Hey /k/
I just purchased this 1991 hi-power. I replaced the black polymer grips with these more 1911 style wooden ones.
Your thoughts?
Good call. They are good guns, and in that kind of condition, you can get them for great deals on Gunbroker. I originally bought pic related for only $450.
Looks good but you need checkered grips
>>29863572
I won this one off gunbroker for 410$
>>29863608
dat import mark tho
I just bought an FEG for $350
So far it's been 100% reliable (with about 300 rounds through it) and I get 2.75 inch groups at 25 yards
I am actually starting to like it more than my nicer FN
>>29863479
You find that while Patrolling the Mojave?
>>29863479
good call swapping out plastic for wood
here's my '82
macassar ebony grips by Craig Spegel
>>29863479
I would have got wood grips for mine by now, but it has a lanyard ring that i want to keep.
>>29863479
Now gut it and repack it with cylinder and slide parts
>>29863893
Read that as massacre ebony. Goddamn /pol/.
also FM90 Sexiest HP
>>29863479
Good choice anon.
>>29863893
I put Spegal grips on both my BHP's. They are the best grips I've ever seen for the HP. Spegal is brilliant. His revolver grips are also terrific.
>>29863479
>>29863608
Spur hammer: sexy as fuck.
>>29863873
Now that you mention it, the resemblance is uncanny.
>>29864179
>Now gut it and repack it with cylinder and slide parts
Also yank the stupid magazine safety (make sure you have the right tools & read up on how to do it, and keep the parts in case you want to sell it). The mag safety ruins the otherwise perfectly good trigger. I think Saive (major BHP designer) knew it was a stupid feature and intentionally made it very easy to remove.
>>29864185
his grips are great, priced well, and he's just a nice guy.
I recently got some 1911 grips from him too.
>>29864277
>yank the mag safety out
My trigger is great and I haven't taken the mag safety out, I think that's because my gun in particular is VERY well broken in. It was a police pistol before I got my hands on it.
>>29864320
It's still nice to have a magazine that drops free.
>>29864345
True.
>>29864320
it's not just the gun, the mags need to be broken in too. does yours have a spot on the front with the finish rubbed almost all off?
that helps.
I also replaced the standard 17 pound recoil spring with a 18.5 pound one. Any thoughts on that?
>>29864401
The mag has some wear on all the contact points, so yeah I guess that could be it. Good to know.
>>29864424
it's not all the contact points that matter, just the part that contacts the disconnect.
it's a spot that would be just behind the top of the trigger when inserted into the gun.
>>29864485
Ah, gotcha' yeah I see it now.
>>29864407
It should dampen some of the recoil, but you risk having the slide short-stroke and not chamber the next round if you use lighter or weaker ammo.
I use a 17 pound recoil spring and let me just say that there's nothing wrong with using the weight spring that John Browning designed the gun to use. Whenever I lend the gun to other people, they have such a hard time racking the slide, it would be unfortunate if no one I know who shoots guns besides me could operate the gun.
I got a Israeli surplus mk2 that I haven't shot yet.
other than cheapo 115 grain ball for range ammo. what standard pressure 9mm cartridges are out there. need some hollow points that aren't +p or +P+.
>>29864523
>other than cheapo 115 grain ball for range ammo. what standard pressure 9mm cartridges are out there.
Literally all of them, amigo.
>>29864513
I put a 21 pound spring in my Mak. still operates flawlessly. though pulling back the slide is more difficult, a lot more.
>>29864513
I was concerned about some sort of problem occurring if I shot hotter ammo.
That and the spring was from 1991, so I thought I'd better replace it anyway.
>>29864559
Every surplus Hi Power I've bought has rattled like a can of krylon with the stock recoil spring.
>>29864523
I don't understand the problem. If a box of 9mm ammo isn't marked +P right on the box, then it isn't. Why is this so difficult for you to figure out?
>>29864580
So good call?
>>29864672
If it works, good call.
>>29864320
The BHP trigger is so weird. People say it's terrible but I've never found that to be that case. Heavy as fuck sure, almost heavy enough to carry with the safety off on some of them (but fuck that). But for as stiff as it is, it's clean break.
Kinda surprising how good they can be made consider they way it's set up.
Pretty sure the is a shoop but it reminds me of the Florida Arms/Famco frames that we're produced for a while I SS,Aluminium and Titanium
>>29865202
Also those crazy south Africans and their ambitions
>>29865202
I think the people who complain about the BHP trigger are comparing it to custom 1911's. Also at least on new guns the mag safety makes the first stage gritty. Like you say, once you engage the sear the break and reset is clean, and IMO that's really the most important quality for a good trigger.
