Argentine Hi-Power Questions

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MCMXIautomatic

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Hi everyone, I'm a new member and have come in search of answers regarding an FM Hi-Power that I recently picked up. I have only recently begun to learn of the nuances of the BHP but I think this is a commercial gun as I've seen no markings on it that would tell me otherwise.

Firstly, I would like to know when this gun was made. It has a small safety lever, humped feed ramp, standard iron sights, as well as a spur hammer and external extractor. The serial # is 328XXX and on the other side it reads: "FM Hi-Power Industria Argentina".

Secondly, I'm thinking that I might use it as a carry/home defense gun and I would like to be able to use a wide range of defensive ammo with it. What would be the approximate cost of having it throated vs. just getting a new barrel w/ a straight feed ramp and keeping the original as a spare? Or, should I just save myself the hassle and focus on getting ammo that will feed reliably in the gun as is? Also, can +P ammo be fired in this gun without damaging it?

Thirdly, are Hi-Power magazines and parts common enough that I could find them at any gun show without too much trouble?

Anything that you can tell me would be much appreciated, thanks. :)
 
Pics will help more than the serial number to determine vintage of the FM you have. Based on what you have posted it is a commerical M90. IIRC these had the spur hammer while the M95 had the ring hammer but I am not a FM expert by any means.

It should feed a variety of self defense ammo with no modification. I would simply shoot a box or two of your 9mm round of choice. If it runs great. If it does not look at another bullet design. IIRC the hump interfers with some flat nosed designs. Odds are you will find one that works. Some people will polish the hump out. IMHO it is not worth it to replace or modify the barrel.

As for magazines look for Megars. They sell 15 rounders which will function 100% in your FM.

Good luck and enjoy the hi power.
 
The FM is the only truly licensed copy of the Browning Hi-Power, and should be fully interchangeable, parts-wise. I own one, and it has functioned flawlessly with any ammo I've fed it.
Here is the late Stephen Camp's website, "Hipowers and Handguns". There's a ton of information there, and I'm sure I once read a writeup on the Argie pistols.
http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/
Hopefully, the site will be maintained; it's a treasure trove of information!
 
I am a fan of the HP clones. I own a Charles Daly (FEG) that I carry.

I can't help on vintage, but yours should feed most hollow points OK. In particular, XTP profile bullets should do well.

Rellascout is right on all counts. The Mecgar mags are great, and the Argentine mags (KRD) are extended 17 rounders that are fine for the range.

As for +p ammo, these guns will probably do fine, but Steven Camp, the expert on Hi-Powers, liked to use recoil buffers with extra power 18lb recoil springs with +p.
 
As for +p ammo, these guns will probably do fine, but Steven Camp, the expert on Hi-Powers, liked to use recoil buffers with extra power 18lb recoil springs with +p.
Click to expand...

+1 to this. I forgot to address the +p. I used the 18 lbs wolf springs in all of my Hi Powers. I do not use the buffer unless it is a range only gun.
 
Actually, if it has a humped feed ramp it wouldn't be the FM90.

The easy way to ID the FM90 or the later FM95 vs earlier models is that the front of the slide on the 90/95's is not beveled like a traditional Hi Power. The front of the slide looks more like a 1911 on the later Argies. Also, it should say "FM 90" on the slide :).

The FM 90 and 95 all have the later "un"humped feed ramp.

Humped feed ramp or not, they usually feed hollowpoints without a problem. If it doesn't, then this is one of those cases where using a dremel is quite acceptable. Just get out one of those fabric tips and some jewelers rouge and polish the feed ramp until it looks like a mirror.
 
Not all of the FM 90's and FM 95's have the unhumped feed ramps. I have an FM 90 (#370XXX) and an FM 95 Classic (#435XXX) that both have the HUMPED feed ramps in them.

