Can't Afford Browning Hi Power: Try These
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- Опубликовано: 1 дек 2023
- A 2 for 1 review! Having reviewed the Browning Hi Power, it's time to consider some of its clones. These will be lower cost, have a warranty, and you can shoot them w/o guilt. A really pristine Browning Hi Power can cost $2000 these days. Lots of guys will simply treat it as a collectible and never shoot it!
Enter the Springfield Armory P35 and Girsan MCP35, both BHP homages. Sean the TNPr and I did plenty of shooting with both and came to some quick conclusions. Each approaches its copying of the Hi Power differently. And one is much less expensive. Both might scratch the itch of you wanting the Hi Power formula in your collection.
Another fun GRV brought to you by TNP Donors!
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Well our clown world continues but I keep cranking out content you like. Thanks for coming out to the vid. This is where I post mostly b. this is where the audience has stayed. BTW this review would not exist without TNP Donors, please consider joining long term. I’m so dumb how I operate it I don’t even have TIER levels there; you can join for a $3 per creation (only 6 charged per month btw). You can now join up for FREE. But of course it’s the paying members that keep the show going. TNP Patreon is where the action is! www.patreon.com/Nutnfancy.
The only civilians who should be allowed to own firearms are the wealthy & high income earners such as doctors and lawyers.
Thanks for the vid nuntn
Always enjoy your content
The Girsan 3.88 is what the degenerate Belgians (not even a real country) should've been making 50 years ago.
Looks like the SA-35 is a range-grade take on the traditional Hi-Power: modernizes all the PITAs for recreational shooting (modern sights, no hammer bite, better safety, no mag discon, beveled mag well, etc.) while looking a lot like the mid-20th century examples.
Look next to your name..is that a RUclips glitch? everybody else it's 1 day ago or 2 days ago or 10 minutes ago But yours says 1month ago. I don't really pay that close attention to that. I never seen that happen before. Are you from the past or the future 🤣
@@mikehill4776 no, I wrote it a month ago. Early access as a Patreon, guessing it just dropped to the general public?
Oh okay I just have TiborasaurusRex and Bear Independent as Patreon's even though I've been watching Nutnfancy forever. I can't support everybody just an old poor retired guy here.@@garrettstiles7808
I have to wear a glove with my SA-35, as I do get tapped by the hammer. It's not bad at first but after awhile it starts to sting.
@@Renma2010 interesting. I went ahead and got one, only two trips to the range with it since it’s been a busy fall but no bite yet. My FN bites me on every mag, so def better so far.
FEG P9R I purchased in the early 90s has worked well for me the few times it's been to the range over the years.....
Like you said, I use my SA35 to compete in pistol shoots. win money with it. My Portugal / utah blue bhp sits in the safe. Best bluing of any gun i own hands down
I think something is up with the algorithms here on RUclips as this is the first video from your channel to pop up on my list for a very long time. I’m glad to see you’re still making videos!
My father bought me a High Power in 1967, my first gun. Still have it and shoot it. A great handgun and deadly accurate.
I guess it was one of those "class acts" when I bought my C series FN High Power back in 1974 for plainclothes work when 1911s were considered de rigueur... and 9mms were laughed at. A couple of months of the HP accompanying my assortment of S&W K frames to the range for PPC practice and my HP had a 5 lb. trigger pull. Which was great then compared to the best double action trigger pull. Feels great still today.
After 30 years handling dozens, probably hundreds of Inglis High Powers, which also have the magazine disconnect, scaling the trigger pull of the ones in the armory and pretty much all of them measure at around 5 lbs, just as is, no customization work done by the gun plumbers other than annual First Line Maintenance. For those obsessed with trigger weight, the M16 variants pretty much all scale at having trigger pulls around 8 lbs... good enough for a fighting rifle, apparently, but certain death if that trigger pull is also on a fighting pistol!
There is no such thing as a "MkI" High Power, BTW. The "Mark" stuff started with the Mk II, and then the Mk III; neither FN in Europe or Browning in America ever used "MkI" for any of the previous HPs, nor did any military. The Brits referred to theirs from WWII on as 'L9A1'
The Girsan and it's complete interchangeability with the FN HPs gets the preferance nod from me - a friend just bought one at the main Kalispell gun show last weekend. Don Williams says the quality of the metal and the build is good enough to meet his approval for one of his customizations.
The major flaw in ALL the clone HPs is that they all chose to replicate the last models of High Power: the MkII and MkIII, instead of the slightly smaller and more svelte T and C series High Powers. The concerns that FN had that the T and C series would have a short lifespan when chambered in their intended 40 S&W offerings do not exist now for several reasons.
First, starting from scratch, these companies including FN could have built these new models either through casting or forging, with the same dimensions of the T and C series HPs. Current metallurgy is the manufacturers' friend, whether they want to cast or forge.
Second, since they're all offering them only in 9mm, concerns about 40 S&W chamberings are irrelevant anyways.
Of course, for those who didn't have lots of years with the original HPs before they picked up the MkII/MKIII that replaced them will never know the difference.
My suggestions to my friend for his new Girsan will be to track down a set of the Uncle Mike's Boot Grips for the HP that they built licensed from Spegal Grips. There's even thinner and similar grips available, but they're a much nicer grip than both the wood and plastic grips on display in this video. And buying a Ceiner .22 conversion slide for very inexpensive practice - I have put I don't know how many tens of thousands of 9mm through my High Power in the last 50 years in competition and practice, and now perhaps just as many .22 rimfire with the Ceiner conversion unit on it.
