The Browning Hi Power...

[Rock185]

mckenney, I get it about about the "atrocious" accuracy with the .40 Hi Power. I had an early .40 Hi Power, and .40 SIG P229. Both boringly reliable, but the .40 Hi Power did not have the accuracy of the .40 SIG, or my 9mm Hi Powers. Gunsmith Richard Heinie commented on the .40 Hi Power in one of the gun magazines years ago. He indicated the .40 HPs did not have the accuracy of the 9s, and he might have to add a BarSto barrel to his .40 HP custom packages..

 

[Narragansett]

I bought my BHP new in 1971 fo 94.00 OTD. I put maybe a couple hundred rounds through it, and put it away in the safe. It stayed there till the spring of this year. Number one son has always wanted it. He caught me at a weak moment, and I gave it to him with the caveat that he wills it to his younger brother.

This pic shows the Spegel rosewood grips I put on it a couple years ago

 

[chief38]

I had a magnificent Belgium made Hi Power for a few years. I sold it many years ago because it was my only 9 at the time and while it performed flawlessly, I always felt it was too large, heavy & bulky for a 9MM cartridge.

Probably should have held onto it.

 

[Grayfox]

The Hi-Power is my favorite 9mm pistol.

 

[Rule3]

View attachment 659331

True, but they're mostly coveted and desired for their superior fit, finish along with being Belgium made and assembled, they always bring more bearing their condition. The tangent sights with the detachable stock is the most sought after along with actual WWII models. The Renaissance models bring big bucks, but they were limited.

Internet folly. I have three Belgium made ones, one with a adjustable sight (not the tangent) None are "T"

What was different in 1964 to 1969??


Copied from another forum. Then there is the hype about the ring hammer


The "T"'s were just an earlier run of the same model of HiPower. In 1964 FN changed from a numerical only serial number to one with the letter "T" as the first character. ("T" being the product code for the Hi Power). In 1969 FN again changed the numbering system to use the last two digits of the year, followed by a new product code...the letter "C". So a Hi Power made in 1969 would have a serial # of 69Cxxxxx. As there were a number of frames already assigned "T" serial numbers, but not yet assembled, FN continued to use the "T" serial numbers for several years even after they began producing "C"'s. Occassionally you will see a post on a gun forum where someone believes their HP is uber rare because the serial number is not shown on Brownings Arms "Date Your Gun" database. (FN and Browning have never been very good about recordkeeping)

The "T" & "C" series are identical in quality, fit and finish.

Quote:
xxx I have a T series that i love dearly as well as a C series. The T series was made before 1970/71 when the C series came into being.
The earliest "C" series was manufactured in 1969 (serial #'s 69Cxxxx) and had ring hammers. (I own two of them

)

Quote:
The T has a ring hammer as opposed to the spur of the C and had plastic grips and a lanyard loop.
Almost all of the "T"'s and "C"'s imported into the USA by Browning Arms had blonde or honey colored walnut grips. A "T" or "C" series with plastic grips and a lanyard loop is most likely a military contract HP.

Most of the folks bit by a Hi Power are bit not by the ring or spur itself, but by the shaft of the hammer. And most of the bitten are 1911 fans trying to take as high a hold as possible....like they do with their 1911.
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[Hair Trigger]

mckenney, I get it about about the "atrocious" accuracy with the .40 Hi Power. I had an early .40 Hi Power, and .40 SIG P229. Both boringly reliable, but the .40 Hi Power did not have the accuracy of the .40 SIG, or my 9mm Hi Powers. Gunsmith Richard Heinie commented on the .40 Hi Power in one of the gun magazines years ago. He indicated the .40 HPs did not have the accuracy of the 9s, and he might have to add a BarSto barrel to his .40 HP custom packages..

Center body mass at 25 yards is far from atrocious. Maybe the 9mm is better, but my .40 is good enough, and does plenty of damage. I suspect the outliers are more me than the pistol, it's much better at 15 yards. These were my fist range outing with my .40 BHP. 155 gr.JHP's at around 1200 fps MV.

 

[LVSteve]

Most of the folks bit by a Hi Power are bit not by the ring or spur itself, but by the shaft of the hammer. And most of the bitten are 1911 fans trying to take as high a hold as possible....like they do with their 1911.
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Been saying it for years. Just because you can get higher on a gun doesn't mean that you should. If the flesh on your hands rolls up over the tang of any gun, you're holding it too high. If your hands are getting chewed up by the moving parts of any machine, you need to change what you're doing to reduce the blood spatter. How hard can it be?

 

[Ky6906fan]

I just picked up two myself for my collection.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

Do you own or carry any striker-fired pistols that have an external thumb safety but not an exposed hammer? If so, they are no different in practical operation than a 1911.

