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Subject: "Gun of the Week: Browning Hi-Power"     Previous Topic | Next Topic
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Conferences Gun of the Week Topic #29
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Gryphonadmin
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22375 posts
Jan-31-16, 01:07 PM (EDT)
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1. "omitted detail"
In response to message #0
 
   Forgot to mention last night—the original flavor Hi-Power, like the one shown here, has a single-action trigger and is (obviously) hammer-fired. There's no decocker, just a positive safety. Like the M1911 before it, the Hi-Power was intended to be carried either with the hammer down on an empty chamber (the more likely prevailing doctrine at the time), or with the hammer cocked and the safety engaged.

Many years later, in the early 1980s, FN developed a double/single-action version in order to meet the US military's specifications for its new sidearm search, but the DA Hi-Power lost out to the Beretta 92F in that contest. They were, and I think still are, available on the civilian market as the HP-DA in Europe and Browning BDA in the US.

Also, I should have mentioned a couple of this gun's bad habits, because it did have some. For one, it has a magazine safety, which is something the French Army demanded before not adopting the gun. This prevents the weapon from being fired if it doesn't have a magazine in it, which is (IMO) of questionable utility and has the annoying side effect of making the trigger heavier than it needs to be. There are customization services out there that will tune up your Hi-Power and take that out in the process, although doing so voids the manufacturer's warranty, naturally.

For another, the models with the spur hammer (like mine) will tend to bite the hand that shoots them if you're careless. If you have big hands (like mine), you have to be particular about how you hold it or the hammer spur might pinch the meaty bit of your hand between itself and the beavertail. This is not in quite the same league of discomfort and dismay as its predecessor, the M1911's legendary Colt Hammer Bite, but it's also harder to work around, since unlike the M1911, the Hi-Power doesn't have a grip safety that can easily be replaced to put a longer beavertail on it. (Although you could swap on one of the bobbed ring hammers, like the original military models had, which would address the same problem from the other direction.) I have not actually been bitten by mine, but it's something to be conscious of.

Beyond that, I should note that on a personal level it's a real treat to operate this gun. They're expensive—a new Hi-Power Standard like the one pictured in the original article will set you back around $1000 in the US today—but the payoff for that is the exceptional build quality. Everything is perfectly toleranced and beautifully finished. Even the noises it makes while being taken apart, put back together, and used (well, you know, apart from the bang-bang) are pleasant. The slide and barrel are made of such high-quality steel they kind of ping when bumped together, like turning forks. The grip is too large for some people's hands, but it fits my meathooks very nicely indeed, and the trigger may be heavier than it really needs to be thanks to the mag safety, but it's crisp and very precise. I'm not one for four-figure firearms generally, but I gladly make an exception for the Hi-Power. You very much get what you paid for.

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Mod
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
zgryphon at that email service Google has
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  Subject     Author     Message Date     ID  
 Gun of the Week: Browning Hi-Power [View All] Gryphonadmin Jan-31-16 TOP
  omitted detail Gryphonadmin Jan-31-16 1
      RE: omitted detail Sofaspud Jan-31-16 2
          RE: omitted detail Gryphonadmin Feb-01-16 3
              RE: omitted detail Sofaspud Feb-01-16 5
                  RE: omitted detail Gryphonadmin Feb-01-16 6
                      RE: omitted detail drakensis Feb-01-16 8
                          RE: omitted detail Gryphonadmin Feb-01-16 10
                              RE: omitted detail Verbena Feb-01-16 11
                      RE: omitted detail Sofaspud Dec-28-20 21
   RE: Gun of the Week: Browning Hi-Power pjmoyermoderator Feb-01-16 4
   RE: Gun of the Week: Browning Hi-Power MoonEyes Feb-01-16 7
      RE: Gun of the Week: Browning Hi-Power Gryphonadmin Feb-01-16 9
   RE: Gun of the Week: Browning Hi-Power BobSchroeck Feb-01-16 12
      RE: Gun of the Week: Browning Hi-Power dbrandon Feb-02-16 13
          RE: Gun of the Week: Browning Hi-Power Gryphonadmin Feb-02-16 14
              RE: Gun of the Week: Browning Hi-Power zwol Feb-02-16 15
                  RE: Gun of the Week: Browning Hi-Power dbrandon Feb-03-16 16
   Speak of the devil... Gryphonadmin Feb-08-16 17
      RE: Speak of the devil... pfloydteam May-08-23 25
   Two Items, One Sad, One Weird Gryphonadmin Feb-27-20 18
      RE: Two Items, One Sad, One Weird SpottedKitty Mar-03-20 19
      RE: Two Items, One Sad, One Weird Gryphonadmin Mar-15-20 20
   Silly Shit on the Internet Gryphonadmin May-09-21 22
      RE: Silly Shit on the Internet Gryphonadmin May-11-21 23
          RE: Silly Shit on the Internet MoonEyes May-15-21 24


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