Interesting video, despite the lack of corporate knowledge taught in foreign militaries in how to manipulate the safety on the versions of HP prior to the MkII/III... it's done with the inside of the right thumb, not jabbed at with the tip of the thumb as per a 1911. And you can also lay your thumbs right over that original safety without worrying about moving the safety.
For those concerned with what the trigger pull should be, my High Power complete with magazine disconnect still in place scales at 5 lbs.
I disagree. I own and carry the SA35 A LOT. And it is not a second kind of cool. It is a very usable everyday pistol.
I have the Girsan because it came available before the SA and I like it. The grittyness on the trigger take up is caused by the magazine disconnect rubbing on the mag and it "is not easy" to remove. I've wanted a High Power for so many years and now I have one.
I just got use to the gritty take up on the MCP 35 (at the price point it is what it is), but the trigger break is still good and it's an accurate gun. The SA 35 tends to run a 150 to 200 USD more so at that point I'd go the little extra on a used FN BHP. That plus Springfield Armory still isn't out of the dog house with me yet over the deal they tried to cut with the Illinois anti gun lobby a few years back.
Appreciate the info on the Girsan bois. I may go with that one if I ever can get the money to buy a Hi-Power.
Does it have the Mark 3 style slide or the Mark 2 slide without the firing pin drop safe lock?
The grittiness in the takeup will eventually disappear like it does on all High Powers - just shoot and change magazines enough. That's the reason the Canadians, British SAS, FBI HRT never bothered specifying the removal of the magazine disconnect (as armchair Internet Warriors say must be done) - during normal training cycles and firing, their weapons quickly got contact surfaces polished through use and cleaning.
Or you can hurry the process up by polishing up the contact points between the magazine disconnect shoe and where it moves on the surface of your magazines.
My top 3 favorite semiautomatic pistols are the 1911, Beretta 92 and Browning Hi-Power. I have 2 original Hi-Power pistols. One I bought in 1992. It was built in 1980 and never sold. It ended up in a LGS that I would hang around after work. The other is my favorite in my collection. My grandfather brought it home from Korea. It had belonged to a young lieutenant who died there. My grandfather had promised him to get it to his brother but his parents wouldn't allow it. So he waited until the brother turned 25 and was about to marry. He tracked the young man down and offered him the pistol. A no thank you was the reply so he offered to buy the pistol for $100. My dad and I took his guns when he went into a nursing home. 2 weeks before his passing, he asked me about that pistol in particular. I told him I still had it and it was safe. He said it is yours now. Of all his guns it is the only one he asked about. One day I will hand it down to my son. As to the modern reproduction Hi-Power pistols, a few years ago I bought a Tisas BR9S which to my knowledge is the only Hi-Power ever to be made in stainless steel. It came with black plastic and walnut grips. I will almost always buy the stainless steel version of any gun if it us an option.
That's a shame.
Totally agree the 3 must-have semi-autos
I carried this in the British Army on several operational tours. Excellent weapon.
I remember when the High Power was a $300.00 handgun. It was at one time one of the most affordable double column 9mm pistols out there. I also miss the surplus Inglis high powers that were out there.
Dude they are still out there just gotta find the right ma and pa shops. Got a FM browning hi power from the 60-70s in good condition for $400 a few months back at my favorite gun store.
@@TH3L33TM3XICAN gotto look at its condition as well though. Bought myself one in pristine state, milspec with those excellent little sights, all steel (aka officer's model in Belgium), for 250. But that was 30y ago... with Hogue grips, most accurate shooter in my collection btw.
Fm is not a browning. It’s Argentinian.
@@cowgirlonchrome7416 made with FN tooling with the overlook from FN employees but in Argentina. Same same.
I miss the FM compacts. There were tons of different pattern weapons coming from south america at the time from other various companies. I miss those affordable firearms. Just good fun shooters for a collection. @@cowgirlonchrome7416
The Hi-Power is a true classic for a reason. It works. Well. I still often carry my T series Belgian HP circa 1967. It eats anything I feed it. It is VERY accurate. It is relatively thin and hence quite carryable. And no other pistol has ever felt so good in my hand or pointed as naturally. The only alteration I have ever made to it was removal of the mag disconnect. With that alteration, the mag falls clear and the trigger is actually quite good.
You can keep your plastic fantastics. I'll rock 1911s and my beloved Hi Power.
All my life, , BHP. Reliable unsurpassed , bought and sold most all of the striker Gunz except for the CZ , p10 I kept it only because it is a CZ. Cz75 right up there . Wake up
Thanks for posting this great review. It gives a guy like me to hear great information from people that really know what they are talking about
I came across 2 FM Hi Powers which are made in Argentina on FN machinery. The Nation of Argentina to supply their military. They built a factory and used Argentine workers and when the contract was up, they left the factory. The guns are not clones. they are licensed and simply marked differently. I bought them both for $240 and $260 ten years ago. They are going for $625 on Gunbroker on 12-4-23. So they are great alternatives. Fabricaciones Militares, the full name is Fabricaciones Militares Sociedad del Estado (Spanish for Military Industries State Corporation), is a state-owned Argentine arms manufacturer based in Buenos Aires.
