Inherited a Browning Hipower

[JSG81]

I have my father’s Browning Hipower since his passing. I know that he complained about FTF using 15 year old Ammo about 10 years ago that I suspect was due to old reloads. Is there anything that the good people here would recommend me replacing in order to do a proper function test?

This is a pistol I will never part with and would like to put into a CCW role for family sake. I can think of no better tribute to my father than using his handgun to defend our family. I know if used I might have to give it up for a time to the police but think my father would approve greatly. I also have others that can serve this role if need be.

Thanks for feedback in advance.


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[Bartholomew Roberts]

The Hi-Power has been continuously updated by FN over the years. Knowing what year production will help suggest what issues you may need to be aware of: https://www.browning.com/support/date-your-firearm/hi-power-pistol.html

[JSG81]

I believe it is a MIII but I will double check when I am back home.

Currently trying to get a grandson’s mind off of his missing Grandfather. Thank you Chicago Cubs for that.


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[jonnyc]

Just fill up a few mags of any brand of factory 115 or 124 grain FMJ and see how she goes. Before the range trip, however, I would give the pistol a nice cleaning and lube.

[CarJunkieLS1]

I suggest disassembly and cleaning will be your first order of business. Buy fresh brass cased factory loads, and shoot it. If it's reliable then you are done. If it jams and FTF's then a new magazine may be in order. After that I'm lost on the intricacies of Hi-Powers.

[Bartholomew Roberts]

If it’s a MkIII with a Browning mark, then it ishould be a solid shooter with no other modifications. All of the Browning marked Hi-Powers will be a MkIIIS that has the firing pin block.

A pre-2000ish MkIII has an older slide stop that is prone to cracking after about 20-25k rounds, so I wouldn’t rush out to replace it but keep an eye on it and have a spare ready when the round count starts getting higher.

Magazines will be the biggest issue for reliability. Factory, Mecgar, and KRD are all solid choices.

[briandg]

I honestly can't see why a hi power could ever be inherently unreliable. It's not likely.

Clean. Use reliable american FMJ. get new magazines. Tweak a bit if necessary.

There's really nothing there to cause trouble. Openings are right, ejector and extractor are simple, this thing was built for and has been used as a combat weapon for well over half a century. The only reason it isn't still a contender is that other designs have just pushed it aside. There was nothing wrong with it. Have you noticed that the 1911 has never been replaced? That's because nobody wanted to go to the trouble of designing a better .45, we already had a perfect one. With the hi power, making 9mm pistols was all they wanted to do in europe, and you had the entire world at work duking it out over who would wrench control of the market away from the others. browning simply could not compete with all of the others.

Browning is not the first, nor the only nine to become functionally obsolete.

[jr24]

Nothing inherently wrong with the hi power, you might want to just clean and shoot good ammo, possibly think about new mag springs, or even new mags. I've had great experience with the, Mec gar I believe, 15 round mags.

Mine bites me with the slide and the spur hammer jabs my ribs when carrying (I carry at 2 o'clock) both issues I could fix with a trip to C&S, but the short grip height makes it conceal really easily IWB and mine is quite accurate, a good pointer, and solid shooter.

Trigger is heavy, can be reduced with removing the mag safety, further slicked up by C&S, but I found my MK III to have a crisp, if heavy, trigger and was certainly workable.

Now you've reminded me I really need to send mine in for the commander hammer, beavertail and trigger package to C&S

[Erno86]

I read that it's wise to avoid using +P 9mm loads (to keep the slide from cracking) for the Browning Hi-Power; unless you use the 10mm slide atop the 9mm frame.

I also prefer rubber Pachmayr grips for my Hi-Power Mark III; and I had it outfitted with a double-ambi thumb safety.

As evidence...under a court of law --- It's not wise to remove the mag-safety.

[Ibmikey]

Photos will confirm what you have, the MkIII is a really neat pistol with good sights, there is little that would go wrong with that pistol. Clean and shoot it and then smile at grand dads good taste.

[Fishbed77]

If you do plan to use this as a defensive pistol, I would consider a new recoil spring. Other than that and a good cleaning and lubrication, you should be good to go.

[armednfree]

One of the issues I've seen in old semi-autos that have been stored for years is a reduction in recoil spring strength. Typically the slide will come back too fast and then lack power to feed the next round. Sometimes not being able to strip the round or completely go into battery. That also tends to beat on the internals. Also if the gun is not lubed it robs power from the spring.

If the gun, cleaned and lubed, seems to function, yet starts failures as it warms, gets dirty, and the lube starts to fail that is a recoil spring problem.

I'd clean, lube and replace the recoil spring before I fired a round.

