Browning Hi Power Question

[RickB]

Jim, the spur sure comes in handy if you need to decock a loaded pistol.

Or to cock one which is decocked.

Why would you suggest he cut it off?

Bart Noir

Decock a loaded pistol?

"Cut off" doesn't necessarily mean remove it all. Usually, removing two serrations is enough to eliminate bite, while leaving plenty for cocking or decocking, if you ever need to use the hammer spur for either.
Removing the unused portion of a ring hammer works well, too.

[dogtown tom]

44 AMP I've always figured that, if a gun bites you, you're holding it wrong.

Ditto.
I never read about anyone getting bit until folks started teaching 1911 users to take as high a grip as possible. When those shooters try another pistol they get bit.



Very few get "bit" by the spur or the ring.
It's almost always the back of the hammer SHAFT, not the tip of the spur or ring.

Look at the Cylinder & Slide "No Bite" hammers and you'll see where the rear of the hammer shaft is

[JDBerg]

Originally Posted by 44 AMP:

I've always figured that, if a gun bites you, you're holding it wrong.

Well there are different grip angles on different guns, and I have big hands. And then there is hammer bite and slide bite. I’ve never gotten hammer bite from my BHP’s but I will get slide bite from my Glocks without Grip Force Adapters on the Gen3 17 & 19, and the large beavertail backstraps on the Gen4 21 and the 19X.

[tipoc]

People have different sized hands.

It's also the case that many more folks are overweight these days. So fat hands.

With the BHP it's an easy fix. Usually.

[Fishbed77]

I would like to change the hammer on my Browning Hi Power pistol. It currently has a standard hammer and I want a round one to avoid hammer/slide bite.

I own Hi-Powers with both ring and spur hammers. I have decently large hands, and I’ve never gotten hammer bite with a spur hammer.

However, the ring hammers constantly smack the web of my hand.

[44 AMP]

I don't see where grip angle or the size of our fat or thin hands matter, directly.

If the gun bites you, the gun is telling you that your hand is in the wrong place. You might not think so, but the gun doesn't care what you think.

If the relationship of where and how you holds the gun results in you getting bitten, you need to adjust that. Most people seem to have trouble figuring out how to adjust their grip, so they adjust the pistol instead.

It is easier in many cases to just modify the gun with a different hammer or beavertail or something than it is to learn how to hold the gun differently, particularly if the hold you need to keep from getting bitten is different than the hold you use on other guns.

Its not a matter of the gun, or your hand, its the way you fit the two of them together. Some guns, with some hands, just need to be a little differently put together than others in order to avoid being bitten.

Sometimes (though seldom with semi autos) its the load level that changes things. I've had it happen with revolvers, particularly in magnums. 900fps, all good, same bullet at 1200fps, get bit by triggerguard. Solution, change grips to a different style.

Simply going to a Pachmayr grip can make a world of difference. Lots of things are in play and there's about as many different ways to hold the gun as there are people. If the gun bites, something is wrong, somewhere. Figure out the fix and its all good again.

[Lavan]

Two things worked for me.
1. A fingerless glove
2. A set of Altamont grips that are a bit thicker and change the position of my thumb web.

The grips make the glove unneeded.

[JDBerg]

https://progunleaders.org/Grip/

Good article here on pistol grip angles, what works and what doesn’t work for some people, i.e., “Neither grip angle is inherently better than the other, but some peoples' hand and wrist anatomy just works better with one angle and some with the other”.

[Kirrich]

While I was never bitten by the OEM hammer, it was irritating to the web of my hand while handling it, so I got the C&S skeletonized hammer and a new sear. The hammer comes in two different colors for those who care.
I understand that "the bite" may occur with how high/low the gun is held. That is why some may (not) experience bite with the OEM hammer.

[DT Guy]

I get bitten by any BHP without the 'no-bite' hammer mod; I relieve the rear of the hammer shank similar to what C&S does on their models.

As far as it being the gun telling me to hold it differently, I shoot a lot of different guns; they have to shoot the way I shoot. I'm not adjusting my grip to 20 different guns.

Larry

[44 AMP]

As far as it being the gun telling me to hold it differently, I shoot a lot of different guns; they have to shoot the way I shoot. I'm not adjusting my grip to 20 different guns.

If that works for you, fine, I shoot a lot of different guns, single shots, SA revolvers, DA revolvers, compact pocket autos, .22 sport pistols, service class semis, and even magnum semiautos, I don't see how one can NOT adjust one's grip for the different sizes and types.

[Sgt Pepper]

To the OP, I have installed three Cylinder and Slide hammer sets, and all of them required very minimal fitting, if any at all. "Gunsmithing required" is a cover-your-arse statement because they have no idea what you are trying to install their parts into. I highly recommend their Type II hammer and the no-bite chamfered hammer. Just depends on the look that you want but the results are the same. No bite.

[rodfac]

I've owned several Hi-Powers since the '70's, with both types of triggers (currently have a Standard in .40 with a spur hammer, and a 9mm Practical with round), and none has bitten my hand. I grip both with a really strong, high up placement too.

I'd suggest shooting it for a period of time before changing. The grip angle/web of hand interface is somewhat different from that on a 1911...so give it a try before you buy. Rod

[Sgt Pepper]

rodfac, that's because you must be gifted with beautiful lean strong man hands and not chunky meat hooks like mine. I have been bitten by 1911's and Hi Powers. I go for a high hold and there is no getting away from the hammer for me.

[tipoc]

I own Hi-Powers with both ring and spur hammers. I have decently large hands, and I’ve never gotten hammer bite with a spur hammer.

However, the ring hammers constantly smack the web of my hand.

This is not a common thing.

The ring hammer is no thicker than the spur hammer. It is shorter. The only way that could work, the smack or bite to the web of the hand, is if the flesh of the hand comes up and around the "beavertail". That's an accomplishment.

tipoc