Browning Hipower?

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357wheelgunner

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Please tell me about the browning hipower. I love single action, and I love the 9mm cartridge. So naturally I am drawn to the Browning, but I have no experience with the weapon, except for fondling the PERFECT grip.

Are they reliable?

Are they durable?

Would it make a good CCW gun, or should I stick with my S&W M65?

I am talking about the real Browning, not a knockoff. Any info would be appreciated, thanks guys!
 
If you like SA and 9mm, you can't help but love BHP. Besides the marvelous grip, that you have already discovered, the trigger let-off (after removing the magazine disconnect) is very clean. But the thing I like the best is the recoil - it's not snappy like a .357 & it's not soft-but-heavy like a .45, it's more like emphatic.... there, there, there, there.... it just seems to naturally come right back to point. Besides the internal design, I think it might be because the BHP is slightly heavier than most carry guns. I think it recoils like an N-frame 6" S&W in .38. It's my bedside gun, dressed in 17 round mag & Crimson Trace lasergrips.

I got my first set of lasergrips for this gun & it sold me on CT's. At the range, after testing the laser for functionality & adjusting aim, I put 18 fast-aimed rounds in a centered 5" diameter circle at 10 yards - shooting from my hip. And I've got poor eyesight. I couldn't ask more of a SD pistol combo.

.................... oh, right......... & buy Mr. Camp's book - it's worth it!!
 
I CCW'd one for a while. It is a bit large for concealment, more effort must be taken. More of a fall/winter gun depending on what weather is like in your neck of the woods.
Reliable - yes. Durable? I'd put in heavier springs if you are using +p ammo, but that's about it.
 
I've had a browning HP practical (the two tone style) for about 10 months. It's been my daily CCW, without any trouble. Been 100% reliable. No noticable wear other than the rails. Only complaints: I get a bit of hammer bite sometimes, and it doesn't come in 10mm ;)
 
I've got two, an Argentine FM-made BHP and a Browning Practical.
Both are reliable. Lots of 13-17 round mags are available and can be found for around $13 to $17 each with some shopping around. (Check CDNN for good mag prices.)

The BHP grip is one of the best ever made. Other manufacturers ripped it off shamelessly over the years it is so good.

The BHP is heavier than some other 9mms but that helps make recoil feel lighter.

Hard to go wrong with a BHP IMO.
 
Reliable? OH YES.

Durable? Yes. I've never had a problem. Any gun will show signs of wear with abuse... Brownings are classy guns, and you are going to anger the man upstairs if you do not care for it.

That said, I have a Browning and an FN, and a Clone (FEG). I love them all. The Browning is my baby, never a problem. The FN is new, only a hundred rounds throught it -- my carry gun in training. My FEG has seen a lot of use. Probably above seven or eight thousand rounds. It's still going strong regardless of a few little niggles (car term).

Carry gun? It's the only handgun design I currently own, and it's all I carry. It conceals for me like there's a hollow in my hip for it. The HP is my perfect gun.

It's good that you're committed to the "real deal" -- that's the best way to go. I'm happy with my clone, but I'm MUCH happier with my FN and Browning. They are superb guns.

Wes
 
Silly questions for a gun that's been around for 70 years !!! The latest are designed for +P loads in 9mm and of course there's the 40 which I would get. I used to have one and target shot, hunted and carried it .One of the best !
 
Go read Camp's site. It has good information.

As for reliable, I am willing to go out on a limb and say that a Mark III BHP with good Mec-gar mags is the MOST reliable handgun out there. I shoot a BHP MORE than any other handgun but I have seen fewer malfunctions out of them than handguns that I and friends shoot far less. Still, YMMV and I am way better than average about handgun maintenance and upkeep, so I'm going to see better results than the average shooter.

Durability? There are some supposed experts on the matter that say the BHP is a 15,000 round handgun at best and that it won't handle +P very well. I say these "experts" don't know what they're talking about. I've had more rounds than that through a couple of individual hi-powers and seen no problems. It's all a matter of how you treat the machine. Put the proper springs and such inside and replace as needed and you'll get good results. Reports of bins of broken hi-powers in countries where they are used as military sidearms are the result of a lot of soldiers treating the guns poorly...not the result of a poor design. I run either a 17-lb (factory weight) or 18.5-lb recoil spring and ALWAYS run a Shock-tec recoil shock absorber and that handles the battering issues and use a 26# rather than a 32# hammer spring, which pretty much ensures longevity of the firing pin retaining plate. The factory barrels are fine for whatever you choose but, if it breaks (it is a two-piece unit) or for some reason or you wear it out, Bar-sto match barrels are actually cheaper than the OEM unit.

I'll stop now.
 
Reliable and durable? Yes.

It has drawbacks.

The trigger pull on most out of the box examples is just awful. Can be improved but it will never be on a par with a 1911, for example.

The safety lever is too small, even in the new enlarged version. It goes off OK, but is somewhat difficult to put on.

Regular magazines, without the "mouse-trap" spring won't drop free.

The hammer has been known to "bite" a large number of users.

If non of these things bothers you, it is a good carry gun.
 
If you remove the magazine disconnect, regular mags (none of that mousetrap stuff) will drop free. Removal of the magazine disconnect also dramatically improves the trigger pull. It's still a rather long pull, but removes the gritty feeling.
 
True, it has drawbacks, but I have to disagree here:
The safety lever is too small, even in the new enlarged version. It goes off OK, but is somewhat difficult to put on.

Regular magazines, without the "mouse-trap" spring won't drop free.
Click to expand...

Never had a problem with either area.

Perhaps I'm just accustomed to the BHP safety, but I have a much harder time using the 1911 safety. I think it's all about practice, that's all.

The magazine issue is dependent upon that particular gun. My '94 Browning still has the mag disconnect in place, and almost every mag I own (without moustrap springs) will fall free when the button is pressed. My '03 FN also (Tentatively :evil: ) has the magazine disconnect in place, and while non-moustrap mags won't fall free, magazines with the doodad will fly right out. Some are tighter than others.

Wes
 
I know that there are variations in different examples (always are), but even as the supporters of the BHP will admit I think, these are at least POTENTIAL weak points in the design/execution of this model.

I really like the feel, pointability, etc. of the BHP, and will probably always have several in the collection -- but to me it is far down the list of preference as a carry piece.

Will it work as a carry piece? Sure, lots of things will work, some better than others, often dependening on personal preference. But IMHO, there are now a multitude of weapons that are superior packages for CC. That said, I won't rag on someone who chooses the BHP -- far from it!

The BHP is a grand old lady, and should be prized for what she is -- but she still has a few warts that potential owners should be made aware of.
 
After all the good things have been said about the BHP, add a ciener 22 cal conversion and you have a really excellant combination.
 
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