You insert a full magazine; you rack the slide to chamber a round and cock the pistol; you flip the thumb safety up. The only difference is that you can see the cocked hammer on the 1911. (or the BHP, for that matter)

You are correct, and I have one, and I'm not crazy about it. But it's a nice-sized gun for concealment whereas your typical 1911 is not, unless you get a pocket-sized one from Kimber.

Which explains why I carry other guns.........most of the time.

 

[153]

With essential modifications: Novak sights, C&S hammer and sear, mag safe removed, Spegel handles …

 

[Moo Moo]

I've got one of the Silver Chrome (?) Mk III's with the gold Trigger.

 

[Imissedagain]

Bought that 9mm BHP for the Mrs decades ago.
Trigger was always absolutely crisp but heavy.
Took the mag disconnect out not long ago and it
was a wee bit lighter and still crisp.
Decided to use a fisherman's trigger pull gauge today,
sinkers in an ammo bag, and it takes 7lbs 2 ounces to
drop the hammer.

Might have fired only 100 rounds since new.
Most by her son with 2" groups, offhand at 25yds.
I'll call him my son when he can do that at 50yds.

 

[jeeps]

Years ago I visited Dances Sporting Goods in Petersburg Virginia, as I often did when I was in the area for business. In the used gun case was one of the ugliest firearms I’ve ever seen. It looked like a Browning Hi Power but it had an internal extractor like a 1911 and said “Inglis” on it. I told the guy it looked like some crappy copy of a Hi Power. Upon getting home I started researching with this Internet thingy and learned all about Inglis Hi Powers made during WWII.

A day or 2 later I wandered back to Dance’s and offered them $300 cash for that crusty junk and they said “OK”
http://smith-wessonforum.com/members/thetinman-albums-miscellaneous-picture27278-inglis-hi-power-1944-
a.jpeg

It might not be worth more than $300 today but I love it! The frame was made in 1944. It has matching serial numbers on the frame, slide and barrel - only in 3 completely different fonts and the barrel looks like another number was ground flat before this one was stamped. The slide and frame both say “FTR 63” with a cartouche someone kindly identified as an armory in England. My guess is that is when the slide, barrel and frame came together and got painted black. Yes, it is thick, cruddy black paint. Who knows why? But it runs like a top.

If only guns could talk…

I have the same British issue Inglis ,they were given to the S.O.E. and paratroopers in WW2 then standard issue till the late 1960's. They are one of the best made early Hi-powers made from Battle ship grade plate cut out then machined. Very tuff and reliable military pistol. Yours was rebuilt at Enfield lock in England, a real British issue.

 

[Wengayoo]

"New" BHP

I found this BHP last weekend at the gun show and received it yesterday. A mint 1969 BHP T-series with adjustable rear sight. It's going in the safe next to my Browning BDA 380, and then to the range after New Years .

 

[Kinman]

I've owned at least six, usually let them go to a friend or shooting buddy that has his first fling with my pistol. They all keep them and when approached later they all say "I've kind of gotten used to it, I'll hang on to it." I was first bitten many years ago. Hi Powers are my favorite 9mm pistol, although I do like shooting P-08 Lugers and find them to have the most inherent pointability built in (as in point and shoot). I prefer HK USPs in every other caliber, although my wife's P2000SK is like running a Bernina sewing machine by comparison to a HP.

 

[bc1023]

My opinion won’t be popular, but so be it.

I’m fortunate enough to own practically all the high end pistols past and present, as well as a wide assortment of classic handguns. I own a number of BHP’s, because of their history and the classic looks. That’s the collector in me.

From a performance and construction standpoint, I think it’s a lousy gun at best. The construction is weak to the point that it wasn’t even rated for +P ammo. The frame is so thin that it can’t be properly checkered, the trigger design is awful, the recoil impulse is harsh, and the mechanical accuracy is fair at best.

I honestly feel that people who love shooting these things generally lack experience with really good shooting pistols.

 

[Glenn R. McMannly]

The Hi-Power sure is photogenic and highly collectible, so it’s a natural here on this board. Excellent pistols! I would like to own one but the Turkish models do not impress and originals are staggeringly expensive.

 

[alwslate]

No bc1023 your opinion won't be popular but the BHP is very popular and will undoubtedly remain so

 

[moralem]

My Brownings, including the baby……


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[bc1023]

No bc1023 your opinion won't be popular but the BHP is very popular and will undoubtedly remain so

Hey that’s cool.

I own several of them and always have. Just giving you the facts of the design. It leaves a heck of a lot to be desired.

Even talented custom smiths struggle to turn it into anything resembling a good shooting pistol. In the competitive shooting world, they don’t even rate a hello. They aren’t competitive in any way, shape, or form.

That said, this is a collector’s forum first and foremost and I understand BHP love from a collector’s standpoint. As shooters, they basically suck and suck bad.