ApacheCoTodd
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I guess you could look at the comment as relating ONLY to the previous comment about the Baby Browning before worrying about getting defensive.
Todd.
The Browning Hi Power Mk 2: Initial thoughts and observations
- Thread starter Dragonfly
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Todd.
AK103K
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I got mine back in the 90's sometime. Over the years, Ive had a number of different versions, a couple of other Brownings, a couple of Inglis guns, including one of the silly "tangent" versions, some FM's.
Right now, its the only one I have left.
Im one of the ones who doesnt like the ambi safety. I just find it annoying.
The gun came with a parked finish, which really was more of a "wash" or "quick dip", and wasnt very well done. It wasnt holding up very well to just minor handling and use. I ended up giving it a bead blast and re-parking it.
Right now, its the only one I have left.
Im one of the ones who doesnt like the ambi safety. I just find it annoying.
The gun came with a parked finish, which really was more of a "wash" or "quick dip", and wasnt very well done. It wasnt holding up very well to just minor handling and use. I ended up giving it a bead blast and re-parking it.
1KPerDay
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LOLRevisionists gonna revisionate!
Todd.
1KPerDay
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That’s handsome. As one who lived in Portugal for a while I eventually would love to have one of that variety.
tark
Member
![DPDF3159[1].JPG](/data/attachments/820/820469-e613fec508d4bfc755d931b1f0734a50.jpg)
I second the motion.
About 12-13 years ago , when I was still learning to shoot and was really struggling when it came to putting any semi automatic handgun on target , I had the opportunity to shoot a Hi Power. I was amazed at what a great shot I had suddenly become. A few weeks back I acquired one of the Israeli surplus Mk IIs ; had not shot a Hi Power since that early experience. I wondered if the "magic" was still there. Man - was I pleased when I gave that old iron a workout. It sits in my hand so comfortably , points so naturally.
I quickly sold a pistol of mine that did not handle as well as the Browning. My second Hi Power will be here later this week.
Gordon - Could you provide a detailed image of that front sight please?
bannockburn
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AK103K
Nice refinishing job with your Hi-Power! While the original finish is so dull and boring looking (something about a mud fence might come to mind), it has held up surprisingly well for many years and with considerable use. Appearances notwithstanding, I wouldn't trade this one for any other Hi-Power; it's that good!
Nice refinishing job with your Hi-Power! While the original finish is so dull and boring looking (something about a mud fence might come to mind), it has held up surprisingly well for many years and with considerable use. Appearances notwithstanding, I wouldn't trade this one for any other Hi-Power; it's that good!
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bannockburn
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tark
What's to hate! That's one fine looking Hi-Power and I would say you had been blessed with incredible good fortune to receive such a fine handgun as a gift! Enjoy!
What's to hate! That's one fine looking Hi-Power and I would say you had been blessed with incredible good fortune to receive such a fine handgun as a gift! Enjoy!
AK103K
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bannockburn
The finish on yours looks a lot more like parkerizing than mine did when I got it. The factory finish on mine was, for lack of better terms, thin and weak, and seemed like you could look through it and see bare metal just under the surface. It looked a lot like the gun in the OP's pic, just a bit lighter and washed out. I dont know if they had a bad batch of park or prep, or what.
It was quickly wearing at the sharp edges, handling, and holster contact points. Again, if you look at the OP's pic, you can see where its starting to wear on the edges, mine was in most of the same places, just more apparent/pronounced.
My buddy and I were doing a lot of parkerizing at the time out of his garage, so I figured Id just redo it. Came out OK.
Other than that, the gun has been great. Very reliable and a good shooter.
The finish on yours looks a lot more like parkerizing than mine did when I got it. The factory finish on mine was, for lack of better terms, thin and weak, and seemed like you could look through it and see bare metal just under the surface. It looked a lot like the gun in the OP's pic, just a bit lighter and washed out. I dont know if they had a bad batch of park or prep, or what.
