I have a pleasant alternative that is becoming nasty. I have been offered a Browning Hi-Power 40 S&W and a CZ-75D Compact 9x19 mm. They are identically priced slightly under $550. Both are nearly new, cases and papers intact. I have window shopped to compare magazine costs. Costs for Mec-Gar brand magazines are within a couple of dollars.

The only semiautomatic pistol I own is a Ruger Mk. III target model. In the 1980s I owned a Colt Officer's Model 45 ACP. All other handgun ownership or shooting has been with revolvers.

I can afford one pistol.

I own both, and would probably start with the Browning HP, as they are no longer made.

If you intend to carry daily, then the CZ would be my choice.

Randy

Both are good pistols, I lean towards the Hi Power, I have several, 30 Luger and 9mm. don't have a 40. Have several CZs but no CZ75.
SWCA 892

Hi Power all day long. But I tend to be little biased.

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John

I'd say it's a upickum. Both are great designs.

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Made it, Ma! Top of the world!

I'd go with the Hi-Power, especially considering how rare the .40 is. My guess is that they'd probably go for a lot more than your seller's asking price.

I gave my BHP .40 S&W to my son. It was my first .40, I like it fine but preferred the 9mm. It holds ten rounds, similar size pistols hold more.

I owned two CZ 75 pistols and have shot my son’s three CZ’s. I don’t care for the decocker models.

As stated above the BHP has been discontinued and CZ is still cranking them
out. I vote for the BHP.

To me, it'd be a toss up if the Browning was also 9mm.

Since it's not ..... CZ all day every day.

By the P35.

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S&W Accumulator

Normally I would say just grab the Browning - but of course you have to be "into" .40S&W which I'm not. If you are...... then that's the one IMHO.

Of course you could not buy either and wait until something that strikes you fancy big time comes along!

Buy the Browning, resell it for a profit - in rational condition they bring $700 - $800 in NM.

On the strength of the thread title, I’d have said take the Browning. The CZ is a better pistol, but you can get it any day. But since the Browning is a .40, it would not be as attractive to me. I would still think long and hard, and might decide on the Hi-Power in the end, but would probably take the CZ.

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Not in jail.

I would opt for the BHP. .40 is not my favorite caliber, but I would learn to tolerate it. If the BHP is in very nice condition, that price is quite good. BHPs have been going up in price since production ended.

A Browning HP in 40, like new with labeled case etc is realistically selling for 1k+ on Gunbroker right now. The CZ is a good gun don't get me wrong, but one of your options is half off. It also just happens to be the one you CAN'T just waltz into a LGS nowadays and find on the shelf new production.

SVT28

I dearly love the Hi-Power and have 3 in 9mm. But I won't touch one in .40. I just don't like the cartridge.
I've seen a bunch of 'em at various gun shows Resale on these sucks. The .40 version never caught on. Can't hardly give 'em away. I think $550 for one is too high.

CZ as a keeper, HP if you want to flip it.

If both in 9mm (as I have), the CZ is a more comfortable gun to shoot, with IMO a better trigger.
Heck, in my opinion, the CZ is just the better gun, period.

It's my understanding that the 40 beat the heck out of the HP, to the point that they changed manufacturing methods to beef up the frame. Depending on when the one you're looking at was made, that's definitely an issue to consider.

But like lots of folks have already said, a papered Browning HP is "worth" a good deal more than the CZ. I guess the correct answer is, get the Browning, sell it, and go buy that CZ (or a similar one) and pocket the change.

I'm in the Browning Hi Power crowd. They are no longer made and even the .40 version has a cult following (I like the round). That is a very good price. I have one of the earliest .40 BHP that I used for a custom build by Novaks. The CZ's are great guns but are commonly found.

Get the Hi Power. It's the much better buy. You can also get a 9mm conversion barrel and have two firearms in one. Not only that, you'll never lose resale value.

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Thread Killer.

I would go for the Hi Power if it was in 9mm. Don't much care for them in .40

Since it isn't. I would go for the CZ.

But I already have an Hi Power.

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Expect the unexpected

I had a similar choice... I got the high power in 40 to go with my other 2 in 9mm... soft shooting and very accurate...
I own exactly zero CZ75's.. they are great from what I have heard... but I started shooting BHP in the late 1970's when my father got one for carry & IPSC... just has always been a favorite pistol design... get the Browning... be happy or flip it and get the CZ with spare magazines & ammo

Get the .40 then trade it for a 70's era 9mm.

I have an HP in 9mm and a CZ75 with decocker in 9mm. I think the CZ is more accurate, for me anyway, and more comfortable to shoot. That being said, if you can flip the HP for more money then get a CZ, that is what I would do. I don't like the .40 caliber one bit.

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Kevin in Oregon

Good guidance above.

I own two Belgium P35s, but remember John Moses Browning worked on the initial design right at 100 years ago. I think High Powers are cool, but they were designed for a French Army specification dating to the Warren G Harding administration. I have one of my High Powers off to a gunsmith for $1000 of updating to make it a defense-ready pistol (hollow points, night sites, etc.).