The humped ramps don't always cause feeding problems with JHP ammo, but if they should in your gun, the cheapest fix is to try the JHP load with a MecGar magazine. MecGar changed their BHP mag design a while back to point the bullet a little more upward so that it clears the bottom area of the hump and feeds more normally. I have used ammo with the very squared off XTP bullet in my BHP, FEG's, and FM's, all with MecGar mags, and I had no feeding problems with them at all.

I wouldn't shoot any BHP or derivitive of it with +P ammo without at least using the uprated 18.5 lb Wolff recoil spring, which automatically comes with an uprated firing pin rebound spring. If +P ammo didn't damage the HP platform then there wouldn't be so much discussion of the subject, which seems to come up every time the P-35 platform comes under study. I have read reports of even small amounts of +P ammo damaging the locking lugs of these pistols when used with factory 17 lb. recoil springs, so I don't take any chances. I tend to agree with the faction that says that if you want a gun to shoot lots of high pressure ammo in, then the P-35 platform isn't the one you are looking for.

The New York City Transit Police now reportedly carry the standard pressure Gold Dot 124 grain JHP, and I have read reports of this round performing well in actual stopping situations in other states. So I'm beginning to doubt that the +P ammo offers much more of an advantage than the standard pressure loads, given the advances made in bullet technology in the past decade. But it's your decision to make.

FYI I have found FM magazines to fall into the "better-than-nothing-but-not-by-much" category and would use them strictly for range mags. They're about in the same class with G.I. 1911 mags. So get something better if you intend to use the gun defensively.

Like all variations on the P-35 design, the FM's are fun as heck to shoot. I hope you enjoy yours.

JayPee
 
Not all of the FM 90's and FM 95's have the unhumped feed ramps. I have an FM 90 (#370XXX) and an FM 95 Classic (#435XXX) that both have the HUMPED feed ramps in them.
Click to expand...

Interesting! Maybe FM is dumping some "old stock" barrels in the export guns?
 
I dunno, Beer. Foreign manufacturers of military guns can do whatever they want. For instance, the FM 90 comes with both types of hammer spurs, straight and round, so who knows what you'll find in them. The really bad part is that foreign companies making military guns usually do not change the model number to reflect even major changes in their guns. So I'm not surprised at anything I find in them. Best wishes.

JayPee
 
I have an FM. Bought it in 2002 or so from SOG. It had the humped feed ramp until I had a gunsmith straighten it out. He didn't charge me much. It now feeds anything without a hiccup.

The gun has become a bit of a burden. I have too many good parts in it for what I was starting with - but I've enjoyed it!
 
I'll have to take a close look at the feedramp of mine, to see if it has the "hump". It's a fun gun, and has only shot ball.
While I've only heard good reports of their function, the 90 and 95 just look odd to me, without the forward bevel--as though some gun-plumber jury-rigged a 1911 slide on an HP.:scrutiny:
 
Great thread. I too just got an FM Hipower. I bought 2 of the KRD mags from CDNN as the mag that came with the gun was junk. They were extremely hard to load but I had visited the late Mr. Camp's website and knew that was the case with the KRD mags. What a sweet shooter! I will invest in some MecGar mags soon.
 
Watch CDNN. The MecGars go on sale from time to time and I think I bought 15 rounders for only $5 each over the price of the KRDs. They are well worth it.
 
I just pulled out my HP mags. I have two Mec-Gars--a 15 and a 10 rdr; a hi-cap Ram-Line, and two park'ed mags; one unmarked and the other stamped, "ITALY CAL 9MM NATO/LUGER". They all work fine.
 
I think you might want to take special care of the one from Italy. It meets the description of an OEM Browning Hi Power magazine that were quite expensive at the time they manufactured. I picked up two of them in a gun shop in new condition and an authority on them said they went for as much as $80 twenty years ago. FYI

JayPee
 
Interesting...I picked it up for just a few bucks at a gunshow a few years back. I figured it was surplus from some NATO country. Right now, it's the one that lives in the pistol.

Even though this thread is about the FM, I'll throw out a wish...I'd like to find my FM a friend, an Inglis HP for historical context.
 
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