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Old 07-04-2016, 05:51 PM
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Jessie Jessie is offline
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Default I need a little HiPower advice.

I recently bought a MkIII HiPower. It's used but in very good condition.
It still has its mag disconnect installed but had an excellent clean, crisp trigger.
It took it apart for a cleaning and found a lot of grease that was black and I thought quite dirty in the trigger group area.
So I give it a good cleaning and put some Militec back on the same area and slide rails.
Now I have slack and some creep in the trigger. Still a clean let off, when you get there.
Was that "gunk" I cleaned out actually some sort of graphite grease? Is that better to use in that area instead of oil?
I want my original trigger back!

Last edited by Jessie; 07-04-2016 at 05:52 PM.
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Old 07-04-2016, 06:45 PM
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dunno... but I detest the idea of magazine safeties on defensive use handguns and remove them forthwith... If I do not want a pistol to fire, I will not pull the trigger, rather than to rely on the idea that not having a magazine in place will make it "safer" to possess and carry, heck by their thinking...you could make it even safer to use & not put in the firing pin until it is actually needed ....

I'd use a very small dab of wheel bearing grease on the hammer/trigger/sear bearing areas & on the slide rails....our wheel bearing grease is good to minus 100F to about 900F.. and it repels water too...if it can stand the friction & environment that wheel bearings on vehicles here in Missouri endure daily during all 4 seasons... my using it on our firearms will never even put much of a stress on it. Plus it is derned cheap too....
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Old 07-04-2016, 09:23 PM
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Not sure what happened either but Im certain you'll like it better with the mag disconnect removed. Plenty of vids on YT.

Good luck.
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Last edited by SC_Mike; 07-04-2016 at 09:24 PM.
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Old 07-04-2016, 10:48 PM
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What you had was enough hardened grease to hold the "finger" on the trigger rearward, and now that you cleaned it the trigger is working as designed.
I put in the C&S trigger to get rid of the slack and mag disconnect for real, permanently.
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Old 07-04-2016, 11:00 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by OKFC05 View Post
What you had was enough hardened grease to hold the "finger" on the trigger rearward, and now that you cleaned it the trigger is working as designed.
I put in the C&S trigger to get rid of the slack and mag disconnect for real, permanently.
This....I would add that you might also want to add the C&S sear and "No-Bite" hammer for a truly fantastic trigger pull.
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Old 07-05-2016, 05:39 AM
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That's probably it because there were hardened pieces that came out.
Thanks.
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Old 07-05-2016, 12:32 PM
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Some further info...
I know the disconnect needs to go but, I tried the trigger with an original 13 round mag and its smooth as butter again!
When I finished cleaning the gun before, I also used a new MecGar 15 rounder when I reassembled it.
Seeing as how the MecGar has a mirror finish as opposed to the flat finish on the original, it surprised me.
There must be a fractional difference between them because its a major difference in trigger function.
Without the disconnect it will be a non-issue.
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Old 07-05-2016, 01:41 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jessie View Post
Some further info...
I know the disconnect needs to go but, I tried the trigger with an original 13 round mag and its smooth as butter again!
When I finished cleaning the gun before, I also used a new MecGar 15 rounder when I reassembled it.
Seeing as how the MecGar has a mirror finish as opposed to the flat finish on the original, it surprised me.
There must be a fractional difference between them because its a major difference in trigger function.
Without the disconnect it will be a non-issue.
Is the OEM mag phosphate coated? That finish is very slick. It is so slick that people who attempt to polish them in order to make the trigger smoother often make them rougher. I personally still take the mag dissconnect out of all of my BHPs. I have no need for them.

I would also consider the Garthwaite trigger sear and hammer in addition to the C&S hammer, sear and trigger sets. Jim Garthwaite Pistolsmith, Inc. : Parts

Last edited by WVSig; 07-05-2016 at 01:43 PM.
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Old 07-05-2016, 01:42 PM
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Default Why mess with Hi-Power perfection ?

Maybe the finest battle pistol ever designed. Used by both sides during WWII, and nearly all but eastern bloc military and police units well into the early 21st century.. Designed with the mag. diconnect safety from the get go, and has always performed flawlessly. So unless you intend to shoot slow-fire bulls-eye with a Hi-Power, why fool with removing the safety? Just sayin'
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Old 07-05-2016, 01:54 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by VIS35 View Post
Maybe the finest battle pistol ever designed. Used by both sides during WWII, and nearly all but eastern bloc military and police units well into the early 21st century.. Designed with the mag. diconnect safety from the get go, and has always performed flawlessly. So unless you intend to shoot slow-fire bulls-eye with a Hi-Power, why fool with removing the safety? Just sayin'
I remove it because it is not a "safety" IMHO. It is a mag disconnect which serves a purpose for military use by the French who were the ones who originally requested it. There is some speculation as to why it was requested but for me it is unnecessary part. Just because it was part of the original spec does not make the part desirable, necessary or a good idea.

