I purchased a used Hi-Power from a shop a little while back after doing a quick inspection after breaking it down at the counter. I'm completely new to the Hi-Power design, and I wanted to try one out, so after seeing what I though was a nice used example with a bit of custom work done to it, I decided to pick it up. I've already salvaged a slide off of an Argentinean Hi-Power, and I've shot a few hundred rounds through the pistol in its current form, and it functions well now, but I'm curious if this area is a common area for cracks to occur on Hi-Power pistols.
Notice the crack in the metal underneath the extractor:
With the slide disassembled it is easy to spot the crack going from under the extractor, to the hole for the spring that is used on Hi-Power pistols with a FPB, and on further to the hole milled out for the roll pin that holds the extractor in place, and then at least a quarter inch further beyond that on its way to the rear of the slide:
As much as I tried, I couldn't get better quality pictures than these.
This thread was made mostly out of curiosity. It seems like the crack started from where the rims of the cartridges impact the metal underneath the extractor, on their way into the chamber when being chambered. It seems rather strange that the impact of chambering a cartridge could cause a slide to crack. Are Hi-Power pistols with the milled hole for the spring loaded FPB more susceptible to this damage than those without, or was this example just a fluke?
There seem to be some people who appreciate the Hi-Power design on this forum, so I thought I'd ask. Has anyone seen this on a Hi-Power before? If so, was there a determined cause?
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Originally Posted by CWarner
