Am I the only one that thinks High Powers are ugly?

[Uncle Malice]

Everyone talks about what an awesome weapon the Browning high Power is. While I understand it was an engineering marvel for its time and most pistols today borrow many ideas from it's design; overall I find the BHP to be an extremely ugly gun. People talk about Glock's being ugly but I think that they look pretty good with their basic, blocky design. SIG, H&K, 1911's, etc.. are all aesthetically pleasing(to me). When it comes to the High Power, I rank their looks right up there with Hi-Point.

Please note: this has NOTHING to do with the function or reliability of the gun. I just think it's ugly. :p

[Bill DeShivs]

There is something very wrong with you!
:rolleyes:

[RickB]

While I generally believe in "beauty is as beauty does", "form follows function", etc., I'd have to say the original Hi-Power is one of the most beautifully styled handguns of all time.

[Pahoo]

You are certainly entitled to your "Opinion" but by my measure, John Browning never designed an ugly firearm and the BPH is a classic just like the 1911. Glocks are not a work of art as compared to the BPH. "JMHO" ... :rolleyes:


Be Safe !!!

[Sam06]

You can't mean a Browning High Power P-35 like this:

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/Therapeutic%20P35%20II_files/image002.jpg

You must have it confused with a High Point maybe:(

I think the P-35 is one of the best looking Autoloaders out there. The Luger running right alongside it.

[predecessor]

Am I the only one that thinks High Powers are ugly?

Yes. You are the only one.

[coldpointcrossing]

Quote:
Am I the only one that thinks High Powers are ugly?

Yes. You are the only one.

What he said.

[mnhntr]

I love the looks but wish they were in a larger caliber

[Chipperman]

I think a nice 1911 is prettier, but BHPs look good also.

[mavracer]

gotta have somthing to do with the Sun/heat in Phoenix that is impairing your ability to process visualy.:confused::rolleyes:

[OcSpeed]

UGLY, ugly ugly ugly. I still want one though!

[Stevie-Ray]

I've never owned one, but I think they are less aesthetically pleasing than the 1911 by a notch. Other than that, I find them one of the more beautiful handguns. I certainly wouldn't mind having one, it just wasn't high on my list as it would be probably be mostly a range gun.

[Coltman 77]

Have to disagree with you on this one Uncle Malice, I think the Hi Power is absolutely one of the most beautiful handguns ever produced.

[Slopemeno]

A Hi Power is a really beautiful gun- the only thing that counts against it (in my opinion, anyway) is the big grip/small slide look. It's just crying out for a lightweight single-stack version.

[Uncle Malice]

I dunno guys...

I love the classic look of the 1911... the High power looks like a weird Frankenstein version of a 1911... with a bulging lump on the back-strap just like a Glock.

I think the part I find most unattractive is the front end past the dust cover where the slide tapers and bevels. I think it looks like an afterthought that wasn't very well planned.

Lop off the slide at the end of the dust cover, remove the hump on the back-strap and put on a nicer looking hammer and beavertail and it would look a lot better, I think... then again, I think I just described a 1911. :eek:

Please note this is all in good fun, I'm not knocking High Powers as a weapon or trying to offend anyone. Just stating my opinion which I already thought was not the norm.

Cheers!

[phrogpilot]

Today I just so happened to bring the brand new HP I purchased yesterday to the range. I bought it because I love beautiful firearms (1911s; S&W revolvers, Colt SAA, 1866 Winchester). I fired 300 rounds and it performed perfectly, as expected. What seperates it from almost every other pistol in the world is the pleasure you get holding and looking at it when reloading. As others have said, I do think you're the only one in the world who doesn't think it's beautiful.

[aarondhgraham]

