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Thread: The P35/Browning Hi Power in 2017?

  1. #11
    Timely thread. I've recently been drooling over the Nighthawk Hi Power. Looks beautiful (IMO) but I don't know too much about Nighthawk quality and have no 1st hand experience with them. If it looks like a solid option, I could certainly see picking one up as a fun gun.

    I'm sure a Wilson (in edc, 1911, or beretta) or custom CZ wondernine might be more "practical" but the historical context of the Hi Power draws me to it.

    ETA: pic added.

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    Last edited by jc000; 03-17-2017 at 09:13 AM.

  2. #12
    Site Supporter psalms144.1's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2012
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    Bloomington, IN
    As heirloom guns, every safe should have a nice BHP, a nice 1911, a P7M8, and a sweet blue steel round gun (or four or five of each of the above).

    From a practical perspective, the BHP is large, heavy, capacity challenged, has a magazine disconnect safety this can be a bit of a PITA, and has the most "meh" SAO trigger I've found. But, since Brownings are on my agency's authorized personal weapons list, I'd LOVE to show up to a Field Office "all hands" meeting some day sporting a matched set of BHPs in a double shoulder rig - just to watch management's collective head explode.

    Of course, I'd need to win the LOTTO to be able to afford a pair of duty-ready BHPs, so it's VERY unlikely to happen...

  3. #13
    Nighthawks have good quality, there was a time it was hit of miss, that's when it was discovered that their CS is terrible.

  4. #14
    Member
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    Jun 2011
    Location
    Erath County, Texas
    I have never owned an HP; my only use of one was a familiarization fire with a Saudi-issued piece almost two decades ago. I have a buddy who was a British Royal Marine and who runs a range/training company here in Texas. I asked him one day why he doesn't favor HPs, knowing he used them heavily while in Her Majesty's service. He told me that the slide stop is not compatible with his thumbs-forward high grip. Makes sense to me.

  5. #15
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    Dec 2015
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    Ohio
    I've had a real browning and a feg copy years ago. There was a big difference between the two.

    That said, my issues was getting the thing to reload in a hurry was difficult, and there was practically no reset with a longer trigger travel. So, weak 1911 reset with much longer than 1911 trigger travel.

    I really want one again, and find a pro smith to do some work with the sear lever to make the reset more tactile, and blend the magwell.

  6. #16
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    Dec 2012
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    NoVA
    I have 4, all of them customs. For me it's sorta "why does a dog lick it's balls." But they DO get carried and shot a lot. They work hard. Out of the box, the biggest advantages are in ergonomics, the grip size and feel, sight radius. But out of the box, I consider them insufficient. The trigger sucks, particularly with the disconnect, mags don't typically drop free with the disconnect, and the safety is a miserable bitch. Every one of those problems is easily solveable, but it's going to cost you. I've now got guns by Ted Yost, Jim Garthwaite, Don Williams, and I'm waiting on one from Karl Sokol. So to make them really good

    - Trigger job
    - Stipple/Checker the front and back
    - Sights
    - Bevel the magwell
    - Remove disconnect
    - Safety

    So owning and managing the platform base doesn't get you much. But doing up a gun is fun, and then they're really fantastic to shoot. The trigger can be just great. The grip is amazing and concealable. It IS 13 rounds, but it's an incredibly efficient 13 rounds because the grip is small and comfortable. Pick up a P228/9 which is a platform I like, but the grip is considerably smaller than the P228. My only continued complaint is ironically the other side of the small grip. You've got VERY little leeway on mag reloads even with the bevelled magwell. Even with loads of practice and some IDPA time on the platform, I still catch the edge more than any other gun.

    Still, my BHPs are sorta my 9mm 1911s to me. If you want a good hard-use gun, I'd check with Karl Sokol or Don Williams. They build great, simple BHPs that'll last you for life and take a lot of abuse
    Last edited by newt; 03-17-2017 at 10:19 AM.

  7. #17
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    Dec 2012
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    NoVA
    Also, I'd recommend against the 15 round mags. A lot of people use them, and for range purposes they are fine. But they don't have the legs below the follower, so the follower will tip sometimes. I don't consider them reliable enough for real use.

  8. #18
    Member
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    Jun 2011
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    In exile
    I've owned three BHP's, I liked them all but not enough to keep any. I don't get hammer bite, close but never a problem. My last one had an acceptable trigger too. But the recoil impulse is outsized to the 9mm and an all steel gun IMO. A better alternative for a all steel, double stack 9mm, SAO or DA/SA is a CZ 75. I have a Pre-B 75 converted to SAO that runs great, it has at least 20,000 rounds with just spring replacements and a new sear. Better recoil characteristics, after market support and higher capacity for about the same size. BHP's are very svelte. A 75 compact can be converted to SAO.

  9. #19
    I had two: an older Belgian gun with the tangent adjustable rear sight, and a later MkIII. Grip frame felt good and I appreciated the ambi safety and better sights on the MkIII. Easy to carry concealed. The MkIII was the one I short and carried for a short while.

    My gripes:

    1. Hard to get a consistent trigger on the gun. The fire control group is kinda complex vs a 1911. My trigger pulls would vary from shot to shot by about a half pound up or down the average weight of 5.25 lbs. I had my smith fit a C&S hammer and sear kit into the pistol, but these only minimized the variation rather than eliminated it. I'm guessing a lot more detail work with the sear lever and the slide channel where the lever resided, may have helped things.

    2. Accuracy was ok but more modern guns grouped better. At the time, I could put a gun's load of ammo into a cloverleaf at 15 meters, with either a 5" 1911 or a 4" K-frame. With a BHP, I could do no better than 4". I figured it was the trigger so I asked a retired Army guy who frequented the range to shoot it. He knew and carried a BHP while in the service and was able to shrink the groups by an inch but no more than that. I asked him if this was typical and he said he and his company were happy to get 4" groups with service ball.

    3. I find the metal to be soft. I dehorned the bottom of the slide and found that the needle file would take a lot of metal off. I did the same thing to my 1991A1 and it took a lot more effort to dehorn that slide.

    4. I found the muzzle "whippy." Sights took a longer time to settle back on target vs the other guns I had at the time.

    It a significant piece of gun design history and deserves a place in a reference collection. But I think many of the choices we have today will easily outperform the gun.
    Last edited by Padwan; 03-17-2017 at 10:46 AM.

  10. #20
    Member
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    Feb 2011
    Location
    Northwest
    When I started in LE in the late 90's they were everywhere on patrol and in detectives. Prior to their being as many options as their is today there were really only a few choices. Glock, Sig, Beretta, 1911, BHP. So a lot of people carried them. Although I had plenty of choices I liked them so much I bought one myself and carried one for a number of years on patrol and then when I went into Detectives. It's a little heavy for one and the trigger isn't that great. I had a reduced hammer spring which made it much better. The design of the trigger has a lot of take up then a significant wall.

    But....with a just a few things the BHP can be THAT perfect metal hi cap pistol. Bob the hammer spur or get a rounded hammer because hammer bite. Reduce the hammer spring (or get a trigger job) and you'll have a very, very nice and shootable trigger, and finally take a file (or pay a smith) to round and open up the mag well because it's very square.

    So why doesn't everyone do this? Well, they used too...but now their are just too many great options that do all the HP did. And FN/Browning really see's the HP as a Legacy product so they don't make a bunch and they cost over 1k.

    The good news is you can buy a Israeli surplus from gunbroker for less than $400 to get you a shooter to start.
    Last edited by nwhpfan; 03-17-2017 at 11:04 AM.
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