A Safety Issue With My Nazi Hi Power.

davidh5000 · November 12, 2016, 01:59 PM

I have a Nazi Hi Power that when you put the safety on and pull the trigger it's fine. However, when you take the safety off the hammer falls!!! It's an older one that originally had a magazine safety that was removed. I have never seen this happen before. I was wondering if anyone would have an idea what would cause this to happen. It's a really nice tangent sight model with commercial blued finish, so I definitely want to fix it

tangolima · November 12, 2016, 04:25 PM

It needs some fitting of the safety, and perhaps the sear and hammer notches. Take it to a competent gunsmith.

-TL

Snyper · November 12, 2016, 06:23 PM

Don't pull the trigger with the safety engaged

Scorch · November 12, 2016, 11:41 PM

What causes the High Power safety to fail? Well, if it has Waffenamt proof marks it's not a High Power, it's a P35. The safety failing as you described is usually a poorly executed trigger job or just wear of the sear or hammer notch. You can buy P35 sear and hammer sets and fit them. If you don't know how, its time to visit the gunsmith.

mete · November 13, 2016, 01:37 AM

That problem is not limited to the HP .The Challenger and other brands I have seen the problem !! It needs a competent gunsmith to fix it !!
The first time it happened to me was a shocker and I've been checking all guns for that problem !

tangolima · November 13, 2016, 11:33 AM

It certainly can happen to any guns. Too bad you can't sue the Nazi for money as in the case of Remington 700. It is not difficult to fix if you know how to. But don't try if you don't. You could be the one being sued.

-TL

T. O'Heir · November 13, 2016, 01:22 PM

What Scorch says about replacing parts will save you a lot of time and mucking about.
The hammer fall all the way or just to half cock? Just curious. Still a worn or damaged sear. $31.80 at Gunparts. Spur hammer runs $71.80. Round spur $105.55.
"...can't sue the Nazi..." Nope. Wouldn't be them anyway. It'd be the FN workies sabotaging the stuff they were forced to make.

davidh5000 · November 13, 2016, 01:39 PM

It only falls to the half cock position. I'm really hoping that nothing is wrong with the hammer and it doesn't need replacing. This gun is all original and it would be a shame to have a new hammer hanging off the back of it.

dahermit · November 13, 2016, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Don't pull the trigger with the safety engaged

Consider that the safety has been designed to keep the gun from inadvertently firing. If the trigger were somehow depressed by some method unbeknownst to the shooter and he takes the safety off...boom, and accidental discharge. All guns when newly acquired should have the safety applied and the trigger pulled (empty gun), to see if the hammer is going to fall...it is just a matter of good safety practice.

tangolima · November 13, 2016, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by T. O'Heir

"...can't sue the Nazi..." Nope. Wouldn't be them anyway. It'd be the FN workies sabotaging the stuff they were forced to make.

Not everyone was with the resistance back in the day in Europa, even everybody claimed so when Germans were out. There were plenty of willful collaborators. Even if they were sabotaging, it would be done in more subtle ways, such as heat treat. The Germans were not dump. Even they were, the Nazi would be sued if they were still around today. They would be the only who had money. They should have known all workers at their factories were trying to screw with their gun's quality, and they let it happen.

-TL

Snyper · November 13, 2016, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Consider that the safety has been designed to keep the gun from inadvertently firing. If the trigger were somehow depressed by some method unbeknownst to the shooter and he takes the safety off...boom, and accidental discharge. All guns when newly acquired should have the safety applied and the trigger pulled (empty gun), to see if the hammer is going to fall...it is just a matter of good safety practice.

Doing it once to test the function is fine.

Doing it repeatedly seems pointless since you shouldn't be pulling the trigger when you don't want it to fire.

