browning hi-power for newbie?
- Thread starter Badger_Girl
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Furncliff
Member
... and when you do try them out, be sure to work the slide enough to feel comfortable about them. They can be stout.
weisse52
Member
I agree.. A Hi-Power is a classic for good reason. I agree with FEG..around here $550 to $600 for a BHP is going rate.
Badger_Girl
Member
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2008
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- 13
Thanks so much guys for all your input. I appreciate all your help. I think you all have been very helpful.
It makes me feel good to know that I have some support as I get my feet wet.
Thanks!
Badger_Girl
It makes me feel good to know that I have some support as I get my feet wet.
Thanks!
Badger_Girl
don95sml
Member
No one seems to have commented on the magazine safety of the Hi-Power. This mechanism tends to make the trigger pull a bit gritty. For a smoother trigger the mag safety should be removed. In my own case I had a gunsmith do this job, along with other improvements. But mag safety removal can be a do-it-yourself thing, and there are directions on the web for that.
jaydubya
Member
Lots of good advice here for Badger Girl. I bought my 9mm BHP in 1967, along with two spare magazines, and carried it as my personal weapon on two Vietnam carrier cruises. Then it sat in my sock drawer, still loaded with Navy ball, for thirty-some years. I became interested again in target shooting about five years ago, and have fired that pistol weekly since (along with others I have acquired recently). As you may gather, I am not a spring chicken. I found it rather hard to lock the slide back to field strip my pistol without doing damage to myself. I cured this problem several years ago by buying a Brownells Extended Slide Release for $26. In my BHP, it slipped right in. And thereafter, I NEVER have needed to rack the slide all the way back and lock it so as to get the slide release out. I just cock the hammer, push/pull the slide release out, and ease the slide off forward. Best $26 I ever spent (probably cost you thirty now).
I've done a bunch more to mine since then, expensive stuff, but that Brownells Extended Slide Release remains the best way to improve on a BHP.
Cordially, Jack
I've done a bunch more to mine since then, expensive stuff, but that Brownells Extended Slide Release remains the best way to improve on a BHP.
Cordially, Jack
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Against The Hi-power
BADGER GIRL,
I advise against the HI-POWER.
If you are experienced with single action semi-auto pistols like the HI-POWER or a 1911, then fine. Go with your experience.
If you are new to pistols, I would suggest either a simpler gun like the GLOCK or KAHR or a double action auto with a hammer dropping safety. Experienced shooters generally underestimate how dangerous single action pistols can to handle and shoot.
Until you are fairly familiar and have practiced a great deal, you can:
FORGET TO PUT ON THE SAFETY AFTER SHOOTING, THAT LEAVES YOU HANDING A GUN READY TO GO OFF WITHOUT WARNING.
FORGET TO TAKE THE SAFETY OFF WHEN YOU MIGHT SUDDENLY NEED TO USE THE GUN TO DEFEND YOURSELF. PLEASE REMEMBER, OUR MILITARY NEVER CARRIED THIS TYPE OF GUN WITH THE HAMMER COCKED AND LOCKED LIKE SO MANY CIVILIAN SHOOTER DO. THEY EXPECTED IT TO BE CARRIED WITH THE CHAMBER EMPTY AND SAFETY OFF. YOU LOAD IT WHEN YOU NEEDED IT.
LOWERING THE HAMMER ON A LOADED CHAMBER CAN BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS IF YOU HAVE NOT BEEN PROPERLY TRAINED.
How safe you are with any type of pistol depends on common sense, training and how much experience you have with any particular type.
Good luck.
Jim
BADGER GIRL,
I advise against the HI-POWER.
If you are experienced with single action semi-auto pistols like the HI-POWER or a 1911, then fine. Go with your experience.
If you are new to pistols, I would suggest either a simpler gun like the GLOCK or KAHR or a double action auto with a hammer dropping safety. Experienced shooters generally underestimate how dangerous single action pistols can to handle and shoot.
Until you are fairly familiar and have practiced a great deal, you can:
FORGET TO PUT ON THE SAFETY AFTER SHOOTING, THAT LEAVES YOU HANDING A GUN READY TO GO OFF WITHOUT WARNING.
FORGET TO TAKE THE SAFETY OFF WHEN YOU MIGHT SUDDENLY NEED TO USE THE GUN TO DEFEND YOURSELF. PLEASE REMEMBER, OUR MILITARY NEVER CARRIED THIS TYPE OF GUN WITH THE HAMMER COCKED AND LOCKED LIKE SO MANY CIVILIAN SHOOTER DO. THEY EXPECTED IT TO BE CARRIED WITH THE CHAMBER EMPTY AND SAFETY OFF. YOU LOAD IT WHEN YOU NEEDED IT.
