Browning HI Power/+P ammunition

[cowboy77845]

Is the Browning Hi Power rater for +P ammo. Someone told me not to use +P on a regular basis as the pistol is not rated for it.

 

[Janos Dracwlya]

Check out this article from the late Stephen A. Camp: http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/BHPandHighPressureAmmo.htm

Others say that even a little bit of +P ammunition shot can damage the gun.

I always carried non- +P 147 grain hollow-points in mine.

 

[Eugen]

I respect Mr Camp's opinion on this matter. I have his books. There's no need to take a chance at messing up a BHP with +P, especially when the benefits are not that significant...at least for me.

 

[FL-NC]

When I was an instructor at Ft Bragg we ran thousands of rounds of US mil (fairly hot 124 grain) through ours. Never had one come apart.

 

[bannockburn]

I pretty much adhere to the less is better line of reasoning in that I don't use +P ammo in my Hi-Power. It does just fine with 115 gr. and 124 gr. standard velocity ammo and will continue to do so for many years to come. The only 9mm. that I felt could handle a steady diet of +P ammo was a MAB PA15.

 

[jonnyc]

They won't blow up, just wear at a slightly accelerated rate.

 

[Ironicaintit]

My old C series, and my mkIII have both seen thousands of +p rounds, and are holding up just fine.

For the last 6 years, neither of them have seen anything but my handloads, which are pretty hot.
5.8 (five point eight) grains of Unique under a 124 gr JHP, or 6.0 (six point zero) of Unique under a 115 JHP. (Loads I worked up to after studying Stephen Camps website)
Also, per hipowersandhandguns, I use an 18.5 lb recoil spring.

When my dad still shot the C series, he ran oodles of 129 gr Chinese sub gun ammo through it. Never chrono' it, but the recoil was pretty stout. She's good to go. No lug rounding, or any peening anywhere.

 

[WVsig]

You can shoot some +P ammo in BHPs especially if they are MKIII variants. I would not personally shoot thousands and thousands of +P rounds out of a BHP but then again I don't shoot thousands of rounds of +P through any of my guns. With the older variants a bit more caution is warranted but even with those a few hundred rounds sprinkled in here and there as long as you keep up with recoil spring maintenance should not be an issue.

You also have to consider that the Brits used the BHP for decades and shot NATO ball 9mm all day long. NATO ball is 36,500 PSI while +P is 38,500 psi IIRC.

 

[Mizar]

Post #8 sums it up. One of the reasons many shooters like the Hi-Power is because it is slim and lightweight (full sized all steel pistol kind of "lightweight"), almost like a single stack pistol, but that comes with some limitations. By the way, you can fit a Hi-Power in some open bottom Makarov holsters - that's how slim it is! I would just like to add that Hi-Powers, even the late production ones, were NOT +P rated by the factory. Bellow you can find a link to the Mk. III owners manual and a quote from page 17:

"WE DO NOT RECOMMEND FIRING OVERPRESSURE LOADS (+P OR +P+)
IN ANY HI POWER PISTOL. THESE LOADS CAN INCREASE CHAMBER
PRESSURES AND MAY ALSO ACCELERATE WEAR ON COMPONENTS SUCH AS
THE SLIDE, FRAME AND RECOIL SPRING DUE TO INCREASED RECOIL
LEVELS. OVERPRESSURE LOADS CAN ALSO AFFECT THE RELIABILITY OF
YOUR PISTOL"

http://www.browning.com/content/dam...rs-manuals/2016/12-BFA-323_HiPower OM_WEB.pdf

P.S. For those who might wonder - Mk.III in .40 S&W, while sharing the same frame with 9mm Luger models, had thicker slides and 4 barrel locking lugs instead of 3, so they are a completely different animal.

 

[Eugen]

Just to add to Mizar's excellent, informative post regarding the differences between the 40 cal BHP vs the classic 9mm BHP, the 40 cal cast frame is stronger (yes, stronger) than the forged frames of the past. FN had the wisdom to make the 40 cal models much stronger than all their earlier models, because they knew the 9mm models, as designed, could not handle the 40 cal pressures.

 

[cowboy77845]

I have a bunch of 9MM NATO 124 gr. I will shoot these in a HI-POWER Practical. I did not particularly want a Browning until they quit making them. Seemed to me I should have a Classic pistol. I prefer the Colt 1911 in all its variations. I particularly like the Trophy Model O. Mine is very accurate and a joy to shoot.

 

[SeanSw]

You didn't specify your use for the gun but I carry 9mm +p in my 3.3" barrel springfield xds to make up for the shorter barrel length. The hi power already has a longer barrel than many popular 9mm pistols, and the extra barrel length may further negate the benefit of +p. If I were using my bhp practical for home defense or ccw it would be loaded with any variety of standard pressure 9mm jhp and I'd feel just fine doing so.

 

[cowboy77845]

I expect to use the +P in my STI Electra. I do not want to keep a bunch of different types of 9mm on hand. I figured the 124 gr NATO would be a good compromise. I like the STI for concealed carry. It seems to balance in my hand better than other compact autos. I expect to just plink around with the BHP but use it for serious social work if required. I am a 78 yrs old somewhat disabled veteran. There is no way I am going to be out looking for trouble, however this day in time trouble can come looking for you. I was sitting at home minding my own business a few years ago and experienced a home invasion. Never hurts to be prepared.

 

[WVsig]

Just to add to Mizar's excellent, informative post regarding the differences between the 40 cal BHP vs the classic 9mm BHP, the 40 cal cast frame is stronger (yes, stronger) than the forged frames of the past. FN had the wisdom to make the 40 cal models much stronger than all their earlier models, because they knew the 9mm models, as designed, could not handle the 40 cal pressures.

They actually tested the BHP will the older forged frame with slight modifications with the 40 S&W. It quickly warped the rails. They did not have the "wisdom" to make this change. They made it out of necessity. They tried their best to use the older design but it would not work. The new forged frame and 4 locking lug barrel were not created out of "wisdom" they were made out of necessity because FN really wanted to field a 40 S&W BHP.

I never understand why people romanticize things.

 

[Eugen]

WVSig, my use of the single word "wisdom" seems to have you worked up and over interpreting my comments. Sorry. Perhaps I should have used the phrase "wisdom gained from R&D work". There is no romance here. Take it easy.

 

[Jim Watson]

An English writer described "the infamous Two Zed with epoxied bullet that ate Brownings."
Lee Jurras pressure tested some of the allegedly hot German WWII Schmeisser ammo, found it to be of normal pressure but with a lot of blast and flash because the Germans could not afford fancy powder. He asked why would anybody risk damage to one weapon for a marginal improvement in another?
Well, there would surely be more 2Z and L7A1 shot in SMGs than pistols.

 

[WVsig]

WVSig, my use of the single word "wisdom" seems to have you worked up and over interpreting my comments. Sorry. Perhaps I should have used the phrase "wisdom gained from R&D work". There is no romance here. Take it easy.

Not worked up just correcting misinformation. When it comes to the BHP there is more misinformation than accurate information most of the time. If not outright inaccurate "romanticized" like your post.

 

[Janos Dracwlya]

I respect Mr Camp's opinion on this matter. I have his books. There's no need to take a chance at messing up a BHP with +P, especially when the benefits are not that significant...at least for me.

I need to get a copy of his Hi-Power book; I saved copies of all the pages of his website when I heard he passed.

 

[DesertVet]

I have always ran 9mm Standard pressure 147 grain JHPs in mine.