[Bartholomew Roberts]

I read that it's wise to avoid using +P 9mm loads (to keep the slide from cracking) for the Browning Hi-Power

A MkIII 9mm slide will have no problem safely operating with +P loads and was tested extensively with them. Though like any pistol, it might reduce the service life of the pistol over time compared to an exclusive diet of target loads.

[T. O'Heir]

My condolences on your loss.
Give it a really good bath then buy a box of factory ammo and shoot it. I'd be suspicious of 15 year old reloads too. I'd be pulling 'em and reloading 'em myself anyway, but how the stuff was stored matters.
"...+P 9mm loads (to keep the slide from cracking) for the Browning Hi-Power..." Nonsense. 9mm NATO ammo is considered to be +P. Works just fine out of any BHP. Mind you, there's no need for +P ammo in the first place. Mine is a 1944 vintage Inglis and doesn't care what ammo it's fed.
"...the 10mm slide..." Absolutely not. Different rim diameters.
"...under a court of law --- It's not wise to remove the mag-safety..." That's nonsense too. Firstly it's a magazine disconnect, not a safety. And it's there entirely due to European Police requirements in 1935.

[Ibmikey]

The “magazine safety” is a device designed for the occasional dope who will remove the magazine and shoot his foot with the round he did not take out of the chamber, or worse yet cycles the slide with the mag in to get the round out of the chamber and then remove the mag. Of course he cycled a round into the chamber and the same foot will suffer the consequences.

[rodfac]

To the OP; you're well armed with your Dad's parting gift to you.

I've carried and used the venerable Browning for 49 years. An early one was my constant companion for over 9 months during my first tour in Vietnam...it never failed me nor had any problems.

Currently I have two, a .40 and a 9mm and carry them regularly. I've removed the magazine safety from both and found a 4.5 lb. trigger waiting for me. The mag safety removal also made mag changes a lot easier...

Aside from a new pair of Hogues grips, both are stock and either will print a mag full in neat ~2" groups. Either will feed anything I've tried in them: FMJ's, HP's, and even LSWC handloads. If memory serves, neither gun has ever bobbled a feed or ejection...

For all you ever wanted to know about the Hi Power...go to the late Stephen Camp's excellent web site. He's the accepted garu for all things Hi Power. I've used his ammunition and handloading recommendations for a cpl of decades now and have found no better advice.

Here's his site: https://hipowersandhandguns.com/

He's readable, very knowledgeable, and has a long history with the gun. My opinion: you can do no better.

Best Regards and condolences on the loss of your Dad...his gift to you will bring him back on many a future range day. Rod
Pic below is of my "Practical", a Mk lll 9mm with Hogue's grips installed.

https://i.postimg.cc/nj3r1Nwm/IMG-E6053.jpg (https://postimg.cc/nj3r1Nwm)

[JSG81]

Thanks for all the replies and I was thinking of replacing the recoil spring anyway just due to age. I am covered for a defensive 9mm with a few guns I already trust but thought it would be fitting to bring this one into the rotation.

I appreciate all the condolences. This was not something we saw coming. Now my 3 year old is happy someone is in heaven looking after his dog. [emoji3]

We all deal with loss the only way we know how. This is for sure a gun that will never go anywhere.


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[dogtown tom]

T. O'Heir
"...+P 9mm loads (to keep the slide from cracking) for the Browning Hi-Power..." Nonsense. 9mm NATO ammo is considered to be +P. Works just fine out of any BHP.
No, it's not.
9mm SAAMI is 35K PSI.
9mm NATO is 36.5K PSI for US military
9mm +P SAAMI is 38.5K PSI.


Mind you, there's no need for +P ammo in the first place.
Sure there is.
+P is widely recognized as being a better performing round when utilizing the same bullet.


"...the 10mm slide..." Absolutely not. Different rim diameters.
You need to educate yourself on what Don Williams and others can do with 9x19 using a .40 slide.;)


"...under a court of law --- It's not wise to remove the mag-safety..." That's nonsense too. Firstly it's a magazine disconnect, not a safety. And it's there entirely due to European Police requirements in 1935.
Not "European Police"......the Belgian Military.

[Erno86]

When a Browning Hi-Power is involved in a shooting that results in a court case...You can be sure that the opposing lawyer will investigate whether the Hi-Power magazine disconnect safety has been removed or not.

If it has...the opposing lawyer can build a case...that the user of said pistol was irresponsible with gun safety at the time of the incident.

My bad...on posting the 10mm --- instead of the .40 S&W Browning Hi-Power pistol in my last post on this thread.

[Fishbed77]

Not "European Police"......the Belgian Military.

It originally derived from a French military requirement, although the French ultimately adopted the Modele 1935.

[Bill DeShivs]

How could one be "irresponsible with gun safety," when they intended to shoot someone, and did so? Only a lawyer could dream that up.

[jonnyc]

...not to mention that self-defense use would tend to include a mag loaded into the pistol, thereby rendering the disconnect, and any discussion thereof, totally irrelevant.