LOWERING THE HAMMER ON A LOADED CHAMBER CAN BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS IF YOU HAVE NOT BEEN PROPERLY TRAINED.
How safe you are with any type of pistol depends on common sense, training and how much experience you have with any particular type.
Good luck.
Jim
I've never owned a Browning but my Glock 17 is easy to clean, easy to shoot, and easy on the wallet. It's extremely durable and surprisingly accurate. It's the first pistol I've owned so I was surprised to shoot a half-dollar sized group at 25 feet within the first hundred rounds. True I only shot one of them in the first hundred but I was sold from that moment on.
I have a few thoughts and an experience as a child with the mag safety.
First, I feel you can't go wrong with the 9mm HP as a first gun.
Classic, Accurate, saught after and hold thier value well.
I carry the .40 Practical as my daily. The added snappyness and recoil of the .40 is not an issue to me.
Here's the scenario, at about 14, I was at a friends house (we were all kids).
The kid's father was a cop and was not home.
The kid came downstairs with a Hi Power showing how cool he was.
Obviously not knowing anything about guns and being a kid, I was intrigued.
I now know, that pistol was in condition one.
The kid ejected the mag, and was passing it around, thinking it was empty.
I was uncomfortable and left.
The good thing is that nothing happened that day.
Had that been several models of any other gun, someone would have been dead.
I think about it often...even now after all those years.
That mag safety saved several lives from a horrible experience that day.
To this day, I appreciate that feature. It easily could have been my life taken that day.
As for the difference in trigger pull, I'm use to the way it is.
Several of mine guns all pull differently, the easy fix for that is to know your weapon.
First, I feel you can't go wrong with the 9mm HP as a first gun.
Classic, Accurate, saught after and hold thier value well.
I carry the .40 Practical as my daily. The added snappyness and recoil of the .40 is not an issue to me.
Here's the scenario, at about 14, I was at a friends house (we were all kids).
The kid's father was a cop and was not home.
The kid came downstairs with a Hi Power showing how cool he was.
Obviously not knowing anything about guns and being a kid, I was intrigued.
I now know, that pistol was in condition one.
The kid ejected the mag, and was passing it around, thinking it was empty.
I was uncomfortable and left.
The good thing is that nothing happened that day.
Had that been several models of any other gun, someone would have been dead.
I think about it often...even now after all those years.
That mag safety saved several lives from a horrible experience that day.
To this day, I appreciate that feature. It easily could have been my life taken that day.
As for the difference in trigger pull, I'm use to the way it is.
Several of mine guns all pull differently, the easy fix for that is to know your weapon.
skinewmexico
Member
So remember, if you're gonna store your loaded pistols improperly (even illegally), make sure you have a Hi-power.
BHPshooter
Member
Oh, please. Because that's like the only possible use for a mag disconnect, right?Badger Girl, you're going to love your BHP. I have felt, played with, and fired a lot of pistols, and I've never found one that felt as good as the Hi Power. (To be fair, the XDs come close...)
Regardless of what some people here say, ALL semi-autos require more training, practice, and diligence to ensure that they are safely and properly used. All of them. For most people, this is not an issue. If it is, a revolver is probably the way to go.
Just remember, if you buy it, you are duty bound to post pics.
Wes
Just for the record, I think it is ridiculous to say that people shouldn't start on a SA pistol. Decocking a handgun is a basic gun handling skill.
If you can't or won't manually decock a handgun, you have no business ever handling a revolver. Think about it, the cylinder locks with the hammer back. You have to manually decock it (or go bury it in the backyard until you are experienced enough, apparently).
No weapon is 100% safe or idiot proof. I think if you could really achieve that, you wouldn't want it, because it woud probably take a minute or two to ready the gun!
You cannot go wrong with a BHP. (This is coming from a CZ guy, by the way.) Having a SA pistol will make you more conscious of the safety rules and proper gun handling. BHPs retain their value very well, so it's hard to lose money on one if you ever want to change.
If you know the seller well, this is also a bonus. It helps to know which loads a pistol prefers, etc.
If you can't or won't manually decock a handgun, you have no business ever handling a revolver. Think about it, the cylinder locks with the hammer back. You have to manually decock it (or go bury it in the backyard until you are experienced enough, apparently).