I had one. It was my EDC. Great pistol. All parts interchangeable with the FN.
I’ve shot both of these, and currently own the girsan. Nutn nailed the review yet again! The only piece of info that made me want the girsan over the SA is that the girsan is a true clone to the degree that it has parts interchangeability with true browning/FN HP parts. The SA has taken more liberties with their design and parts are not able to be swapped out with any other manufacturers components if necessary. Not a deal breaker but nice for the longevity of a range/ fun gun.
Haven't watched Nut'nFancy since roughly 2005'ish-2009'ish ; I think he was the reason I had bought a Taurus 44 mag at that time . Good to see he's still doing videos !
You NAILED the arc. Same for me. This is a gun you want when you understand the history of it, realize isn't the best GTW gun (considering modern options), then once you own those modern options, still long for.
I love when Nutn reviews Wooled War 2 guns!
I recently acquired the SA-35, I love this pistol, so glad I got it.
It was really hard to find an SA-35 for the longest time. I have one. It's pretty good.
Great video. The High Power is one of my all time favorites along with the 1911. The High Power is not my carry gun but I wouldn't feel under powered if that's all I had on hand. Another very nice, budget friendly, Hi Power clone is the FEG PJK 9HP. That's if they are still available. I'm sure there are many used ones. And Browning Hi Power parts work great on it.
i carry my Girsan PI model. Its half a pound lighter than a full size, no polymer gun but light enough that i don't care, i like blue steel and walnut. Holds 15+1 with mecgar mags, i feel well armed with 16 +Ps in my hand and another 15 on my belt.
I bought the SA-35 about two weeks ago. I know it had FTE problems when it first came out, plus you couldn't find one anywhere. My round count is around 400 trouble free rounds. I bought it at my LGS for $689. I did change the original walnut grip panels for some Belgium knockoff wood panels to give it that authentic look at a quick glance. I'm happy so far, and it got me in the Hi-Power platform for well under a grand.
The gritty trigger on the Girsan is because of the magazine disconnect, if you get rid of the disconnect the trigger is super smooth. Take the mag out and try the trigger you’ll see the difference.
I just got the Girsan PI model with the shorter barrel and love it. The shop i bought it from had quite a few affordable used hi power variants as well. The Hungarian FP9 and P9M, the Israeli Kareen, Argentinian M90, and Bulgarian Arcus 94 and 94C (compact). Some are not 100% parts compatible clones but all are clearly Hi Power variants. There are probably other countries that used it as well, those are just what one shop that likes surplus handguns had on hand.
I brought Hi Power brand new during Bi-Centrial cerberation cerberation 1976 for $273.00 MSRP. I work for resturents as a dish washer that I made $42.99 a day after taxes in Philadelphia. The permit cost $5.99 with $2.50 photo. Love thw firearms and still have it.
Wasn't washing dishes - I was a new cop told I could buy an auto pistol ("as long as it isn't a .45 ACP") for work out of uniform - when I purchased my C series High Power in the early 1970's.
Have been shooting it ever since, and carrying it for defence ever since.
It will still be working flawlessly long after I've gone for the long dirt nap on the other side of the grass (as long as the owner isn't one of the dumbasses who never change the recoil springs in their semiautomatic pistols).
Love my Browning Hi Power pistol. I think the pistol has one of the greatest grip angle and thickness of the wood grips is perfect for my hand. That combined with the skinny frame is why I fell in love with it. That and watching Beverly Hills Cop growing up.
Girsan MC P35 Select 1 Davidson’s Exclusive looks awesome. The P35 Match/OPs and the new LW PI have mag dc safety removed and come with nicer sights. Handled one of the LW PI, and it had a great feel to it. Not a fan of the exaggerated beaver tail though. It’s not necessary, just do what Springfield did on SA-35 to minimize hammer bite. The exaggerated beaver tail becomes an issue if you are active and aiwb carry. Every time you bend at the waist, it feels like your carry piece is trying to disembowel you.
I shoot my blued FN Hi Power. A Hi Power is a lot like a 1911 insofar as shooting it really does not leave any marks. Sure, maybe there is some evidence of use when the gun is field stripped, but otherwise not really. It’s not like taking a very collectible pristine revolver and having to decide whether to put a turn line on the cylinder if you shoot it. If we take care transporting and handling our guns, a lot of them look brand new even after many rounds are fired through them.
I love the high power, it’s light, thin, and easy to carry. I got one that is beautiful that I left stock, then I went out and bought another really nice one added pretty wood grips, and night sights and got a vedder kydex holster and I will carry it for a second kinda cool, the older I get the more I like to carry DA/SA or single action pistols. Even like the new s&w csx9 for the 1911 feel, but hard to beat FN reflex micro 9mm
I was lucky enough to find a FEG Clone for 350.00 a couple years ago. I pulled out the mag disconnect and polished it up a bit. Great little Hi Power.
Those Hungarian clones are a steal if you find a clean one.
@@echodelta2172 yeah, this one has surprisingly deep blueing and that odd little vent rib along the top.
I was shocked to see one in a gun case as I had forgotten they even existed. Lol
Have Springfield's SA-35, enjoy it very much.
I was carrying my SA35 yesterday in rotation, I love it. Accurate as any gun I have,just as fast,15 rounds,you bet carry all day. Do I stuff it down my pants? No but if I am at war I won’t be concealing. The take down the simplest to clean and clear all metal with weight to pound nails all day long any which way. I only own one high power but in just a comparison with 1911 the reason the high power came to be, capacity.
