1969 (I think) Browning Hi-Power picked up for a good price...

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I really don't know why you're getting your dander up because I never represented it as such, either. I defer to your superior knowledge wrt Hi-Powers. But I do still think I got a pretty decent deal, and that's pretty much all I was representing. It was part of this lot offered here:

And I have no idea who Greg Cote is, but if he's a dealer for firearms and accessories, maybe you might advise him to investigate why his website didn't come up amongst the first page or so of search engine hits when I was looking for Hi-Power mags, because if it ranks somewhere down below that, most people don't go any further down than the first page of relevant hits.

*I just searched on Duck-Duck-Go for "Browning Hi-Power magazines" and it didn't come up as a hit in the first seven pages.


The last thing I am going to say about this. Mosin Crate offers some cool stuff but he does not know much about BHPs. He accurately grades the T series in the group you bought as shooter grade guns. They have ZERO collector value beyond a small premium because the T in their serial number. The real tell that Mosin Crate does not know much about BHPs is when he states that grips are not as easy to replace as removing a screw. If you have owned enough BHPs over the years you know that variance in the frames make grips hard to fit. Even the best BHP grip maker in the world Craig Spegel sends instructions on how to fit his grips to your gun. He does not guarantee fit because of the variance in the tolerances of the grip screw location from vintage to vintage on BHPs. Again I am not trying to bust your balls but your wrong on your assessment and your facts. Again you paid a good price for a surplus T series. It looks great and should serve you well. Enjoy it but please don't compare it to a commercial T in high 90s % condition. They are not the same IMHO.

Here is a link to Greg Cotes Site. I forgot to put it in my earlier response. https://gregcotellc.com/cart/browning-mecgar-magazines-c-121/
 
You could have, instead, searched Greg Cote, then you'd have gotten...<snip>...As a top result (top result on my duckduckgo search). .
How am I supposed to search for a name I don't know to start out with???? :rofl:
You guys are so funny, you've got to be just pulling my chain.:p

The last thing I am going to say about this.
OK, I'm holding you to it. I didn't disagree with anything you said.
 
I guess I misunderstood you. I had thought you meant you had recently searched and were upset it didn't come up as a top search.

If you meant how you missed it before, fair enough. Now you have a new resource for pretty good mag prices and availability. He ships quick too.
 
I was looking at BHP values last month for insurance purposes, and $900's market value for one in good shape. I don't know the ins and outs of BHP collecting and what makes them worth more, but OP's pistol certainly isn't worth any less.
 
AK103K

Nice Mk.II you've got there! When I got mine I was very happy they finally gave it some decent sights, a better safety, and a nice trigger pull right out of the box. The finish has held up very well all these years and the only thing I changed were those poorly shaped factory grips.
urd2NQL.jpg
 
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I got lucky on this T series late last year. A non gun guy I know inherited it and sold it to me for $700 because he said his dad would want it to go to someone who would appreciate it and never sell it. I never will.
 

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I am not going to continue to down this rabbit hole but clearly you do not understand the difference between what makes one T series BHP worth more than another. Let me put it this way and maybe it will become clearer. The T series are considered the finest example of fit and finish of the external extractor BHPs. The reason people pay more for them then a C series, MKII or MKIII is the fit and finish. If you have to use spot bluing and steel wool to hide an import mark then you are not in possession of a gun that represents the best FN had to offer. I also would advice against any steel wool being used on the import mark. The import mark in a pristine finish is better then removing it and covering it with spot blue. If the roll mark shows bare metal using a bluing pen only on the import mark it a better way to retain value.

The OPs gun is worth more in it condition than yours. $750 was a fair price to pay but you are not going to get as many people willing to pay $1000+ for your surplus gun as the OP could get if he offered it for $1200. This is why I said all poodles are dogs not all dogs are poodles. There are characteristic and condition that make one collectible BHP worth more than another. Again this is not to say you did not buy a great gun at a great price. You did but comparing your gun to the OPs gun is not an apples to apples comparison. It is not just the grips that makes them different. In fact the grips on your gun are most likely original to the gun.

As for the mags Greg Cote has had them in stock all of 2020. I cannot remember a time he did not have stock on those mags. He is one of the best sources for factory and aftermarket mags. Most orders ship the next day. His prices are excellent and customer service is A+.Enjoy the Promags I hope they serve you well.

In the end enjoy your BHP. I certainly would if I owned it. Also take my words with a grain of salt because I might now know much about BHPs.....

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WOW that is a great collection sir !!.

Asking if you could shed some light on what this is as to year.

It was done for Lou Alessi by Heinie a few years back.

Now I am the proud owner !! BHP 3.jpg BHP 2.jpg BHP 3.jpg BHP 1.jpg BHP 2.jpg
 
WOW that is a great collection sir !!.

Asking if you could shed some light on what this is as to year.

It was done for Lou Alessi by Heinie a few years back.

Now I am the proud owner !!View attachment 953803 View attachment 953802 View attachment 953803 View attachment 953804 View attachment 953802

I cannot tell you the actual DOB without being able to see the date code on the barrel or the front grip strap of the frame. I can tell you that it is a MKIII because of the Made in Belgium Assembled in Portugal rollmark. In the serial number there is a 2 digit date code. It looks like it might be NM which would be 1990. Here is a link to the chart so you can determine the DOB. https://hipowersandhandguns.com/Hi Power Dates of Manufacture.htm

That is a nice looking BHP. Looks like it as Heine sight, Garthwaite trigger, commander hammer and Hogue grips. Looks like them kept the factory ambi safety.
 
Wow, this thread blew up while I was away. Thanks to everyone for their input and well-wishes.

WVsig, your knowledge is impressive. The dating scheme for the T-series seems really convoluted. Looking at Browning's date page, my serial number doesn't seem like it's supposed to exist but it clearly does. What would you need to give an accurate date (to the year) on my gun or is that not possible?
 
Wow, this thread blew up while I was away. Thanks to everyone for their input and well-wishes.

WVsig, your knowledge is impressive. The dating scheme for the T-series seems really convoluted. Looking at Browning's date page, my serial number doesn't seem like it's supposed to exist but it clearly does. What would you need to give an accurate date (to the year) on my gun or is that not possible?

A lot of the time you can narrow it down to a range when the pistol was made based on the inspector marks and date codes on the pistol. Unfortunately for you the did not use inspector marks between 1968-1973. I believe that you pistol based on the serial number is late 1969- early 1970. I have seen T series with serial numbers as high as T378237 which I believe to be a 1972-1973 gun.
 
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