A sexy FEG PJK-9HP Browning Hi Power

[gsbuickman]

Hiya Guys ,

So here we go again, I told myself I wasn't gonna do it, again, I wasn't gonna buy any more guns for awhile, then I turned around and just bought that Mannlicher M95 as an early Christmas present this year.

Well, now I've went and done it again. I've been kicking myself in the proverbial butt ever since I sold the Israeli Kareen mk.1 Browning Hi Power that I had not too long ago. Well, I was just telling someone the other day that if another Hi Power crossed my path I was going to jump on it and if it had the same small fixed GI sights that the mk1 had, I'd take it to the shop and have it dovetailed to put a set of 3 dots on it.

Well, a hi power didn't exactly cross my path, I started making phone calls this morning to the local gun shops and I'll be damned if I didn't actually find one for $450, well, actually I found 2, but the other one was a genuine FN Hi Power for $700. I had the $, I probably shouldn't have spent it, but I didn't want to miss the opportunity while it was there and I didn't want to kick myself for not doing it, so, I did it, again. With the Christmas sale it was $380 out the door with a bulldog ambidextrous holster, 2 magazines and a cable lock.

Now that I have a Hi Power and a Compact 1911 45 I swear I'm done buying guns for a while. If I buy any more guns anytime soon someone please shoot me in the face with a bazooka.

Now that I've had some time to do a bunch of research and pour through a ton of Hi-Power threads on numerous forums going back 10-15 years, it's about time to do a thread on my new Hi-Power clone.

It seems that no one has been able to nail down a definitive chronology of the Browning Hi Power with all the different variants and knockoffs that have surfaced over the last 20 years or so, so you could almost say that they're a lot like the SKS because almost anything seems possible.

Now in regards to the Hi-Power that I picked up yesterday, it's a somewhat rare FEG PJK-9HP from Hungary.

This is also an exact clone of the early 70's Hi-Power design.
On the left side of the frame just above the trigger a little to the left of the trigger hinge pin is the licensed trademark logo that confirms all the factory Browning hi-power parts will work with this. On the right side of the frame just above and a little to the left of the trigger hinge pin is the oval cross bolt footprint which verifies that this has John Moses Browning linkless Barrel design. It seems that on the later model letter "G" designated serial number varients they also used the Smith & Wesson model 59 rotating Barrel design as well.

This Hi-Power was imported by K.B.I Inc. Harrisburg, PA. It's in very nice shape, the blueing is probably in 8/10 condition and the action is smooth as butter. The trigger has a tiny bit of grit in it, other than that it's really nice and nothing a little polishing won't clear up. One of the other factors that sold me on this one is that the rear sight is dovetailed and it has 3 dots on it, including the fixed front sight which means I don't have to spend any money at the gunsmith for this one.

For all intents and purposes, it's basically everything that's good and wholesome about the 1911 with John Browning's refinements and improvements he made when he designed this before he died, with no pain in the butt Barrel bushing to screw with just a break it down for cleaning. The closest comparison that I can make is it breaks down just like a Sig Sauer P226 or SP2022.

 

[il.bill]

That is a nice find. It is hard to go wrong with any Hi-Power in good condition, whether it is an FN / Browning, one of the variously labelled FEG manufactured models, an Inglis, or an Argentine FM. Having the sights you wanted is a big plus.

somewhat rare FEG PJK-9HP from Hungary

- not sure just how 'somewhat rare' any of the KBI imports marked PJK-9HP would be, but they can be really nice shooting pistols.

If you need any parts down the line, buying them directly from Browning is the way to go.

Happy Hi-Power shooting!

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

Nice gun! The grit in the trigger is just the silly mag safety riding on the front of the magazine- its really only noticeable when the hammer is down, usually a non-issue when firing. As you say, polishing the contact patch on the front of the mag will help, or you could just remove the safety......thus allowing the mags to "drop free" as well.
My buddies P9k had an issue where the trigger hinge pin would "walk" out of the frame during firing. We determined that the hole was a bit oversized and ended up machining a groove into the pin to fit it with a c-clip retainer. Not too big a deal, problem fixed.
I cant tell from the pics, but does yours have the little "flair" at the base of the grip frame, ala S&W model 39, some of these do......was a nice feature on my buddies' gun.

 

[bannockburn]

gsbuickman

Nice find! A friend of mine has a PJK-9HP only it's a bit fancier two tone version with a polished blued finish on the slide and a chrome plated frame. Trigger was also a little heavy and gritty til he removed the mag safety.

