I saw that the other day, I was intrigued but still too poor. I already made my first purchase this week, CLICK HERE, so the Hi Power will have to wait.
Let's talk Hi-Power / M-35
- Thread starter Advoc
- Start date
Phat Eagle
CGN Ultra frequent flyer
- Location
- Fraser Valley, BC
Enjoy the Girsan... The BHPs are great classics, and I own several, but IMHO the CZ75 is the evolution JMB would have made...
I have collected high power pistols for forty years. I sent one to pachmayr guns in Los angles. Pachmayr worked on the gun himself.
That was when they did a few high power pistols. The He went back to just doing 1911 pistol only. The trigger put is like an old Smith
and Wesson model 27.
That was when they did a few high power pistols. The He went back to just doing 1911 pistol only. The trigger put is like an old Smith
and Wesson model 27.
Or, for those who like ambidextrous, the CZ85.
And for the 1911's "the only worthwhile calibre is the .45ACP" fanboys - the CZ97.
Great great guns, all of them. I like my Browning Hi-Powers, my P-1, my Star 9mm 1911 variants (a B and a BKM I think (?)), and even sort-of like my S&W M&P, but if I could only keep a single 9mm self-loader -- or just a single self-loader for that matter -- no question but it would be my CZ.
I have off again on again bouts of BHP fever as well. Right now I know of three for sale. 1. 2010 MKIII "anniversary edition" in a store ASKING $950+ HST. 2. refurb Inglis MK1 No1 also in a store asking $650+HST and 3. a mid 70's Standard being offered privately for $850 all in shipped .
All three seem a bit high to me but it's not like there are 20-30 of these guns for sale at any one time to give a good sense of fair market value......thoughts?
I'm starting to kick myself for missing a local late 80's MKIII in nice shape that sold for $700 with extra mags.
All three seem a bit high to me but it's not like there are 20-30 of these guns for sale at any one time to give a good sense of fair market value......thoughts?
I'm starting to kick myself for missing a local late 80's MKIII in nice shape that sold for $700 with extra mags.
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Trained on the Hi-Power in the reserves back in the late 70's. Never got around to buying one until recently when I picked up a mint 1993 Capitan model from an estate sale. I forgot how great these guns are. I'd rather shoot my BHP now than my 92fs or my 1911. Now I just need to find more mags and a suitable holster. This is my never sell gun for sure, might try to find another
That alone defines the touch of a master. I'm on the 1911 Forum regularly (which has a section devoted to the BHP) and getting a really good trigger pull on a BHP is not an easy task. My T-series has a decently crisp trigger but given the mechanics of the trigger system, getting a superb one would be a real challenge.
Sorry for quoting myself - I fixed my Hi Power, and it's now driving tacks. All my fault as I suspected; it didn't like my handloads, and its sights ARE hard to use. I'd like to answer your initial questions, with my own experience as an example. Here goes:
- Me too; had to have one!
Did it have a 600-yd tangent sight? It may have been a Chinese-order Inglis - EXTRA cool!
- That's about what I paid for mine; I'd LOVE to put-up a picture, but it's in the shop at the moment - see below.
Can't say... lotsa other owners have horned-in about theirs; I think they're all great.
Yep!
Actually, mine is in the shop for a new hammer & sear, courtesy of Cylinder & Slide in the 'States. They won't ship to Canada, but they sell to other shops (Brownell's, likely) who will; I'd mentioned to the gunsmith that I was thinking new hammer & sear, and he ordered one in - the HP is there now to receive it.My trigger pull was heavy; likely 5+ lb (the Inglis I shot on the Connaught Range the summer of 1980 was 11 lb!
). VERY nice let-off - virtually no travel, virtually no creep or grit under tension; just a nice clean *click*. But I wanted better, and I wanted to use it for PP so I wanted the mag's to drop free when I push the release, so I removed the mag well safety (did it myself - there's a youtube video up on the subject - took a minute, if that). Then the trigger pull was a measured 4.5 lb, but I STILL want better - looking for 3 lb - hence the new target-model hammer & sear.Mine bites me. I name all my pistols; I'm weird.
I named the HP "Serana", after a vampire in the Skyrim video game - like her it's gorgeous, and like her it gives love-bites that draw blood. No big deal, I just have to pay a bit more attention to how I hold it.Just about my only real complaint about mine is about the sights. My front sight is permanently attached - I ain't gonna risk messing-up the awesome deep bluing to remove it - but it's slightly rounded on-top and any glare reflects off it. The back sight - the coke-can - is awful; sorry, I can't put it any more nicely than that. It's rounded on top and glows something terrible (I even bought some matte black nail-polish for it; it didn't help) and the screws that locate the coke-can delight in falling out, so the coke-can wanders around on the top of the sight. I've loc-tited the sight screws, but of course, try as I may, there was no way I could have the sight set exactly right before I did that, could I?
If you want adjustable sights on yours, get a Mk. II or Mk. III, their sights are much better. Me, while I was at the gunsmith I noticed that the skinny little rear-sight dovetail on my "classic" HP (the Mk's II and III have MUCH wider dovetails, so I can't install an updated later-model sight) looks an awful lot like the skinny little dovetail on the 1911 - and you can get anything you want for those. The 'smith is investigating the matter.
