Hi power Clones

[bannockburn]

I6turbo

You got a great deal on a great gun! Had the same good fortune (along with a truly fantastic trigger), when I bought my Mk.II.

 

[I6turbo]

I6turbo

You got a great deal on a great gun! Had the same good fortune (along with a truly fantastic trigger), when I bought my Mk.II.

I agree. If I had to choose for myself, a great trigger on a Hi Power is far preferable to a cosmetically beautiful gun. IIRC, I think you ended up with both...

 

[bannockburn]

Well I might consider my Mk.II to be rather plain looking on the outside it sure shoots like she's a real beauty on the inside!

Years ago I did have an incredibly fine looking T-Series Hi-Power that was like the old adage where beauty is only skin deep. Forget group size; with that trigger and those tiny sights it was strictly MOB (Minute of Barn).

Love my Mk.II just the way it is.

 

[johnmcl]

I agree that with patience being a virtue that solid BHPs can be found on the used market in the sub $750 line. I have two BHPs, Belgium/Portugual versions that came to me used and a bit cosmetically challenged. Since then I have installed Novak sights, awesome trigger jobs, and two distinctly different finishes. One is Darth Vader black and the other has a deep blue finish. Both shoot like a house on fire and are the envy of the gun club.

I have one additional thought. The OP wrote " I know you can find various grades of imports on gun broker, but by the time i brought one up to par it is no longer cost effective." Let me add that one never thinks of cost effective and BHPs in the same thought. We don't own them because they are cheap.

 

[DT Guy]

We live in the age of Cerakote and aftermarket upgrades. One of these was a commercial MkIII, one a mis-mash II/III surplus gun, with serious cosmetic issues:

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[Walt Sherrill]

BHP and CZ 75 share the 9mm Parabellum cartridge, and some design philosophies; like double stack magazines and the Browning-type tilting barrel. While slide and frame cutouts make them look vaguely similar, they share no parts and are not "clones".

They also shared the .40 S&W cartridge until FN discontinued the .40 version of the Hi-Power. The CZ and the BHP do LOOK alike, and they both use the Browning Short-Recoil Locked-Breech design. Almost everything else is dramatically different. Nothng is interchangeable. The CZ is DA/SA, but can function as a SA if you have a safety-equipped model; the BHP is SA only. The BHP has a mag safety, the CZ doesn't. I don't know if a newer BHP has a firing pin safeties, but the CZ does. (I only have an older T-series BHP; I've had a bunch of CZs -- and still do.) The entire fire control systems of the two guns are entirely different, as are their recoil assembly designs. There are many other differences. They're both very ergonomic

The CZ and BHP are clones like a Camaro and a Mustang are clones.

 

[greyling22]

We live in the age of Cerakote and aftermarket upgrades. One of these was a commercial MkIII, one a mis-mash II/III surplus gun, with serious cosmetic issues:

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The problem is that unless you are doing your own, paying for cerakote is roughly $200. Take a $400 beater, add $200 for coating, a hundred on better trigger bits, and another 150 or so for sights. So you're looking at $850 for a rebuilt hi-power. And then add grips. Vs an elite match for 600.
Now, the Brownells moly finish looks good for under 50.

 

[Tallball]

My FEG clone functions perfectly and is a joy to shoot.

 

[C0untZer0]

I've always wondered why there wasn't an ATI-type BHP for around $330.00 I think they'd sell and if ATI can sell 1911s for $330 they could sell BHPs profitably at that price point too

 

[DT Guy]

The problem is that unless you are doing your own, paying for cerakote is roughly $200. Take a $400 beater, add $200 for coating, a hundred on better trigger bits, and another 150 or so for sights. So you're looking at $850 for a rebuilt hi-power. And then add grips. Vs an elite match for 600.
Now, the Brownells moly finish looks good for under 50.

Fair enough-I happen to have compressors, a blasting cabinet and airbrushes, so each gun costs me ~$10 or so to finish. I forget not everyone does. I figure I have ~$600 in the surplus Izzy as it sits, with the labor (stippling, finishing, trigger upgrades and sight installation) all done by me.


Larry

 

[RugerOldArmy]

I don't need one, but I'd sure like a hi power that wasn't stupid expensive or beat to #*&@

A few years ago, CDNN was selling the FN Highpowers for $400. Pretty much the exact same thing as the Brownings, same factory, some with the SFS option. I'd look for those, used now, for the bang for the buck.

