Calling all BHP owners...
- Thread starter Randallpink
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johnmcl
Member
Randall,
You're going to do fine with a current production BHP MIII. The gun will be a lot of fun and imminently serviceable right out of the box. As time and money will allow you can upgrade the pistol into a sidearm that has few peers.
So what to do? As your finances allow, consider a trigger job. A reliable gunsmith will be able to install a Cylinder and Slide kit that'll drop your gun to a fine, crisp 4# with no problem at all. During this process, have them take out the magazine disconnect. Following this, I'd recommend a new set of grips. There's a fine list of grips available from aluminum to finely carved wood. Alumigrp, Hogue, Navidex are all leading candidates. After these two upgrades, I'd consider having a set of night capable Novak sights installed.
Most gunsmiths would be thrilled to work on your BHP. If you have trouble finding one, consider Novak or Cylinder and Slide. They will take care of you.
Keep us posted on your progress,
You're going to do fine with a current production BHP MIII. The gun will be a lot of fun and imminently serviceable right out of the box. As time and money will allow you can upgrade the pistol into a sidearm that has few peers.
So what to do? As your finances allow, consider a trigger job. A reliable gunsmith will be able to install a Cylinder and Slide kit that'll drop your gun to a fine, crisp 4# with no problem at all. During this process, have them take out the magazine disconnect. Following this, I'd recommend a new set of grips. There's a fine list of grips available from aluminum to finely carved wood. Alumigrp, Hogue, Navidex are all leading candidates. After these two upgrades, I'd consider having a set of night capable Novak sights installed.
Most gunsmiths would be thrilled to work on your BHP. If you have trouble finding one, consider Novak or Cylinder and Slide. They will take care of you.
Keep us posted on your progress,
browningguy
Member
I own a lot of different pistols but the BHP is the only one I would consider taking out of the box, loading ammo, and feel comfortable carrying with zero breakin. I think it is one of the most reliable handguns ever designed. I prefer the MK III's for carrying, much better sights, I don't consider anything needs doing to the trigger except for removing the magazine disconnect. On a new pistol this will usually make the trigger much crisper and take the pull weight down to 5 pounds or so. That seems perfect to me for a personal defense weapon. I also shoot mine in IDPA and the trigger seems to work fine at that weight.
My pair of MK III's in .40 S&W, a little customization with disconnect removed and Esmerelda grips, I like her grips with the 1/2 checkered pattern. The two tone is a factory "Practical" model
And a factory "Competition" model, lighter trigger and extended barrel.
And another MK III with wrap around rubber grips. My dad (78 years old) likes this pistol so much that the last time he came for a visit he appropriated it for his carry gun.
My pair of MK III's in .40 S&W, a little customization with disconnect removed and Esmerelda grips, I like her grips with the 1/2 checkered pattern. The two tone is a factory "Practical" model
And a factory "Competition" model, lighter trigger and extended barrel.
And another MK III with wrap around rubber grips. My dad (78 years old) likes this pistol so much that the last time he came for a visit he appropriated it for his carry gun.
KodiakBeer
member
The Mark III officially came out in 1988, but there's a lot of overlap. Many of the military and police guns were still Mark II into the early 90's.
sub-moa
Member
1. Egyptian 9mmP/Hard Primers, CHECK…
2. Slow Slide/Increase Lifespan, CHECK…
3. WADR, I would suggest first…that “most people” actually retain their factory weight mainspring, whether the original 26# or the subsequent standard 32#. Second, the statement; “Most people follow Steven Camps advice and replace the hammer spring with a lighter 24 or 26 pound spring” does not square with Stephen Camps actual published advice. Stephen Camp in fact championed retaining the 32# mainspring for its unlocking delay/slide slowing attributes. His original Hi Power Guide listed “Reduced-Power Mainsprings” under the chapter “Custom Touches We Don’t Need”. In the later Revised Hi Power Guide he addressed the issue by repeating his preference for retaining the standard 32# mainspring. He pointed out that all his personal Hi Powers, factory equipped with 32# mainsprings, retained 32# mainsprings. He did allow that some, obviously not acting on his advice, choose to replace the 32# mainspring in an effort to reduce weight of pull of their trigger. For those already so inclined, he only suggested they try a 28# mainspring first, he was emphatic in stating “I do not recommend going below 26-lbs”. At High Powers and Handguns he continued in the same vein when he wrote “Some prefer to reduce the mainspring (hammer spring) from 32-lbs. to about 26-lbs. for a better trigger pull and to make the gun easier to cock. I do not.”…
Stephen Camp…as KB correctly points-out, was a great proponent of replacing the factory standard 17# recoil spring with a Wolff 18.5# recoil spring…and adding a Recoil Buffer as well…unless the buffer induced malfunctions in a particular pistol. He wrote of doing so with all his personal P35/BHP pistols, regardless of mainspring.
4. Great Guns Stock/Time Tested Mods Only, CHECK…
5. DIY/Proper Tools Only, CHECK…
Well, I just “goobered up” the slide on my new BHP while in the process of removing the magazine safety. I won’t go into detail since the word ”idiot” keeps flashing in my mind when I think about it.
I did purchase some new springs from Wolff but they will now remain in the spare box for the foreseeable future. Besides, I watched a video on You Tube by Hickok45 shooting a stock 1968 BHP. It proved to me the only thing you need to do to be a good shot with a BHP is to practice shooting it.
I did replace the wooden grips with the Hogue rubber grips and prefer their feel. The gun has great balance. So it’s off to the shooting range rather than play amateur hour as a gunsmith on a classic pistol.
I did purchase some new springs from Wolff but they will now remain in the spare box for the foreseeable future. Besides, I watched a video on You Tube by Hickok45 shooting a stock 1968 BHP. It proved to me the only thing you need to do to be a good shot with a BHP is to practice shooting it.
I did replace the wooden grips with the Hogue rubber grips and prefer their feel. The gun has great balance. So it’s off to the shooting range rather than play amateur hour as a gunsmith on a classic pistol.
HPShooter
Member
Recommend a New MK III or a Practical
You will be happy and well served by either a new MK III or by a factory Practical. You can find low mileage Practicals around on the auction sites. As noted by other posters, CDNN has 75th Anniversary editions available at this time.
Feed the addiction, you will not be disappointed.
You will be happy and well served by either a new MK III or by a factory Practical. You can find low mileage Practicals around on the auction sites. As noted by other posters, CDNN has 75th Anniversary editions available at this time.
Feed the addiction, you will not be disappointed.
Certaindeaf
member
How is that possible? Isn't the whole shebang in the frame still? Spill your story!
Hopefully, your trigger is good now and you'll now be able to fire it without a magazine without your finger up its hole.
Oh edit.. you didn't stab it with the slide stop did you? Don't do that.
rellascout
member
rellascout
member
You are absolutely right; good catch! It was the receiver not the slide. I was still so flustrated I couldn't think straight. Besides, I told you I was an idiot, what more do you want from me?
However, I refuse to "spill the beans".
Truth be told, that's were I had the problem. The video on You-tube shows that you can take out the mag disconnect without removing the trigger. No such luck.
When I use a quality punch to remove the pin, the pin punch stuck in the hole. It was a bear getting the punch out. Without thinking, I placed it over open vise claws without a cushion thereby marring the receiver when driving out the stuck punch. If I were to have used a smaller diameter pin punch than the pin, the punch would not have had enough strength to withstand the blows without bending. For me at least, that was the problem.
Once the trigger is removed, removing the mag safety is pretty straight forward. I purchased a downloadable assembly manual for the BHP but there are a few threads on this forum that go through the mag disconnect procedure.
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