I taught hundreds of young soldiers in the Australian army how to use it right up to last year
TNP, I think a additional HP to look at is the FM HP made in Argentina. These were built off of FN tooling prior to 1989. These are a affordable actual licensed copy of the High Power. After 1989 they were no longer licensed copys. These can be had for around 700- 800 depending on condition. Thanks for the show.
There was also a very close HP copy from Hungary in the 1980s. But it was never has popular as the commercial Argentine.
@@lindycorgey2743 The Hungarian clones regularly go for 4-500, although some variants are not actually Hi Powers but Smith and Wesson clones. Manufacturing quality on the Hungarian guns is usually good.
1994 I bought an feg for $185.00 new in the box. The finish on the frame was very crude and I didn't care for 9mm at the time,( raised 45acp 1911 by a us navy pistol team member). So I returned it to the retailer. Wish I had kept it just to blast 9mm. Great video, love the hp.
Picked up an FEG P9RK years ago. Love the thing. Browning upper, S&W lower, without the magazine disconnect.
I got the p35 Ops Girsan with the G-10 grips and pic rail. This one has the benefit of no magazine disconnect and it is a sweet shooter! Trigger pulls a 4.5 pounds. It is seriously one of my favorite recreation range toys. Oh yeah, from a distance, people will approach you, because it looks like a very expensive pistol.
Don't forget... Axel Foley carried a Browning High-Power in Beverly Hills Cop.
He still does!
I have a Hi Power Mk III I got in the mid 1990's. At the time it was the most expensive new firearm I bought. Even then W W II Mk I Hi Power's were all ready outside of my affordability range. I'm glad I got the one I have. The Girsan looks just like mine. Long thought about putting wood on my HP. After doing that on two 1911's I think I'll get it done.
I wanted Hi Power but I couldn’t always find one or afford it, but the CZ75 looks like a HI Power so I went with that, no regrets. Then the HI Power clones started to come out and I went for the Girsan, for a $600 gun, it’s superb.
I own a CZ75 and the SA35. Both very very fine pistols.
Colonel....thanks for this timely P35 video. It ended my thoughts of selling my Practical.
I bought an Arcus 98DA a few years back, and it's a Bulgarian copy of the Hi-Power. Uses Hi-Power mags. I love that pistol.
I had one and sold it a little while back. It was crudely finished, but still workable and reliable. They may well be the most "bargain basement" Browning clone you can find, but I can't say anything bad about them performance-wise.
On my 3rd FN gun. Two in the safe now. One pristine Browning, 1972 mfg, adjustable sights, soft case, papers. The other a Fabrique Nationals contract gun of unknown heritage with Park finish. I shoot the FN. The P35 was my semi auto when I was a GI in SAC in 73-79. My issue gun was a Model 15 Smith with12 rounds. A 1911 didn't work for me, but the Browning sure as hell does. I'm thinking about the SA35,if one ever finds its way around here at close to retail.....
My FN is a ‘61 vintage Argentine contract Hi-Power for their Division of Internal Security. Great gun but internal extractors are getting hard to find and expensive when you do so I got an SA35 so my old FN made Hi-Power can take up golfing during semi-retirement. Not one to leave well enough alone, a month later I got a Girsan MC P35PI with the shorter barrel and slide like the old FM detective models they imported years ago. I didn’t like the looks of the SA35 grips so I replaced them with old Browning grips and those SA35 grips made their way onto my Girsan. Both have been wonderful performers, accurate and reliable. The trigger on the Girsan sucked with that same gravelly feel but I pulled out the magazine disconnect safety and it made it a lot better. The Girsan trigger is still the heaviest out of the 3 due to the MKIII style firing pin block that the old FN and SA35 don’t have.
I own a Girsan purely for 2nd cool. I figure if ya get 90% of the experience for 1/4 the price, worth. I'm not expecting to carry it or using it for anything practical. I own it for the "historical" value; I see this as a nifty step in the technological progression of the handgun. Also, gaming nerds like myself would recognize the Hi-Power as the "9mm pistol" from Fallout: New Vegas which is the other reason I bought mine.
I scored a "pi" model girsan for $350 and it immediately became my winter carry/bedside gun. Rather lose it than my Kimber 1911 or old revolvers...
I used to carry polymer guns but no longer. I shoot metal guns far better and I trust it more than a lot of other pistols I've carried. It's heavy but I know for 100% it'll work. Glocks will work every time too but I just don't shoot them as well. 🤷 Shoot me 😂
I inherited a Belgian Hi-Power from my grandfather. Several years later the police and courts stole it from me even though I was legally carrying it in my vehicle (long story). Later I bought a “Made in Belgium/ assembled in Portugal” Hi-Power at Fort Sill in 1991. It’s amazing to me that this 1935 pistol is about as good as anything that has been invented since. That said, isn’t any 9mm pistol a substitute? They all launch 9mm bullets. The pistol I carry now is a Glock 26. It’s lighter and carries as many rounds as the magazine I choose to put in it. ( 10, 12, 15, 17 or 33 rounds )
If baby little Tupperware pistols are your thing, that's what you should carry. But if 30 round magazines are your thing, FN also made magazines of 20 and 30 round capacity - you can find and buy them if you want that in a Hi Power as well for some weird reason.