The CZs were product improved High Powers in many ways, mostly adding better triggers and double action. They are also circa 1970s design and have been consistently product improved. The Czechs have done well, being the armorers of choice for hundreds of years.

I don’t own a CZs, mostly because my hands just don’t work with their double action trigger length. My shooting experience with the CZs is a L Frame revolver shooter used to double action would have zero issues. The CZ compact is also a sweet spot gun - weighty enough to absorb recoil, well balanced and readily concealable.

You really can’t lose with the options. As Growr mentioned, the CZ Compact is a great concealable gun. Either would be great as a pointer/target gun and likely have comparable inherent accuracy.

Definitely the Browning Hi-Power. Last I heard they were out of production and were going for upwards of $800 online. Plus it's a .40cal which is actually pretty scarce when it comes to HPs, and despite what folks say about it being snappy, (Personally I have no problem shooting .40 S&W out of compact polymer pistol like my SW40VE, but I digress...) an all metal firearm like the BHP should be pleasant to shoot no matter who you are. There are also 9mm Conversion Kits available for .40cal BHPs, so even if you hate .40 you can easily convert it to 9mm.

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Shooting Comfort is bilateral.

I think at the price the BHP is a better buy, but I no longer buy guns because they are a good buy. Person can broke buying good deals and never end up with something that makes you truly happy.
I have shot several HP’s and they failed to impress.
Have owned a couple CZ75’s, both B&D variants. I prefer the D.
I also prefer the 9 over the 40. I would be the nice guy and let someone else get the deal on the HP.

I have had both in 9mm. got rid of the CZ, The Hi-Power is the keeper for me.

Hi-Power all the way.

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John 3:16
WAR EAGLE!

For $550, I'd take the Hi-Power, unless there is something wrong with it. I really like the CZ-75 design, but genuine Browning Hi-Powers are out of production, so unless there is something wrong with it, $550 is a steal.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

Lots of folks poo poo the .40 cal...me its just another tool you learn to use... a Hammer is not a screwdriver, but both do fine work for what it was designed for. Im a HP fan....CZ if great but the HP will retain value in my O-Pine.

Not a .40 fan so this would be a easy pick for me. Sounds like you need to flip a coin.

These days .40 ammo is probably easier to find in the store, so if you want to shoot it now, get the BHP.

You would be miles ahead on price with any HiPower at $550.
For $240 you could get a 9mm barrel and have a very fine pistol in two calibers.
Browning Hi-Power 9mm Conversion - Bar-Sto
My older brother has an old FN .40 cal HP with this barrel and it is a wonderful shooter.

There's your answer! Do it!

I own both. The High Power to keep; the CZ-75 to carry and shoot.

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Many thanks, guys. Any purchase would be for a "keeper." I have my EDC. This pistol would be, I believe, my only centerfire semiautomatic pistol. I had been leaning slightly toward the CZ, but I have small hands. Informing me that there is a drop-in 9x19 conversion has made the deal.

One question: Bar-Sto's conversion barrel also has three locking lugs. Am I correct that submachinegun ammunition and +P+ would not cause abnormal wear to the Browning?

The reports I have read indicate that the .40 HiPower barrel and slide having a heavier three-lug setup to support the .40 cartridge make it suitable for more powerful 9mm ammo when converted.
I imagine you could shoot quite hot 9mm ammo in the converted pistol without damage, but I would not make it my range fodder.
In my mind, you will still be way ahead with an $800 BHP, with a 9mm Bar Sto barrel, with three locking lugs, shooting 9mm, than you would be with any other version of that pistol right now. I am seeing them at $1k where I live.

Here is a pic of a cool HiPower just because I think they are sooooooooooo pretty.

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Given your choice, I'd go with the CZ. If the HP were in 9mm, I'd say get it. I would never get a HP chambered in .40.

For value, 550 is a great price, and resale, I would get the HP.
Not one of your choices, but for shooting and carrying, a CZ Compact.

I carry my 75D Compact before any of my vaunted 3913 Smiths. The CZ just feels right in my hand, and the gun is ultra reliable with more rounds. Just great guns, CZ.

Before I get battered, the HP is a great gun also.

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Sure you did

Tough decision...both are good designs and well-made pistols.

If you decide on the CZ, I would be interested in the Hi-Power. Please send me a PM with the seller's information...thanks.

I'm going this way. Joe

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Wisdom chases me; I'm faster

I think the 40 Hi-Power also has a heavier slide than most 9x19 Hi-Power's, but I dunno about shooting sub-machine gun ammo in one, assuming you could find this ammo. A 40 Hi-Power converted to 9x19 should be able to handle +P and +P+ ammo better than a run of the mill Hi-Power.

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VCDL, GOA, NRA

I have and love both, but $550 for a CZ75d is a little high around here, while $550 for a Hi Power is a deal if it's a Belgium made gun.

I don't think you'll find "sub gun" ammo - well, you might, but why?

If the springs are replaced at regular intervals, and given that the .40 Hi power has a cast frame, there shouldn't be much of a problem shooting higher pressure ammo.

I have an Israeli police trade 9mm HP with cast frame.

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Thread Killer.

Buy Hi Power, sell Hi Power, almost free CZ!