I'm not overly fond of the Hi Power either,,,

To me it looks like the homely sister of a model 1911.

~~~Ducking the thrown coke bottles & hiding under my desk~~~

Now having said that:

When I found out that my grandfather gave his Hi Power to one of the "other grandkids" I almost cried,,,
I got the P-38 which I think is the ugliest "sister" of the semi auto family,,,
I know it shoots like a dream but it compares with the first ruger .22 pistols,,,
Functional as all get-out,,,
Ugly as sin.

Aarond

[Amendtwo]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. The BHP is one of the most attractive guns, to view and hold, ever made. And those classic models, with deep blue steel and walnut grips - - oh my!

[coldpointcrossing]

Look at a Terry Tussey Custom BHP and say that. I dare you.

[Uncle Malice]

I went to Tussey Customs but saw no pictures or even mentioning of a High Power... mostly 1911's..

[firespectrum]

I can't quite put my finger on it, but I just think they look ugly. I thought I was the only one!

[coldpointcrossing]

Let me check and see. Be back in a minute.

[coldpointcrossing]

Check this one out -

http://www.americanhandgunner.com/Ftrs/MA09/03.jpg

and these -

http://www.americanhandgunner.com/Ftrs/MA09/01.jpg

One is a true Tussey original. He fabbed a long slide out of two standards. Kids, can you say awe-some.

[coldpointcrossing]

I thought so! I forgive you though John Moses may not.

[alabaster]

Whew!! A BHP UGLY!?!?!?!

I think not, my good man. That's akin to calling Halle Berry ugly. Some things are perfectly proportioned and have all the right lines and should NEVAH be referred to as uglay. Hi powers and Ms. Berry are certainly on that list. As is the Tanfoglio and Demi Moore. If you find GLOCKs to be purty, then beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder. Just my .02

[coldpointcrossing]

Beauty is more than skin deep. Sometimes you must look past the first layer to behold what lies beneath.

[drail]

He probably also thinks a 55 Chevy is ugly. Or a P 51 Mustang. There's no accounting for taste. You either got or you don't. I'm still reeling to hear someone actually say a Glock looks better than a BHP. Whenever someone would bring in a BHP for repair or custom work when I reassembled it for the last time I would sit at the bench and wonder at the genius of the men who conceived such a machine. I'll always be a 1911 guy but I definitely see the beauty of a BHP.

[Pilot]

Slim, elegant, right sized for the caliber and capacity. Accurate and reliable. Just perfect. AND BEAUTIFUL.

[B. Lahey]

I'm a convert. When I was a kid all I saw were beat-up old HPs with the 1000-yard ladder sights and dull, gnarly-looking finishes. I thought they were ugly.

Now I know better.:)

[gyvel]

the High power looks like a weird Frankenstein version of a 1911... with a bulging lump on the back-strap just like a Glock.

Puhleeeeeeeeeze..............:D

[IdahoG36]

Am I the only one that thinks High Powers are ugly?

Maybe not the only one, but one of few people that would say that.:D

Here are two of my favorite looking Hi Powers-

A lot of people hate this one, but I like it a lot. Digital Woodland camo-
http://www.browning.com/products/catalog/images/051022m.jpg

My personal favorite. Reverse two tone-
http://haguesgunrange.com/sales/handguns/browning/hi-power_2tone.jpg

[sserdlihc]

I don't think they are ugly. But I don't own one and I have no desire to own one either.

[Pahoo]

A Hi Power is a really beautiful gun- the only thing that counts against it (in my opinion, anyway) is the big grip/small slide look. It's just crying out for a lightweight single-stack version.
Why didn't I think of that!! :o
That would really be something !!


Be Safe !!!

[dondavis3]

Not me - It's pretty for these eyes. :eek:

:)

[danez71]

all in good fun of course...

The OP should be banned 1st...... then that digital camo BPH ..... then the .40 BPH banned 3rd.

The only thing that could make a bph better is if it...:confused:... made me breakfast in the morning ;)

[Glenn Dee]

Yes... you are

[Gregory Gauvin]

Anything that Mr. Browning invented is pretty...dang of a weapon.

[dogtown tom]

Anyone who thinks Hi Powers are ugly probably:

Wishes the AMC Gremlin was still manufactured.
http://img.timeinc.net/time/2007/50_cars/gremlin.jpg

Has a visual impairment worse than Helen Keller.

Runs stoplights due to inability to tell red from green.

Thinks Shakira needs to gain a little weight to "look good".

Wears black socks with sandals........ when he's at the beach.

Was repeatedly dropped on his head as a child by his parents...and grandparents.

Was turned down for a prom date by the greatgranddaughter of JMB.

Got a Red Ryder for Christmas and managed to put BOTH his eyes out.

Prefers snakes over puppies as a pet.

Thinks the hot chick in "A League of Their Own" was Rosie O'Donnell
http://ia.media-imdb.com/images/M/MV5BMTI0MzIzMTY4OF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwNDk4NjQxMQ@@._V1._SX100_SY112_.jpg
Wears Crocs
