Hi-Power price???

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Kentucky Rifle

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I found a--supposed to be used--Hi Power today. I can find NO signs of use. (and believe me, I LOOKED) No scratches on the feed ramp, great looking bore, tight springs. Very well oiled. Plus it comes with two regular magazines (I assumed 10 rounders), two 13 round magazines, and incredibly one 20 round magazine. That one hangs WAY out the bottom of the grips. The price for all this was $449.95. How does that sound? I usually don't even consider used pistols--much less used AUTO loaders, but this Hi Power seems to be perfect. Think I should take a chance on it? I'll admit that I haven't done my "homework" on Hi Powers, so what you say tonight just might cause me to go get this great "looking" pistol tomorrow.

Thanks in advance for any opinions,
Will
 
Your information is pretty scant. Go here http://www.fnhipower.com/modules.php?name=Forums
and start reading up to learn enough to establish a value.

You don't say whether this is a Belgian, Portugese, Practical, variation "I", II, or III; from your description it could even be FN, but I doubt it from the price. Way too many variables to establish a "correct" price, but in general $450-500 is about right for a almost any Portugese, and most would consider it a steal for a model T. An original Belgian wouldn't last long with me; I'd destroy it's collector value by changing out the sights to something more functional (by today's standards) like a Novak rear and at least a larger ramp front sight. However, if it was a mint Belgian, and you were a collector it's probably ~$100-250 below value.

Some might get excited because of the additional mags, but I'm not a collector, and I've found the $20 KDN mags from CDNN work just fine, so 10 and 13 round mags don't do much for me by way of price.
 
For a real BHP, sure, if I was in the market for one. I would buy it, all things being equal. I love encouraging people to spend money. Sounds like a good deal to me. Etc.

New BHPs are $600 to $700 or a little more around here. When I bought my basic, painted, assembled-in-Portugal HP a couple of years ago they were $579 in one shop and $599 in the other. I glanced at one Tuesday in a shop 100 miles away and thought it was too expensive. It had adjustable sights, was a medium blue and could have been used. It still looked sharp and the tag was in the mid-600s.

John
 
More info....

OK, I remember "Belgium" on the pistol. However there was another country's name stamped on it somewhere too. I just can't remember it right now. This pistol was all black with a stainless barrel. I'll try to get some more info in the morning. Anything in paticular I should watch for?

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My impressions: :)
The pistol felt gooooood in my hand. Extremely well balanced. Plus, I never realized how flat a BHP was. The weight seemed just perfect. Natural point are the watchwords here.
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Comparing Hi Powers to 1911's. Are Hi Powers usually "right". What I mean is, "right without some extra gun smithing"? This gun struck me as a "not quite large" perfect for the hand pistol. Carry would be a breeze. I was more than a little impressed. (But, I reckon you can tell that. :) ) If you could only witness how clean this pistol is. Hey, I thought of another bit of info. The Hi Power came from a guy who is selling off his collection. Maybe I could call him directly and just ask how many time it's been shot. That wouldn't be out of line, would it? Kind of like buying a used car and calling up the previous owner to see if there are any problems. Oh, and it's in the gunshop "on consignment".

Thanks fellas,
Will
 
KR,

It sounds like you may have seen a BHP which was stamped "MADE IN BELGIUM ASSEMBLED IN PORTUGAL" on the slide. These don't have the collector's appeal of the older guns assembled in Belgium, but they are great shooters.

BHPs tend to be very reliable out of the box. Older models may need a little tweaking to feed hollowpoints, but I'd bet that this one should feed stuff like Federal 9BPs without any work.
 
Sounds like a MKIII which will feed most any HP's just fine due to the lack of hump in the feed ramp. The MKIII will most likely have serrations at the bottom of the mag well. Did it have "Browning" on it? (That is important IMO)

Take the slide off, look at the lugs, rails, breach face, and hammer face, then you'll know how much it's been shot.

If all is good, you payed a good price.

Check www.fnhipower.com click on "production years" to find out when it was made. (Probably 90's) Bren
 
That sounds like a good deal, especially if the hi caps are high quality.

I got lucky and got a like new MK III with a great trigger job and one factory hi cap for $399.

Buy it! It's one of my favorites to shoot. The best feeling double stack magged gun out there IMHO.
 
Bren: I remember that it did indeed have "Browning" on it.

Uglymofo: I went to the link you provided and, to my surprise, there are Hi Power "horror stories" there. Lots of things said there like, "Won't feed any hollow point", etc... A bit scary. I don't mind (obviously! :rolleyes: ) spending money. But it breaks my heart to buy a lemon firearm. I refuse to sell a lemon and they just go to the very bottom of my safe. The last lemon I bought was sold only after much negotiation. A holster maker on this very forum would make an offer and I would refuse--and ask him to make a LOWER bid. Finally, I sold it to him for less than half his first offer plus a new pocket holster for my Seecamp. He wanted "the lemon" as a holster mold I think. He also knew EVERYTHING there was to know about "the lemon" and I MADE SURE that he wasn't going to use it as a carry gun. I have ENOUGH trouble sleeping (me & "the demons") without trying to pass on a problematic firearm to a friend.