I'm glad that /k/ is finding affordable BHP's.
The BHP was the first handgun I bought.
>Noguns. Started hanging out at a great local gunshop, learning alot from the staff.
>Kinda like Sigs, 1911's, S&W's, but nothing really grabbed me.
>One day a used gun comes in.
>Ordinary condition, but still most beautiful semi-auto I've ever seen.
>Woah, what's that?
>"Browning Hi-Power, anon. Not so common but some people like them."
>It fits my hand perfectly. No other semi-auto came close. Single action. Such refined design.
>Found my mini-raifu.
I bought two new for ~$500 around 2002. The prices are twice that now, and I'm glad there are so many surplus models and FEG's that are still affordable.
>>29864407
>I also replaced the standard 17 pound recoil spring with a 18.5 pound one. Any thoughts on that?
I put that same spring on my 9mm BHP, anon, along with a 22 lb spring on my .40 BHP. Assuming you got them from Wolff. Be sure you also add extra power magazine springs and the extra power firing pin spring as well. (The mag springs slow the slide down, and the extra power fp spring gives extra protection against a slamfire--it's probably unnecessary unless your original FP spring is worn out.)
The only problem I've had with the extra power springs is that they aren't reliable with VERY light handloads. Factory ammo and normal loads are completely reliable, if not more so because of the extra force available to chamber a slightly out-of-spec case.
>>29864546
The Mak really needs that extra power spring, IMO. Mine was launching casings into orbit until I added the 21 lb spring and extra power mag springs. It functions much less violently now and I can actually find the casings. As a general rule, if your pistol is launching cases beyond 6-8 feet you probably need a stronger recoil spring.
>>29864513
That's true. I don't think you can go wrong with the normal springs so long as you replace them every few thousand rounds or so.
One very important point from Bill Laughridge (the gunsmith who owns C&S): "DON'T USE +P IN HI- POWERS! It's been my experience that even a few magazines of +P will upset the locking lugs."
>>29865202
I'm sorry but I really don't like two tone HPs, or stainless ones. I'm pretty picky when it comes to guns I'm general.
>>29865202
Stop
>>29867848
Luckily I'm not trying to sell you a pistol
>>29867896
I'm sorry about your brain problems but I'm not actually a frame manufacturer. That aside, it would probably be to your benefit if you would accept that increasing the utility of a firearm gives it longevity and that not everyone subscribe to the "muh heresy" philosophy
>>29868296
The pistol's design is from 1935 dude, just get a sig or something of the sort.
>>29868296
>muh practicality
>buys pistol who's designing process started in 1914
>>29868314
>>29868382
And everything after it are functionally similar so age means fuck all and it was a new manufacture frame. Most of the basic designs used to today are decades old. Its not my company, I'm not saying it's the best shit on earth but it doesn't make the gun less functional and you aren't being forced to like it. Its a think that has existed and that's about all there is to it.
>>29865202
>The BHP trigger is so weird. People say it's terrible but I've never found that to be that case. Heavy as fuck sure, almost heavy enough to carry with the safety off on some of them (but fuck that). But for as stiff as it is, it's clean break.
The only objectively bad aspect of it is the take-up, and that's if you haven't removed the mag-safety and have a newer magazine in the gun. It's not a heavy break at all, the overall travel is minuscule, the break is clean, there's barely any overtravel, and the reset, while not positive, is short and easy to predict.
>>29864345
I polished the mags, mag well and mag safety on my 1991 built Israeli HP trade-in. Empty mags now fly out if I press the magazine release without hesitation. Worst case if it gets stuck I flick it and it flies out. MKIII are not as easy as early models in removing the mag disconnect. You have to remove the entire trigger group and that fucking pin is a bitch. The trigger on mine is fine and broken in well.
I literally took a polishing scrubber on a dremel and polished all contact points on the magazine. After you clean and oil it well, the mags are no longer hung up.
>>29870574
Do your magazines have the mousetrap spring on the bottom? I've never seen a Hi Power that was so broken in that mags wouldn't still get stuck in the magwell - sure, they might drop free sometimes, but there's always the potential for them to get hung up.
>>29870617
Nope, just polished the shit out of the safety, mag well, and the magazines from and back. If the slide is back like it would be after running empty, It get hung up if I have it a little too horizontal. It's not ideal but it works. The few times it's been hung up I can flick it gently with my wrist and it'll fling the mag out.
>>29865221
That's... no good.