It was quickly wearing at the sharp edges, handling, and holster contact points. Again, if you look at the OP's pic, you can see where its starting to wear on the edges, mine was in most of the same places, just more apparent/pronounced.
My buddy and I were doing a lot of parkerizing at the time out of his garage, so I figured Id just redo it. Came out OK.
Other than that, the gun has been great. Very reliable and a good shooter.
Nature Boy
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Better than OK
bannockburn
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AK103K
I have seen Mk.IIs with a flat black finish, to more of a gray color, to an olive drab sort of appearance. Under some lighting conditions the finish on my gun looks to be like a very matte blue; other times looking more gray in color. I got mine in mid-'85 as I recall so maybe somewhere down the line they were trying different solutions to see how they would hold up.
I have seen Mk.IIs with a flat black finish, to more of a gray color, to an olive drab sort of appearance. Under some lighting conditions the finish on my gun looks to be like a very matte blue; other times looking more gray in color. I got mine in mid-'85 as I recall so maybe somewhere down the line they were trying different solutions to see how they would hold up.
OP
OP
Dragonfly
Member
Wow, so many great Hi Powers! Thanks for posting, guys (and thanks for the kind comments, too). I picked up a couple of MecGars for mine today (the pistol only came with one) so I'm, ready for the range (well, after a good oiling...the pistol is super dry)
My understanding was the preliminary drawings for the design in 9.8mm (.40) where made by Browning so the basis was a Browning Design but no more than you could say an M&P M2.0 Compact 9mm is based on a Glock 23. However given revisionist history I'm willing to concede that may be a myth.
bassjam
Member
After lusting for a Hi Power for years I finally picked one up last year from a pawn shop. It came with Pachmayr's which I found I didn't care for and soon replaced them with a set of wood grips. I've removed the magazine disconnect, next step is some trigger work. While the trigger is fairly crisp, it's also fairly high.
ApacheCoTodd
member
I still have Pachmayrs on mine - been there for decades. I too do not particularly care for them but haven't yet found wood grips that protect the mag-release as well as the Pachys' *thumb-rest* do. If anyone has a preferred grip that helps to cover that *proud* mag-release, I'm all ears!
Todd.
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[
I remember you from the thread about trouble shooting 9mm.
Get yourself an Israeli surplus High Power from Mach1 , one of the lower priced police ones- they have higher round counts and softer triggers. Shoot that steel classic for a while ; all your troubles will be over.
I remember you from the thread about trouble shooting 9mm.
Get yourself an Israeli surplus High Power from Mach1 , one of the lower priced police ones- they have higher round counts and softer triggers. Shoot that steel classic for a while ; all your troubles will be over.
Richard Jay King
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I agree that the stock HP trigger was both heavy and creepy....I am not recommending that you are anyone else do what I did to improve mine but it might give you something to think about. Like you I immediately removed the mag safety...then I swapped out the heavy 32# stock hammer spring with a 26# Wolff spring. This lightened up the trigger a good bit to around 5-6 lbs...but it had a lot of creep. With the slide off I looked at the hammer sear engagement and noticed the hammer hooks had quite a bit of overhang OVER the sear. I filed and stoned the hooks a little at a time, refit and examined, filed and stoned until there was NO overhang. This was more crisp but with still some creep. Next I stoned a break-away angle on the back side of the sear engagement surface..the side of the sear closest to the hammer..this angle is cut to about 45 degrees and extends about 1/3 of the width of the sear engagement surface. That is where I stopped and I will not go farther...This made the trigger entirely satisfacory for me. While it is still not as crisp and light as a good tuned 1911 trigger it is still very good, safe and reliable.
larryh1108
Member
I am down to 1 High Power now. I will not sell this one.
It is an Inglis rescue that turned out great. Fine shooting gun and I got the trigger real nice with no creep.
It's a keeper.
It is an Inglis rescue that turned out great. Fine shooting gun and I got the trigger real nice with no creep.