[Aguila Blanca]

How could one be "irresponsible with gun safety," when they intended to shoot someone, and did so? Only a lawyer could dream that up.

...not to mention that self-defense use would tend to include a mag loaded into the pistol, thereby rendering the disconnect, and any discussion thereof, totally irrelevant.
1) That's what lawyers do.

2) If you're in court as a defendant in a shooting, nothing is irrelevant.

We all like to think that we are righteous and that we would never shoot someone unless it was justified, but in the real world not all cases are crystal clear, cut-and-dried. Beyond that, not all states offer indemnification against civil lawsuits in the event of a legally-justified shooting. You might not be charged criminally, or you might be charged and acquitted, but in many states you could still be sued in civil court by the [alleged] perp (or his family). If you need proof of the concept -- O.J. Simpson.

If you're in criminal court, the prosecution might or might not be more interested in a conviction than in seeing justice done. That's bad enough. If you're being sued in civil court, the lawyer for the other side has only one agenda -- to paint you in the worst possible light in front of the judge or jury. If doing that includes pointing out that you intentionally disabled a factory-installed safety device -- they'll do it in a heartbeat, and not lose a moment's sleep over it.

It's the same argument that pertains to using handloaded ammunition. Some will argue that if it's a justified shooting, you have nothing to worry about. And, since we would never be involved in a shooting that isn't justified, go ahead and use handloaded ammo/disable that magazine safety.

It's a personal decision, and each of us has to assess how risk averse we are. Personally, I'm very risk averse. I reload for plinking and competition (if I can get my hip fixed enough to be able to compete again), but I only carry factory ammunition. I own a Hi-Power. I would love to try it in competition but the magazine safety complicates showing clear at the end of each stage ... so I don't use it. I regard any firearm I own as potentiually being used for self defense, so I have not removed the magazine safety, and I won't.

[briandg]

Erno has a valid point. It could happen that the thing is brought into court, and at the very least that will add an hour to the arguments, a thousand dollars to the defense costs, and half a tree to the paperwork, just because it was brought in.

Maybe it won't be brought in. I'm sure that there have been plenty of little nitpicky points like that that have gone straight under the radar. Maybe something that small and uncertain will be called insignificant and ignored.

I am going to guess that nobody has ever gone to jail or lost a lawsuit for no reason other than he had taken out a magazine disconnect from his browning. Sure, a guy went to jail after he used 10 mm magnum HP rounds to kill a hobo, but that's not relevant to a trigger disconnect. And he was eventually freed on appeal, so it doesn't matter anyway.

[44 AMP]

I know that he complained about FTF using 15 year old Ammo about 10 years ago that I suspect was due to old reloads.

What has the gun been doing in the 10 years or so, since then??

Used once in a while with no issues? cleaned occasionally? or did it maybe spend a decade alone in a dresser drawer with its last oil slowly turning to glue??

My Dad hadn't touched his Govt Model for at least the last decade of his life, I think. After he passed we found it in his top dresser drawer, magazine loaded with 7rnds of ball ammo, chamber empty. When I let the slide run forward after checking the chamber, it slowly crept forward and stopped about half way closed. It shut when I bumped it, the oil he left on it had turned thick.

SO give it a good cleaning and include the firing pin channel. Old oil turned to sludge in there can cause misfires even with good ammo.

Buy another spring, but if after proper clean and lube the gun runs ok, there's no need to change it out. And you'll have the new one on hand IF the day ever comes that you do need it. Get a spare extractor, too. Better to have it and never need it than need it and not have it.

[rodfac]

Old oil turned to sludge in there can cause misfires even with good ammo. Buy another spring, but if after a proper clean and lube, the gun runs OK, there's no need to change it out, and you'll have the new one on hand IF the day ever comes that you do need it. Good advice here. Rod

[rodfac]

Just a cpl add'l thoughts...Stephen Camp suggests that early Hi-Powers (any one but a Mklll) should not be shot extensively with +P ammunition. IIRC, he also used an 18.5 lb. recoil spring in his personal carry Hi-Power, to lessen the effects of higher pressure ammunition.

Camp's web site, still up since his death, makes plain some of the distinctions and expands on ammunition choices including target pictures with various brands from 15 yds and off a rest.

Personally, while I like and often carry my pair of Hi-Powers, I do find the force needed to rack their slides considerably heavier than most pistols. The .40, especially, is a bit tough to manage. Too, I find that I can't control a safe, one-handed, decock on either pistol. Their mainsprings are just too heavy for me. YMMv but be careful if you're in the habit of single-handed decocking your pistol.

