Want A NIB Browning HiPower But Worried About...
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Swamprabbit
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BHP triggers are normally VERY hard but they can be fixed by a good gunsmith. As for reliability, as far as I'm concerned, they set the standard. I've had three MkIIIs and all have been totally reliable with any bullet type I've tried.
Stephen A. Camp
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Hello. Current Mk III trigger pulls are heavy but many are crisp. Depending upon the magazine disconnect in the individual gun, they may or may not have a "gritty" feel to them. This can be fixed if you like the gun.
Since the Mk II, Hi Powers tend to feed about any JHP one cares to feed them.
This was not always the case and I think a number of the lingering complaints about some HP's being "finicky eaters" comes from the older guns which had the humped feed ramp. Every Mk III I own, have owned, or shot worked fine with every JHP I tried...and that was a great deal of what's available.
If you opt to get the Hi Power Mk III you may wind up with one having a decent pull out of the box. A friend recently purchased a couple that did. If not, and you like the gun well enough to want trigger work done, a very nice and clean 4 1/2 pound pull is well within the capabilities of HP 'smiths.
Best and good luck.
Since the Mk II, Hi Powers tend to feed about any JHP one cares to feed them.
This was not always the case and I think a number of the lingering complaints about some HP's being "finicky eaters" comes from the older guns which had the humped feed ramp. Every Mk III I own, have owned, or shot worked fine with every JHP I tried...and that was a great deal of what's available.
If you opt to get the Hi Power Mk III you may wind up with one having a decent pull out of the box. A friend recently purchased a couple that did. If not, and you like the gun well enough to want trigger work done, a very nice and clean 4 1/2 pound pull is well within the capabilities of HP 'smiths.
Best and good luck.
None of my three BHPs had a "bad" trigger, but none of them felt like a tuned 1911 either. Removing the idiotic mag disconnect helped them all greatly. I'm sure that a good smith could get them better still, but they are certainly not "bad". FWIW, Mr. Camp is an expert on the subject of HiPowers. He gives excellent advice. Best. Watch-Six
brickboy240
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If I had only felt the trigger on a Hi-Power in the store, I would have never bought one. Its awful. Heavy and stagey.
Good news is that for around 35-50 bucks, the HP trigger can be made VERY nice. Have a smith remove the mag safety and slick up the internals and you'll be amazed. Mine did not even feel like the same pistol and my groups shrunk in half!
I have heard that it can be made even better, by swapping all the springs and adding a Cylinder & Slide sear, etc. but this HP of mine has a better trigger than the Beretta and Glock I used to own...MUCH better. Almost 1911-ish.
I now love my Hi-Power and believe it is the best 9x19mm pistol out there, other than the pricey HKPM7 and Sig 210.
Do NOT judge a HP by the stock trigger. There is a night and day difference in stock and slightly modded HP triggers.
-Brickboy240
Good news is that for around 35-50 bucks, the HP trigger can be made VERY nice. Have a smith remove the mag safety and slick up the internals and you'll be amazed. Mine did not even feel like the same pistol and my groups shrunk in half!
I have heard that it can be made even better, by swapping all the springs and adding a Cylinder & Slide sear, etc. but this HP of mine has a better trigger than the Beretta and Glock I used to own...MUCH better. Almost 1911-ish.
I now love my Hi-Power and believe it is the best 9x19mm pistol out there, other than the pricey HKPM7 and Sig 210.
Do NOT judge a HP by the stock trigger. There is a night and day difference in stock and slightly modded HP triggers.
-Brickboy240
I picked up a practical model a little while ago. I got a good price on it, but if I had it to do again I think I'd have got one of the FN's from CDNN, or held out for a used one of this board. They pop up once in a while. It seems like they show up in groups.
Anyway, I thought the commander style hammer would be less likely to bite me. I now think I'd have been better off with a standard hammer bobbed. I also could have spent some of the money I'd have saved on some smith work.
