Hi-Power- Best handgun ever

[vanfunk]

Hyperbole of course, but...
I just bought an all-Belgian-made Hi-Power, 98% condition with original (I think) magazine. It is absolutely gorgeous, and fits in my mitt like no other. This is my fourth Hi-Power, the others having been traded away foolishly. But this one has a little more character than the rest, a certain je ne sais pas, if you will...
It is, for me, right now, the best handgun in the world.
I think I'm going to weep openly.
Thanks for listening.
vanfunk

[Rex Feral]

Well... one of the top 5 for sure. :D

[GunreviewWebmaster]

I don't like the newer ones. The triggers were not particularly good and the accuracy suffered due to this. I know Hi-Powers are popular, but I don't like the idea of having to get trigger work done on a pistol in that price range.

[PJ11B3VF7]

I like mine. I like it even better with Novaks on it, the magazine safety removed and the hammer bobbed.

[ATTICUS]

The BHP practical is just chocked full of je ne sais pas. Is that a good thing or should I clean it better? :)

[PJ11B3VF7]

Je ne sais quoi is the line you're looking for I believe. "Je ne sais quoi" literally means "I don't know what" ie that certain something, that certain quality that eludes one yes is attractive. Je ne sais pas simply means I don't know.

No flame intended. :)

[Stephen A. Camp]

Hello. While I don't know if it's the "best," it IS my favorite handgun for over 30 years now.

Best.

[neal bloom]

I'll have to agree with Mr. Camp. While I don't have his experience with them, they have become my favorite. There is something about the look and especially the feel of a BHP that is amazing. Triggers something deep in my psyche. And they shoot pretty darn good too!

[nwgunman]

"....je ne sais...." or whatever. Is that like "dust bunnies"? I mean, I've found some pretty wierd lookin crud in my BHPcarry gun too from time to time. (It's a .40cal unit modified by Bill Laughridge at C&S: welded up beavertail, Novak night sights, etc...a dream piece!) I just use one of them cans of compressed air to blow it all out. No hu-hu. Stay safe.

[capbuster]

I purchased a new browning hi-power 3 years ago. I had some 9m/m dies on hand and thought it would be nice to have a medium bore auto available for novice friends to shoot at the range.This is my fist hi-power and maybe I just got lucky. I am very impressed with this handgun. It is very user friendly and makes me look like a decent shot.It remains standard with the exception of a set of uncle mikes grips.In my humble opinion, the high powers are great handguns._Cliff

[RANash]

People's responses to BHPs remind me of the old Harley Davidson ad from years ago.

"You ask me why I like my Harley? If I have to explain it to you, you wouldn't understand."

Just insert High Power for Harley. If we have to explain it, well, you wouldn't understand...

[Gremlin]

No.

It is not.

Just thought I'd clear that up for you.

[WoundChannel]

I don't know about it being the best, but what do the rest of you think that the BHP was intended as an improvement over the 1911?

[Stephen A. Camp]

Hello. I've heard this before, but I cannot say what JMB intended. The BHP does have some features that I like more than the 1911 such as the way that the slide stop lever's spring-retarded from moving up during firing unlike the 1911 and the one-piece feedramp. Having said that, the 1911 is darned hard to beat in my view. I just think of them as two, separate, but fine handguns.

Best.

[9mmepiphany]

i've never understood how some people can love the HP and shun the CZ/TZ family at half the cost.

i've owned 3 p35's (1 fix, 2 adj sighted) and they all felt great in the hand but shot way low for me and the "snappy" recoil of the light slide always bothered me too.

i picked up a EAA witness as part of a trade awhile back and it had the same great feel as the p35. i felt the bore axis was lower, the thumb safety was easier to hit and the trigger was much better than any p35 i'd ever felt. the gun was stunningly accurate.

JMB may have designed the p35 as an improvement of his 1911 design, but the CZ 97b should be considered the next evolutionary step for the 1911

[Bartholomew Roberts]

JMB may have designed the p35 as an improvement of his 1911 design, but the CZ 97b should be considered the next evolutionary step for the 1911

I'd have to disagree here. I love the CZs and the CZ97 particularly; but the gun is a beast. The nice thing about the 1911 is that the slim lines of the gun make it easy for concealed carry in a good holster.

The CZ97 is a great gun; but it looks like a tough one to conceal. Of course, I can remember people thinking the 1911 was too big for a concealment gun so who knows?

