Browning Hi Powers, I know that there are...........

[WVSig]

ALLHi Powers are made in Belgium and later models are assembled in Portugal under FN supervision and quality control. Further the newer guns are stronger and have better tolerances than the older guns. Forged frames were changed to cast as the weaker, forged frame broke when chambered for the .40

Tolerances aren't any better on the newer guns. The cast frame is stronger than the original forged frames. FN when cast because they could produce a stronger frame for less money using cast than they could using forging. Forging could produce a frame just as strong but it would cost more so they went cast.

I personally believe that the early T series guns are the best of the breed it terms of fit, finish and looks. For a long term hard duty use shooter, I am talking about 25,000 round count type guns, my preference is a MKIII.

Different tools for different roles.

 

[WVSig]

I like BHPs.

Garthwaite Custom MKIII

Wild West Guns Custom C72 1972

MKIII Practical

Israeli Surplus FN rollmarked MKII & 1/2

Factory Nickel BHP MKII

Novak Custom

1969 69C Beater with a Bomar sight

Don Williams The Action Works Alloy FN Custom

APW Cogan T series Custom w/ S&W rear sight

Pre T Internal extractor 1962

 

[JohnRippert]

WVSig,

Love that Practical. The others ain't bad at all.

 

[WVSig]

WVSig,

Love that Practical. The others ain't bad at all.

The practical is a great gun. I bought it intending to send it to Yost to have him do a full house custom including checkering the grip but I love it so much as it is I have never sent it. Practicals don't have a serial number on the front of the grip strap and tend to be thicker in the front of the grip so they are easier to checker. Yost is one of the few smiths that will checker them. Most will only stipple them.

 

[walkinghorse]

I've purchased and then sold far too many 9mm pistols over the years, Smiths, Sigs, CZs, Glocks, and others, however my 1980's target sighted HP-35 is not leaving! She runs like a champ and is more accurate than I can hold most days. Wearing Herrett's grips.

Interesting grip, is that something you did to accommodate the LH safety?

 

[rwt1405]

Wow WVSig, now THAT is a collection!

 

[Triathloncoach]

There is a cool write up in Firearms News (formally Shotgun News) Feb 2017 Issue 4 on the best hand guns of WW2 that includes an interesting commentary on the history of the HP and why it's an excellent weapon. Definitely worth a read if you like HP.

I don't think I am allowed to post a link, so I am going to continue my long stretch of violation free posting and just give people a heads up.

 

[PALADIN85020]

I'm also a fan of the Browning High Power. I have had one of the nice FEG Hungarian clones customized by Cylinder and Slide. Most of the modifications take care of my concerns with the original design - the tendency for the hammer to "pinch" the web of the hand, the tiny safety, the trigger letoff, and the inadequate sights. The forward serrations were thrown in by C&S gratis when they re-blued the slide.

I also have a couple of Canadian Inglis HPs, this one from 1944, with the paint finish:

...and this one is the adjustable sight model, made in 1945, with its matching shoulder stock holster.

By the way, there is no magazine safety on any of these - another feature of the original I did not like.

John

 

[erics]

First one i bought was 1968 brand new. Sold it a year later for some reason I no longer remember. About 3 years ago a lgs got one on consignment in very good condition. I would visit it about once a month so work on the price a bit. but eight months later, the seller had dropped the price by $100. Still a little high I thought but time to move on this. Out the door for $600 no box or papers but had the Browning rug. Got it home and stripped and was shocked to find this was virtually an unfired gun!

 

[Xfuzz]

Here is a FN marked Hi Power I bought
a couple weeks ago.
Dates to 1991 and is slick as a pin.

 

[robvious]

timely thread... just had my late father's Belgium HP out of the safe... according to the Browning website it was never made... it is a 76C serial number instead of the 245 serial number that was supposed to start in 1976... my father shot IPSC with it back in the day... and Bill L. at Cylinder & Slide worked on it back then... he used to shoot and compete at the same range with my dad... I have known him since I was a little kid, great guy.

 

[les.b]

Well, I let it go years ago in a trade, but my one and only High Power was a tangent sighted, shoulder stock slotted pre war version with nazi proofs and waffenampts?sp? Or whatever the correct name is, stamps on it. This was before I adopted my "always buy, never sell" philosophy. Traded it to one of my police buddies...the same one who ended up with my Browning 1955 .380, but that's another story. Wish I had both of them back after seeing the beautiful specimens above.

Edit: just reread the above posts...mine looked just like the bottom one in Palidin's post, but I never had the shoulder stock... Nice, John!!

Best Regards, Les

 

[Old Corp]

Do love a good BHP. Mine is from a customer/friend I made while working p/t at the last LGS I was at. A near perfect Belgian he made me pay $450 for, with about 8 magazines. Aftermarket Millet target sight, ramp front, Hogue wood grips. It shoots so good. An El Paso Saddlery scabbard I had for a Colt Commander fits her fine.
Sadly, she shoots so much more accurately than my Colt Commander 9mm, it makes the Colt look bad.

 

[jdlii]

I am lucky enough to have one for each hand!

 

[Mike SC Hunter]

Mine....Belgian....Purchased early 1972($114.00) by me for my HS graduation........Still have it......Added Millett adj. sights sometime in the 80's.......

 

[Glashaus]

I have had a few BHP's over the years, this is the one that I kept and made the journey to Texas with me.

 

[Walter Rego]

Back in the late '90's a bunch of 1950's vintage P35's that were Austrian Gendarmerie issue were imported. Most came with two matching numbered mags and had stampings on the front grip strap indicating the district and issue number. This one was from the Salzburg district. I found the correct holster rig shortly after purchasing it.

 

[Big E3]

Picked up my used 1975 Browning in 1984. It was the second pistol I ever owned behind a S&W 59. I already had a Python I bought new in 1978. The Python and Smith are long gone.

I picked up this FEG about three weeks ago, for $150, couldn’t pass for the price.

 

[Frank46]

Cannot post pics but Browning High Power was purchased from CDI sales and picked up about October 2016. Gunsmith got it around 28th of december and he tore it down,cleaned everything even removed the white paint on the sights and repainted it orange. Who makes a good holster for it?. Frank

 

[US&S 1911]

My first full sized pistol was a Belgian Hi Power, 245 prefix, civilian market Mkii, bought at a police auction. The magazine was rusted into the magwell, but the gun cleaned up well, where it counted. I shaped and polished the feed ramp, polished out & throated the chamber, and she fed, shot, and ejected any ammo I put into the factory magazines. I got very adept at making P35s function flawlessly. I also had a tendency to disconnect the magazine safety and clean up the trigger action, a bit more with some extra polishing, hand filing & fitting. Little did I know it, but at about 19:39 Hours on 3rd October, 2003, one of those Hi Powers would save my life, and the life of another person, when a methamphetamine user went on a drug fueled rampage with his pickup truck. My Hi Power was impounded, for about 8 months, until the court case (criminal) was over. In the mean time I bought a S&W 5904. Uhm, not exactly one of my favorite guns, but it worked. I was sure happy to see my Browning again, and the letter signed by The Chief of The Phoenix Police Department was a nice touch too. The icky brown oil they stored my gun in, was slightly less appreciated, but it was nicer than letting it rust. I moved on to Sig Sauer. Wow, a big step from Browning, as the BDA & BDM were both made by Sauer at some point. Sarcasm alert.