All in all I don't regret the purchase. It is a nice pistol platform and someday I'll get some work done on it. The trigger on mine is very, very heavy. It does feel crisp though.
Anyway, I thought the commander style hammer would be less likely to bite me. I now think I'd have been better off with a standard hammer bobbed. I also could have spent some of the money I'd have saved on some smith work.
All in all I don't regret the purchase. It is a nice pistol platform and someday I'll get some work done on it. The trigger on mine is very, very heavy. It does feel crisp though.
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Northslope Nimrod
Member
Have one...love it. Yes, the triggers stink out of the box. Removed mag safety and polished....now much better. Mine has never had a malfunction with JHP in well over 2000 rounds. Great gun.
Spoiled by 1911s and Sigs
I have also been deterred from buying a High Power by the stock triggers. I've read many commentaries about what a great pistol it is, but every time I have dry fired one in the store, the trigger pull has turned me off completely. I guess I have been spoiled by 1911s and Sigs, which are my favorite semiautos, and have excellent triggers out of the box.
I realize that gunsmithing will improve the High Power trigger. But why should we have to take a new gun to the gunsmith right away? Why can't Browning improve the product directly?
I have also been deterred from buying a High Power by the stock triggers. I've read many commentaries about what a great pistol it is, but every time I have dry fired one in the store, the trigger pull has turned me off completely. I guess I have been spoiled by 1911s and Sigs, which are my favorite semiautos, and have excellent triggers out of the box.
I realize that gunsmithing will improve the High Power trigger. But why should we have to take a new gun to the gunsmith right away? Why can't Browning improve the product directly?
Dorrin79
Member
One thing I feel compelled to point out is that the SFS-model FNs seem to have much better factory trigger settings than MKIIIs - I've heard this a couple of places, and my SFS has a vastly better trigger, out of the box, than any MKII or later model I've shot.
Plus the SFS is pretty neat
Plus the SFS is pretty neat
Coltdriver
Member
You may want to ask yourself what it is you are looking for. For example, a 1911 can have a fairly incredible trigger, however, did you want it for target shooting or for self defense?
I am not convinced that a 2 or 3 pound trigger is a good thing for a self defense weapon.
I have a MKIII. If you look at the mechanism employed you can see that it was never designed to be a target trigger. It is going to have some take up and some of them stack a bit, so what!
It is predictable and they all get better with use. And its not gawd awful but you should not compare it to a race gun either!
The really tricked out HP's have the transfer bar (that may not be the correct term) geometry changed by moving the pivot point of the bar. I think that is a lot of effort and I know its a lot of money.
Mine has the firing pin block and the mag safety in place. The parts were just polished and smoothed with a moly lube. The result is a very smooth trigger that has a bit of take up. But it lets off very crisp. All of the grittiness that many of them come with out of the box is gone.
If you shop around for a decent price on one you are not going to lose any money if you want to sell it later.
I got hooked on them after I shot my first one. They are, for me, the most natural pointing gun there is. Let us know what you do.
I am not convinced that a 2 or 3 pound trigger is a good thing for a self defense weapon.
I have a MKIII. If you look at the mechanism employed you can see that it was never designed to be a target trigger. It is going to have some take up and some of them stack a bit, so what!
It is predictable and they all get better with use. And its not gawd awful but you should not compare it to a race gun either!
The really tricked out HP's have the transfer bar (that may not be the correct term) geometry changed by moving the pivot point of the bar. I think that is a lot of effort and I know its a lot of money.
Mine has the firing pin block and the mag safety in place. The parts were just polished and smoothed with a moly lube. The result is a very smooth trigger that has a bit of take up. But it lets off very crisp. All of the grittiness that many of them come with out of the box is gone.
If you shop around for a decent price on one you are not going to lose any money if you want to sell it later.
I got hooked on them after I shot my first one. They are, for me, the most natural pointing gun there is. Let us know what you do.
TheDutchman
Member
I have three Hi powers they are good tools if you have to use your tool the last thing you will worry about is how heavy is the trigger is
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