http://g-ec2.images-amazon.com/images/I/41GKM3050KL._SL210_.jpg

:D:D:D

[Wishoot]

The Hi Power looks like a semi-auto should look.

It's a thing of beauty. Simple and elegant.

[oilfieldguy]

I've seen a few ugly guns...but this ain't one of 'em. And to compare and contrast the two handgun designs which most closely resemble one another seems weird. How could someone who thinks a 1911 is 'purddy' find a BHP ugly?

[Officer's Match]

Don't feel bad, I think BHP's are ugly too.

[coldpointcrossing]

Tussey Custom BHPs -

Below - The one with the Celtic style grips has a one off long slide fabbed from two standard slides done by Mr.Tussey himself. The short slide is a Argentine Detective Slide I believe. Not too many of those around if IIRC.

http://www.americanhandgunner.com/Ftrs/MA09/01.jpg

Below -

Argentine Slide with Crimson Trace.

http://www.americanhandgunner.com/Ftrs/MA09/03.jpg

Two of the most beautiful I believe. If I had the juice, I'd send one to him to do his magic. I spoke with him about 6 months ago over the phone, very briefly. I forget what he said it would cost but I know it wasn't cheap. But, you do get what you pay for. Stunning doesn't even begin to describe them.

[dpetreikis]

no.. but you are definitely in the minority. personally, i think that HP's, 1911's, P-38's, P-08's, 1903 Colts, they all have a certain timeless elegance.

I also appreciate Glocks - they have a pleasing utilitarian simplicity about them.

now, Hi Points? THEY are ugly!

[Crankylove]

My '72 Hi-Power is quite angry with you for calling it names.

It is by far my favorite pistol, in the looks and feel department.

[riggins_83]

I don't think it's terribly pretty or ugly... I wouldn't look three times but I wouldn't frown on it either.

[seeker_two]

When it comes to the High Power, I rank their looks right up there with Hi-Point.


Shun the unbeliever....SHUN!!!!!


(NSFW...like all the good stuff is.... :D )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5im0Ssyyus&feature=PlayList&p=5E894720EB1AC954&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=3

[dgludwig]

IMO, the High Power is in the company of only a few other pistols that I would describe as being beautiful in a classic sense, including the CZ75, the Smith & Wesson Model 52, the Walther PPK and, of course, the 1911 in most of its many renditions. Though I own, like and respect SIG and HK pistols, I regard them as being aesthetically disportionate and crude in the execution of design in terms of outward appearance. And the ugliest of all (again having absolutely nothing to do with their effectiveness in the context of things that count the most: reliability, accuracy, ergonomics and durability) are the Glock and Springfield XD designs.

[Microgunner]

overall I find the BHP to be an extremely ugly gun.

Were you dropped on your head as an infant? :D

[fightingbard]

BHP and ugly... I would not use these two in one sentence...:D

All the best

[Baba Louie]

Beauty... eye of beholder... all that.

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u308/Babalou55/36004.jpg

Some might say those old warriors are ugly.

http://i171.photobucket.com/albums/u308/Babalou55/36003.jpg

Others will disagree.

[zombieslayer]

Shuuuunn!!!!!!!
JMB liked the Hi-Power better than the 1911. I wouldn't go so far myself, but my nex purchase MAY be a .40 HP. I think they're timeless.

[Uncle Malice]

Okay, i admit it... I really like the looks of this one:

http://www.americanhandgunner.com/Ftrs/MA09/03.jpg

I could do without the CT on it... I'm not one for lasers, really.. and the one with the wood grips in the same picture as the super long slide... those are good looking high power's...

but still, in general.. in a standard configuration, i don't find them very attractive guns... it's a shame. I know they ARE good guns. Just think they're ugly. *shrug*

[Microgunner]

May JMB have mercy on your soul.

[vikingm03]

i love what the gun is, but i cant say im a fan of the looks.

[kentucky_smith]

Even an old painted and suncorited Inglis is prettier than about all of them modern autos.

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=54507&stc=1&d=1259952522

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=54506&stc=1&d=1259952526

[BikerRN]

gotta have somthing to do with the Sun/heat in Phoenix that is impairing your ability to process visualy.

I agree, but then Phoenix people always were warped.

Biker

[gyvel]

I agree, but then Phoenix people always were warped.

LOL

[gyvel]

Somehow, I suspect Uncle Malice is just trying to stir the pot. I find it hard to comprehend that any rational person would claim the the Hi-Power is as ugly as a Hi-Point, which is butt ugly a gun as there ever was. The Hi-Point is one of the few guns that is even uglier than a Glock.:rolleyes:

[zombieslayer]

I cast my vote the wrong way cause I wasn't paying attention and thought it was about HI-Points!!lol :eek: :barf:

[m.p.driver]

Browning HP is one of the few guns that feels right and looks right in your hand.HP,1911,Walther PP.On the other hand a Glock is a two by four with a trigger.

