Questions about my new .40 Hi-Power

[Malpaso]

Just shot my new .40 Hi-Power and had a couple of questions:

1. Slide is very stiff and hard; can the spring be replaced with a lighter one?

2. Trigger is crisp but heavy; I've done action jobs on other guns, are there good books/videos on gunsmithing the Browning?

3. It came with only one 10 round mag, which says Made in Italy; is this an aftermarket?

Thanks in advance to all.

 

[Dave R]

I own a 9mm BHP clone, but will answer what I can.

1) Others have said that the .40 spring is stiff. Wolff (Wolf?)makes some replacement springs, but I don't know about the advisability of replacing with a different spring weight. You might try a search on the board, or call Wolff and ask.

2) The trigger on mine lightened up quite a bit after break-in. I love it now. Most BHP owners say that removing the magazine safety improves the trigger tremendously. But there are some possible legal implications to disabling a safety mechanism if you ever use the gun in self-defense. These have been discussed at great length in past threads here at TFL.

The trigger pull is also affected by how smooth or rough the finish on the magazine is. That's because the mag safety slides along the surface of the mag when the trigger is pulled. I was surprised at how much difference there was when I tried the 17 rnd South African mags in my 9mm. They have a great finish. I went back and polished the area which the mag safety contacts on my other mags, and the result was good. A 'smith can remove the mag safety for you, if you wish. Or you can do it. There are instruction on the Hi-Power forum at www.fnhipower.com. Go to Forum and then look at dates around May 4, 2000.

3) The one official Browning mag I have is marked "Made in Italy". So I think that's normal.

 

[sks]

I've got the .40 BHP and yes the slide is stiff. I like it that way and have just left it.

The trigger on mine doesn't seem heavy so I cannot comment on what needs to be done. The only thing I don't like is the thinness of the trigger. After 300 or so rounds my finger gets sore.

The made in Italy mags are standard not aftermarket.

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The best weapon for self defense is the one you have when the need arises!

 

[jimmy]

Pretty much as the earlier posters have said:

(1) The recoil spring of the BHP .40 is intentionally heavy--evidently a critical element of the changes in the BHP that were necessary to adapt a 9mm pistol to the larger caliber. Although slide retraction is stiff and reassembling the recoil spring to the slide after field-stripping is a pain, I personally would leave the spring original. I think it's a safe bet that the engineers at FN knew what they were doing.

(2) The trigger improves as the hammer/sear and mag safety/mag body engagement surfaces wear in. I find it helpful to apply a little grease such as Gunslick or Ultima Lube to these surfaces.

(3) If the base of the Italian mag has an external spring to boost mag ejection, it's the one and only original mag, made by Mec-Gar for Browning. (AFAIK, aftermarket BHP .40 mags lack the external spring.)

HTH.

[This message has been edited by jimmy (edited September 30, 2000).]

 

[Condition One]

Malpaso, I have two Browning .40 HP's. One is the standard MKIII the other is a practical. The only thing that has been done to the triggers on both is removing the mag safety. The Practical has had over 4,000 rounds of my reloads through it and the trigger is in the area of 4 lbs. and crisp. The MarkIII has not been shot that much and the trigger is over 6 lbs. The Practical has Heinie sights that have a picture not unlike the Bowmars. The MarkIII wears Novacs. I have replaced the 20 lb. factory recoil spring in the Practical with a wolff 18.5 lb spring. Since all my reloads are running around 930 FPS I have no problem with the lighter spring. You could try a Sprinco recoil reducer. It makes assembly much easier but I could not tell any difference with it in the gun other than the ejected brass went more to the side than to the rear. I also think the lock time was too short with the Sprinco unit. If you are looking for a gun smith to work on your HP, I might suggest Ross Carter in Harrison Arkansas. His work is first rate and 100% guaranted. The mag you got with the gun is factory if it has the external spring. After market mags made by Mecgar are very relilable in my guns. They also make the factory mags.
I am heading for the Chapman Academy of Practical Shooting this Sunday (Oct. 1). Will probably put another 1,800 rounds or more through the Practical. Five day course, eight hours a day. Shoot Safe.....CO

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"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people and I require the same from them." From the movie, " The Shootist"

 

[Jeff OTMG]

1) I like the Sprinco reducer in the .40 HP a whole lot and can tell the difference when using full power loads. The gun becomes a dream to shoot. It allows the use of a light recoil spring that comes with the reducer.