Range Report -- Browning Hi-Power MKIII

P

Poplin

New member
I had always admired the Browning Hi-Power and have heard nothing but rave reviews of this weapon from the shooting community. I recently picked up a used specimen in excellent condition.

It is a 9mm with ambidextrous safety, wood grip panels, fixed sights, and polished blue finish. It came with two mismatched, unmarked, 13-round magazines. The pistol is "Made in Belgium, Assembled in Portugal." Its markings date its production to 1994. Condition of the internals suggest that this weapon was shot very little. Fit and finish is very good.

I cleaned and lubricated the weapon before heading out to the range. I fired 50 rounds of UMC 115 grain FMJ as well as 50 rounds of Speer Gold Dot 124gr +p. There was one stovepipe malfunction with the UMC ammunition. Recoil was mild for both loads, but was of course snappier with the +p ammunition. Accuracy is as good as any auto pistol I have shot.

Some thoughts:

1. The factory wooden grips are unnecessarily thick and blocky. The grip is nevertheless very comfortable to my small hands. I suspect that when I put on a set of thin aftermarket grips, this weapon will be my best-feeling full-size auto.

2. The polished blue finish is very handsome, far superior in looks to the matte finish of the currently imported FN product. The new pistol looks very cheap next to this old one.

3. The magazine safety is a poor design feature. It makes the trigger very gritty, especially since the included magazines were roughly finished. It also prevents the magazines from falling free when ejected. I have been unable to remove it; the trigger pin seems stuck fast. Any suggestions?

I will post pictures when I can. In all, my Hi-Power is an excellent weapon that met my high expectations.

Peace be with you all.
 
Congrats on your new HP.

They are fine shooters with the manageable recoil as you mentioned.

I have recently acquired a 67 "T" and have a Belgian/Portugal model on the way.

From what I gather, the pin in the trigger that holds the mag safety in on the Belgian/Portugal models is a roll pin that has been slightly enlarged at the ends by the manufacturing process.

The best way to remove one is with a pin press. Many individuals have been unable to remove it at all with a drift and a hammer.

Others have had good success by polishing the mag where it is contacted by the safety. You may want to do nothing until you run about 400 or 500 rounds through it.

There is also a firing pin block that contributes to the trigger feel but I am assured it gets better with a few hundred rounds.

On my T I just sprayed some penetrating oil, let it sit overnight and the pin drifted out easily. The newer guns have a more secure mounting of this pin.

On my Belgian/Portugal I intend to leave the mag safety and the firing pin block in place as I intend to carry the gun a lot and I like having these features in place.

On the T the removal of the safety did make a noticable difference in the feel of the trigger.

Let us know what grips you get. I am thinking of the thin micarta grips but would like to see some first.
 
Hello, Poplin. Coltdriver's said it right in my view. Of course, I am prejudiced as the 9mm BHP is my favorite all around handgun.

That blamed trigger pin can be a true bugger to try and remove. I suggest that if you cannot do it without fear of marring the finish that you take it to a gunsmith. All of my HPs have had the magazine "safety" removed, most by me, but one or two by gunsmiths as I couldn't get the danged trigger pins out. (In some older guns, you didn't have to remove the trigger pin to do this! Much, much easier.)

I suggest that you consider a conventional Wolff 18.5lb recoil spring as well as a Buffer Technology shock buff if you plan to shoot this gun a lot. That means 500+ rounds/month from now on or if you shoot considerable amounts of warmish handloads or +P ammo. This weight spring and buffer reduce battering and have worked fine with both standard pressure and hot ammo.

Thin grips that many like are made by Craig Spegel. I have these on several of my HPs and don't plan to change.

Best and good shooting.
 
Poplin,
Here's something to try before you take the gun to a smith.
Go to an NAPA auto parts dealer. Buy an assortment of 1 sheet of wet/dry silicone carbide ranging from 600 to 1600 grit. Use progressivly finer grits to polish the face of the magazines where the plunger contacts them. Use the 1200 and 1600 grit wrapped around a pencil to polish the face of he plunger itself. Use either Tetra or DSX grease on the face of the magazine where the plunger touches it and dry fire a few hundred times. I did this on both my HP's rather than remove the magazine "safety". It makes a noticeable difference.

I sencond the Spegel grips.
 
The trigger pin is tough to get out. Don't use gunsmithing tools, you will likely bend them. Drift it out from right to left. Use a mechanic's punch of the proper size, and put some cloth or tape over the pin to prevent finish damage to the pin or surrounding areas. You will also find the pin in the trigger that holds the mag interconnect in place hard to remove.

In addition to making mags drop easier, removal of the mag interconnect will allow the gun to be fired with the mag out (a matter of personal preferance) and it will smooth out the trigger action.
 
Some tips:

1. I really like the Hogue Monogrip on the BHP. It feels great!

3. Before you remove the mag safety, try the KRD 17-round magazines available from www.cdnninvestments.com. They run about $20. Such a deal!

The mag safety is sensitive to the finish on the magazine, because it rubs against the mag during trigger pull. Those KRD mags have a really nice finish and improve trigger pull noticeably, at least for me. I call it a "poor man's trigger job".
 
You've got a Standard Model High Power

Poplin,

Internally, all High Powers since the introduction of the MarkIII (1990?) are the same; only the outer "skins" differ. The High Power you purchased is what Browning called the Standard Model, a notch up from the MarkIII model in looks (and price). The highly polished bluing and the walnut grips are the telling marks of a Standard Model.

But, no matter, Standard Model or MarkIII, the shooting is grand. My wife and I own four of them (two MarkIIIs and two Standard Models) and enjoy them very much.

You own a very fine pistol; your taste in pistols is impeccable.

Joe
 
I couldn't get the trigger pin out either, and now I don't feel so bad about it!

For grips, consider the Navidrex High Power Combat grips, made from Micarta (very durable plastic). They don't look like wood, but in black they look good, and they feel GREAT! They're very thin, with great checkering. I love 'em.
 
The trigger pin is very tight. I made a small piece of wood to set the frame on with a hole for the pin to drop into. Protect the frame areas around the pin with very good tape (thich layers). Also, put tape inside the trigger guard as the trigger has to drop down to come out and it will scratch the inside of the guard.

To punch the main trigger pin (from right to left) you will need a very strong punch. I finally got the pin to move using a thick steel punch (like a nail set punch). My gunsmith's steel punches all bent as I tried to drive the pin. Brass will not work.

The small pins in the trigger are also a bitch to drive out as they are "staked" at the factory which expands the head inside the trigger. The ones in mine are NOT roll pins, they are solid steel. Again, a very good steel puch and a lot of whacking finally got it out (right to left again).
 
Poplin, I've got the exact same gun as you -- same year, too.

I bought some Navidrex black checkered grips from Brownell's and installed them. They go on very easy, screw holes line up perfectly, and it makes the grip that much smaller for my smallish hands.

I had my gunsmith remove the magazine safety and install a pre-MkIII trigger return spring to improve the trigger reset (spring is available from Wolff's gunsprings ONLINE, not in the catalog).

Sent 100 rounds of Winchester white box through it yesterday. No problems. The trigger is good enough where I don't find the need for a trigger job.

With those few modifications I find the BHP to be pretty perfect or carry. Even the standard fixed sights have those "rebated notches" in them which seem to pick up and hold ambient light, giving you somewhat of a cross between three dots and night sights. The ambi extended safeties are real nice too.

You'll find a lot of advice on ways to improve the BHP -- checkering, trigger jobs, new sights, extended slide releases, etc. I bet if you shoot it enough you'll find those items unnecessary.

Best Wishes, ACP
 
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