James K · November 13, 2016, 11:01 PM

Just FYI, wartime BHPs were often sabotaged, the major method being to bypass or mess up the heat treatment, leaving parts, even frames or slides, soft so they would work long enough to pass inspection and proof firing but jam or hang up after only a few shots. (Workers who were caught engaging in sabotage got a different and final view of the front of a gun.)

The distinction between the Browning High Power and the P.640 (b)* is mostly pedantic. The latter was the terminology used by the Germans, but the only real difference was elimination of the magazine safety, and the Germans seized and used the pistols without regard to markings. The standard tangent sight was used on the early occupation pistols, but later dropped for the plain rear sight which had also been used earlier. Pistols in the factory at the time of the occupation might or not have been marked to reflect the new ownership. Standard slide markings were used throughout the war, possibly because FN was actually purchased by a German company.

*The German designation of the BHP in any configuration.

Jim

rightside · November 14, 2016, 05:28 AM

David,
Here is a more in depth explanation of what's happening. I agree, it would be a real shame to have to replace any original parts if you don't have to. Nice weapon!

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/B...tyProblems.htm

davidh5000 · November 14, 2016, 07:53 AM

Thank you Rightside. That link gives an exact description of what the gun is doing.

**44 AMP** · November 14, 2016, 12:39 PM

Before purchasing any replacement parts, take the gun fully down (detail strip) and CLEAN everything. Reassemble and see if the problem still exists.

SOMETHING is keeping the sear from resetting correctly and holding the hammer at full cock. It may be worn or broken parts. It most probably is, BUT, it MAY also be a bit of crud that has been lurking inside the gun for 40 years, but NOW is in a position to interfere with function.

Stranger things have happened.

Also you will be able to visually inspect the parts for obvious wear/damage.

Once you (or other competent person) has done that, and the problem still exists, THEN you should think about replacement parts

Good Luck!

James K · November 16, 2016, 12:11 AM

Two things to remember. If the parts are soft, no "fix" will really hold up. Sabotaged parts seemed to come in batches; if one part was bad, chances were that other parts were as well. Also, the BHP trigger-sear connection involves the slide, so can be affected by the fitting of the slide to the frame, an uncommon setup not found on other pistols like the Colt or P.38.

Jim

November 12, 2016, 01:59 PM	#1
davidh5000 Member Join Date: March 14, 2010 Posts: 48	A Safety Issue With My Nazi Hi Power. I have a Nazi Hi Power that when you put the safety on and pull the trigger it's fine. However, when you take the safety off the hammer falls!!! It's an older one that originally had a magazine safety that was removed. I have never seen this happen before. I was wondering if anyone would have an idea what would cause this to happen. It's a really nice tangent sight model with commercial blued finish, so I definitely want to fix it __________________ *YOU JUST SHOT AN UNARMED MAN!-* Little Bill Sherrif of Big Whiskey *WELL.HE SHOULD'VE ARMED HIMSELF THEN-William Munny, Outlaw From the movie Unforgiven*

November 12, 2016, 06:23 PM	#3
Snyper Senior Member Join Date: December 16, 2013 Location: Eastern NC Posts: 3,047	Don't pull the trigger with the safety engaged __________________ One shot, one kill

November 12, 2016, 11:41 PM	#4
Scorch Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2006 Location: Washington state Posts: 15,248	What causes the High Power safety to fail? Well, if it has Waffenamt proof marks it's not a High Power, it's a P35. The safety failing as you described is usually a poorly executed trigger job or just wear of the sear or hammer notch. You can buy P35 sear and hammer sets and fit them. If you don't know how, its time to visit the gunsmith. __________________ Never try to educate someone who resists knowledge at all costs. But what do I know? Summit Arms Services

November 13, 2016, 01:37 AM	#5
mete Senior Member Join Date: June 14, 2004 Location: NY State Posts: 6,575	That problem is not limited to the HP .The Challenger and other brands I have seen the problem !! It needs a competent gunsmith to fix it !! The first time it happened to me was a shocker and I've been checking all guns for that problem ! __________________ And Watson , bring your revolver !

