Are most of the guys who sing the praises of Browning High Powers 1911 lovers?

Lemme guess... G**** fanboi?

I really like 1911's. Have not had the fortune to shoot a High Power. That being said, it does seem that a CZ75 might have a bit of a one up on it. Higher capacity, ability for cocked and locked as well as double action. I should give one a try before disparaging too much.

Wtih me it's the other way around! I'm a huge fan of the HP, it fits my hand better than the 1911 and I'm more proficient with it....but I own a Kimber 1911 too and love it as well.

The Hi-Power might be dated in some areas and there are some design issues about it I don't care for, it seems to me that pretty much every gun company today (except Beretta) seems to be using the Browning Hi-Power's recoil system with the tilted barrel and all that. So even if the Hi-Power's status is fading, I'd put it as a more popular design than the 1911.

As others have stated for me it is a matter of fit and my ability to shoot the gun well that determines if I like it or don't.

For me personally the 1911 and the BHP fit my hands. I started out with Sigs DA/SA and still shoot them and shoot them well enough but the BHP and the 1911 fit me better. I have shot enough rounds through SA guns that the safety swipe some are concerned with is a natural movement for me now. Muscle memory is a great and powerful thing.

These pistols are not witout their faults but for me there just are not better fitting and shooting guns and I have tested quite a few. LOL

PS People who consistently sigth JMB fanboydom as the reason for the love of both of these pistols do not know their BHP history well enough. JMB started the BHP design but it is much more Dievdonne Saive's design than JMB IMHO.

Yep. When JMB died, I believe the design of the Hi-Power/P-35 was a striker fired pistol. Saive adopted a lot of 1911 features after JMB's patents, which were owned by Colt, expired. Saive also created the final grip design (probably the best thing about the hi-power) after JMB died.

Yep. When JMB died, I believe the design of the Hi-Power/P-35 was a striker fired pistol. Saive adopted a lot of 1911 features after JMB's patents, which were owned by Colt, expired. Saive also created the final grip design (probably the best thing about the hi-power) after JMB died.

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If I remember correctly Browning had developed both hammer and striker fired designs for a military trial. When he died the gun he designed was complete, but it wasn't selected for the (french? I believe) military. Saive took Browning's design and modified it into what we know today. I believe he shortens the barrel, shortened and recontoured the grip frame, and added a few 1911 esque features since the patents had just expired.

mooner said;

That being said, it does seem that a CZ75 might have a bit of a one up on it.

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I have all 3. A S&W 1911, a 1977 BHP and a CZ 75 Compact. The BHP was my favorite pistol until I bought the CZ a couple of months ago and it supplanted the BHP for half the price.
I took the BHP and CZ to the range this morning 'cause they had been sitting while I shot rifles lately.
I shoot both well, at least for me, but the CZ feels just a little better in my hand and I can get the sights back easier.
I don't carry any of them. My edc is a Kahr PM9.
I will keep all of 'em.

The BHP is my all time favorite 9mm handgun.

The 1911 is my all time favorite .45acp

Like them both, but the recoil of .45 ACP is just too much for my arthritic wrists nowadays, so my only 1911 is a Govt. model Rock Island chambered for the 9mm.
JD

The Hi-Power is a debugged 1911.

Personally I love both guns, but I'm not one of those "fanboy" types.. (Rail Driver)

Well said!

I own both 1911s and BHP. They have a place in my shooting/carry regiment. The only real complaints I have about the HP is the lack of a beaver tail and the small safety on stock models. The spurred hammer on the older ones make a bloody mess out of the web of my hand, and the smallish safety lever is awkward for a "Thumbs Forward" grip. I also appreciate the merits of the CZ, Glock, and Sig platforms. They too have a place in my shooting/carry regiment. Of the above pistols, I actually shoot the CZ slightly better than the 1911s/BHPs. Of the pistols I have mentioned, I carry and shoot Glocks more than the others. I actually shoot the Glocks better than the Sigs.-------------Go figure!
To sum it up, I am fond of most pistol makes and models.
str1

I've never shot either, but really like both.

