Ted Yost Signature Grade I Browning High Power

[WVsig]

So my BHP has returned from Mr Yost's shop. The base gun that was used is forged framed MKIII. The gun was in very good condition when I sent it in but it was not new and had some minor finish issues. Mr. Yost did his magic on the gun. I went with is Signature Grade I package minus the beavertail. I prefer the BHP without a beavertail. I tried to swap the pistol out at one point with a T series but the grip strap on that gun was too thin to be checkered so I stuck with the MKIII base gun and I am glad I did. This will be a better more durable long term shooter.

This gun is shooting quarter sized groups with the factory barrel at 15 yards all day long if the shooter is up to the task. Mr. Yost and I talked about replacing the barrel and he recommended keeping the factory barrel and I am happy with the results.

I have several custom BHPs. I have ones from Don Williams, Novak, Garthwaite, West and Bob Cogan. Each one has their own flare to them. Each one is a functional piece of art to my eyes but this Yost pistol might be the best of the bunch. The custom thumb safety is a thing of beauty. The devil is in the details of this pistol. The nitre pins, screws and accents are striking. The machining work on the hammer really cleans up the factory part. The pistol is super smooth and the reset modification that Ted does really improves the pistol. I have only had a short range session with this one but I am liking it so far.

 

[Mizar]

Can you share a little bit more about that reset modification? And maybe some pictures.

 

[sparkyv]

Wow, very nice.

 

[drband]

Beautiful work!

 

[Bandit67]

That is beautiful.

 

[ATLDave]

Understated elegance. Lovely.

 

[1KPerDay]

Gorgeous. Is the front strap stippled or checkered? I may have misread your OP.

 

[murf]

love that custom thumb safety!

murf

 

[WVsig]

The grip strap is stippled. I sent a T series in but the grip was too thin to checker.

 

[WVsig]

Can you share a little bit more about that reset modification? And maybe some pictures.

Mr Yost takes the creep out of the trigger. He reduces the take up and shortens the reset. The trigger reset is shorter and more positive. Not Glock positive but a million times better than stock. Don Williams also does a similar modification.

 

[tarosean]

The true meaning of Perfection.

 

[TomJ]

That is something special. Where would you suggest looking for one in decent condition? I've been watching Gunbroker and Armslist.

 

[WVsig]

That is something special. Where would you suggest looking for one in decent condition? I've been watching Gunbroker and Armslist.

Gunbroker and local shops depending on your area. Also look in the classifieds of board like this and 1911adicts.com etc... There are often high quality guns available without the hassle of bidding like on GB. That said I have picked up a fair number of BHPs off of GB. It takes a lot of time and a lot of looking but there are gems which slip through the cracks. The base gun for his build came from GB. I looked like this when I bought it.





Don't over pay. People are paying way too much for BHPs these days since they were discontinued. There are tons of these guns in the market and the fact that they are now discontinued only changes the marked for NIB old new stock guns not vintage BHPs. IMHO The right price for a decent VG to Excellent BHP should be in the $550 to $700 range unless it is a T series, Practical or other specialty variant. Choosing the right one has will depend on its intended use and if you plan on doing custom work to the gun.

Surplus guns can be great shooters but you have to know what to look for and I personally don't buy surplus guns that have been refinished by the importer unless I trust them. Too many are refinished to hide serious wear. CDI sale AKA Cole Dist used to be a great source for high quality surplus BHPs but he is not longer in business after he suffered a fire at his warehouse which resulted in a total loss.

 

[TomJ]

Gunbroker and local shops depending on your area. Also look in the classifieds of board like this and 1911adicts.com etc... There are often high quality guns available without the hassle of bidding like on GB. That said I have picked up a fair number of BHPs off of GB. It takes a lot of time and a lot of looking but there are gems which slip through the cracks. The base gun for his build came from GB. I looked like this when I bought it.

View attachment 833321

View attachment 833322

Don't over pay. People are paying way too much for BHPs these days since they were discontinued. There are tons of these guns in the market and the fact that they are now discontinued only changes the marked for NIB old new stock guns not vintage BHPs. IMHO The right price for a decent VG to Excellent BHP should be in the $550 to $700 range unless it is a T series, Practical or other specialty variant. Choosing the right one has will depend on its intended use and if you plan on doing custom work to the gun.

Surplus guns can be great shooters but you have to know what to look for and I personally don't buy surplus guns that have been refinished by the importer unless I trust them. Too many are refinished to hide serious wear. CDI sale AKA Cole Dist used to be a great source for high quality surplus BHPs but he is not longer in business after he suffered a fire at his warehouse which resulted in a total loss.

Thanks. The prices I'm seeing aren't anything I'm willing to pay. I'm either seeing ones that are pretty beat in the $500 range or they're in excellent condition for well over $1000. I'll keep watching, and one will turn up. The Regent clone had my attention, but I understand some parts are not interchangeable and they had some initial quality questions. As I mentioned the other day in another thread, this would be a range toy only.

 

[USBP379]

CDI sale AKA Cole Dist used to be a great source for high quality surplus BHPs but he is not longer in business after he suffered a fire at his warehouse which resulted in a total loss.

