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Old 06-12-2015, 01:39 AM
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Default 1979 Browning High Power

Was looking for a bhp to replace one sold a long time ago. Goal was a relatively aged shooter grade. However I came across a very clean looking one at a local gun shop. It was priced the same as a new one so I passed it over. Revisited shop almost monthly for about a year and it was still there. A short while back, to my surprise, the price had been dropped by $150. Well, decided to take a serious look at it. Broke it down and was shocked to find it was pristine. Young ninja at counter says previous owner who had bought it new in 1979 had not fired it! A little back and forth and home it came for just over $700. Now...the problem. Do I shoot the heck out of it and enjoy as originally planned or perhaps resell it( can't afford to park it in a vault). Although millions of these guns have been made, is there anything special about a new 36 year old? What kind of premium might I see over a "regular" 1979 model?
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Old 06-12-2015, 07:55 AM
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Sir, with all due respect, why buy if you do not intend to fire? If you are considering a resell, well, a clean pistol is a selling pistol. There is probably a reason why it sat so long at the LGS.
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Old 06-12-2015, 08:14 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by erics View Post
Was looking for a bhp to replace one sold a long time ago...Now...the problem. Do I shoot the heck out of it and enjoy as originally planned or perhaps resell it( can't afford to park it in a vault).
Not trying to be funny here, but I don't understand this.

You were "looking for one". So you must have had a reason to look for it, especially since you sold your previous one. But now that you've found one, you don't know what to do with it? So why were you looking for one to begin with...other than to "replace one sold a long time ago"?

$700 sounds like a good price for a '79 HP if it's in good shape...but no way for us to tell that without photos. It'd be a good price around here, let me put it that way.

You could afford to buy it, but can't afford to keep it in a safe? Shooting it costs money, keeping it more or less pristine in a vault doesn't cost you anything.

This just doesn't make sense to me. What am I missing?
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Old 06-12-2015, 08:18 AM
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Shoot it and enjoy it! I have had at least one Hi Power in my herd since 1980. If it was a pristine, pre war (WWII) pistol with tangent sights and a slotted for a shoulder stock then maybe no, keep that in the safe (boy, I wish that I kept that Ingliss Hi Power and shoulder stock that I had once, 25 years ago) but not a 1979 pistol.

Here is the one that I have now, it is a mid 70's pistol that I have had since about 1990.


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Old 06-12-2015, 08:28 AM
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I can understand not wanting to shoot it but the thing was made to shoot. I've always said that and felt it, until a short time ago I got a 25-13 (nothing special, has the lock, used but had not been shot that I could tell). It looked great and I wasn't sure I wanted to shoot it, until the 1st time I did. Anyway, while it's probably a very nice gun it was made to shoot, I'd shoot it and enjoy it.
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Old 06-12-2015, 09:42 AM
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I have an 80's one and I also have a p35 version from 1942, I decided to shoot the 80's model, it was a tough decision but I enjoy carrying these pistols as they are light to carry and also are great shooters. I bit the bullet and decided to shoot the 80s model.

I am an S&W revolver person by all means but when a Hipower is in front of me I can't resist. Something about the lines.

Here is the p35 I had it restored as it came back as GI trophy and was nickeled in Paris.

Pete

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Old 06-12-2015, 11:01 AM
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IMHO, guns are bad "investments" for folks like myself, that don't keep up with their economy. Unless you buy it, don't fire it, and leave it to the grand kids then they maybe able to turn a profit on it. You saw how the price declined the $150 in just a month to get it to move.

I agree the BHP is a beautiful weapon and a joy to shoot but I vote to shoot the snot out of it.

Here's my 1994 IDF trade in.

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Old 06-12-2015, 11:08 AM
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High production gun.
No historical value in a 1979
vintage(not WWII).
...light her up.
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Old 06-12-2015, 05:18 PM
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I've got one I bought new in 1977. I have shot it quite a bit over the
years and it still looks like new because I take good care of my stuff
and most rounds were fired over a chronograph or at targets. I have
carried it some in a belt holster when out in the woods. I love the gun
and have gotten a lot of enjoyment out of owning and using it. Keep
it, use it and enjoy.
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Old 06-12-2015, 07:09 PM
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IF it had the box and papers...and IF I could PROVE that it had never been fired, I might be tempted to keep it as a safe queen, or sell it, but I gather you don't and can't.

Therefore it's just a really nice BHP. Might as well shoot it.
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Old 06-12-2015, 07:26 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by erics View Post
Was looking for a bhp to replace one sold a long time ago. Goal was a relatively aged shooter grade. However I came across a very clean looking one at a local gun shop. It was priced the same as a new one so I passed it over. Revisited shop almost monthly for about a year and it was still there. A short while back, to my surprise, the price had been dropped by $150. Well, decided to take a serious look at it. Broke it down and was shocked to find it was pristine. Young ninja at counter says previous owner who had bought it new in 1979 had not fired it! A little back and forth and home it came for just over $700. Now...the problem. Do I shoot the heck out of it and enjoy as originally planned or perhaps resell it( can't afford to park it in a vault). Although millions of these guns have been made, is there anything special about a new 36 year old? What kind of premium might I see over a "regular" 1979 model?
I certainly understand your hesitation as I have been and I am even now in that position on several items I acquired. But on this one, the "possible" profit wouldn't be that significant from your description. It took you a year to pull the trigger on this and it sounds like you got a deal.
I would enjoy it and take care of it for if you do sell later, the BHP will still command a respectable price. I have seen may folks, including myself, pay a premium for unfired,new in the box with all the paper and accessories on guns but usually on models that are either rare or unique. That 1979 sounds pretty but are you willing to risk finding an identical one for the chance of making what I would guess at the most is a couple hundred dollars.
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Old 06-12-2015, 07:36 PM
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Shoot it.Not like it's a new T series,with a collector interest.
How do you make money on it after you deal with transfer and sales fees?
And if you did make 50 bucks,so what??
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Old 06-12-2015, 07:50 PM
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I would shoot it. A 1979 is not even a C series pistol. It is a MKII and they made a ton of them. Even T series collector value is overblown IMHO. They bring a premium but not as much as some people think.