 

[bannockburn]

DT Guy

You do nice work with your Cerakote paint job as well as all of the other improvements and modifications you've done to your Hi-Powers. Like the checkered wood grips on the silver finished one.

 

[DT Guy]

DT Guy

You do nice work with your Cerakote paint job as well as all of the other improvements and modifications you've done to your Hi-Powers. Like the checkered wood grips on the silver finished one.

Thanks. After trying about every different grip available for the HP's, I finally discovered the Hogues, and they're by far my favorites.

Larry

 

[Dain Bramage]

The CZ and BHP are clones like a Camaro and a Mustang are clones.

I like that. Well put.

 

[bannockburn]

Larry

I never cared for the factory thumbrest grips that came with my Mk.II so I quickly swapped them out for a set of Pachmayrs. They just seemed to fit in so well with the service grade finish on the gun. Normally, like with 1911s, I cut out the center section of the grips and just use the two panels that are left. But I liked the full set of Pachmayrs so much, including the backstrap piece, that I left it that way. After all these years I still like the way they feel though from time to time I think about getting grips like the ones you have on your gun.

 

[Mizar]

"Cost effective"!?! We are talking handguns, not smartphones are we? A trouble free pistol, with ergonomics that most of today's plastic-fantastics can only dream about, sturdy and reliable... Well, cost effective it may not be, but it's a damn fine handgun you can rely on 100%.

 

[DT Guy]

Larry

I never cared for the factory thumbrest grips that came with my Mk.II so I quickly swapped them out for a set of Pachmayrs. They just seemed to fit in so well with the service grade finish on the gun. Normally, like with 1911s, I cut out the center section of the grips and just use the two panels that are left. But I liked the full set of Pachmayrs so much, including the backstrap piece, that I left it that way. After all these years I still like the way they feel though from time to time I think about getting grips like the ones you have on your gun.

My practical wore its Pachmayr's for years; their BHP grips are (IMHO) the very best Pachmayr ever did.

Larry

 

[bannockburn]

Larry

What I really like about them is that they're so thin yet give you a good solid feel when you grip them. Don't know if a set of Hogue grips would look quite right with such a plain finish (I think it's a matte blue), but they would certainly dress things up a bit on my Hi-Power!

 

[Walt Sherrill]

My favorites are Navidrex -- I got the ones shown below for my BHP from Brownells. They don't seem to have any in stock at the present.

The Navidrex grips look like wood but are made of something LIKE Micarta -- and not easily damaged or affected by gun-cleaning solvents. These are pretty thin, too.

Check on E-Bay or Amazon for a lot of options, some of which are pretty inexpensive. (I've never really cared for expensive wood grips, for while some of them can be beautiful on the gun, I've found that they can be easily damaged. Nicked checked grips look ugly) The ollder, factory BHP wood grips are not all that impressive.

This is an old photo, and I have different sights mounted now. I may reinstall the old one, one of these days. (I've come to believe that adjustable sights are generally a waste for ME, as once I find a round that shoots well, that's about all I'll shoot, and the sights don't get adjusted. (And for the distances I shoot handguns, bullet weight or velocity doesn't make a big difference.)

 

[bannockburn]

Walt Sherrill

Those Navidrex grips look nice and I like that they're relatively durable, as befits the finish on my Hi-Power. Thanks for the info.

 

[scythefwd]

Dt mentioned on the first page about also looking for a clone to save his real hi powers from carry wear. Might I suggest looking at a kareen? usually cheap, finish is crap but they're usually functionally sound. Little bit of cerakote is your best friend. I'm doing the exact same search to keep my inglis from any more finish wear

 

[jhb]

yeah wish there was a cheaper clone available other than those beat to death surplus creeping nowadays for top dollar compared to what ya actually get.

i have a half dozen bhp and fn versions. more than a few fegs. all fine weapons, but its be nice to have a proper modern clone for less money. is what it is.........

 

[czhen]

If you come across to an Argy BHP at reasonable price is a good to go (fully compatible parts).
Check for cdisales (good people to deal with) at gunbroker, Aimsurplus is having batches more than often.
I wanted, lurked for one with adjustable sights and the rumors of be discontinued come up after some years of imported hiatus pushed me to buy a new one.
I don't regret at all (mag disconnect is a mandatory job to do soon). I will post pics of the original and the Argentina (which impressed every time I shot it).