[zombieslayer]

I was a Glock hater till recently, all the ones I've shot are pretty accurate, for 2x4's!

[Uncle Malice]

I agree, but then Phoenix people always were warped.

Well, I'm not from here originally.. :P

But why would you call us warped?? We've got about the most open gun liberty laws in the continental 48.... kidna hard to argue with that!!

And gyvel... you're wrong. I specifically said I wasn't trying to offend anyone... I just don't find them to be good looking designs...

I already knew that I was in minority... I just wanted to know to what extent... but looks like it's about 15-20%... depending on when people are voting.... that's actually better than I had expected! So no worries. :D

And to dogtown tom, I do actually fall into one of your categories... I prefer snakes to puppies as pets... I've been raising and breeding various species of boas and pythons for over 10 years... :)

[9mm & .45 Fan]

It looks like I'm one of the few who finds the BHP better looking than the 1911. :eek:

[Tommy Vercetti]

hi powers ugly?! no way

[Deaf Smith]

The P-35 is one of the best looking (and shooting) simi-autos made. I only wish someone would make a stainless version with a longer tang to stop hammer bite!

[Frank Ettin]

Sorry Uncle Malice. High Powers are fine looking guns. Have you thought about getting your eyes checked?

[dgludwig]

So Uncle Malice prefers snakes to puppies as pets? It's all starting to add up...

[Officer's Match]

But he's right - BHP's are ugly.

[bamaranger]

The blue steel (not matte) walnut gripped HP's are absolutely classics and one of handgunning's crown jewels. Browning/FN (?) has got that shade of blue just right and it is deep and gorgeous. Not super durable, but a joy to behold.

The matte steel, synthetic grip HP's come in a poor second to them and to me, don't offer much more in looks, than the other matte pistols.

But.....a blued/walnut gripped HP, ugly......c'mon.

[John Clum]

As of now, 16% of the votes say it's ugly.

I think that sounds about right. Put 8 guys in a room and usually 7 of 'em are OK guys and that other guy is an idiot! :eek:

[noyes]

hmmm

[rburch]

I voted: I think they're a beautiful gun!

But after careful consideration, I've come to a realization...

The BHP is simply too ugly to be allowed.

Everyone who owns one should mail them to me, I will make sure they are disposed of properly so we never have to look upon their ugliness again. :D

Ok, seriously, do I think they're the best looking gun ever? No.

But I do love the way they look.

[Deegle]

To me it looks like the homely sister of a model 1911.


I must agree. I've never been a BHP fan.

I don't think Halle Berry is attractive either.

[Stevie-Ray]

I don't think Halle Berry is attractive either. :eek: This man is to be keel-hauled.

And this:

http://haguesgunrange.com/sales/handguns/browning/hi-power_2tone.jpg

is simply one of the most beautiful BHPs I've yet seen.:cool:

[Sharpsdressed Man]

They're even beautiful when they have no finish left http://i106.photobucket.com/albums/m247/matquig/DSC05265.jpg

[jen45acp]

When I stare deeply into my Browning Belgium made Hi Power, the only thing I can see in the highly polished bluing is the great big smile I get every time.:):D:)

[gyvel]

And gyvel... you're wrong. I specifically said I wasn't trying to offend anyone... I just don't find them to be good looking designs...

That was just good natured ribbing. I live well north of you in Yavapai County, and we have pretty liberal (in the good sense) gun policies here, too.:)

[earlthegoat2]

I guess if its your opinion then you must have been bottling it up for a reason and it was a good reason at that.

1911s are ugly too........but only when next to a BHP.

I wish you good luck as I begin forming a mob with pitchforks to come after you.

[DocDizz]

You, sir, must be the guy that exclusively banged fat chicks in high school, and are now upset with all the rejection from the beautiful chicks and take that anger out on the BHP, one of the greatest beauties known to man, next to the 1911.

[amd6547]

Every man should have a fat girl in his past...

[jrothWA]

Its a work of form & function, great bluing & polish.

You must have seen a WWII veteran, that need a good home.

[TimM]

You think a BHP is ugly and a Glock is beautiful? You compare a BHP to a Hi-Point? Nothing looks more like a Hi-Point than a Glock. They are both hideous. What the hell is wrong with you?!

[team101]

The HP is almost everything a handgun should be. If I could only have one in .45 or 10mm.

[Cliff47]

The JMB designed Hi-Power is a classic design(granted), ergonomic to a fault(with some thinner grips). has a couple of minor faults(that miniscule manual safety, and the spur hammer). It feels good, I shoot well with it, what more should I ask for?...I consider John Moses Browning a higher power.

[Yellowfin]

Beautiful or not, are they safe to carry cocked and locked? I've heard varying opinions but nothing definitive. It seems not right to carry a single action auto if you can't have it cocked and locked.