Oh and, you can cut yourself on the bottom edges of the mag-well; reloading fast in a PP serial is an acquired skill.
Everything else; mine came to me with the wraparound Pachmayr grip (there's a picture of another one with that grip) and it's one of the nicest and most comfortable pistols to shoot that there is. FAR prefer it to any of the new "plastic-fantastic's"!!!
Hope this helps!
Thanks for the write-up Gwesson!
So one of the local shops in town has one in that's used. They don't put their restricteds on display, but keep them in the back with a piece of paper on the counter listing them all.
I asked if they had a BHP, but they said all they had was a 1903 and a BDM from Browning, both used since they aren't a browning dealer and got them a trade ins.
It turns out their BDM is labelled wrong. It's most definitely a Hi Power. I'm not sure if it's MKII or MKIII, but it seems well used. Bluing is at 80 - 85%, the slide seems..... "sticky". That's the only word I can think of for it. About halfway back it feels like its just gunky and you have to pull a bit harder to get it back lock. The hammer will drop with no mag in so the mag safety has been removed, which makes me wary a little bit, who knows what else the previous owner might have done in there?
I don't konw if it comes with more than 1 mag or not, but the mag it has used to be chrome, but looks more like dirty brushed aluminium.
They're asking 1 cent shy of $700 for it, which I think is an okay price. It is definitely an FN Browning, not a knock off. And looks exactly like the one in this picture.
What do you think? Worth it? I'm going to ask the owner if he'll take payments. I can drop in a hundred bucks or 2 every paycheque until its paid off and I'll pick it up. If he'll do that I think it might be worth the price and the wait, even if I have to do some work to it. Hopefully it's just dirty and nothing else is wrong with it. It just strikes me as a pistol that nobody ever cleaned. No idea of round count, and I didn't think to ask for a light for the bore. I'll go back tomorrow and ask and take a pic or two.
So one of the local shops in town has one in that's used. They don't put their restricteds on display, but keep them in the back with a piece of paper on the counter listing them all.
I asked if they had a BHP, but they said all they had was a 1903 and a BDM from Browning, both used since they aren't a browning dealer and got them a trade ins.
It turns out their BDM is labelled wrong. It's most definitely a Hi Power. I'm not sure if it's MKII or MKIII, but it seems well used. Bluing is at 80 - 85%, the slide seems..... "sticky". That's the only word I can think of for it. About halfway back it feels like its just gunky and you have to pull a bit harder to get it back lock. The hammer will drop with no mag in so the mag safety has been removed, which makes me wary a little bit, who knows what else the previous owner might have done in there?
I don't konw if it comes with more than 1 mag or not, but the mag it has used to be chrome, but looks more like dirty brushed aluminium.
They're asking 1 cent shy of $700 for it, which I think is an okay price. It is definitely an FN Browning, not a knock off. And looks exactly like the one in this picture.
What do you think? Worth it? I'm going to ask the owner if he'll take payments. I can drop in a hundred bucks or 2 every paycheque until its paid off and I'll pick it up. If he'll do that I think it might be worth the price and the wait, even if I have to do some work to it. Hopefully it's just dirty and nothing else is wrong with it. It just strikes me as a pistol that nobody ever cleaned. No idea of round count, and I didn't think to ask for a light for the bore. I'll go back tomorrow and ask and take a pic or two.
If you want some advice or more info this US based forum has some guys that really seem to know their stuff when it comes to BHP's
http://hipowertalk.com/forum/
You should be aware that I have seen several counterfeit FN marked BHP's for sale online in recent months (two of them offered by gun stores) One give away is a serial number that consists of a letter (often B) following by a space and then numbers. These are FEG produced guns with FN roll marks. Not a bad gun but not worth genuine FN prices.
http://hipowertalk.com/forum/
You should be aware that I have seen several counterfeit FN marked BHP's for sale online in recent months (two of them offered by gun stores) One give away is a serial number that consists of a letter (often B) following by a space and then numbers. These are FEG produced guns with FN roll marks. Not a bad gun but not worth genuine FN prices.
Well I went and checked it out. Serial number is one solid string of numbers, no spaces. It definitely needs some tuning up, hopefully just some cleaning. Actually tried the trigger today this time. Much nicer than the trigger on my Girsan, even in SA mode.
They'll accept 25% down, paid off within 90 days. Seems like it'll work for me.
They'll accept 25% down, paid off within 90 days. Seems like it'll work for me.
If it was sold as a Browning you can date it from the serial number here. (works for recent FN marketed guns as well)
http://www.browning.com/customerservice/dategun/detail.asp?id=35
I actually broke down and bought a 2004 FN marketed MkIII. I've put about 200 rounds through it and really like it. It's a 40S&W so I'm still half looking for a 9mm.
http://www.browning.com/customerservice/dategun/detail.asp?id=35
I actually broke down and bought a 2004 FN marketed MkIII. I've put about 200 rounds through it and really like it. It's a 40S&W so I'm still half looking for a 9mm.
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