Many people site the 1970s-1980s US LEO reason for its existence in the S&W semi autos which was if an officer was loosing control of their service weapon in a scuffle the officer could render it useless by dropping the mag. This was never stated as the reason for its existence in the French contract.

The only reasoning that I have ever heard which made sense for a military service pistol was that the mag dissconnect was put into the spec for inspection and for storage. If the magazine was remove from the pistol prior to inspection the gun was made "safe". Also if all pistols were stored without their magazines then all pistols were stored in a "safe" condition. I have never been able to confirm this but it makes more sense to me than the LEO S&W explanation.

PS I take them out of my Gen 3 S&Ws as well. LOL

Last edited by WVSig; 07-05-2016 at 02:00 PM.
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Old 07-05-2016, 07:31 PM
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Jessie, I know all the cool kids remove the mag safety on Hi Powers, but be aware that trigger return/reset will be compromised. The little mag safety spring also assists in trigger reset. Hi Power trigger return has always been soggy/sluggish,indistinct ,etc. in my opinion. Yes, the trigger pull will be slightly lighter and any roughness in trigger pull due to the mag safety shoe and/or magazine surface finish will be eliminated. I used to be one of the cool kids who removed the magazine disconnect, but ceased doing so many years ago. Yes, having said this I understand I will not be considered one of the cool kids anymore
BTW, the Wolff "Standard Power #15071" 2 coil spring is extra power in the MKIII and will return some of the lost trigger reset authority if the mag safety is removed.
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Old 07-05-2016, 07:40 PM
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I've left the magazine disconnect as is in my Browning Hi-power. This is a non-issue to me. And the pistol works well. I have a bit of take-up in the trigger, but nothing that seems problematic. Really, as far as off-the-shelf pistols go, my 28 year-old Hi-power has the slickest action and one of the nicest triggers I've tried. Shoot it a bit and see if the trigger doesn't become more intuitive. Or don't clean it so well.
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Old 07-05-2016, 07:52 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rock185 View Post
Jessie, I know all the cool kids remove the mag safety on Hi Powers, but be aware that trigger return/reset will be compromised. The little mag safety spring also assists in trigger reset. Hi Power trigger return has always been soggy/sluggish,indistinct ,etc. in my opinion. Yes, the trigger pull will be slightly lighter and any roughness in trigger pull due to the mag safety shoe and/or magazine surface finish will be eliminated. I used to be one of the cool kids who removed the magazine disconnect, but ceased doing so many years ago. Yes, having said this I understand I will not be considered one of the cool kids anymore
BTW, the Wolff "Standard Power #15071" 2 coil spring is extra power in the MKIII and will return some of the lost trigger reset authority if the mag safety is removed.
It has nothing to do with being cool. It has everything to do with continuity of your manual of arms and eliminating unnecessary differences. Clearly your YMMV.

Pretty much every top BHP smith removes the mag disconnect. The FBI removed it when they ordered their SRTs from Novak. C&S trigger groups will not accommodate the part IIRC.

In the end remove it if you want if you don't like the reset you can always reinstall it.

Last edited by WVSig; 07-05-2016 at 07:57 PM.
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Old 07-05-2016, 07:54 PM
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I got the set from Cylinder & Slide Commander hammer, sear and spring set for my HP.
Had the magazine disconnect removed.
Big difference with the trigger, down to 4.5 lbs & crisp.
Now for the sights, I'm still wondering if I should do anything.

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Old 07-05-2016, 08:39 PM
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When I had my mag safety removed, the trigger tuned, and the hammer bobbed, I wanted new sights. My smith (one of the best in the Seattle area -- CaR firearms) wouldn't touch it. Said there wasn't enough metal on the front end and he was afraid that removing it would compromise that part of the slide.

As he's yet to steer me wrong, and got a Swedish Lahti back in working order then two other smiths couldn't figure it out, I went with his advice.

Now have a 4 lb. trigger that breaks smoother than any other gun in the safe (mostly Sigs, Walthers, Smiths, Berettas and one new Colt 9mm).
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Old 07-06-2016, 09:28 AM
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I wanted to pass on what I've done and the results.
Still having the mag disconnect in place, I cleaned and applied 3 coats of S&W dry lube to the upper 1/3 of the front of the mag. It uses a dry lube called Cerflon.
I buffed in between coats with a clean cloth.
It removed the trigger creep and stacking that I had before with the new MecGar mags. They are nearly as good as the original mag now.

As WVSig said, the original phosphated mags shouldn't need this
and may actually make things worse. I'd leave the phosphate coat alone.
This is what worked for me without any alterations.YMMV
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