Thoughts on the Mk III BHP

Riflechair

Riflechair

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Hello guys,

I am curious to know where I might be able to source a new Mk III Browning? Wholesale Sports sells them (having them in stock is another question) but at $960 I'm thinking pretty pricey.

Whats the deal with these pistols anyways? You never hear about them. Opinions please? I've owned three BHP now. I liked them all but they all lacked a certain je nais sait quoi...

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Riflechair said:
Hello guys,

I am curious to know where I might be able to source a new Mk III Browning? Wholesale Sports sells them (having them in stock is another question) but at $960 I'm thinking pretty pricey.

Whats the deal with these pistols anyways? You never hear about them. Opinions please? I've owned three BHP now. I liked them all but they all lacked a certain je nais sait quoi...

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Excellent pistol. Love mine. I think the reason that you and quite a few other people (not an insult btw) think it lacks something is because it is a workhorse, without all the fancy and ###y things some of the new pistols have. Keep in mind that when the 1st generation of the new breeds came out in the 80's nicknamed the new wonder 9's, the Browning was already coming up on 50 years. You dont hear anything about it because it works and that's it.

I highly recommend one.
 
Shooters Choice had one for over $1000, I think $1045, they are usually pretty expensive so I am sure $960 somewhere else is about bang on. Yes they do seem to be rather pricey compared to other brands, some would even call this gun obsolete. I had that reaction the other day from a dealer. I'm not sure what you mean about never hearing about them? this model or in general? I would say it is a pretty damned good handgun but if you have had them before, I'd say there is probably not much different?
 
My first centre-fire handgun. Belgian Browning of 1960's vintage. Cost me $300 bucks. Shot IPSC with it for years using a $10 Uncle Mike's holster and $5.00 army surplus mag pouches. Shot "C" class. Spent a couple of thousand on a new race gun, triple comp, red dot, Safariland holsters, belts, etc, etc. Shot "C" class.....but I sure looked good doing it. (learned a valuable lesson there)

Love the HP's, still own a few myself, but like me I think they're a bit past their prime.:eek:
 
DBeato said:
I'm not sure what you mean about never hearing about them? this model or in general? I would say it is a pretty damned good handgun but if you have had them before, I'd say there is probably not much different?
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I'm referring to the modern Mark III pistol. Just don't find much to read about them. Reviews, etc...
 
Last time I was in The Shooting Edge they had a couple in 9mm. They definitely aren't cheap, though. Wolverine Supplies also has them on their website.

Personally, I'm a fan of the BHP. Along with the CZ and clones, they have about the slimmest grip of any single stack pistol. They also have a certain "old school" elegance to them that newer designs lack. The only thing wrong with the MK III BHP as a combat pistol is the magazine disconnect, which can be easily removed.

I guess you don't hear much about them because those that prefer single action pistols tend to go with the 1911 platform and all the mall ninjas prefer crunchentickers and tactical tupperware.

Interestingly, the .40 version actually has a normal magazine capacity of 10 rounds, so it doesn't have any butchered mags.
 
Riflechair said:
Hello guys,

I am curious to know where I might be able to source a new Mk III Browning? Wholesale Sports sells them (having them in stock is another question) but at $960 I'm thinking pretty pricey.
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No more pricey than a Sig, HK, decent 1911 or any other quality semi-auto pistol. The BHP is a great gun - slim, reliable, excellent ergonomics, etc. The only downside is the trigger, but it can fixed by a competent gunsmith. If you want a traditional all-steel pistol, you can't go wrong with the BHP.
 
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I love my MK III,reliable, accurate,and small. Some folks get rid of the magazine safety to improve trigger pull, but I don't see a need for it, the Browning is a workhorse, not a show piece. No polymer,no lightweight space age materials, just a good solid design from the ground up.
 