[BigG]

JMB had concurrent agreements with Colt and FN and had to avoid infringing his own designs. Either of the two are fine pistols.

[skevlar]

BHP's Suck..........but only because they can/are addictive. Waited to long to get one and now will never be witout one. Its got "everything": all-steel, balance, tremendous ergonomics/"feel". It's just plain "right". Considering the time of its introduction it was and is one of the World's Greatest pistols. It doesn't bother me to invest less than a $100 to get a Superb trigger on a $500 Classic.

[RANash]

The 1911 has some features that IMHO are better than the High Power (for example, the trigger), and the High Power has features that are better than the 1911 (the lockup process [no swinging link] and the one-piece feedramp).

Both are my favorite guns. I wouldn't want to choose one over the other.

I really like the CZ's as well.

[vanfunk]

Thanks for all your posts. Such strong feelings! And thank you, previous respondent, for cleaning up my French...Mrs. Lewis' 6th grade foreign language class is but a fog now...
Anyway, back to the HP. Yes, it has shortcomings, of course. But the whole is so much greater than the sum of its parts, the "soul" of the gun is so sublime, that its petty faults are forgiven. To heft the HP in the hand is to shake the hand of JMB himself, with a tip of the cap to Dieudonne Saive. It is more than a pistol, it is an artful melange of taste and frank purpose, it is synesthetic. This, dear reader, is transendence. Oh, my. I just read what I've written. Time to put the cap back on the Hoppe's #9, I suppose. Anyway, thanks for being there for me.
vanfunk

[9x45]

not to throw water on your parade, but you guys better go to some competitive forums, any forums, IDPA, IPSC, Steel Challenge, and look for yourselves what guns are used. You won't see any Browning HPs... Really, go to the matches, If the gun is that good, all the pro shooters would be using it. period.
Out of the box, well, a 12-15 lb trigger that will cut thru your index finger pad, a safety that cannot be used without a vice grips assist, a slide release that cannot be reached, sights that are from WWI.. Now a Cylinder & Slide Custom shop HiPower, thats a gun that runs.

[Ranger Grant]

Welcome back to the fold my son! I've owned a BHP MKIII for over ten years now (it's stock). If I had to give up all in my collection save one, the BHP is the one I'd keep. I shoot it better than any other handgun I own. I don't care what the "pro's" use in matches. I want the BHP in my hand when the crap hits the fan.

[vanfunk]

9x45, I've thoroughly enjoyed your posts in the past, but I must respectfully disagree with absolutely everything in your post. That is, except the point about the HP not being used in matches- that point I readily concede. It may sound like sour grapes, but I place no stock at all in what competitors choose as sidearms, it just doesn't equate to my understanding of the "totality of the shooting experience". Perhaps I would feel differently if I shot competitively, but I don't. A Lotus Eleven isn't competitive in Formula One, but it's still a dream to drive. Judging a firearm based on it's "competitiveness" is to define a firearm by a narrow margin, in my view. That is why I like the Hi-Power. Not because of what it does for me, but because of what it says to me. I've never come across a 12-15 lb trigger, never had to use vice grips on the safety, I find the slide release so naturally placed under my thumb as to be automatic in use...are you really talking about the Hi-Power? Anyway, discussion is what this forum is for, and I love it. We ALL are entitled to our tastes. Vive la difference!

[Edited by vanfunk on 04-19-2001 at 06:25 AM]

[George Hill]

Yes it is...
Right after the 1911.

[Turk]

The BHP is the top three of my favorite shooting handguns. 1-Colt 70 Series, 45ACP 2. BHP 9 Para. and the Smith 57 41 mag.

I quess the BHP is what my father-in-law said about shotguns. There are shotguns and then there is the Browning A-5.

Over the years I shot my buddies BHP and loved it. It fits my hand and points like it was made for me. Never did buy one because they have been around since 1935 and I'll buy one after I get the other guns I wanted. Surprise in 2000 they stopped manufacturing the BHP and the market dried up in my local area real quick.

Last weekend I went to my local shop to purchase a Smith 629 Mountian gun but there in the case was a NIB BHP. I'm sure you know what I walked out with.

Tonight was the first chance I had to shoot it put 50 rounds of Blazer without a missing a beat. I'll load up a couple hundred rounds for this weekend and give it a workout.