If the gun has been shot at all its true collector value has been diminished unless it is a WWII gun then the historical significance starts to come into play.

Enjoy the new BHP!
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Old 06-16-2015, 05:09 AM
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If you bought it for resale, don't shoot it. It will likely bring more than you paid on an auction site. I've owned quite a few Hi Powers since the '60s and still have 3 or 4. I used to fancy myself a small time, very small time, collector, but that is past. Now I shoot most everything I have, at least occasionally. I have a decent T-Series that I have shot, and will shoot again, along with the others if I feel like it....ymmv
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Old 06-16-2015, 03:06 PM
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I faced a similar decision when I got a pristine 1976 C-series. I MIGHT leave a NIB T-series alone, but I shoot the C (and sadly, I've clumsily scratched and dinged it a bit). No regrets!
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Old 06-22-2015, 08:24 PM
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I picked this one up the other day. I believe that this gun was customized by a quality Hi Power smith but the seller was not sure who did the work There are a few small things that lead me to believe this. If it was not done by a professional smith the person who did the work understood BHPs and did a nice job.





First the hammer has a "no bite" modification which is nicely done. Not as short as Novak's current version but would keep most hands from getting bitten. I do not suffer this problem but it is a nice little upgrade. The modification was done well and has a nice look to the bluing on the hammer which matches the thumb safety and slide stop/release.

The gun is a matte blue and the roll mark is shallow. No way to know if it was originally a high gloss blue but if I had to guess it was at one time. There is loss on the "Browning Company Morgan" part of the rollmark but nothing too bad. This is typical of these guns IMHO. There is also a little bit of loss on the proof marks but nothing major.

The mag disconnect has been removed and the trigger is a nice clean 5.2 lbs, avg of 5 pulls on my digital scale. I did not get a chance to fire it yet but I believe the mainspring has been swapped with a lower lb spring. You can feel it as you cock the hammer. Lighter than stock but does not feel too light. I believe this will be a solid shooting trigger. I believe that there has also been some trigger work done on the gun. It is too smooth to just be stock but I did not detail strip it to look at the angles on the sear and hammer.

There is no serious real wear anywhere on the pistol. The gun does not show any holster wear but does show some slight bluing loss around the grip area. There are also some light spots in the blueing here and there but nothing detrimental. Looks like a normal handling shooting wear. There is some small light pitting on the left lower front of the slide but it could be cleaned up with a little elbow grease.

The stippling is nicely done. It is not too deep and gives the gun a nice grippy texture but is in no way aggressive. The front strap stippling stops at the trigger guard which is fine to me. I know some people like it to continue but I am fine with stopping there.





The sights are genuine Novaks. They are not night sights but are the older style black on black. The cuts are well done and the sight is nicely beveled to the rear of the slide. It does not over hang at all. IMHO a quality installation.

The grips are to my eyes Spegels but they have been modified. I took a few pics and you can see that they are thinner than standard Spegels. I believe that they were shaved down to fit the pistol. They are a perfect fit and make the gun as slim if not slimmer than Navidrex slim micarta. Whoever fit them fit them to this pistol well.





Overall a solid pistol with a lot of custom features. It should make a great shooter/carry piece. The only modification I might make is a new thumb safety and a gold front dot or night sight front dot. Other than that this gun is good to go. Will make a nice addition to the collection.
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Old 12-27-2017, 07:13 PM
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I found today a High Power that has been "Cera-coated".
Really looks nice on it. Same light brown color as our recently issued Military pistols.
The price is also right, and with 3 magazines.
Haven't owned one in many years, and thinking about buying this one.
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Old 12-27-2017, 07:55 PM
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I had a Browning HP for years and then one day I sold it to a friend of mine. Within a week I felt bad about selling it and I looked for a new one to fill the gap. It took me 4 years to find a new one and when I did I bought it.
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Old 12-27-2017, 08:29 PM
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There's nothing special about a 1979 Hi Power. They were still being made and assembled in Belgium at that time, but that's no big deal. Nice gun. Shoot it and enjoy it. I've always thought the design (with the exception of the trigger) is what the 1911 should have been.
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Old 12-27-2017, 08:48 PM
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Well, its been 2 1/2 years, so I hope he has shot it by now.
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Old 12-31-2017, 02:07 AM
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I have indeed, probably 2500-3000 down the tube. Still feels like new. Removed mag safety and added 4 browning mags
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Old 12-31-2017, 02:35 AM
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Heck I am trying to find one in that general age & condition and for the price you paid would be a bonus! I would have stopped on my way home after picking it up a put at least a hundred or more downrange!
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Old 12-31-2017, 05:39 AM
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What am I missing?

He is in Canada....[/QUOTE]
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