 

[JONWILL]

I learned there was a "click" test on the Hi Power pistols

Put the safety on with the hammer back. Pull the trigger and see if there is an audible click. If there is it means the safety is out of tolerance.

I can create what it called a Hair trigger.

 

[WVsig]

Now in regards to the Hi-Power that I picked up yesterday, it's a somewhat rare FEG PJK-9HP from Hungary.

This is also an exact clone of the early 70's Hi-Power design.
On the left side of the frame just above the trigger a little to the left of the trigger hinge pin is the licensed trademark logo that confirms all the factory Browning hi-power parts will work with this. On the right side of the frame just above and a little to the left of the trigger hinge pin is the oval cross bolt footprint which verifies that this has John Moses Browning linkless Barrel design. It seems that on the later model letter "G" designated serial number varients they also used the Smith & Wesson model 59 rotating Barrel design as well.

This Hi-Power was imported by K.B.I Inc. Harrisburg, PA. It's in very nice shape, the blueing is probably in 8/10 condition and the action is smooth as butter. The trigger has a tiny bit of grit in it, other than that it's really nice and nothing a little polishing won't clear up. One of the other factors that sold me on this one is that the rear sight is dovetailed and it has 3 dots on it, including the fixed front sight which means I don't have to spend any money at the gunsmith for this one.



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Nice pick up at fair price. The FEG clones are pretty good guns. There is some variance in their quality based on when they were made. There is a guy who IIRC he goes by jaypee on the forums who has written a ebook on the FEG clones. http://feghp.blogspot.com Lots of good info there.

I do not believe that this is a rare FEG. IMHO it is one of the most common configurations imported into the US by the import market. KBI was the importer and the pistols were named after wife of the President of KBI, Michael Kassnar. The PJK-9HP was named for my wife, Pamela Jane. IIRC.

For all intents and purposes, it's basically everything that's good and wholesome about the 1911 with John Browning's refinements and improvements he made when he designed this before he died, with no pain in the butt Barrel bushing to screw with just a break it down for cleaning. The closest comparison that I can make is it breaks down just like a Sig Sauer P226 or SP2022.

This statement is a bit of a myth. This sentiment is often expressed but it has little foundation in fact. The gun we shoot today and call the Browning High Power was not designed by JMB. This is the last gun JMB designed before his death.



It resembles what we call the BHP but it is not the same gun. The original does not have many 1911 attributes because of patent restrictions at the time of its design. This gun was never put into production. JMB died before what we know as the BHP was created. JMB never say what we call the BHP. It bares his name but the reason behind that is a entire conversation all to itself. IMHO it is named the BHP out of respect for "The Master" not because he designed it.

Most of the 1911 attributes found in the BHP were introduced by Dieudonné Joseph Saive after JMBs death and after the patent protections for the 1911 had expired. The BHP was created as a response to a RFP by the French looking for a high capacity pistol for their military. It is not an improved 1911. It is based on the requirements of the French contract not the 1911 or some mythical desire of JMB to improve the the 1911.

As a side note the 1911 was also a contract pistol and many of the features we love about it were not the result of JMB's genius but instead were simply contract requirements. For example the manual thumb safety was not part of JMBs original design but was added after the US Army requested it. The RFP and potential contract dictated the design of the pistol.

The true designer of the BHP was Saive. Saive was the head designer at FN when JMB was there as a contract employee. He designed the magazine which was the foundation for the pistol and he finished the design which was never adopted by the French but the Belgians did in 1935. I have always believed that the gun we shoot today as the BHP is more Saive than JMB. YMMV

 

[RUT]

>>A friend of mine has a PJK-9HP<<

This is the one to get, S/A only and as close to a "real" Hi-Power as it gets.

 

[Eugen]

Congrats on your latest acquisition. I am a BHP fanboy and recently bought my second one. Let us know how your new one shoots.

 

[GunnyUSMC]

gsbuickman Keep this up and you will have as many guns as me.

 

[Riomouse911]

I, too went the FEG route years ago with a ppk-cloneish FEG .380.

The FEG .380 felt better in my hand and shot better than my Interarms ppk/s, so I sold off the ppk/s when it started doubling on me. I never missed that gun one bit.

You will like the FEG, the ones I have shot and others I handled all seemed to be good guns.

 

[gsbuickman]

I, too went the FEG route years ago with a ppk-cloneish FEG .380.

The FEG .380 felt better in my hand and shot better than my Interarms ppk/s, so I sold off the ppk/s when it started doubling on me. I never missed that gun one bit.