I got a Tisas Regent BR9 years ago to scratch my Hi Power and it's great!
Motorbikes, watches, and guns. Oh, right, and knives, too. Yep, that's why I started watching you way back in 2016, I'm thinking?! But I lost you in the sea of RUclips channels, and now at 0300 hrs in the a.m Christmas eve day, I find you again talking 1911's and man that a great vid!! Merry Christmas 🎅
I'm really wanting to get the Girsan Hi Powers just for the firing pin block.
I love your browning. I have one of similar vintage that gets carried pretty regularly.
I carried a Belgium made circa 1964 Hi-Power all through the 90’s. For increased finish durability I actually had mine satin hard chromed. Also installed Trijicon’s. With the Glock debuting and DA/SA pistols still popular nobody wanted these Hi-Powers so I never thought to keep mine stock. They were a dime a dozen at gun shows for cheap. Funny how everything goes full circle. This is a good lesson on not to sell guns. Regretfully I sold mine 12 years ago.
Looked at both side by side at my LGS. Went home with the Springfield. So far so awesome.
Browning/FN has always been proud of their guns. Back in the '90s, I couldn't find a new FN for under $700.
My Hi Power itch is scratched with an Argentine FM clone. I really wish I could have gotten an Inglis HP from Canada.
I’ve always loved the Hi-Power, and nearly bought a brand new FN Browning MkIII years ago, but the deal killer for me was the spur hammer. What I really wanted was a MkIII with the ring hammer (I think some refer to this as the “rowel hammer”), but that was unavailable….until the folks at Girsan read my mind and produced exactly that. So I got the Girsan about a year and a half ago for around $600 out the door. I don’t think I got the best deal but at that time they were hard to find and the place I got it from was literally the only place that had it in stock, so I paid the price.
Being a lefty I needed the ambi safety, and I sure wasn’t going to pay FN prices for their new reworked alleged “Hi-Power” (I agree that it just doesn’t have the panache of the original), so if I wanted to buy new, the Girsan was my only practical option.
Had some issues with mine initially. It came absolutely soaked in oil, and while I did my best to clean it up from a field strip, the oil got into places and formed a gunk that caused me problems, necessitating a trip to my local gunsmith for a deep cleaning. Then I still had some reliability problems with the trigger that even my gunsmith couldn’t figure out, so off it went to EAA’s service center in Florida. They put a new sear in it.
Took it out earlier today as I write this, for the first time since I got it back from EAA. Put 100 rounds through it and it ran flawlessly. I think they did indeed solve the problem. If I can get another 100 rounds through it as easily as I did today, then I will definitely consider it GTG.
It is a wonderful design; I consider the Hi-Power to be the best semiautomatic 9mm pistol design ever, really. The ergos are just right as far as I’m concerned, practically impossible to improve upon. Outside of a couple of dedicated match pistols I have, I shoot it more accurately than any of my other handguns; it is pure joy at the range (especially now that it seems to finally work properly). Would I use it as a serious defensive pistol? Well, now that it seems to be in good working order, I’m seriously considering it since I can shoot it so darned accurately!
Coupla things I’d like to point out re your earlier video on your personal Hi-Power:
- Not 50 countries…90 countries around the globe at one time or another used the Hi-Power as a standard issue military and/or police sidearm. It is hands down the most widely used military/police sidearm in history.
- Girsan, with their original MC P35 offering, was really going for a clone of the MkIII in almost every detail, even the sighting system; those three vertical white bars are exactly the same system as what was used on the original MkIII.
- You mentioned that while +P ammo is not recommended for original Hi-Powers, the clones can run +P. Well, maybe the Springfield Armory model can, but not the Girsan. The owner’s manual for the Girsan is very explicit about using standard pressure 9mm ammo exclusively; +P is definitely not kosher (or maybe in this case I should say, “not halal”).
Anyway, great videos. Keep up the good work.
It would have been extremely easy for you to replace the spur hammer with a rowel hammer on a MkII or MkIII HP - that's exactly what I did after purchasing one of FN's 40 S&W pistols after they came out in the early 1990's. Cost me $30 or something and about ten minutes of my time to do.
Sadly, all the clones being produced today are indeed copies of the MkIII final design - not the earlier, slimmer, svelte C and T series. That's not an improvement - that's a step backwards, just as it was when Browning increased the size of all Hi Powers when they offered the 40 S&W.
I am bemused at all the angst and claims that +P ammunition will destroy Hi Powers - especially the original Hi Powers. What destroys Hi Powers (and other semiatomatic pistols) is dumbasses that believe that the recoil springs in pistols never wear out and never weaken for eternity. Which is why military annual First Line Maintenance inspections requires gun plumbers to test the springs in weapons - whether it is the recoil spring in a Hi Power or the buffer spring in an M16 variant. Recoil springs are cheap to replace once a year in any handgun you fire with any regularity.
The Inglis Hi Powers used by Canada and Britain for about 70 years after WWII ended were fed nothing but the same military 9mm ball ammo intended for those country's submachine guns. Anyone curious who looks at NATO pressure specs for 9mm ball will see it is right there in 9mm +P pressure territory.
Which means if +P will actually destroy at least the original Hi Powers... why are those Canadian Hi Powers still humming along instead of all on the scrap heap due to being destroyed by six or seven decades of exclusively firing military ball ammo?