I was just issued the Mauser version of this gun. The sights are total piss. Considering the mag safety is already out, how shit is my work gun?
>>29871336
Mauser is a reputable German company, although I have read that the Mauser Hi Powers source parts from FEG, so it should really be thought of as a Hungarian Hi Power. The FEGs are good guns, but generally not considered as well built as the FN ones or even the Israeli built Kareens, but good guns nonetheless.
Can I ask what country you work in that they still issue Hi Powers? Israel?
>>29871373
Yeah, Israel. Some of the smaller security companies like mine still have these knock offs. I love how it feels in my hand. During training I had Jericho and CZ, and found them to bw too bulky. If I ever move to the US a BHP will probably be my first EDC purhase.
>>29871385
Even in the US, a lot of the total (used) BHP sales are just old Israeli surplus. At least all the ones I've bought have been. Can you not own a handgun as a private citizen there?
>>29871410
Nope. To be allowed a civvie carrying license you have to answer a few mandatory criteria (military record, clean criminal record) and have one of a list of specific criteria which give you a reason for ownership. Say, living in a dangerous place, work a dangerous job, or retired at a very high rank from the IDF. Allows you a handgun and 2 mags, unless it's a hunting rifle license.
>>29871435
The US news has been full of stories about Palestinian children being trained since birth to "stab Jews" since last fall. Is living in Israel alone not considered reason enough to own/carry a handgun?
How are the conditions of the Hi-Powers that have been coming in recently? I've always been wary about the condition of Milsurp.
Are they all mostly beat to shit or are they actually not that bad.
>>29871666
Most of the wear and tear on them is holster-wear on all the edges. You don't see a lot with pitting or serious gouges.
>>29871666
OP's gun is about average condition.
>>29869409
designs evolve. if you dont agree, go back to the horse and carriage.
>>29871813
firearm technology reached a plateau ages ago.
it'll take advancements on the same level as the invention of smokeless powder or mercury fulminate to render older designs truly obsolete
BHP a best
I haven't carried mine in a few months because it's too hot to conceal it with a coat. I miss feeling the familiar tug of my iron on my hip.
I mean my PPS is a great carrying pistol and I love it dearly, but it just isn't the same as carrying my BHP.
>>29863893
Goddam that's a beautiful gun.
>>29871937
thanks
here's another pic with grips by Esmeralda O'Sheehan
not as well contoured as Craig Spegel's but they're also pretty
>>29871813
And the only significant evolution since the 50s have involved materials. The P-35 is still in service in some places and the Brits just now phased it out because it's worth the fuck out. A MkIII with a couple of 15 or 20 rounds mags is nothing to laugh at.
You can feel likes it's a martini-Henry if you want, idgaf
>>29871921
I got one too. took of the plastic grips (one screw was stripped but I have a drill bit for that) and put on rubber hogue grips. Took some fine steel wool and took off the chipped paint on it. It has some wear hear and there but no rust and shoots great.
I"m also the guy who polished his mag, mag well, and mag safety.
I don't find the trigger with the mag safety to be that bad. In a defense situation it is not going to matter much. What matters is the strength between your ears, not what minor difference in poundage the trigger pull has.
pic related. I took off the lanyard ring. I was going to put a star of david for shits and giggles.
Mechanically it's nice and broken in and I've shot it over 300 rounds of mix from JHP (3 mags, no problems) cheap FMJ and some decent S&B.
No single issues at all. I bought 3 15 round Mec-Gar magazines. Capacity is not an issue and it's a nice gun. If you see a police trade in, get it. Worth a barely shot, carried a lot weapon.
>>29872195
A flat head screw was stripped?
>>29872369
Those are the news ones I bought but yeah. It was stripped and rusted. The stripped screw remover is a god send for buying used guns cheap when some idiots thinks stripped screws means a gun is permanently fucked. I bought a bubba'd Lee Enfield that had some horrible furniture hack job but a great scope mounted on it. 250 because "durr this here stock screw is done stripped. If you try to cut it out you'll cut off the barrel and it'll be illegal..."
So it, the awesome scope, and 200 rounds was mine for 250. The guy thought they no longer make 303 british because "Durr it's an old WWI round no one makes no more..."
Got the stripped screw remover to it, took off the bubbaing and installed a polymer stock on it.
It's amazing how many people think a minor thing makes a gun worthless.
So I bought new screws with the grips and installed them instead of the old worn one.
I like it. Here's mine, '43 Nazi-occupied FN
>>29872427
I'm not familiar with enfields, is that a good deal? It sounds like a good deal.
>>29872843
That's a fucking steal
