slide spring is too light to be dead reliable to strip the next round from the mag and go into battery, sometimes, especially if the gun is a little dirty, or it's cold outside.
That's my experiences with it, which I am sure are not always the same as the experiences of others.
Yes, the grip feels pretty good, but that's it's only redeeming quality other then it's fairly high capacity mags.
If you send one out to a good gunsmith, like Cylinder and Slide, and have it slicked up, some reliability work done on it, the springs changed out, and the mag safety removed, it gets a lot better, but out the box, I wouldn't have one.
The safety in every configuration made is inferior to a good 1911's safety, and the 1911 is more reliable, and more accurate. Also, the slide is hard to get a grip on it you need to cycle it in a hurry. It's a cool gun but badly over rated. It's also heavy, even though it fairly compact, except the grip is a bit fat to conceal. I also shot one in IDPA, some, and I seen more jams in matches with the Hi Power, then any other gun, except maybe a CZ, they need to be kept cleaner then most other pistols with stock springs to work reliably. Out of the box, the hammer spring is too heavy and the slide spring is too light to be dead reliable to strip the next round from the mag and go into battery, sometimes, especially if the gun is a little dirty, or it's cold outside.
That's my experiences with it, which I am sure are not always the same as the experiences of others.
Back in 1970, I traded for a hi power during my first tour in Vietnam. It was a constant companion for over ten months: in the Birddog, in slit trenches wondering when the little bastArd$ would run out of morter rounds before we all got killed, down at the shower point worrying about rust...you get the idea.
9mm ammo was a little hard to get in the B Camp Special Forces det., to which I was assigned, but I managed. With a spare mag, I had half a box of ammo with me and the gun's inherent accuracy allowed hits out to 75 yds or so, maybe enough to hold em off til I got picked up after being shot down...at least that's what I hoped for.
The piece slept with me each night and to this day, when I roll over I wake momentarily, wondering why there's no lump against my ribs...the comforting poke there from that long ago pistol...there if I needed it.
There are probably better more modern pistols, but none that will replace that hi power of long ago in my estimation. Did I use it in anger? Not on my tour, but my successor also a FAC was awarded the Air Force for his exploits with it after being shot down while working an air strike down in the Delta.
Best regards Rod
9mm ammo was a little hard to get in the B Camp Special Forces det., to which I was assigned, but I managed. With a spare mag, I had half a box of ammo with me and the gun's inherent accuracy allowed hits out to 75 yds or so, maybe enough to hold em off til I got picked up after being shot down...at least that's what I hoped for.
The piece slept with me each night and to this day, when I roll over I wake momentarily, wondering why there's no lump against my ribs...the comforting poke there from that long ago pistol...there if I needed it.
There are probably better more modern pistols, but none that will replace that hi power of long ago in my estimation. Did I use it in anger? Not on my tour, but my successor also a FAC was awarded the Air Force for his exploits with it after being shot down while working an air strike down in the Delta.
Best regards Rod
Mike Irwin
Staff
"Not on my tour, but my successor also a FAC was awarded the Air Force for his exploits..."
Wait... he now OWNS the Air Force?
Lucky bastard!
The only change I've made to my Hi Power, and the only change I ever intend on making to it, is to replace the wood panel grips with a set of Hogue wrap-arounds.
The wood grips don't fit my hand worth a darn and the Hogues are MUCH better.
The trigger I don't mind at all, probably a legacy of my shooting milsurp so much. Comparatively speaking, my Hi Power has a finely tuned match trigger compared to some of my milsurp guns.
I also don't mind the safety nor do I mind the retention aspect of the magazine safety.
I MIGHT be inclined to change the hammer for a rowl hammer, but it's not high on my list of must-make modifications.
Wait... he now OWNS the Air Force?
Lucky bastard!
The only change I've made to my Hi Power, and the only change I ever intend on making to it, is to replace the wood panel grips with a set of Hogue wrap-arounds.
The wood grips don't fit my hand worth a darn and the Hogues are MUCH better.
The trigger I don't mind at all, probably a legacy of my shooting milsurp so much. Comparatively speaking, my Hi Power has a finely tuned match trigger compared to some of my milsurp guns.
I also don't mind the safety nor do I mind the retention aspect of the magazine safety.
I MIGHT be inclined to change the hammer for a rowl hammer, but it's not high on my list of must-make modifications.
The SAS replaced the HP with the Sig P226/P228 along time ago. Now I think they're replacing the SIG with the Glock that the rest of the British military is migrating to.
The MKI and MKII had some issues with longevity (see the crack mentioned earlier in the thread), small sights, small safety, and even some feeding issues with hollowpoints. The MKIII pretty much fixed all those issues, although the factory safety still makes me leery (and is easily replaced).
It may be a dated design but the BHP is also manufactured at a consistent quality that some more modern designs (Sig, Glock, Smith M&P) have sometimes struggled or continue to struggle with as their designs are updated.
The MKI and MKII had some issues with longevity (see the crack mentioned earlier in the thread), small sights, small safety, and even some feeding issues with hollowpoints. The MKIII pretty much fixed all those issues, although the factory safety still makes me leery (and is easily replaced).
It may be a dated design but the BHP is also manufactured at a consistent quality that some more modern designs (Sig, Glock, Smith M&P) have sometimes struggled or continue to struggle with as their designs are updated.