Browning Hi Power myths

[points]

It always amazes me how myths become facts with enough repetition. I was reading various write ups on the HP on the web. A consistent story was that the magazine safety was so that if you were fighting with the enemy hand to hand, if you popped the mag out, your opponent couldn't use the pistol against you. Where the hell did that come from?
The mag safety was just that. With the mag out, it can't be fired. Just one more safety. It had nothing to do with struggling with the enemy.
As to the fact that the mag will not pop out when released, I am not sure if that was by design but tend to think so. You have to realise the HP was designed as a combat weapon. Last line of defense. The last thing you want is for you mag to drop out accidentally. A quick change of the mag was not the order of the day when these were deigned. With a bit of practice the mag can be drawn out in less time than you can say "S&*T"

 

[Tengoo]

I carried an M&P40 with a mag safety for 10 years...the purpose of a mag safety is administrative rather than tactical.

If you train your troops to first pull the magazine when unloading, no matter how foolish or clumsy or forgetful they are during the rest of the unloading process, they won't be able to fire the chambered round [assuming the safety functions properly]. When I carried, doctrine was to pull the mag before even taking the pistol out of the holster. Easy-peasy.

Where the 'drop the mag if you're in a hand-to-hand fight' story came from, I don't know, but it sounds pretty bogus. At one time some people were against mag safeties because if you lost your mag or wanted to reload while covering an enemy, your gun was out of action even for a single shot. Those explanations sound bogus to me as well.

 

[maxman1]

Just like myths surrounding the M1 Garand "ping".

As to the magazine disconnect, the sole reason it was added was the French Army demanded it as part of their service pistol trials (and then they adopted a different pistol anyway). Why it was kept afterwards is anyone's guess, probably as a cost saving measure.

 

[Ganderite]

The 1911 did not have a mag safety and I note there were a number of AD's with "unloaded" pistols. I can see the feature being wanted.

 

[DT741]

Myth: BHP is a reliable and accurate pistol and should be kept for another 20 years in service

 

[points]

Myth: BHP is a reliable and accurate pistol and should be kept for another 20 years in service

The Hp is in fact a reliable and reasonably accurate pistol. Just not the worn out ones we have in the Canadian military. It is time for a new one.

 

[SteelFlint]

Not to belabour the points, but my personal issue wasn't with the mag safety, but rather what that safety did to the trigger action. I don't think anyone is going to drop a mag in a hand-to-hand situation regardless.

Had a newer 1990's build. Strangely light and predictably accurate. Probably could have removed the mag safety but I thought it sacrilegious to original design of the BHP. Sold it after 3 range trips. Never got used to it.

 

[TheTooner]

Myth: BHP is a reliable and accurate pistol and should be kept for another 20 years in service

If they had replaced the worn out old ones with new ones they could carry on for another twenty years and no soldier with a HiPower would lose a gun fight that he couldn't have lost with any other pistol.

Newer designs are somewhat better in various ways but none of them to a degree that justifies not spending the money instead on other things the CF needs. (But, yes, it's probably too late now because the HiPower is out of production, though they could have at least asked FN if they could buy technical data package with a license to manufacture for own use. It's probably the only way they might have got that from anyone.)

 

[hatman1793]

Pointless.

 

[Rod B]

If they had replace the worn out old ones with new ones they could carry on for another twenty years and no soldier with a HiPower would lose a gun fight that he couldn't have lost with any other pistol.

Newer designs are somewhat better in various ways but none of them to a degree that justifies not spending the money instead on other things the CF needs. (But, yes, it's probably too late now because the HiPower is out of production, though they could have at least asked FN if they could buy technical data package with a license to manufacture for own use. It's probably the only way they might have got that from anyone.)

I left the military in 1966 & the Inglis HP 9mm pistols we had were worn out back then. I hate to think what condition they are presently in.

 

[maxman1]

If they had replace the worn out old ones with new ones they could carry on for another twenty years and no soldier with a HiPower would lose a gun fight that he couldn't have lost with any other pistol.

Newer designs are somewhat better in various ways but none of them to a degree that justifies not spending the money instead on other things the CF needs. (But, yes, it's probably too late now because the HiPower is out of production, though they could have at least asked FN if they could buy technical data package with a license to manufacture for own use. It's probably the only way they might have got that from anyone.)

They could have Colt Canada build new Inglis HiPowers with the improvement of the Mk III (ambi safety, high vis sights, streamlined feed ramp, contoured grips) and switch to 15 round magazines, like they did for the C6.

A license was granted for the Inglis, but that's probably expired. But since FN stopped production, a license might not be required, or they may grant it without issue.

It would be a better deal for CC, since they could sell the same pistol the commercial market, whereas the original idea of building licensed copies of someone else's design would mean they could only sell them to the CF and whatever tooling would be put in storage until the next run, dismantled or returned to the original manufacturer.