Personally, I don't believe there's one iota of real world evidence that +P ammunition carried for self defense adds one iota of effectiveness to any handgun caliber or bullet. If others believe there is a difference, go ahead and fill your boots - if you're carrying a High Power, it won't mind (as long as you regularly change the recoil spring no matter what ammunition you choose). For me, I'll just keep plugging along carrying Federal 147 gr. HST without any impressive "+P" marketing.
i always just adore the scenery.. i will make it west one day.
I have the FEG. Love the high power design. Great review.
My first pistol ever was a Belgian HiPower. Green parkerized Canadian military. Beautiful.....biggest regret was selling it....and my blue Python 4".....if I could turn back time....if I could find a way....
Right it had a flip up rear sight with 400 meters on it! That was an artillery? Damn! I paid 400 bucks for it....27 years ago..unbelievable...the python too, I paid 600...now they're 2500...I could kick myself until I broke my leg
Maybe Cher could help you out?
@@MACHINE4456😂
If it was Canadian military, it was/is a Canadian High Power, made on Canadian machinery built during WWII to the specifications of the designer of the BHP after he fled the German invasion by coming to Canada - Dieudonné Saive, NOT JMB. Browning did some work in the Hi Power sometime after the beginnings of the project under Saive, but the majority of the design work was done by Sauve, especially the final development in the years after Browning died.
If it was Canadian and had the tangent sight, it was built for the Republic of China, fighting Japan at the time. Also known as "Chinese contract" pistols. Depending on the condition and what came with it, easily sell for $2500 now.
I really like when the classics appear on this channel.
A $1000 Browning Hi-Power? I've seen those go for $5000 and higher in CT. If I found an actual Browning Hi-Power for $1000 I'd buy it in a microsecond!! Great video. Please keep them coming.
I tell people the same thing but I've even had some military guys try to tell me otherwise, when it comes to flinching if my gun doesn't lock open when expected.
I flinch on the dryfire when that happens, yet I can make 100yd shots standing with my pistols. One guy said my sights were tuned to my flinch then, which definitely explains why I can pick up my friend's gun and shoot just the same, and they shoot mine the same as well. Flinching AFTER the shot is fine. All that is, is your body trying to anticipate and control recoil in real time but that's not really possible.
Enjoyable video, it was a little different from most reviews to me just why I’m not sure.
My HP misadventure started just before the rona - like a lot of us I’d gotten tired of polymer wonderguns and just started getting more interested in classics. But not collectible. So I started searching the surplus market and then the Rona thing came along and POOF, everything vanished overnight. I figured I was hosed, so I was pretty happy to see Springfield and Girsan roll out HP clones. The Springfield hit the market first, I didn’t see the Girsan for a good 9-12 months after it was announced. I got lucky and scored my SA-35 at 699 bucks new when a couple other local shops were asking $1200. Feature wise I like the Springfield better but I’d rather have the ambidextrous Mk III safety and the spur hammer mated with the gorgeous walnut grips. As with your gun, mine shoots extremely well. That was 2 years ago. More recently I got the new FN High-Power (2.0?) and I have to say it too is a fabulous gun despite its substantially larger size. I think FN made the right call in keeping the original aesthetic but making it it’s own gun without unnecessary pretenses. It is awfully expensive though, but my experience with FN’s have been uniformly excellent.
All of which brings me to my next target, which as you might guess by now, is an original FN/Browning. Prices have come down a bit now and you can find them again. Not sure what I’ll end up with but just on aesthetics alone I really like the two tone Practicals and El Capitans with their adjustable sights and Pachmayr wraparound grips (I have big hands so thick is no problem.) But if I can’t find a good deal on a Practical, I’d be very happy indeed with a commercial high polish blue FN. I just need the right money at the right time and hopefully the right gun finds a new home with me.
I have a CZ75 SP-01 and love it as well. But there’s just something about the HP that speaks to me, and Im sure others feel the same.
Tom
I don't think a single one of the clone copies of the MKIII Hi Powers is even close to being as nice as the earlier and more svelte C and T series Hi Powers. I have a two tone Practical with adjustable sights and it mostly sits in the same... just doesn't feel as good in the hand and doesn't operate as slick as the C series I bought new in the early 1970's.
If prices on original HPs have come down, I haven't seen any evidence of that hanging out on the High Power enthusiast web forums. Everybody is crying about the end of Coles importing Israeli and other countries T and C series Hi Powers which were in great shape except for external appearance - nothing that a refinishing wouldn't fix. Go look back through those threads about ten years ago and watch guys agonizing on whether they should spend $300 for a surplus Israeli T series.
Great video and information about a classic weapon.
I have 2 Girsan pistols the Beretta Clone and the MC28 SA 9mm and both have been great firearms I recommend Grisan very highly
Owned a Hi Power made by FEG. Hungry 9mm. Bought it in 1988.Sold it to my daughter.She will not part with it.Looking for another. Great gun.Heavy but double stack accurate reliable. Never a problem.
The only HP I’ve ever wanted was a Canadian Inglis from WWII! I found a nice one a few years ago and have never regretted buying it!
I ve had two. Still have my Belgian 1972 HP.
Used them for years working as a merc from 68 through 80.
Great pistol. Very accurate. Hammer bite all the time. But… hammer bite nothing compared to an ice pick in the throat!
