Hi Power - is there such a thing as a tight Hi Power?

[slim whitman]

Hello everyone -

I know this is blasphemy, but why is every Browning Hi Power I have ever handled loose in the slide to frame fit? I know that the barrel to slide lock up determines accuracy, but I expect a steel, machined pistol not to rattle when I shake it. I shoot Glocks and expect them to be loose, but a classic all steel pistol?

I know that a 1911 can be tightened, so can a Hi Power be tightened to eliminate some of the rattle?

Does anyone know if the FN Hi Powers are any better in this regard?

Thanks for reading

SW

 

[jeff-10]

Mine is so tight it has feeding problems. Really accurate but my most unreliable pistol. Its a 40 S&W btw.

 

[Gunsnrovers]

only rattle on my HP is the magazine.

 

[Lumpy196]

My MKIII Browning has some slide rattle. It's 100% reliable and as accurate as I need a pistol to be. Thats just plain military grade dirt-reliable tolerances.

 

[Josey]

Loosey goosey 1911s and BHPs are the most reliable. I have both and have had 0 problems. Combat service pistols aren't perfect;y fitted target pistols.

 

[WonderNine]

but I expect a steel, machined pistol not to rattle when I shake it.

They are built like that on purpose. So that they operate reliably through extended periods and under extreme conditions with little or no maintenance and with wide ranges of ammunition.

Tons of custom super tight 1911's out there, but not many custom HP's. I'm sure places like Novak's or custom gunsmiths like Ted Yost will tighten up your BHP for you no problem.

My BHP has slide rattle, but is always 100%. Drop the hammer and it doesn't rattle. Insert a full magazine and it doesn't rattle. All you can hear is the firing pin rattle.

A little rattle is a good thing for a defensive pistol.

 

[axeman_g]

FN HP

I have a new FN HP. NO rattle whatsoever. This is my second, no rattle on first either. You must be examining an early, well shot, well loved specimen of handgun perfection.

 

[Bemo]

Mr. Camp?

I don't have personal experience with this, so please consider this hearsay evidence. However, I have read answers on this topic by reputable HP smiths that the pistol will loosen up pretty rapidly anyway. Perhaps Sir Stephen Camp can chime in on this subject.

 

[Coronach]

Mine has a little bit of movement...not exactly rattle...you can just tell that the slide & frame are not bank-vault tight. I never thought or worried about it. The gun goes bang every time and puts holes where I ask it. *shrug*

Mike

 

[Stephen A. Camp]

Hello. I've seen NIB Hi Powers that had pretty darned good slide-to-frame fit as well as older guns; the opposite has also been true. Most seem to fall somewhere in the middle: a small amount of lateral/vertical movement in the fit of the slide to the frame.

Over the years when I purchased a new or used Hi Power, one of the things I checked was slide-to-frame fit and it was a deciding factor quite early on.

Over the last 30 years I've shot a few Hi Powers, some quite a lot, and some that I was shooting then, I'm still shooting now. If you shoot the pistol quite a bit it's been my experience that there we do wind up with slides that are not as tight as when they were new. I'm not saying that they will be sloppy loose, but neither will they be like a fitted 1911 slide-to-frame. Part of this might be due to the lesser length of the slide rails compared to the 1911.

This has not caused a problem that I can find. I've not experienced any. It seems that the barrel-to-slide fit is the more important aspect of mechanical accuracy if firing the gun by hand.

Any of mine allow me to do under 3" at 25 yards which meets my requirements for the 9mm Hi Power. This assumes loads they "like." My one GP Comp shoots extremely tight groups, but does have a bit of play in the slide.

Best.