I also have to agree with one of the posts concerning competitive shooting guns as they are a hole different aminal. Compare a standard M-14 (M-1A) to my Super Match there is no comparison but if I went into combat and had to carry a 14 I would want the standard over the tuned match model. But then I think a 16 is a better combat rife.

You all have a good day.

Turk

[IanS]

Well, I certainly have a lot of respect for this pistol. I too foolishly traded away my first gun for more technologically flashier pistols. Only reason I don't have one anymore is my personal bias away from single action autos. If the BHP is the #1 choice in any survey I wouldn't disagree. Great pointability, shootability, balance, and accuracy. By God, I think that makes a superb pistol.

[Dave R]

The BHP is among the most reliable pistols in the world. It is among the most ergonomic/pointable pistols in the world. It is among the most accurate (out of the box, and postential with work.) It just feels great. Add it all up, and it is one of the greats.

There is something wierd about my BHP clone. When I shoot it offhand, rapid---BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM--I get groups just as tight as when I am bench-resting, watching my breathing, concentrating on trigger control, etc. Makes no sense, but that's what happens. That's worth a lot to me.

Maybe I'm just bad at bench rest...

[HankB]

My list of the BHP's shortcomings includes only two items - the magazine disconnect (easily remedied) and a long trigger reconnect distance.

IMHO all other 9's have a longer list of shortcomings.

[eger precision]

Maybe not best handgun ever,but probably the best single action handgun ever.

Improvements over the 1911: 1 trigger system actually,not a straight line system,no full auto problems. 2 better extractor 3 better locking system 4 better slide stop (ever see a broken one?) 5 no bushing/recoil spring plug 6 some people consider the mag safety to be a good thing 7 first to have a double row magazine, will hold 6 more rounds of ammo 8 no grip safety 9 no plunger tube assembly

Other than that,not much.

And besides,JMB said it was an improvement. Good enough for me!

[Dr.Rob]

I DO shoot my hi-power in competition (IDPA) thank you very much but argueably I'm a rare bird. Mostly (and i could be wrong) the reason you don't see 9mm in many matches is the caliber didn't "make major" hence the creation of the 38 super for single action competition guns. I'm pretty sure this is the case in IPSC, or was until recently. By the time 9mm was legal in matches there were a ton of newer designs to play with. Also remember the 9mm was slow to catch on in the states, many 9mm's in the country prior to the 60's were ww2 and ww1 trophies and the occasional commercial luger. By the time the 9mm "caught on" here (thanks mostly to police agencies and the military switching over) the HP had been in production for over 40 years.

The Hi -power has been my most reliable handgun in many many matches through thousands of rounds. It bites my hand I can't stand the sloppy take up in the trigger and I loathe the magazine disconnector. However. It shoots everything I put in it. It shoots every magazive I've ever used. (ok those 17 rd SA ones are finiky), Its easy as hell to field strip.

Its perhaps THE MOST produced 9mm pistol in the world. Its a good design. (Ok some ship with a tiny gritty safty, replace the thing and grease it, it will work.) in fact it suprises me that when the USA was looking for a new 9mm pistol to replace the 1911 that the 1935 hp didn't get the nod, its similar in fit, function and field stripping, and the patent would be in the public domain, less licensing fees, even the same holsters could have been used in many cases.. makes you wonder doesn't it?

[jar]

If I had to make a list of greatest handguns, say limited to five, they would be...

BHP
1911
S&W Model 19
Sig 225
Sig 230

The common feature among all of those is that when I pick any one of them up, the just feel RIGHT. Also, each is a beautiful example of their type, they just look RIGHT. They are reliable and shoot where you point them.

JMHO

[HankB]

Dr.Rob wrote: ...the reason you don't see 9mm in many matches is the caliber didn't "make major"...
Exactly right. And when some people built custom 9's to MAKE major, the powers-that-be changed the rules. (Contrary to their PR, IPSC is less interested in promoting innovation than they are in maintaining the status quo.) I, too, shoot a BHP in IDPA - mine is an "almost stock" Mk III to which I've added Spegel grips, removed the %$@#!* mag disconnect, and painted the sights black. It's also my usual carry piece.

From my observations and personal experience, an out of the box BHP is FAR more likely to work flawlessly out of the box than a typical 1911. But the 1911 trigger can be tuned better overall than a BHP.