Riflechair said:
I'm referring to the modern Mark III pistol. Just don't find much to read about them. Reviews, etc...
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You don't find much to read about them because these guns are not as popular as they used to be. First of all, they are no longer in widespread use by military and police forces as they lack light alloy/plastic frames of more modern pistols and double action triggers (which have become a must for police departments because it's apparently just too damn hard to teach the average cop how to operate the safety lever). You also don't see them too often in movies (it's an understated design that doesn't look "scary" enough on the screen) and Browning doesn't advertise them much anymore. Finally, these guns lack the "legend" quality and aftermarket support that has kept the 1911 popular with American shooters despite its age.

The bottom line is that when an average person goes to buy a semi-auto pistol, he probably doesn't even consider the Hi-Power as an option. It has become more of a connoisseur gun, if you will, for people who know just how good those guns are.
 
The Browning suffers two main disadvantages. The grips are large and wide, and the trigger pull fairly long. For people with average and small hands they are cumbersome and difficult to fit, even after market grips don't alter the profile much. Great guns, very reliable, but somewhat restricted in calibre.
 
DATAM said:
The Browning suffers two main disadvantages. The grips are large and wide, and the trigger pull fairly long. For people with average and small hands they are cumbersome and difficult to fit, even after market grips don't alter the profile much. Great guns, very reliable, but somewhat restricted in calibre.
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Fallacious argument...

they are the same size as a CZ75 and smaller than Glock, Beretta M9/92, Sig 226, XD, and I'm sure a whole bunch more. My wife is 5'3" and she shoots either of mine quite easily...
 
DATAM said:
The Browning suffers two main disadvantages. The grips are large and wide, and the trigger pull fairly long. For people with average and small hands they are cumbersome and difficult to fit, even after market grips don't alter the profile much. Great guns, very reliable, but somewhat restricted in calibre.
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x2 re: Mudgunner49's statement.

You have no clue what you are talking about. The pistol is known to fit small and large hands equally well.:rolleyes:
 
I loved mine -I wish I hadn't sold it. The polymer finish is very tough, you won't be disappointed with it. Sights were decent too!Never once had a reliability issue. The only other pistol I owned that can make that claim is the Sig 226 (I had one trigger issue with my Glock).
 
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Great gun in its time, a real classic. Still fits my hand better than any other semi-auto.

One down side is the previously mentioned mag safety. I don't like the concept at all, especially with the Browning as it effects the trigger pull and the mags dropping clear due to the plunger which bears on the front of the mags at the top.

The solution is to remove this mag safety which is easily done on most blued finish HP's except those with the polymer finish like my Mark III had. On those guns, the trigger pin you need to remove to get the mag safety is virtually coated over, so this pin becomes very difficult or even impossible to remove. I spoke to a couple of US gunsmiths who specialized in customizing the HP and both had the same problem numerous times. One had built himself a pin pusher that allowed him to put a lot of pressure on the pin while the frame was securely held in a jig so the extreme pressure was applied to the pin, not the frame. It was quite easy to mar the frame trying to get this stupid pin out so I finally gave up and left it in.
 
Couple of thoughts: first, and correct me if I'm wrong, but the BHP isn't known to be all that accurate, ie, it's no target pistol. Second for that price, (in fact, a tad cheaper) you could buy a CZ Shadow that is all steel, has great grips and fits small hands, an outstanding trigger right out of the box, and is a target pistol.

And for the record, I love BHP's.
 
Indeed the CF still uses the Browning HP. There are others in service, but the Browning HP is very, very common.
 
guess_kto said:
I thought Canadian Forces still use Browning HP? Am I wrong?
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Nope, you're not wrong. I think the reason you don't hear so much about the BHP (especially the MKIII) is that it's pretty much ready to go when you take it out of the box. There's no need for a BrandX safety, or BrandY disconnector. Also the BHP isn't an "American Classic" or any of that - it's pretty much never been an American issue firearm (except for the FBI HRT for a while). I think the MKIII, being the latest version is a very good pistol. I've heard people criticize the "Made in Portugal" ones, but I have handled a few and never seen a poorly finished or fitted one, I like the looks of the finish too. Probably being made in Europe doesn't help the price.
 
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