One of the fellows who worked for CDI/Cole's is now selling Hi-Powers and other pistols on Gunbroker. His user name is dwjimports. He doesn't have too many Hi-Powers listed currently. Hopefully that just means he's awaiting another shipment and not that the surplus stocks are drying up.

 

[TomJ]

One of the fellows who worked for CDI/Cole's is now selling Hi-Powers and other pistols on Gunbroker. His user name is dwjimports. He doesn't have too many Hi-Powers listed currently. Hopefully that just means he's awaiting another shipment and not that the surplus stocks are drying up.

Thanks. I just spoke with Roger at DWJ. He has a couple on Gunbroker, and I'll take a look at those later and keep an eye on his listings if he doesn't have anything of interest now.

 

[WVsig]

One of the fellows who worked for CDI/Cole's is now selling Hi-Powers and other pistols on Gunbroker. His user name is dwjimports. He doesn't have too many Hi-Powers listed currently. Hopefully that just means he's awaiting another shipment and not that the surplus stocks are drying up.

Good to know. It looks like he is import marking them on the barrel which is nice. I wish more importers would go that route.

 

[USBP379]

It looks like he is import marking them on the barrel which is nice. I wish more importers would go that route.

Indeed.

I have a nice MKIII I bought from Mach 1 Sales a couple years ago. I had always sort of intended to send it to Yost for his SRT package. But I just can't bring myself to sending Ted a gun with a big old billboard of an import mark. I know it would be a nice gun and the import mark wouldn't change the outcome in any way. Still....

 

[Nature Boy]

Oh lord, I knew I should not have clicked on this thread.

 

[WVsig]

Indeed.

I have a nice MKIII I bought from Mach 1 Sales a couple years ago. I had always sort of intended to send it to Yost for his SRT package. But I just can't bring myself to sending Ted a gun with a big old billboard of an import mark. I know it would be a nice gun and the import mark wouldn't change the outcome in any way. Still....

Ted will also generally discourage you from using a surplus gun. He and I talked about using one as a base gun and he said he prefers not to. He said something along the lines of no one ever says "I am glad I used this surplus gun over a solid commercial gun when its all said and done".

I used a surplus Alloy framed BHP for this custom build from Don Williams. No regrets but surplus is the only way to get an Alloy BHP. It has a Mach 1 import mark on the underside of the frame.

 

[1KPerDay]

Why not surplus? Is it just overall condition? My only HP is a surplus FN.

 

[Nature Boy]

Why not surplus? Is it just overall condition? My only HP is a surplus FN.

^^ another guy who should have not clicked on this thread ^^

 

[USBP379]

Why not surplus? Is it just overall condition? My only HP is a surplus FN.

Well, as with any used gun it can be a roll of the dice. But I think it is safe to say an Israeli surplus gun is going to have been used quite a bit more than a used commercial pistol.

Ted will also generally discourage you from using a surplus gun. He and I talked about using one as a base gun and he said he prefers not to. He said something along the lines of no one ever says "I am glad I used this surplus gun over a solid commercial gun when its all said and done".

I used a surplus Alloy framed BHP for this custom build from Don Williams. No regrets but surplus is the only way to get an Alloy BHP. It has a Mach 1 import mark on the underside of the frame.

View attachment 833357

I've seen that lightweight pistol pictured on a couple forums. I've always liked the clean look. Very nice!

I'm not necessarily opposed to sending Ted the "right" surplus gun and wouldn't have a problem sending him a DJW pistol or maybe one with a small import stamp on the heel of the frame. In fact a milsurp pistol with the lanyard stud might make a nice SRT Model. Something that pays respect to the Hi-Power military heritage.

I just don't feel like spending $2000 on custom work to have it blemished with a sloppy import mark.

 

[WVsig]

Why not surplus? Is it just overall condition? My only HP is a surplus FN.

I don't know I did not go into detail with Mr. Yost about it. I think that the rollmarks have a lot to do with it. If you are going to pay a ton of money to make it functional and pretty most import marked guns take away from the aesthetics Mr Yost is trying to achieve. I also think that most commercial guns have seen less rounds, less carry and overall have been better cared for then surplus. Not that you won't find the exception one way or the other but as a general rule I think this is true. I believe he will look at them on a case by case basis. Mainly he is looking for wear or abuse that would make them unsuitable for his work.

 

[1KPerDay]

Well, as with any used gun it can be a roll of the dice. But I think it is safe to say an Israeli surplus gun is going to have been used quite a bit more than a used commercial pistol.



I've seen that lightweight pistol pictured on a couple forums. I've always liked the clean look. Very nice!

I'm not necessarily opposed to sending Ted the "right" surplus gun and wouldn't have a problem sending him a DJW pistol or maybe one with a small import stamp on the heel of the frame. In fact a milsurp pistol with the lanyard stud might make a nice SRT Model. Something that pays respect to the Hi-Power military heritage.

I just don't feel like spending $2000 on custom work to have it blemished with a sloppy import mark.

Can't you or he just mill or sand off the import marks? Or is that illegal for some dumb reason.