BHP Practical Dilemma....

I am on the list at Actions Works I used to have a Don Williams pistol but my Sister in law took it LOL.

I was originally planning on using my Practical as the base gun. I was going to have Don do the following. Here is the base gun I was going to use....



My plan was to get a a modified version of his Browning Hi-Power Tactical Package.

Trigger Job
Reliability Package
Stipple Front & Rear Gripstraps
Bevel Mag Well
Smooth-out package
Refinish & Sight In
Crown the Barrel
Extended Strong Side Safety
Heine Straight Eight or the older Ted Yosts YoBo Pro Grade Sights with Tritium front and a single dot back.
New Hammer and Sear....

Then I started thinking that since the practical is discontinued should I leave it stock and use another gun. I can always have him tutone it like a practical. It will be a while before I need to send him a gun so getting another MKIII BHP to use as a base gun will not be an issue. Since I still shoot the practical is it not like it will be a pristine safe queen so I am thinking about sending it in. The flip side if I don't use it I have an excuse to get another BHP. LOL Thoughts?

I am leaning towards leaving the practical stock but I am checking on the additional cost to have the frame done in nickel and the slide in black if I use a standard MKIII.

I have the other opinion. I'd send it in for the customization. Then you'd have a Special Practical. The Practicals on their own are cool, but they are not so much of a stand out from other BHPs to turn one into a safe queen.

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That was my intial thought... In the end Practicals are just tutoned BHPs with a ring hammer when all the other MKIIIs come with spur hammers.

The Practical is not a safe queen now and if it was not sent in for customization it would not become a safe queen. I guess I am debating treating it the same as my Pre T. I still shoot it but I have no plans to modify it in anyway. On that one I even left the mag disconnect in tact.

I have a fair amount of time before I have to send "A" gun in so I guess a lot will depend on $$$$ in hand at that time. If I can pick up a MKIII in decent shape for around $500 that would make sense. I cannot see buying a NIB or LNIB $700 gun to send off.

Nice looking BHP Wags...

Novak does great work they are right up the road from me in Parkersburg. I have thought about using them in the past but never pulled the trigger. LOL

I also own a BHP practical. I say shoot it before you decide what to do with it. My Practical was not very accurate, all my 1911 platforms where much better, so I had work done on my practical, trigger, rails and barrel. It looks completely stock but shoots much better now.

My opinion is if it is a good shooter leave it stock if not get the work done.

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The practical is decent as it is. I have already removed the mag disconnect, replaced the mainspring hammer with lighter Wolff spring. It is not that I have to send it out for custom work. I already own a custom BHP from Wild West Guns where Jim West and his crew built a exceptional gun for me, its that I want to do it... LOL

Who did your custom work? When you say they worked on the trigger, rails and barrel what was done to it? Did they crown the barrel? Replace it with a Barsto? Did they tighten the rails etc?

saltydog452 said:

Other than sights more conducive to 'older' eyes and a thumb safety that provides an audible and a felt 'snick', the Practical isn't lacking for anything.

Speigel Delrin grip panels are dang near industructable and look good to boot.

I didn't know that the slide/frame rails could be tightened/mated enough to make a downrange difference.

Just guessing and don't know, but maybe the stout hammer/main spring was designed in to give the lightweight slide some pause before it started moving to rear. Maybe primer cups were stouter then and needed a harder whack to get things started.

It'd be hard to go wrong with a 9X19 BHP. I suspect that you need at least one more. But, you know that.

Pics later?

salty

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Oh you know there will be pics. I am on the list but do not have a definite time frame for the build. Don puts you on the list and when your name is close he then asks you to send the gun in.

I tend to agree that there is not much that can be done to the rails or the slide that will make a difference in real world accuracy. Barsto barrel maybe.... LOL

It has always been my understanding that the hammer spring in the BHP serves 2 purposes it slows down the slide and causes ignition. The original spec of the BHP was with a 26# spring. It was changed in the 70s IIRC to compensate for the change in the firing pin spring. The new spec is the 32#. I also run a 18.5# recoil spring.

I have not hand feeding or ignition issues with any of my BHPs. I am down to just 4 I guess you are right Salty I need at least one more. LOL