Browning Hi-Power has gone out of production...The passing of a firearms Icon

There is still the Glock 17.

Been that way for a while now.

Iconic but it just doesn't hold up with today's guns, at least in my hands. Heavy trigger, way more recoil than a gun that heavy should have, hammer bite, I always manage to chip my thumbnail on the takedown lever if I'm shooting fast.

Still, so comfortable in the hand and it does shoot well as long as I don't use 147 grain ammo.

I had to check the date on the OP to make sure I wasn't reading an old post that got resurrected.

FN ceased production of the Hi-Power nearly three years ago.

Yes, it was an icon and I'll miss it.

Happened in 2018.

https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2018/2/7/browning-ends-hi-power-handgun-production/

Thank you whatnicname a news expected for many years delayed by God.
I managed to fired several models over the years from Inglis, Portugal made, German Made, Argentinean to Canadian etc..
cslinger very true and luckily we have it, nevertheless checking the pile of handguns the Glock is far from the top.
no pun intended.
It is like saying farewell to an old warhorse.

There are still clones being made I believe. Some of the clones doing rather well. The tisas regent sticks out in my mind as one of the more recent clones. Seems I heard good things, but that’s purely from recollection. I was interested in one for a while but the fancy passed.

I will pour one out for the old girl, so here is my tribute.

I picked up this, what appeared to be a pretty nice, 1977 HP from a local shop the other day.



Looked to be in great shape, right up until I fired it. Popped a loaded mag in the gun, dropped the slide, and the gun fired a round into the ground about 6' in front of me. Look at the gun, and the hammer has followed the slide forward to half cock. ***?

Cock the hammer, squeeze of the next round, and got a 4 round burst.

Well, that put an end to that. When I got home and stripped it down, its pretty obvious someone has fiddled with the sear, and maybe even replaced it, as its not the same color as the rest of the gun. It looks more parkerized and isnt blued, and the contact surface of the sear looks like it was stoned or polished. The hammer notch looks OK though.

I ordered a factory-new hammer and sear from Numrich, and then noticed that they are not shipping due to Covid (they are in NY). That was a fast $100. And from looking around, that actually wasnt to bad. Parts prices for them are salty, and all over the place.

MGW had a sear and sear spring, and they shipped today, so Ill see how things go in a couple of days here.

What kind of irks me is, someone would actually trade/sell this in the condition it is. I buy used guns all the time and expect to have to fiddle with things here and there, but this gun is downright dangerous.

I dont hold this against the shop I got it from, as Im sure someone pawned it off on him. Not that Im asking, but I expect he'll give me some money back for the parts, as hes done in the past with a couple of other things Ive bought there that had some issues. Its nice he does, but Im not expecting or demanding it. It just is what it is when buying used guns.

Still, whoever brought it in and didnt mention it, needs a boot in the ass.

The HP is a testament to Browning’s genius and the best pistol he ever designed.

I’d love to have one but they just don’t fit my hand. If I’m not ridiculously careful gripping it I get hammer bite.

BSW

They are out of production but they made plenty of them over the many years that they were in production. You can get pretty much any one that you might want in whatever condition you want to pay for. For about $600 you can get a very nice one if you just want a great condition gun with 95% +/- of its shooting life still remaining. If you want a pristine museum piece it'll cost another 50% or so.

They have actually started going up a good bit in price, and there does seem to be a couple of cut offs for price/model differences.

I was checking out the sold auctions on Gun Broker looking to get an idea as to price on the one I just bought, and they had two of the same era (1977) in a "little nicer" condition, that had 30- 50+ bids, and sold in the $2300-$2500 dollar range. The one I got was priced at $1100. I traded a couple of other handguns for it.

$1000-$1500 is a pretty common range anymore for things other than the beat-up MKII's and the MKIII's. They have a bunch of the beat up MKII's selling there now in the $520 range.

Wow. I have 4 hi powers. 2 capitans, a 1972 model and one from 1954. One of the nicest shooting guns I've ever held.

This one hasnt sold (yet ) but they seem optimistic.

https://www.gunbroker.com/item/865171551

Been enjoying the BHP for years, and a few different variations. Conversion kits, multiple calibers, even dressed up they're a thing of beauty.

BHP. A gun the old crowd covets. Nothing wrong with that but if they ain't selling they ain't going to make them.

Double post

WestKentucky said:

There are still clones being made I believe. Some of the clones doing rather well. The tisas regent sticks out in my mind as one of the more recent clones. Seems I heard good things, but that’s purely from recollection. I was interested in one for a while but the fancy passed.

Click to expand...

Apparently the Ishapore Rifle Factory clone is still being made in India:

https://ofb.gov.in/unit/pages/RFI/pistol-auto-9mm-1a1

But if the FN version has been gone for 2 or 3 years as fxvr5 and JTQ say and the Indians have not started exporting them to the US, then perhaps they are not going to try and compete with Tisas. (The Ishapore version is actually a clone of the Inglis clone, BTW.)

Here's one 2017 thread about the Hi Power being discontinued:
https://www.thehighroad.org/index.php?threads/browning-hi-power-discontinued.823871/

The BHP has been one of my Grail guns for many years. I finally saw one at the LGS 14-15 years ago. I got real creative with the finances and managed to bring it home. I don't regret a second of it.

I'm on the road but Novaks just put on orange big dot Tritium sights on my C&S prepped fighting forged Mark 2 . I am gonna sight it in this trip. Wearing my SIG 239 .40 until I shoot the Hi Power next week . I just put LPA adjustable sights on my Practical and finally installed a nickel old Pachmayr extended slide release and saftey on it too. Recently found 4 older but well made 33 round mags for my shoulder stocked Inglis , heck of a motorcycle bag gun !

czhen said:

Thank you whatnicname a news expected for many years delayed by God.
I managed to fired several models over the years from Inglis, Portugal made, German Made, Argentinean to Canadian etc...

Click to expand...

In forty years of shooting and collecting Hi Powers this is the first I've heard of them being made in Germany.

AK103K said:

They have actually started going up a good bit in price, and there does seem to be a couple of cut offs for price/model differences.

I was checking out the sold auctions on Gun Broker looking to get an idea as to price on the one I just bought, and they had two of the same era (1977) in a "little nicer" condition, that had 30- 50+ bids, and sold in the $2300-$2500 dollar range. The one I got was priced at $1100. I traded a couple of other handguns for it.

$1000-$1500 is a pretty common range anymore for things other than the beat-up MKII's and the MKIII's. They have a bunch of the beat up MKII's selling there now in the $520 range.

Click to expand...

They come and go on GB, some batches better or worse than others. Right now, a lot of what's there in the $525 range are kinda "cosmetically challenged." Lately there has been more pretty nice ones in the $600 - $650ish range. My preference is the Mk III version from the early 1990s on. Based upon the ones I've handled, I have found them to generally have better triggers and be tighter than the early models, and the larger sights are much better, IMO, and easily replaceable if one wants more modern sights.
Some examples of recent listings:
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/863006317
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/863923617
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/866541230

The above guns are definitely not pristine, but they would would look better to the naked eye when you get them home than they do in these bright-light photos that highlight every scratch and blemish.