Tl;dr.
I have a similar ark I would like to add to this that's kind of fun I think. For the same reasons I wanted one and I ended up getting a Browning 75th anniversary because it was the only thing I could find at the time. I ended up carrying that gun and shooting it without a care to its collectibility for about 10 years. I would say well over 5000 rounds down the pipe and it was my only carry gun for that whole time. It actually wore pretty nicely and was still in excellent condition. Even with the wear and tear I put on it the collectibility had gone up and so I sold it for twice what I paid.
I took that money and got a slightly less desirable at the time, used high-power practical. I ended up having that gun for the longest time but it was when I realized the value and so that guy never got carried and shot very little. During my ownership of the practical I ended up getting the SA35 and at the time, and still do, think it's actually an improvement on the original gun only ever so slightly in quality of manufacturing. This is coming from a guy who has a lot of experience with these guns. I have torn every single one of them completely down. I had a Tisas and it was fine. I had a Girsan regular and PI OPS model and found both highly impressive. They had some slop but the finish was equal to the Springfield. The deal-breaker for me on the Turkish guns is they have a very hard time getting the single action triggers right and there were times were even Browning struggled with them.
You could get a trigger job or an aftermarket trigger but I don't like having to do all that on a gun I just bought. So I sold the Turkish stuff off as well. This left me with the dilemma of only having the practical model that I didn't want to shoot. So I finally tracked down another Springfield and made sure it was up to par and I actually found it to be even better than my very early model that I had before. Springfield definitely got their stuff dialed in at this point. I found the issues I was having with the original Springfield safety being far too on tactical to be completely solved and they really improve the gun and got it to where I would say it's damn near perfect to the original idea and design. Like you said modern-day cnc.
I think Springfield really nailed it out of the park but I think they're going to make only 100,000 or so guns and probably move on as I think the demand will slightly diminish with the Turkish offerings but also they're going to have to look at their machining and see if they want to revamp it or just close the line off and leave it on a high note. When I got my first Browning there were no clones but there was also no demand at the time and that's why Browning discontinued the gun. When the resurgence happened it drove the demand for these companies to make the clones but I think that's going to wind down like I did before with more on the market.
Or I should have just said long story short I think the springfields are going to become very collectible one day just like my 75th did. My practical did as well as I sold it once I was certain I was happy with the Springfield as my second cool and only cool I didn't need both I don't need a huge gun collection I work for a living. I sold the practical and made a little bit of money on that one as well. I must admit the upside to having the Browning or the FN is the fact that it's collectible and the value will continue to go up every year. That being said, I don't need that and the bluing drove me nuts keeping it up. I am very happy with the Springfield and this is the one I have chosen to finally close the arc. If you're still reading this thanks and God bless you. If you are stuck deciding on a 2nd cool just get the Springfield while they're still available and call it a day.
I wanted one because of the movie Serpico. I think that was the first depiction of the "long play" cassette that was a 13 round magazine in the 70's.
I have one and absolutely love it. Accurate and Reliable describe it not to mention how it feels in my hand. Equal to none. Have well over 1K rounds through mine without a problem at all though it does rattle like a rattle snake it hasn't seemed to matter.
In the winter months you can comfortably wear this in tanker type chest rig. The weight won’t get to you if carried that way.
Actually, I believe that the Browning with a shoulder stock may be among the shory list of classic and historically important stocked pistols which were exempted along with the Mauser Broom handle, Luger and others
I often wonder that if FN would retool and advertise that they’re bringing back the original HP’s that they cancelled in 2018, I think people would buy them up. Especially if they could produce them for under $700 or so and with some upgrades…. No magazine disconnect, adjustable night sights, maybe a rail option for those that want it. Maybe a cut slide for a dot and front slide serrations. Most importantly, a new nicer trigger than the originals.
I have 2. Both Browning. One is a Belgian 9mm, other is .40 Cal, can't remember the country of origin. Both are accurate. I started shooting IDPA with the 9mm but I always ended up with my hand bloodied by hammer bite.
Have an original Browning, but I also have a stainless steel Tisas, which I’m very partial too. Hi Powers have always been a sweet spot for me.
I've been getting Israeli surplus FN hi powers for around $800 and fegs for $500. They're used but still working and also blued and look gooder
I just purchased a manufactured in 1990 black and stainless with black finger groove hogue grips Browning Hi Power in absolutely safe queen condition and it is so sexy i just can't leave it alone.😍
Sure wish I had bought one back in the eighties! A friend of mine did, and he still has his today.😉
I bought the MC-35 Match, and this upgrade version is worth getting in my opinion.
Bought my BHP Mark III in 1987(?) for $360. Still have it. Had it tuned at Terrry Tussey's in Carson City, Nevada, back in 2014. Saw BHP Mark III for sale at Cabela's for $1,000 bsck in 2014.
Mosin Crate gets them quite frequently for about $800ish. They are import surplus FN's generally.
Classic pistols hi power n 226 is still my two favs
Awesome presentation!
I have the same Hi-Power as the first one shown in the video, my grandpa carried it when he was a boarder guard.
I own the same model, same year IIRC. I inherited it from a friend who passed 2 years ago. Ironically enough I sold it to him about 25 years ago and had been trying to buy it back almost from the day I let it go. I’ll never part with it.
