Next Pistol Will Be A HiPower... But Which One?

[DogBonz]

First I want to say thank you to all of you who helped me come to this decision. Now my question is: which one?

There are a lot of HiPowers out there, and because this will be my last handgun purchase for a while, I want to be sure to get a really good one. I want a Blue 9mm, other than that; I don’t know what to look for. Should I just get a Browning and be done with it, or should I look at other makers? My other question is: Are some years better than others? I know that some guns are better than others of the same model because they were made at different times. Is this also true with the HiPowers? Also, who has the nicest bluing on their guns?

Lastly, is there any thing that I should watch out for? What I mean here is, are there any substandard makers, or bad years? I know that some made during WWII in German occupied countries were sabotaged , and can be prone to KABOOMS.

As always, thank you in advance.

Fred

 

[Trebor]

Buy a Browning or FN marked highpower. FN makes all the guns and some are marked Browning and some are marked FN. They are all the same.

The "real deal" Browning/FN Highpowers are the best. The only clone I'd consider are the Argenine FM models. Even then though, I'd hold out for a "real" Browning/FN gun if you want the absolute best quality.

I'd go with a more recent production gun as a shooter. The older guns are fine, but tend to have been used more, and the old style safety is nearly impossible to use. Anything recent enough to have the larger updated safety would be my choice. Of course, the 1960's "T" series guns have a very good rep for quality and they have that old style safety,so YMMV.

 

[DogBonz]

Trebor

Thanks

 

[MrDig]

+1 on Trebors comments. I could not have said it better.
I do believe the sabotaged guns thing is an Urban Legend/Myth, need to confirm with a couple of sources first, so don't quote me on that.

 

[saltydog452]

More than one flavor of FM.

What trebor didn't mention is that there appears to be more than one flavor of FM. FM made pistols for FN to FN stds. I think those were issued to Argentine Military..no problems. Then FN withdrew from the deal and FM cont'd making HPs, but with their own (FM) specs.

The FM 'Classic' is a bit different, cheaper, and, according to some posts, slide peening occurs kinda early due to supposedly metalugry issues in the slide.

I dunno. I have a FM. No side peening as yet. But less tha 2,000 rds fired. Trigger was acceptable out of the box w/o mag disconnect removal no 'smithing expense req'd for an aftermarket hammer/sear.

So far, its been reliable with Wal-Mart Ball and Federal std velocity JHP.

Downside is that the FM (post FN contract) has no product support. Not all parts are interchangable with FN/Browning. Ejector is longer and thicker. The cut in the slide that accomodates the ejector is wider. There may be other issues as well. I dunno, for that you'll have to dig a bit deeper. The 'search' feature will help.

My FM 'Classic' Mdl 95 is OK, and may even turn out to be worth the money. Don't know that I would have bought it if I had known that the FM "Classic" was anything but a 'Classic'.

salty.

 

[bear71]

Congrats on selecting the Hi Power, which is in my opinion, the must have 9mm autolaoder. It fills so many niches that you just can't go wrong.

I would definetely go with a Browning, the blueing is so pretty and you still get the function. Additionally, I've considered a Hi Power with the grip slot and tangent sites, Capitan. They'll cost more but I would sometime in my life like to shoot a Hi Power with the wooden shoulder stock affixed.

The wooden stocks are made reproduction style.

I'd seek the advice of Stephen Camp, for your specific intended use, if you're going to do a lot of shooting, I believe Stephen likes the current production Mark III. Certainly you've visited his site, Hi Powers and Handguns?

I see absolutely nothing wrong with owning two Hi Powers, consider selecting your model with the intention of adding another in the next few years.

 

[10-Ring]

Won't go wrong w/ a Browning Hi Power....and you'll thank yourself as you 2 grow more & more acquainted

 

[Marshall]

There's only one blued Hi Power to choose from. Brownings "Standard" model. It comes in an adjustable site model or fixed sight model. The other models from Browning are the "Practical" and the "MKIII". Neither are blued. (Some places you can pick up a hard chrome model.)

The Browning bluing takes a backseat to nothing. Gorgeous gun! Almost too pretty. Yes, you can get other guns called Hi Powers but there is only one real Hi Power, that's the Browning/FN Hi Power.

Good luck, you picked a great handgun!

 

[bobhaverford]

Which Browning/FN model would the experts here recommend and where to buy for the best price?

Thanks.

 

[ThirdShiftRich]

I prefer the "T" serial number blued models, I saw a few at an excellent gunshow in central Florida last weekend in almost mint condition for under $700, and a few not much more expensive.

 

[packfan]

What does "High Power" mean exactly?????????

The "power" comes from the bullet. A 9mm bullet is a 9mm bullet, yes???? No??? What does the gun have to do with it????

 

[UnforgivingMin]

The "power" comes from the bullet. A 9mm bullet is a 9mm bullet, yes???? No??? What does the gun have to do with it????

The "Hi-Power" name is the English translation of the French "Grande Puissance" and refers to the large capacity of the magazine, rather than the power of the 9mm chambering. When the gun was introduced, a high-capacity, double-stack magazine was a new and novel feature.

 

[browningguy]

It's the name of the pistol, as translated form it's original name Grande Puissance. The first successful double stack for what it's worth. 13 rounds of 9x19 was quite a fist-full of power at the time.

 

[packfan]

^Thanks, I didn't know...

 

[browningguy]

Anyway, I'm with most everybody else, get a real FN produced pistol. The Argentine and the Daly can both be good shooters too, but there is nothing like the real thing.

The photography on this one sucks, but I really like the practical with the hard chrome frame and blued slide. This one now wears a set of Esmerelda Cocobolo grips but I haven't taken a new photo yet.



This is a standard MKIII with the paint finish, good for a user gun, but definately not as attractive as the high polish blue.

 

[nathan]

If budget is not a concern, the FN Herstal Hi power SFS is super nice, the system works. I have my budget priced HP 35 clone, the Hungarian FEG PJK 9HP, its as nice and accurate as the original. NO FTF or FTE . I have removed the mag disconnector .

 

[Marshall]

Browningguy, doesn't your Practical's slide have the same baked epoxy finish as your MKIII?

 

[JonnyB]

I've got two of 'em.

The one I've had a while is an FN Israeli military import, made in 1990. It has the black paint finish, and is my 'car' gun. It goes with me nearly every day.

The other is a Browning that I recently acquired. It's a 1989 Mk. III with the ambi safety and firing-pin block. It doens't have a rich blue finish, though. It's almost like a parkerized finish; dark, greenish and bead-blasted appearing.

They're very nice pistols. Both of mine have fixed sights and are 9mm.

JB

 

[Lennyjoe]

Nothing wrong with the Belgium Browning Hi-Powers for sure. This one is a nickle version. I picked it up for $400 a few years ago.