November 13, 2016, 01:22 PM	#7
T. O'Heir Senior Member Join Date: February 13, 2002 Location: Canada Posts: 12,453	What Scorch says about replacing parts will save you a lot of time and mucking about. The hammer fall all the way or just to half cock? Just curious. Still a worn or damaged sear. $31.80 at Gunparts. Spur hammer runs $71.80. Round spur $105.55. "...can't sue the Nazi..." Nope. Wouldn't be them anyway. It'd be the FN workies sabotaging the stuff they were forced to make. __________________ Spelling and grammar count!

November 12, 2016, 04:25 PM	#2
tangolima Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2013 Posts: 3,827	It needs some fitting of the safety, and perhaps the sear and hammer notches. Take it to a competent gunsmith. -TL

November 13, 2016, 11:33 AM	#6
tangolima Senior Member Join Date: September 28, 2013 Posts: 3,827	It certainly can happen to any guns. Too bad you can't sue the Nazi for money as in the case of Remington 700. It is not difficult to fix if you know how to. But don't try if you don't. You could be the one being sued. -TL

November 13, 2016, 11:01 PM	#12
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	Just FYI, wartime BHPs were often sabotaged, the major method being to bypass or mess up the heat treatment, leaving parts, even frames or slides, soft so they would work long enough to pass inspection and proof firing but jam or hang up after only a few shots. (Workers who were caught engaging in sabotage got a different and final view of the front of a gun.) The distinction between the Browning High Power and the P.640 (b)* is mostly pedantic. The latter was the terminology used by the Germans, but the only real difference was elimination of the magazine safety, and the Germans seized and used the pistols without regard to markings. The standard tangent sight was used on the early occupation pistols, but later dropped for the plain rear sight which had also been used earlier. Pistols in the factory at the time of the occupation might or not have been marked to reflect the new ownership. Standard slide markings were used throughout the war, possibly because FN was actually purchased by a German company. *The German designation of the BHP in any configuration. Jim

November 14, 2016, 05:28 AM	#13
rightside Senior Member Join Date: February 4, 2012 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 419	David, Here is a more in depth explanation of what's happening. I agree, it would be a real shame to have to replace any original parts if you don't have to. Nice weapon! http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/B...tyProblems.htm

November 14, 2016, 07:53 AM	#14
davidh5000 Member Join Date: March 14, 2010 Posts: 48	Thank you Rightside. That link gives an exact description of what the gun is doing. __________________ *YOU JUST SHOT AN UNARMED MAN!-* Little Bill Sherrif of Big Whiskey *WELL.HE SHOULD'VE ARMED HIMSELF THEN-William Munny, Outlaw From the movie Unforgiven*

November 14, 2016, 12:39 PM	#15
44 AMP Staff Join Date: March 11, 2006 Location: Upper US Posts: 28,846	Before purchasing any replacement parts, take the gun fully down (detail strip) and CLEAN everything. Reassemble and see if the problem still exists. SOMETHING is keeping the sear from resetting correctly and holding the hammer at full cock. It may be worn or broken parts. It most probably is, BUT, it MAY also be a bit of crud that has been lurking inside the gun for 40 years, but NOW is in a position to interfere with function. Stranger things have happened. Also you will be able to visually inspect the parts for obvious wear/damage. Once you (or other competent person) has done that, and the problem still exists, THEN you should think about replacement parts Good Luck! __________________ All else being equal (and it almost never is) bigger bullets tend to work better.

November 16, 2016, 12:11 AM	#16
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	Two things to remember. If the parts are soft, no "fix" will really hold up. Sabotaged parts seemed to come in batches; if one part was bad, chances were that other parts were as well. Also, the BHP trigger-sear connection involves the slide, so can be affected by the fitting of the slide to the frame, an uncommon setup not found on other pistols like the Colt or P.38. Jim