I have a Girsan MCP-35. It did have a grittiness to the trigger but it slowly went away after shooting about 400 rounds.
Good thing I bought that Hi Power Practical when it was available.
Imagine trying to find a Detective Model. Now that's rare.
Picked up a ‘68 T series Belgian recently to join a ‘76 C series, a Hungarian for kicking around and an Argentine short detective for EDC option…love ‘em all
I'd argue that both would make acceptable carry weapons. The Hi-Power is a relatively flat profile, slim firearm. Is it a bit heavy? Yes. But, if you are OK with the weight, then it can be a great option. Just my $.02.
Yup, I carry my SA35 in a Galco Summer Comfort IWB holster and it works great. I also use either Galco gun belts or Wilderness instructor belts with the internal stiffener and that’s what makes all the difference. If you are going to carry a heavy gun, use a good, sturdy gun belt and that weight will never bother you.
Purchased my C series Hi Power in the early 1970's... still my daily carry here in Montana 50 years later. For men of normal stature, I don't see what the problem with carrying this pistol is. Odd how nobody complained "too heavy" about Commander size 1911s when they were all the rage a few decades ago.
Yes, they're a little harder to conceal than compacts like the S&W Shield and weigh about a pound more than a Tupperware Glock 19 - but they're also slimmer than a Glock when it comes to concealing them.
If an extra pound on your belt to carry is too onerous to stand up to, those unfortunate people should probably be carrying sub compacts like a S&W CSX in the first place.
I remember going into the local gun shop, looking for a 9mm, i was looking at a Spanish Star BM, when the dealer, sat on the counter a Inglis HP, pony up another hundred for this $275, best splurge purchase I Made, never did nothing to it, not to distract from collectors value, I got the funky black paint, I was these were sold to the Nationalist Chinese in 1944
Crazy timing just yesterday I was able to grab a used 2022 production FN High Power for $800
If you just want a high-power to shoot and have fun with and have an example of a high power in your collection there are a lot of good budget brands out there. I hear there's a couple from Turkey that are pretty good. You just have to look around.
I bought one more years ago than I care to admit to. It's brand was KBI a company I'm not even familiar with. It's not the greatest copy in the world but it's plenty good enough and I have a lot of fun with it. The trigger is the only problem on this but still works
Just find a budget brand that you can get you can get them for $500 or under.
The Argentine FM pistols were very good pistols at a great low price. I do believe they were license built. A couple friends had customs built on them. Haven't seen them in a long time. They were everywhere, then they all just disappeared!
Thank You N.F., I was at a Gun show in 2018 looking to locate a NICE 1911 for a Freind of Mine and something flashed at ME from like 3 tables down and a ran down to look and I looked at the Gentleman behind the Table and he was shaking his head yes(i didnt even say anything yet)I looked down and he was stilling yessing me. I put 50 on it went home got my checkbook $980 out the door and it is a 1973C serial ,Target Sights,FLAWLESS! 1 month later Browning announces It is Dis-continuing the Browning Hi-Power and I knew it was meant for Me!
I own a C series I bought in the early 1970's that didn't have the "beer can" adjustable sights... probably wouldn't have bought it then if it had - I had great eyesight at the time and it was for plainclothes work, not target shooting with different kinds of loads.
All of these clones and FN's new offering are knockoffs of the later and far less svelte MkIII Hi Powers... a step backwards, just as it was for FN to originally make that change.
@@AirborneMOC031 Funny back in the early 1970's i thought the sights F'd the lines of the design Also! Now we tend to shoot more and probably glad to have the sights!
@@scottwilson1258 My 1970's C series had the original sights... I don't think sights could be made too much smaller if the idea was not to mess up the lines of the gun.
And along with being pretty standard for 1911s and HPs at the time, my young guy eyes back when I bought the gun new in the early 70's had no problem with the sights. Which would probably be true for most military age males. Somewhere around 1977 I had a Spokane pistolsmith install an MMC adjustable rear sight when I began competing with the pistol. The original nub front sight got a careful coating on the front face with fluorescent green paint, that was it.
Today's sights are obviously better - and especially for people like me about to turn 70. But back then, you needed some coin in your pockets to have a gunsmith take one of those T or C series pistols and put something like S&W revolver sights into the slide.
If I got to make the decision, they'd have replicated the previous T and C series pistols with sight dovetails front and back and something looking like Novaks or Dawson's for sights.
Would I carry a Hi Power or a clone? Possibly. I often carry a CZ 75B, and the design elements that the latter pistol inherited from the Hi Power--along with a bit from the Sig P210--make the Czech gun both elegant and comfortable. I'd need an ambidextrous safety, and the hammer bite could be a problem, but the size and weight of the Hi Power are a bit less than the CZ, and the grip shape of both have exactly the right feel for me.
Right on. The CZ75 is a step up over the HiPower; have both but have to give a notable mention to the HiPower and clones for being great guns.
So much of our focus is on polymer. It's light, but what else do we have going for it? Cold steel guns have to have a renaissance.
I like me some wood and steel
If the SA-35 came in a polished blue finish, that would be awesome.
I have on of those Benchmade Osbornes. Nice knife.
I have that Laco, great watch. FWIW Laco' are German made with Swiss movement.
I bought mine in 1978 while stationed in Germany, $138. At the base rod and gun club.
Also the CZ75, which is based heavily on the Hi Power
Nice review thank you