Will
 
Kentuck, I have never really heard of an actual Browning Hi Power lemon. Seen some that were wore out, or abused (f#*ked with) but never bad from the factory. The older guns werent designed for hollow points as hollow points were generally unavailable so the failure to heed hollow points was a non issue. If you get one that has reliabilty issues a quick trip to any good pistol smith for the basic reliabilty package which I have seen for as low as $75 to the mid $100's will get you back in fine running order.

Gerald
 
I'd have to agree with Gerald; I've never heard of a Browning Hi Power malfunction right out of the box; Argentines, sure, but true BHP's, no. I have heard stories from my gunsmith (and from internet postings) that claim FTF's, but these have never (in my memory) included new guns firing ammo for their time (i. e., hardball in the earlier years, and HP after the BHP went into "full production for public use").

I've never ever heard of a BHP reliability problem that was reoccurrant after a trip to a reputable 'smith. That's not to say they're not out there--I'm 'way from being any kind of BHP expert.
 
Ive personally never had a Hi Power ,malfunction (except one failure to feed, my fault) in thousands and thousands and tousands and thousands of rounds.

Wildtheultimate9mmAlaska
 
Geez, Will -- that's the steal of the year. Grab that one up before it's gone.

The Hi Power is the only pistol I've got (have 2 of them) and they're great. Yeah, there are horror stories out there, but IMO you're more likely to get a BHP that works out of the box than any other auto. If you get a newer Browning (MkII or MkIII) it should feed just about anything. I've got 1708 rounds through the Browning without any problems.

Some people consider removal of the magazine disconnect and a trigger job a "necessity," but I've had neither on my Browning. My FEG has had both done, and to be honest, the Browning still has the nicer trigger. (I still TRIED to take out the mag disconnect on the Browning, but the trigger pin is so #%@& tight that it's probably going to need a professional's attention to get it out.)

If you think you might want it, go for it. It's pretty hard to screw up a Hi Power.

Let me know what you decide/how it turns out, okay? :D

Wes
 
Hey Wild...

Were all those thousands of rounds FMJ's? I could live with that. Hey again. If I don't buy this Hi Power, I'll PM you and you can call and get it.
Your e-mail address isn't listed, is it? I forgot to look. Mine's listed though. If you want a quick e-mail, send me your addy. I won't let yours get out if you're trying to keep it private. I might be thinking of someone else. (I'm a little tired. Medical problems with my family and friends. Takes up A LOT of time and energy. (Plus, I'm kinda an old fart myself.)

Hey Wes: You're a true believer in Hi Powers. :) I do love the way this one feels in my hand. What about you? Do you shoot *only FMJ's?

Will
 
Kentucky Rifle, If the BHP is one of the newer models (ambi extended safeties) and the 13-rd. magazines are original (Browning or Mec Gar), I would buy it.

NIB Brownings (blued w/fixed sights, practical w/fixed sights) in the northeast are going for $660-$670. NIB Internet prices w/10-rd. mags. are $570-$630.

I have owned 2 Hi Powers and they NEVER choked on anything. Some people call them 'the automatic revolver."
 
I recently bought an FN Hi-Power (fixed sights, black finish, one ten-round magazine) in Oklahoma. $550 plus tax. That seems to be the going rate generally around here.

If you're looking for an endorsement, here's mine. It feels great, shoots great and has been 100 percent reliablewith factory and after-marked magazines. I reload and shoot only fmj.
 
Will,

A local friend has an FEG Hi-power clone. He had problems feeding some HP's with a very wide profile, but has had no problems feeding hundreds of FMJ's or several mags worth of EFMJ, which is one of the best SD rounds, in my opinion. I recently bought a bunch of Gold Dots, and he fired about 50 rounds of the 124 +P versions. He had a couple of failures to feed, that appeared to be mag-related. No problems with the other two mags.

John

Hi-Powers Rule! :)
 
Hey Will.

No, I don't shoot only FMJ. I've got about half-and-half hardball vs. hollowpoint through mine.

For FMJ I've tried Winchester (including the "value pack"), Wolf, Remington UMC, Federal, and various handloads. No Problems, other than the Wolf bent my @#$! magloader. :scrutiny:
For factory JHPs I've done mostly WWB "self defense" JHPs; I have done Nosler JHP handloads and Hornady XTP JHP handloads (Now THERE's a round for ya!). No problems.

If it is a MkII or MkIII (it sounds like a MkIII) then it should feed whatever you put on its plate. But be warned: BHPs are habit-forming. :D

I must say, that's incredibly honorable and noble of you to not sell your lemons to anyone. ;)

Cheers,
Wes
 
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