No weapon is 100% safe or idiot proof. I think if you could really achieve that, you wouldn't want it, because it woud probably take a minute or two to ready the gun!
You cannot go wrong with a BHP. (This is coming from a CZ guy, by the way.) Having a SA pistol will make you more conscious of the safety rules and proper gun handling. BHPs retain their value very well, so it's hard to lose money on one if you ever want to change.
If you know the seller well, this is also a bonus. It helps to know which loads a pistol prefers, etc.
rellascout
member
Lots of assumptions in that post. nothing you have said constitutes any hard and fast rule. What works for you or what you think it far from universal.
I do not think that a safety makes people more or less conscious. Everyone is different and I do not see why you would believe that to be true.
There is nothing wrong with starting with a SA gun but the reality is that the safety can be an issue for a new shooter who does not have the muscle memory built up and in a stress situation could cause an operator error.
Cliff47
Member
I've said it before, the best safety is the one between your ears.
rellascout
member
I agree with that 100% Cliff. All other safety devices pale in comparison.
Back when I first got involved with guns, I couldn't find a semiauto pistol I really liked. I rented and borrowed different guns until a female LEO friend had me try her FN Hi-Power. While she wasn't allowed to carry it on duty, it was her "headboard holster" gun. I loved it immediately.
I now collect Hi-Powers in my own small way. My favorite is a 1969 T-series that's been tuned by Cylinder & Slide. While I carry a Wilson 1911, that T is my "headboard holster" gun.
I learned to shoot on SA semiauto's with really good triggers. I think for women with smaller hands and possibly less hand strength, guns with light triggers are not a problem at all and are easier to shoot accurately. How well you train and how much you practice is more important than any mechanical "safety" feature.
As far as decocking goes, unless a gun has been designed with a decocker instead of a thumb safety, I wouldn't try to decock it. To me, lowering a hammer on a loaded chamber is a ND looking for a place to happen. If you can't stand the thought of a Hi-Power in Condition 1, have a Safety Fast System installed.
I personally don't like the feel of the DAO triggers I've tried, and revolvers don't point naturally or balance in my hands at all. I own a CZ P-01 but still don't particularly like that first heavier, longer DA shot. Yes, it's probably because I learned on guns with light triggers that are always the same.
I now collect Hi-Powers in my own small way. My favorite is a 1969 T-series that's been tuned by Cylinder & Slide. While I carry a Wilson 1911, that T is my "headboard holster" gun.
I learned to shoot on SA semiauto's with really good triggers. I think for women with smaller hands and possibly less hand strength, guns with light triggers are not a problem at all and are easier to shoot accurately. How well you train and how much you practice is more important than any mechanical "safety" feature.
As far as decocking goes, unless a gun has been designed with a decocker instead of a thumb safety, I wouldn't try to decock it. To me, lowering a hammer on a loaded chamber is a ND looking for a place to happen. If you can't stand the thought of a Hi-Power in Condition 1, have a Safety Fast System installed.
I personally don't like the feel of the DAO triggers I've tried, and revolvers don't point naturally or balance in my hands at all. I own a CZ P-01 but still don't particularly like that first heavier, longer DA shot. Yes, it's probably because I learned on guns with light triggers that are always the same.
No, there are not a lot of assumptions in my statements. "Lots" would mean more than two, by definition. Please identify more than two assumptions in that post.
If you can tell me how to render a cocked revolver safe without manually decocking it, then I agree it is not "universal." However, I'm 100% certain no such model exists. Thus, learning how to manually decock is a basic handgun handling skill.
Feel free to disagree with my reasoning, but if all revolvers must be manually decocked, then that is the definition of "universal."
Definitions of universal on the Web:
(linguistics) a grammatical rule (or other linguistic feature) that is found in all languages
(logic) a proposition that asserts something of all members of a class
cosmopolitan: of worldwide scope or applicability; "an issue of cosmopolitan import"; "the shrewdest political and ecumenical comment of our time"- Christopher Morley; "universal experience"
a behavioral convention or pattern characteristic of all members of a particular culture or of all human beings; "some form of religion seems to be a human universal"
applicable to or common to all members of a group or set; "the play opened to universal acclaim"; "rap enjoys universal appeal among teenage boys"
universal joint: coupling that connects two rotating shafts allowing freedom of movement in all directions; "in motor vehicles a universal joint allows the driveshaft to move up and down as the vehicle passes over bumps"
adapted to various purposes, sizes, forms, operations; "universal wrench", "universal chuck"; "universal screwdriver"
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
ColinthePilot
Member
I think the main assumptions being tossed around here is that new shooters are incapable of learning how to use a given weapon.