You will like the FEG, the ones I have shot and others I handled all seemed to be good guns.

Thanks . I actually picked this up to replace the Israeli Kareen that I sold a while back, luckily I like this even better than I did that mk.1 . I've had several feg's & I've liked pretty much all of them the most recent of which was a PA63. I ended up selling it to a friend because I like the Bersa Thunder line when it comes to the PPK clones.

 

[gsbuickman]

Nice gun! The grit in the trigger is just the silly mag safety riding on the front of the magazine- its really only noticeable when the hammer is down, usually a non-issue when firing. As you say, polishing the contact patch on the front of the mag will help, or you could just remove the safety......thus allowing the mags to "drop free" as well.
My buddies P9k had an issue where the trigger hinge pin would "walk" out of the frame during firing. We determined that the hole was a bit oversized and ended up machining a groove into the pin to fit it with a c-clip retainer. Not too big a deal, problem fixed.
I cant tell from the pics, but does yours have the little "flair" at the base of the grip frame, ala S&W model 39, some of these do......was a nice feature on my buddies' gun.

Thanks for the heads up on the grit in the trigger, you are correct . I will be removing the magazine lock out sooner rather than later because I personally think they're stupid, just like lawyer locks ...

 

[gsbuickman]

Here are a couple more pictures in some better light. There's a little wear on the bluing, I'm guessing from a snug holster, other than that it's in really nice shape . I'll get it cleaned up and polish and buff it out with a little Turtle Wax and put a nice set of grips on it.

 

[Tallball]

Nice pick up! I bought my FEG High Power at a gun show in the late 1980's for $200. I don't know how many thousands of rounds it has through it, but it still functions perfectly and I have never had any problems with it.

I like FEG pistols. I really like my little 32acp PPKish pistol, and I just the other day won an auction for the 380 version. It's a shame they went out of business.

 

[WVsig]

I still recommend picking up a real deal FN/Browning when the $$$ allow for it. There is nothing like the real deal.

 

[bannockburn]

WVsig

Reminds me of Shipwreck's "Wheel-O-Berettas"!

A fine collection my friend!

 

[JR24]

Nice looking FEG, Hi Powers are fine guns, even if their triggers leave something to be desired. Removing my mag disconnect smoothed out my MK III and dropped the pull a few pounds, so do that.

 

[gsbuickman]

Nice looking FEG, Hi Powers are fine guns, even if their triggers leave something to be desired. Removing my mag disconnect smoothed out my MK III and dropped the pull a few pounds, so do that.

Yep, I liked my mk.1, that thing had a beautiful trigger on it but the small fixed GI sites were hard to see and just sucked. I will definitely be deleting the magazine disconnect after that I'm sure this will have a nice trigger as well .

 

[gsbuickman]

Well, I tried to take the silly magazine disconnect out of my high power but the trigger hinge pin didn't wanna budge, so I packed it up and grab my crusader Compact 1911 and ran over to see Robert and "Sam", the big silly floppy eared ol' hound dog at RK's Gunsmithing in Nampa. I let him deal with that pain in the azz pin & he popped the magazine disconnect out for me. That made a big difference in the trigger. Now there's only about an 1/8" of slop in the trigger w/ about a 4.5 lb. pull. Since I decided to go pay them a visit I left my Crusader 45 there so he can put a new set of fiber optic 3-dot Novak sights on it for me ...

 

[jmace57]

I, too went the FEG route years ago with a ppk-cloneish FEG .380.

The FEG .380 felt better in my hand and shot better than my Interarms ppk/s, so I sold off the ppk/s when it started doubling on me. I never missed that gun one bit.

You will like the FEG, the ones I have shot and others I handled all seemed to be good guns.

Yes - the B9R is the .380 version. I got a great deal on one with no magazine...til I found out the magazines are like hens teeth and one cost me $85!

 

[gsbuickman]

I forget the exact model number but there's also a model that's real similar to the B9R that's a single and double action in 9mm, unfortunately it has the Smith & Wesson model 59 action in it, not the Browning linkless single action.

 

[David Ingram]

I have the Feg 9HP clone also. Best hand fit of all my 9's but with iron sights it doesn't come out much. I've three dotted three other guns and it's time for this one. I'll try myself as my smiths have all retired like I did.

 

[Janos Dracwlya]

I have one of the FEG HP-clones, which I bought a few years back from the late, lamented Cole Distributing (they were local to me). It's a little rough inside, but has always worked and shot well. I recently got an SFS 2.0 kit for it, and Numrich had FEG-made walnut grips at a steal, so I added both of those.