Hi-Power Upgrades

I bought my Browning HP years ago. I sent the pistol to nationally-known gunsmith Jim Garthwaite and had him do a trigger job, cut serrations length-wise along the top of the slide, install Heine sights front and rear, put on a Commander-style rounded hammer and checker the rear end of the slide and the back of the front sight to match the slide serrations and checkering on the rear sight. I also put on a set of very thin, contoured grip panels that allow the pistol to fit my hand much better than the standard grip panels. Certainly some of this was cosmetic, and it was not cheap, but it has made the pistol one of my favorites.

The Heine sights might be what you have in mind, very stout and visible.

You might also check into Cylinder & Slide. Years ago they did some very nice work on a Hi Power for me that addressed the area you mentioned.

I just vacated that stupid mag disconnect of mine the other day. Oh so simple really. A youtube search will fix you right up. Two tools. A correct size punch and a hammer is all you need. My trigger feels much better but todays range test will tell for sure.

I agree with you on the Glock thing. Feels better and I shoot it better and holding 13 rounds I'm not losing much. Enjoy yours.

I removed the mag disconnect from my old Hi Power, and bobbed the hammer. If I were going to shoot it much I'd replace the sights as well. Removing the disconnect improved the trigger quite a bit, and also allows the magazines to drop free. The spur hammer ate the web of my hand. I chopped it off and reshaped it to prevent blood loss. I find the stock grip panels to be unnecessarily thick and too squared off for my liking. I have a spare hammer and kept the mag disconnect parts in the event someone in the future wants to return the gun to original condition. Mine doesn't see much use as I have others I enjoy shooting more. By the way, if you like the ergonomics of the HP, you'd love the CZ 75/PO1 line.
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http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=133740

This link is from the 1911 forum and shows how to remove the mag safety.

I have a CD Hi Power as well and love it. As far as sights go, some have Novak 1911 cut dovetails and some have Browning cuts. It depends on whether the gun was assembled by Magnum Research or Dan Wesson.

If assembled by Magnum Research the SN will include the letters HPM. The Dan Wesson guns just have HP. Here is a link to a blog with the info you'll need for the sights along with a good picture of some options.

http://gunner777.wordpress.com/category/charles-daly-hi-power/

Hi Power pistol work....

I'd look into www.Americanpistol.com , you can find a skilled gunsmith who works on Hi Power models.
I've heard & read that Karl Sokal of VT's Chestnut Mountain Sports is highly rated for carry/serious Hi Power 9x19mm pistols. He did work for the US Secret Service & the elite HRT of the FBI.
Cylinder & Slide is another well known US shop for custom work.
Id consider Novak or Trijicon 3 dot sights.
For grips, see Hogue or Craig Spegel, www.Craigspegel.com . He's well known for the J frame boot grips but does pistols too.

A match grade Bar Sto barrel would help. Sokal or C&S can fit & polish it(feed ramp).

For safety, don't mess with the mag safety. Some gunsmiths won't change it due to legal/civil reasons.

Can you post a photo of the pistol showing the dovetails for the sights? I don't know all the sights that came on CD Hi Powers.

This is just my opinion, but as far as sights go I would find some that fit your current dovetails if possible.

Having the slide milled for new dovetails and using whatever sights you want is an option, but it's not inexpensive proposition at $200 or so (and you might have to pay to ship it).

I had about $600 worth of custom work done on a BHP (slide milled for new sights was part of it).

The BHP was a mil surp that had tiny sights and I decided to have the slide milled for new sights. And of course might as well do a trigger job. Oh, and crown the muzzle and bevel the mag well. And a custom safety. And throat the chamber and smooth out the feed ramp.

When it was all done I had a $400 BHP with $1000 into it total.

If I could do it all over again, I would have started with a much nicer newer BHP ($600) and would have had a lot nicer final result for only marginally more investment.

The point of all this rambling is if you want to go as far as milling the slide for new sights, you might as well make it your dream BHP and start with an actual Browning/FN to start with.

Just one opinion.

I bought mine in the early 90's. It came with factory adjustable target sights. So Browning target sights should be available. I had my mag safety taken out and a commander style hammer put in. Some nice wood grips. I put in an extended slide stop lever also. The hard chrome finish has been perfect. A great gun. Even with after market magazines it just keeps on ticking. Never one failure.

You might also check into Cylinder & Slide. Years ago they did some very nice work on a Hi Power for me that addressed the area you mentioned.

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+1. C&S can optimize a High Power any way you want it optimized.

Had them improve the safety on mine, put in a ring hammer, better sights, bevel the mag well, stipple front and back straps, and tighten up the internals on my Belgian/Portuguese FN. Turned what I'd call a good to pretty good fighting pistol into a serious one -- I just wish the design had a broader fan base here in the US to drive being able to get those sorts of features on a factory built pistol rather than having to ship it off to get it 'smithed on for a few months.

Another vote for Cylinder & Slide. This isn't a great picture to show you the whole gun, but this HP has a slightly extended safety and wide combat trigger from Cylinder & Slide, all competition springs inside, specially ramped barrel, and back when I bought this gun in the early 80s, the "thing" to do was install S&W adjustable revolver sights, as there were not nearly as many choices for sights back then. 2 slots were milled in the slide to fit the sight. The front sight is a Millett. No magazine safety and the trigger is very nice and crisp. Although these are factory grip panels, I generally keep a set of Ahrends checkered rosewood grips on it. The gun looks pretty stock, but it's really not. It functions very, very well. The HP is a good gun to start with and if you put the time and $$ into it, it's a great gun.



edit: I'm also fortunate enough to have a second, fully factory original complete slide and barrel setup with the original, itty-bitty sights on it. Boy, you had to have some good eyes to see those things!

HB said:

While I am not a gunsmith by any means, I do feel very capable of doing much of the work required on my Hi-Power. Am I correct in assuming that the Hi-Power is more user serviceable than a 1911? While I've shot a few 1911s in Bullseye I've never owned one. It seems like they require much more hand fitting than most any more current pistol design.

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The only thing I won't tackle on mine is a full trigger job or replacing the safeties (my FEG does not have ambidextrous safeties). Everything else can be tackled fairly easily - easier than a 1911, at least to me. If you have experience doing those other things, they shouldn't be hard to do. It's just something beyond my expertise.

You'll also want a third or fourth hand when you tackle replacing that mainspring. It's the one part that's much more....complex than a 1911.

That "third hand" can be a small "U"-shaped piece of rod, shaped similarly to a large electrical wire staple. Sized just right, it is inserted from the side, over the hammer spur/bur when cocked, and under the factory beavertail. It will hold the hammer in a cocked position, allowing you to work on the mainspring easily.

Sprinco Buffer System

Have one in my FEG. Puts me back on target for follow up shots very easily and smoothly. Stephen Camps write-up:


http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/BHP and Sprinco.htm