I've owned 3 handguns since I started really shooting about 3-4 years ago. The first was an inherited Beretta 1934, which was SA only, and I've only carried once. It had a half-cock position, a manual safety, and a between-the-ears safety. I had no problems.
The next was a DAO Taurus Mil-Pro. It had a manual safety, probably some sort of internal safety, and the same between the ears safety as the Beretta. I learned that one just fine too.
Now I carry a Sig. DA/SA, No manual safety, just a decocker and the BTE safety. I learned that gun within a few minutes.
The thing is, I could have started with the Sig, day one, and not been any less safe than I was with the Beretta. Why? Because as long as the 4 rules are learned before trying to master any weapon, then the BTE safety is the only one needed.
The Hi-Power will be a great gun for fun and for defense, just use your BTE safety.
I've owned 3 handguns since I started really shooting about 3-4 years ago. The first was an inherited Beretta 1934, which was SA only, and I've only carried once. It had a half-cock position, a manual safety, and a between-the-ears safety. I had no problems.
The next was a DAO Taurus Mil-Pro. It had a manual safety, probably some sort of internal safety, and the same between the ears safety as the Beretta. I learned that one just fine too.
Now I carry a Sig. DA/SA, No manual safety, just a decocker and the BTE safety. I learned that gun within a few minutes.
The thing is, I could have started with the Sig, day one, and not been any less safe than I was with the Beretta. Why? Because as long as the 4 rules are learned before trying to master any weapon, then the BTE safety is the only one needed.
The Hi-Power will be a great gun for fun and for defense, just use your BTE safety.
What's not to love?
Here's my everyday carry. The BHP .40 S&W.
There is a reason the 1911 and BHP, are what most other guns are compaired to.
Reading all this stuff about what is, or is not best for a person amuses me.
Understand. Cliff said it right. The Best and only sometimes safety is between the ears.
Guns are a mechanical object.
Understand the mechanics of HOW and WHY it works.
Get a mentor who can guide you. (most all of us had the fortunate experience of a knowledgable guru we could turn to..to ask questions.)
You are the person that makes any gun safe.
Don't fear the weapon, understand it. (capabilities and short falls of any particular model).
Know how to operate you gun properly.
This is not a thread about a mentally defiecient person thinking about a firearm.
If that was the case, I would recommend those little paper rolll caps. aka...cap-gun.
The only reason one weapon is superior than another, is the ability of the holder.
There are a lot of weapons that are low end, to high end that work just fine.
We're talking about a Gal, who is on point.
I was a rescue diver in the Navy and heard the same stuff about scuba gear.
99 pct.... was BS....had to have this....your gonna die if you don't have one of these...etc....
I'm still here after searching for stuff in 140ft of water. (my deepest)
As in any experience.....the student learns....and will surpass the teacher....at one point.
Everyone respects the BHP
Everyone respects the 1911
The standards that all are compaired to.
[/IMG]
Here's my everyday carry. The BHP .40 S&W.
There is a reason the 1911 and BHP, are what most other guns are compaired to.
Reading all this stuff about what is, or is not best for a person amuses me.
Understand. Cliff said it right. The Best and only sometimes safety is between the ears.
Guns are a mechanical object.
Understand the mechanics of HOW and WHY it works.
Get a mentor who can guide you. (most all of us had the fortunate experience of a knowledgable guru we could turn to..to ask questions.)
You are the person that makes any gun safe.
Don't fear the weapon, understand it. (capabilities and short falls of any particular model).
Know how to operate you gun properly.
This is not a thread about a mentally defiecient person thinking about a firearm.
If that was the case, I would recommend those little paper rolll caps. aka...cap-gun.
The only reason one weapon is superior than another, is the ability of the holder.
There are a lot of weapons that are low end, to high end that work just fine.
We're talking about a Gal, who is on point.
I was a rescue diver in the Navy and heard the same stuff about scuba gear.
99 pct.... was BS....had to have this....your gonna die if you don't have one of these...etc....
I'm still here after searching for stuff in 140ft of water. (my deepest)
As in any experience.....the student learns....and will surpass the teacher....at one point.
Everyone respects the BHP
Everyone respects the 1911
The standards that all are compaired to.
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ds/ks
Member
I've never even touched a BHP, but I think it is the sexiest handgun ever made.
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