[Willie D]

Ugly?!?

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=54629&d=1260287065

[ddc]

...with a bulging lump on the back-strap just like a Glock.

You're just saying this stuff to get us all tweaked up, right? :mad:

[dgludwig]

Beautiful or not, are they safe to carry cocked and locked?

As safe as any 1911 sans firing pin safety.

[headbangerJD]

those all black BHP are damn purty. But what do I know, I think my Glock 23 is as nice looking as any gun.
:D

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Beautiful or not, are they safe to carry cocked and locked?

Well, for a Hi-Power to fire with the safety engaged, something would need to break the shaft of the safety, snap off a piece of the sear (or both the full-cock and half-cock hammer notches) and then the hammer would be free to hit the firing pin and send it forward - unless it is a MkIIS or MkIIIS Hi-Power, in which case a paddle would catch the firing pin and block it from going forward unless the trigger was depressed.

So far been carrying the Hi-Power for a decade cocked and locked and no issues.

[amd6547]

Yes, They are just SO ugly....I don't know HOW I can stand to own this one (sarcasm alert):
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h61/amd6547/P1000400Small.jpg

[PH/CIB]

If I ever had to go back in the Blood and the Mud, I would take my Glock 34 and the 33 round magazines as a backup to my rifle, only because I would not expose any one of my three Browning High Powers, two nines and one fourty, to such brutal treatment even tho they could take it as the high power served in many wars!

Have you ever held one in your hand, fits like a fine leather glove, not the 1x4block feeling of the Glock. Take out the magazine disconnect safety and a litlle trigger work and you will have a single action trigger like a fine 1911. Beautiful and Classic Browning by most anyone's standards!

[Officer's Match]

Sorry guys, no matter how many claim BHP's look good, to me they are flat out ugly. Makes the XD looks good - not an easy thing.

[amd6547]

No accounting for taste, or the lack thereof.

[Officer's Match]

Nope. I'll just suffer along with my ugly old Colts, Ed Brown, Wilson, Smith wheelguns and such. ;)

[obxned]

It was designed by Jonathan Moses Browning. To call it 'ugly' is blasphemous! We must stone you to death!

[NJG33]

I watch this thread just to see if anyone has posted another pretty picture of a Hi-Power since my last visit :D

[Uncle Malice]

I watch this thread to find the few people that actually agree with me...

Like I've said all along, I'm not sure exactly why I find it so ugly, although I've pointed out a few things that bug me...

With that said, I find the 1911 to be one of the BEST looking guns ever made... and there's not THAT much difference in them.

Sorry guys.

[Officer's Match]

It was designed by Jonathan Moses Browning. To call it 'ugly' is blasphemous! We must stone you to death!

Ah but you can't! I've always got a 1911 on me, thus anointing me and protecting me. :D

[Bartholomew Roberts]

Like I've said all along, I'm not sure exactly why I find it so ugly, although I've pointed out a few things that bug me...

Where is the "Burn the heretic!" option in your poll? ;)

[amd6547]

The BHP is the cute cheerleader with a fat older sister.

[Skans]

...overall I find the BHP to be an extremely ugly gun. People talk about Glock's being ugly but I think that they look pretty good with their basic, blocky design.

From my perspective, you simply have "bad taste", but at least its consistantly bad. I happen to have both a Hi-Power and a Glock 17. Although my Glock is my primary defensive weapon (because it always works and doesn't rust), ITS AS UGLY AS A MUD-STICK! I hate to even let it get near my beautiful Browning Hi-Power....IT'S NOT WORTHY:D

[gyvel]

Every man should have a fat girl in his past...

You hurt yourself on skinny women...

[Matt19]

I find the BHP to be a good lookin' gun.

[WARRIOR I]

Quote:
...ugly as a mud-stick!

Actually, Skans, I always thought my Glock 19 looked more like a box with a
handle attached. But its probably the closest thing to a maintenance-free
pistol I own. I suspect anyone who would call the Browning High Power ugly
probably suffers from a touch of xenophobia, since it has a distinctly European
accent in its lines. Mine have become safe queens simply because I've kept
them so long they're now worth much more than I paid for them.

[David the Gnome]

I don't care for the way the end of the slide tapers so abruptly. I much prefer the lines of the 1911 to the Hi-Power. I wouldn't call it hideous per-se, but it is awkwardly proportioned.

[dances with guns]

most people don't know that John Browning died in europe before farbrique nationale starting producing his HP design, and they actually made some changes before it went into production.


who know what his original design was, maybe better? something tells me the mag drop safety wasn't his idea....