Long Slide Browning Hi Power...

[Stephen A. Camp]

Hello. On another forum, retired pistolsmith and HP specialist, Austin Behlert, mentioned that he still had the plans from which to build a long slide for the BHP from scratch.

Assuming that the product produced was of good quality and one could get a bbl to have fitted to the slide/frame, would anyone be interested in buying one?

I would in a heartbeat. I'm assuming that bbl/slide length would be about 6".

Best.

 

[Wildalaska]

How much?

 

[Stephen A. Camp]

Hello, on that I have utterly no idea. I'm assuming $400 or so for both the bbl and slide. No one's making one yet, but if there was interest, maybe.....?

Best.

 

[Navy joe]

Sick people think alike. I thought about this about a month ago, in the vein of "what would I like more than a Glock 17L?" A longslide P35 immediatly came to mind. My plans revolved aroung finding a slide from Numrich or something and mating two together, then calling Bar-sto up for a bbl. Ported even? Could be fun. I'd personally try for a 6" barrel.

 

[Wildalaska]

Speaking of odd sizes I kinda want one of the shorties that Bill at C&S does.....

 

[Bergeron]

I know that either Browning or FN made a high power with a weight on the end, I think that the barrel ran to the end of the weight, the barrel might have been 6in long, I don't know. The model was either the GP or the Competion, I can't remeber. It did look pretty slick though.

 

[Kahr carrier]

OH BOY That sounds sweet hope he does it.

 

[Jeff OTMG]

Mr. Camp, I thought that Austin Behlert died years ago and that his business was taken over by his son-in-law? He is one of the all time great HP smiths from the 70's and 80's. I do think that $400 for a top end to be on the cheap side. $400 for a slide maybe, but a BarSto barrel for the HP is $180 alone. Bill Laughridge use to build a long slide HP back in the mid-80's called the Equalizer. It was used to bring 9mm up to major for IPSC competition, then 9mm major was outlawed and away went the gun. I don't believe that Bill machined a long slide from scratch though, he welded up and machined the end only.

Wildalaska, that would be the Pathfinder. I saw that pistol first about 2 years ago. It was built by Christian in Bill's shop. A very nice pistol. My report, including the price, can be found here http://www.shotshowreports.com/2001pg1.html Unfortunately the photo links are dead since photopoint went under later that same year, all my pics were lost.

Bergeron, the pistol that you are referring to is the Browning GP Comp. It uses the 6" barrel, but that muzzle weight is actually to aid in lock up. It weighs practically nothing. The standard length slide of the GP Comp pushes against that end piece pulling the barrel tighter into battery. Mr. Camp and I both have one.

 

[Bergeron]

JeffOTMG, considering that you own a GP Comp, do you think that a six inch slide Hi Power would be superior to your GP?

I didn't know about the "weight" being used to aid in lock-up. That's a pretty slick concept.

 

[Stephen A. Camp]

Hello. No, he's alive and posting over at www.pistolsmith.com , but his son-in-law does run the gunsmithing business.


Best.

 

[DrDremel]

I would be interested in one. I always liked the Hi-Power but would like a long slide version. It seems that FN could still make a lot of money by making some new versions of the H-Power instead of the BDM/whatever the flavor of the month gun they are coming out with next. If I could get a short slide hi-Power with a Titanium frame I'd buy one of those as well. A .45 version would be nice. Sorry, got off track a little. I'd buy a long slide though.

 

[Zak Smith]

I agree with DrDremel - the HP is a great platform - probably THE platform for 9mm. It really is too bad that FN/Browning doesn't make some better versions of it, but I think that problem is endemic of the firearms manufacturers nowadays. Only in the 1911 arena do you see so many variants offered.

If Browning/HP could up their quality a bit (fit & finish), make some improvements (get rid of the mag disconnect and improve the trigger - it's currently sort of up, out, around, down), and offer some compelling options (better safety lever, a compact version), they would have a better market. Just look at how well the CZ line sells...

-z

 

[Daniel Watters]

Even longer...

Around 20 years ago, Guns & Ammo ran a cover story on a Hi Power seven-inch longslide from Jim Hoag. Hoag also played with a few extra-long M1911 longslides (8" and over).

 

[Jeff OTMG]

Bergeron, I don't know what a long slide would give me over my GP Comp. I get the longer barrel and associated higher velocities and I get the longer sight radius since the front sight is on the muzzle block. The only thing that I see a longslide do is to slow down the action due to the additional slide mass. Nice if you are going to be shooting something with more power than a 9mm, so it might have a use for those who wish to convert to .41 AE. Other than that I don't see what it buys you over a GP Comp. It would give you the longer barrel and sight radius over a standard length slide.

 

[Harold Mayo]

Just manufacturing a slide alone wouldn't even require licensing as a firearms manufacturer, would it? If not, then just about any good machine shop could do the job.