Why Not a Hi-Power?

Lots of good stuff here:
http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/

The triggers can be tuned. As the automotive folks say: "anything from mild to wild".

I know of several folk who had HiPowers in 40S&W and sold them. While the HP is a joy in 9mm, according to my friends it is NOT such a joy in 40S&W.

I've read that unlike some other manufacturers who simply
put n a different barrel and mag. for the .40 S&W, FN made the
frame stronger and a bigger slide for the .40 S&W Hi-Power.

I get the two different CZ 40x versions mixed up... is your/the
CZ 40B a DA/SA trigger action with frame mounted thumb safety
(or decocker)?

Randall

If you get a good Hi-Power, it is evidently nothing short of wonderful.

If you get a bad one, the trigger may be the worst you'll ever encounter on a semi-auto.

I really wanted to buy one - they are beautiful and historical. Then I rented one, and the trigger was abominable. I am pretty sure it was stock. And I shot a friend's - his had the magazine safety removed, and other minor trigger work. The trigger really sucked on that one as well.

I hear lots of people on THR who either got a good one out of the box, or had minimal gunsmithing and ended up with a great one.

The only way I can reconcile all the info is to believe that some Hi-Powers leave the factory with great triggers, and some leave the factory with almost uncorrectable triggers.

It seems that as a buyer, if you want a Hi-Power with a sweet trigger, you need to have the cash to do significant gunsmithing over and above the cost of the pistol. You may not need that cash, but you may need that cash. I absolutely could not afford to spend $700 on a pistol immediately need to spend $300 on gunsmithing.

So I went with an Armalite 24 (CZ). It would be very unlikely to have a trigger as sweet as the best of the Hi-Powers , but it also would be extremely unlikely to have a trigger as bad as the 2 Hi-Powers I had shot .

If anyone can explain why we get such varied reports on factory Hi-Power triggers, I am all ears. Lots of folks report sweet triggers right out of the box, and lots of folks have had my experience. I don't understand it.

Mike

according to my friends it is NOT such a joy in 40S&W.

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Nonsense! The BHP .40 is a great weapon and a fine defensive/EDC package. Recoil is not a problem. The chief complaint with the trigger is attributed to the mag disconnect, which is easily removed. After this 10 minute trigger job, most are pleased with the trigger, although reset is longer than the 1911.

If you have to have a .40, the Hi- Power is a great platform. I have exactly one .40 and it's a Hi-Power. I would not hesitate in recommending it.

They're decent. When you get up to a certain level with pistols, they're all more or less equal. Glock, SIG, XD, CZ, HK, etc. etc. whatever. Pick your favorite flavor.

I'd highly recommend that you shoot one before buying in the caliber you're interested in. You might find that you seriously don't like it.

Well, a High power frame and a CZ frame puts you in steel frame pistol heaven IMO.

I might be crazy, but I feel the steel frame guns just "feel better" and are more comfortable than a lot of the lighter alloys and poymer frames.

Definitely worth the weight.

I have Hi Powers in both calibers and they are both a joy to shoot. I prefer the 9mm for the weight of the gun but as far as shooting is concerned, they're both great.

fantastic pistol, great resume', and altho' a personal thing, I think it's beautiful.....it is truly hard to find fault and hard to find an equal....what an unbelieveable history; used in combat by DOZENS of armys in the history of war. oh, did I mention it was the original "High Capacity"?

A Hi-Power trigger needn't be hard and gritty. Owing to it's rather unique trigger geometry, 5lbs is about as light as you'll ever get it, and the reset is going to be longer than a 1911's, it still can be made smooth with a nice, crisp break. I have a .40 hi-Power, and mine has a very good trigger, perfectly suitable for a carry gun, which is what mine is.

Once you eliminate the magazine safety,the trigger almost magically improves.

I requested 3.5 pounds on one of mine and it trips within an ounce of that. 'Course the FCG is mostly Cylinder and Slide stuff.

Jim Garthwaite does great work on Hi-Powers. We've had conversations about them in .40 S&W before.

All the nice qualities about Hi-Powers - balance, the way they point, the feel of the gun in recoil - are dimished when its built up to chamber and handle the .40 S&W. Its still nice a nice design; its just not as nice. Some hate what it does to the Hi-Power, and chose other guns to shoot .40 S&W.


Triggers on the Hi-Power can be made very sweet with some good work. I've handled about 6 that Jim's worked on. None were deplorable before the work; all turned out better. My wife has one, and he didn't do much besides take out the magazine disconnect and touch the bearing surfaces up just a bit.


Stephen Camp is the expert on Hi-Powers around here. Hopefully he'll stop by and offer his opinion.

I have three in .40, and a couple of 9's as well, nothing wrong with either one of them. The trigger will never be as good as a well tuned 1911 trigger, but just removing the mag disconnect generally gets them down to 4.5 pounds or so and makes them crisper. A little stoning work will get you a very nice 3.5-4 pound trigger, although the travel and reset distance are longer than a 1911.

One of my two blued .40's:


My regular carry gun in .40:


My Competition model in 9:

My BHP in 40S&W is the least reliable handgun I have ever owned.

i like the bhp's slim grip. i know they beefed up the frame for the .40cal and i'm wondering if that affected the grip size too. i doubt it did at all, but it might be another thing to consider too. i have 2 in 9mm. triggers are smooth and break well. there was a little creep but i removed the mag disconnect safety and nice the threshold is awesome.

My BHP in 40S&W is the least reliable handgun I have ever owned.

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Broad statements without details doesn't really give any info at all. Why was it unreliable?

My .40 cal BHP Practical (my daily carry), is dependable, accurate and a joy to shoot. I've never had a hiccup or any problems Everyone who has fired it, loves it, including myself. It's a keeper.

biggiesmalls: i like the bhp's slim grip. i know they beefed up the frame for the .40cal and i'm wondering if that affected the grip size too. i doubt it did at all, but it might be another thing to consider too. i have 2 in 9mm. triggers are smooth and break well. there was a little creep but i removed the mag disconnect safety and nice the threshold is awesome.

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Grip sizes are identical.
Only the method of manufacture changed when FN introduced the .40 S&W (now cast, was forged). The stripped rames are identical, but the slide is fatter on the .40 S&W. Since the ejector is different you can't swap a .40 slide assembly to a 9mm slide assembly without changing out the ejector as well.

I'm wearing my 9x19mm right now. I finally checked to see if it'd fit the same Don Hume IWB holster as my M1911s and it does.

The first thing I did was have the magazine safety removed. Now it has a very serviceable combat trigger. I wouldn't choose it over a S&W Model 52 for bullseye, but I can hit the NRA targets at fifty feet with it.

The second thing I did was put Pachmayr grips on it. The stock grips were too thick. I love the Pachmayrs.

The third thing I did was replace the fixed rear sight with an adjustible Pachmayr. The front sight on my '80s transitional gun isn't easy to see or reasily replaceable, so I use a white enamel paint marker to make the rear face easier to see.

It was the first gun I bought since I got out of the Army and moved to Ohio in '86. It's been a good investment.

My old Belgium made gun is a major pleasure to shoot. Even with it's original sights I fire it well and accurately.

The trigger breaks clean, but it is about a 5 lb trigger.

There aren't any modifications to this one:

Hi-Power....heck yeah. One in .40?....hell no.