It's a keeper.
OP
OP
Dragonfly
Member
Here's a quick update—I had a chance to take the pistol out to the range today for an early January shoot with my Dad. Before I get into the results of the day I've made one small change to the pistol—I've added a set of Pachmayr grips. I've always liked how they feel in the hand, and I think they compliment the pistol's 1980's-vintage style. I was surprised at how much bulkier the grip felt—it's still comfortably slim, though.
Now—onto the range report. It was mostly a good day (although I was not off to a great start by leaving my jacket at home—lucky my Dad had an extra sweater!) The temperature was just around freezing with gusty winds, so conditions were not optimal for best performance. I started with one of my favourite 9mm rounds—Sellier and Bellot 115 grain. Disappointingly, though, I experienced a number of odd stoppages—the fired case would be only partially extracted from the chamber, jamming the slide when the fresh round was attempted to be chambered. I had this on every one of the three magazines I fired with this round—the first shots in my video show this.
Thankfully, though, there rest of the day went much better. I had some Federal America Eagle 115 grain and RUAG 124 grain—neither of those gave any problems at all. The pistol has a wonderfully mild recoil, and the crisp trigger pull made accurate shooting easy. I did find the trigger reset a little tricky to feel when shooting fast—especially with gloves on. I'm a "shoot to the reset" guy and like a nice tactile reset—all those years of shooting Glocks have spoiled me! I had no problem at all with hammer bite—even with gloves off. I couldn't feel the hammer at all, actually, during the pistol's cycling, even with my high grip.
Here's the video summary of the day—the first rounds were the S&B ones that didn't work out, the next ones in the video are the RUAG and finally the last are the Federal. The RUAG was quite accurate, although the black sights were a little tricky for me to judge elevation with. The wind gusts were rocking me back a bit too, so that didn't help! The distance for all shooting was 15m (16.4 yards)
Once I got home and let the pistol warm up I had a close look around the extractor and found a bit of grunge which I cleaned out with a toothbrush. It's possible that the cold temperatures may have caused the extractor's action to be a little sluggish causing the problems with the S&B ammo. Other than that, though, the pistol was very enjoyable to shoot—I'm glad I picked it up.
Now—onto the range report. It was mostly a good day (although I was not off to a great start by leaving my jacket at home—lucky my Dad had an extra sweater!) The temperature was just around freezing with gusty winds, so conditions were not optimal for best performance. I started with one of my favourite 9mm rounds—Sellier and Bellot 115 grain. Disappointingly, though, I experienced a number of odd stoppages—the fired case would be only partially extracted from the chamber, jamming the slide when the fresh round was attempted to be chambered. I had this on every one of the three magazines I fired with this round—the first shots in my video show this.
Thankfully, though, there rest of the day went much better. I had some Federal America Eagle 115 grain and RUAG 124 grain—neither of those gave any problems at all. The pistol has a wonderfully mild recoil, and the crisp trigger pull made accurate shooting easy. I did find the trigger reset a little tricky to feel when shooting fast—especially with gloves on. I'm a "shoot to the reset" guy and like a nice tactile reset—all those years of shooting Glocks have spoiled me! I had no problem at all with hammer bite—even with gloves off. I couldn't feel the hammer at all, actually, during the pistol's cycling, even with my high grip.
Here's the video summary of the day—the first rounds were the S&B ones that didn't work out, the next ones in the video are the RUAG and finally the last are the Federal. The RUAG was quite accurate, although the black sights were a little tricky for me to judge elevation with. The wind gusts were rocking me back a bit too, so that didn't help! The distance for all shooting was 15m (16.4 yards)
Once I got home and let the pistol warm up I had a close look around the extractor and found a bit of grunge which I cleaned out with a toothbrush. It's possible that the cold temperatures may have caused the extractor's action to be a little sluggish causing the problems with the S&B ammo. Other than that, though, the pistol was very enjoyable to shoot—I'm glad I picked it up.
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