I couldn't believe the feeling when I finally got to fondle a MK III at a Bass Pro down in Florida during vacation back in June..I didn't know what to expect but I knew it was meant to be immediately. One day I'll have one in my collection, in honor of Mr. Camp.

I own an Inglis Hi-Power and two 1911 .45s.
I'm having no plans of selling any of them either.

Don't know what your talking about It's an Old School thing.

Nope.
I'm a 1911 guy, and have no use for the BHP.

If the hi-power had a slab slide instead of that ridiculous cut and the slide lock thingie wasn't so hi-profile ... I might like it more. 8)

Am I really one of the few people who likes the low profile looks?

I have shot and carried a lot of different pistols. Yes I'm old school 1911 and BHP cover most of my shooting. Tried polymer pistols, good guns most of them, just not better in my hands. Tried CZ and Glock when working in Europe before any were in the states. Glock good mass produced gun, didn't fit my hand. CZ good gun excellent ergo, but slide inside frame was going to get me killed. Anything needed larger than a 45 I'll go to a revolver. Yes I'm old school. I use what works for me and have no issue with others doing the same.

Cheers,

ts

My BHP is my favorite handgun by far. I have no desire for a 1911, although I'm sure I'd enjoy one.

scramasax,

Just curious as to how the inside frame rails of the CZ were going to get you killed?
The slide running inside the frame rails works for me. I really like the lower bore axis.
str1

The slide running inside the frame rails works for me. I really like the lower bore axis.

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The CZ doesn't have a lower bore axis, it just looks that way because of the slide design.

Just about all modern defense guns are mechanical copies of the linkless barrel system first used in the Hi Power design, or the linked barrel first used in the 1911 design. So, you're all fanboys of JMB designs.

The only real departures from JMB are in ergonomics and trigger types.

Although not necessarily due to the relationship of the slide/frame rails, my totally unscientific measurements do verify to my satisfaction that the CZ does indeed have a lower bore axis than the 1911 and HP. Using a straight edge aligned with the bottom of the beaver tail, parallel to the center of the bore, measurements are as follows:
CZ 15/16"
HP 1"
1911 1 1/16
Irregardless, whether it's due to grip angle, bore axis height, or moon phase, the CZ recoils in more of a straight line back into the hand than the 1911. The HP is pretty close to the CZ. This is assuming the 1911 is a 9mm of course. Entirely different recoil impulse between a 9mm and a .45 acp.
Cheers,
str1

I love both my 1911's and have done a fair bit of work on both. I have to be a bit biased because the Inglis BHP was Canadian Forces issue but in 9mm my Sig P226 rules

Love 'em both!

ATLDave:

Originally Posted by PabloJ
"These are classic well made but outdated designs. From 'Hot' status both require disengagement of slide locking lever prior to use. Modern high capacity autos w/o manual safety features make for superior combat guns."

Yeah, that's probably why all the elite combat units in the world have moved towards safety-less guns, and why all the serious action shooters have abandoned the 1911 platform.

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'Tis a pity that, in these here parts, such sarcasm so often goes unappreciated.

I own 3 Colt 1911s and an FEG HP. Like others here, I'm a traditionalist, and have long admired the elegance and history of both designs.

I wanted a 1911 from the time I was a kid, hearing my dad and uncles (WWII vets) speak with fondness and awe of the ".45 Auto". That was reinforced when I became acquainted with the work of Col. Cooper.
And I wanted a BHP from the time I learned that such fabled folk as the RCMP and Frank Serpico favored it.

Except for the 1911's barrel bushing, the two designs strip and reassemble pretty much the same. And, as has been mentioned, I can use the same holsters for all.

I like them both equally, though I would have to say that the Hi-Power grip has a slight edge in ergonomics, at least for those of us with smaller hands. However I also like the balance of the M1911 (especially in a Commander-size gun), because it has the better overall feel to it.