Lastly, while all guns are a law unto themselves, my 9mm Hi-Power much prefers 124 gr bullets to the lighter 115's. And this goes for all brands of commercially available ammunition tried to date. For good groups and ocular cranial 3"x5" silhouette shots well past 15 yds, my guns (including several Sig and Glock 9mm's besides the afore mentioned "Practical" Hi-Power), do extremely well with American Eagle 124 gr FMJ's. I'd be interested in other members experience in that regard.

Best regards, Rod

[robmkivseries70]

Stephen A Camp discusses the magazine disconnect.
Best,
Rob
https://hipowersandhandguns.com/MagazineSafety.htm

[Jim Watson]

Too, I find that I can't control a safe, one-handed, decock on either pistol.

Why would you want to do that? I got over it many years ago.

[rodfac]

Too, I find that I can't control a safe, one-handed, decock on either pistol.
Why would you want to do that? I got over it many years ago. Yep...my thoughts exactly. Rod

[Martowski]

Sorry for your loss. I have three of my father's guns that I will never part with. Regarding your Hi Power, I agree that it's a great defensive arm; I own a MKIII Practical. And, I totally understand your thoughts about using it defensively. However, I would mention that if any of us ever use a firearm defensively, there's the chance that it could be held up for years and possibly never returned. I would typically only carry something or have something as my "night stand" gun that has zero emotional value to me. Just my opinion... why risk, even remotely, something of such sentimental value being mishandled or even permanently confisicated?

[Ibmikey]

I would not forgo the carry of a pistol I had the utmost confidence in for fear the police will hold it as evidence in a shooting situation, in fact that is the time I would want that very pistol. It is silly to leave a nice reliable pistol in the safe and carry something that may be of lesser reliability. As for “emotional value” I would quietly thank my benefactor for placing that weapon in my hands.

[Martowski]

Certainly everyone's choice with what they carry, for sure. And, I agree that I wouldn't choose a less reliable pistol to carry. But, just my own personal choice, I have plastic wonders (e.g. Glock 19, Walther P99, Sig P365) that are perfectly reliable and proven designs that will hit whatever they are aimed at, but have zero emotional value to me that I carry. Of course, the Hi Power is an outstanding design in its own right, proven countless times over in the hands of militaries, police, and civilians since the 1930's.

Again to each his own... just my own thoughts on the topic.

[JSG81]

I too have my choice of “plastic” pistols which are my current choice. With the way things have played out just looking to add something else to the mix.

This is not a need but a want as a way to honor my father.


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[Kevin Rohrer]

I own a MkIII in .40 and have had ZERO malfunctions w/ any ammo, even my reloads.

[cw308]

Hopefully you will never have to use that pistol in a defensible situation , it would leave you with a different feeling . Take good care of it , shoot it often , it's best leaving a smile on your face . Be Well.

Chris

[JDBerg]

The last gun I bought last year was a bone-stock BHP MKII that I found in a Cabelas Gun Library in Lone Tree, CO. This is my 2nd BHP and it “could use” sights & trigger work, but honestly it shoots great just the way it is. Including the MK III I already have, I could always shoot BHP’s well, and I’m sad & a little peeved that these are discontinued (for now but hopefully not for long). I don’t know how long it sat in that Gun Library there before I got it but I’m really glad I didn’t snooze & lose on this one.

[JSG81]

Hopefully you will never have to use that pistol in a defensible situation , it would leave you with a different feeling . Take good care of it , shoot it often , it's best leaving a smile on your face . Be Well.

Chris



I’ve always liked it and remember when my Dad bought it. I understand what you are saying about using it for more than punching paper but that’s what he bought it for if it ever comes down to that. I pray it never will.


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[Scottcc]

Did I miss something? Does the OP mean failure to feed, or failure to fire?

[JSG81]

Did I miss something? Does the OP mean failure to feed, or failure to fire?



Best of memory is failure to feed. I was the last to clean it about 10 years ago and haven’t been able to get to the range with it lately. I will give it another good clean and new ammo and see what happens. There is a good chance every thing works fine. If not I might be back with questions.


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[IMtheNRA]

When a Browning Hi-Power is involved in a shooting that results in a court case...You can be sure that the opposing lawyer will investigate whether the Hi-Power magazine disconnect safety has been removed or not.

If it has...the opposing lawyer can build a case...that the user of said pistol was irresponsible with gun safety at the time of the incident.



No, this is an old wives' tale that predates the internet itself. This superstition, along with "don't use reloads for defensive purposes" just won't die...

[Ibmikey]

IMtheNRA, Thanks for responding, saves me the task of commenting on those who will not let the mag disconnect die. One of my 17 Hi Powers I received from a friend who happens to be a personal injury lawyer, we have discussed modifications and particularly the mag disconnect issues that he agreed would have no bearing on a lawful shoot situation. Only a couple of my Hi Powers that are highly collectible have the disconnect intact, the shooters have all had the offending parts removed.