Is the Browning High-Power a 1911?

[Rexster]

I believe the BHP is far enough from the 1911 to be considered "not" a 1911. A friend disagrees, saying the BHP is a 1911. Your thoughts? I am not trying to start a debate on which is the better pistol; I like them both just fine.

 

[cdrt]

They are not the same:

The Hi-Power, like many other Browning designs, operates on the short-recoil principle, where the barrel and slide initially recoil together until the barrel is unlocked from the slide by a camming action. Unlike Browning's earlier Colt M1911, the barrel is not moved vertically by a toggling link, but instead by a hardened bar which crosses the frame under the barrel and contacts a slot under the chamber, at the rearmost part of the barrel. The barrel and slide recoil together for a short distance but, as the slot engages the bar, the chamber and the rear of the barrel are drawn downward and stopped. The downward movement of the barrel disengages it from the slide, which continues rearward, extracting the spent case from the chamber and ejecting it. After the slide reaches the limit of its travel, the recoil spring brings it forward again, stripping a new round from the magazine and pushing it into the chamber. This also pushes the chamber and barrel forward. The cam slot and bar move the chamber upward and the locking lugs on the barrel reengage those in the slide.

 

[Onmilo]

It isn't.
The barrel design and magazine safety are the most obvious differences.

 

[The Lone Haranguer]

Of course not. In fact, it is not purely a John Browning design. The form you see it in was mostly by another FN designer/engineer, Dieudonne Saive. The barrel camming design (no swinging link) and trigger linkage are completely different and there is no grip safety (but there is a magazine safety), just to name a few differences.

 

[GigaBuist]

A friend disagrees, saying the BHP is a 1911. Your thoughts?

Your friend doesn't seem to know much about pistols.

 

[HorseSoldier]

A friend disagrees, saying the BHP is a 1911.

Tell your friend his 1911 is a Glock. It's only a bit more silly.

 

[DougDubya]

Say whut? Poodles go in the back door? ???

 

[lechiffre]

i'm surprised by the one vote for yes

 

[Rexster]

It is gratifying to see the direction of the prevailing wind. Thanks for the support.

 

[shdwfx]

There's always one in every crowd.

 

[RNB65]

Your friend doesn't seem to know much about pistols.

Agreed.
-

 

[DrBoomBoom]

If the BHP is a 1911, then the CZ75 is one too.

 

[Dr.Who]

That one vote must of been his friend....

 

[1911Tuner]

All designs that are locked breech, recoil-operated AND utilize the tilting barrel are Brownings at heart. Are they 1911s? No...but the functional differences are barely signifigant.

 

[McCall911]

Is the Browning High-Power a 1911?

No way, no how!

 

[1911Tuner]

No way, no how!

Well...Not exactly.

It's like asking if a Chevy small block is a Ford small block. Technically, no...but the basic designs are the same. Both are OHV, push rod V8 engines, operating off a centrally located camshaft and distributor fired. The differences are less obvious than the similarities.

Even a Glock is a 1911 under the skin. The only signifigant difference is the mechanism used to light the fire.

 

[McCall911]

Well...Not exactly.

Aw, but I like being superficial.



Actually, they might as well be the same since they're priced similarly.

 

[Phil DeGraves]

You can say 2+2=5 all you want. It doesn't make it true. The BHP is a P35, not a 1911.

 

[Deanimator]

They operate on the same PRINCIPLE, using VERY different implementations.

It's like saying a Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is a Boeing P-26 Peashooter because they're both monoplanes with radial piston engines.

 

[1911Tuner]

They operate on the same PRINCIPLE, using VERY different implementations.

Well...Aside from the obvious caliber and capacity, the magazine disconnect, and the fact that the P35 doesn't have a link and doesn't use the slidestop pin to cam the barrel vertically into the slide...and it doesn't have a grip safety...what's the vast difference?

The 1911 is easily modified to include all the above except for the slidestop pin function and the mag disconnect.

Like the Chevy/Ford smallblock comparison. About the only real differences are the distributor and oil pump location and the firing order.

 

[shdwfx]

Same operating principles - two different designs

I'm a software engineer. Most modern computers follow the John Von Neumann architecture - memory, control unit, input/output, with both instructions and data represented by numbers.

That still doesn't put an "IS A" relationship between 486 and SPARC. Their 'parts' aren't interchangeable.

Same operating principles (architecture) - two completely different designs. This is a mark of maturity in a given design area whether it be internal combustion engines, computers, or guns.

So, no "IS A" between 1911 an BHP.

 

[Dain Bramage]

The P-40 Warhawk uses an inline Allison engine. The earlier P-36 Hawk used a radial. But I agree with the idea.

 

[Stephen A. Camp]

In my opinion, the P35 is not a 1911. As has been said, operation may be similar, but trigger linkage, the trigger itself, and other obvious differences preclude their being the same. Related? Yes, but not the same in my view.

Best.

 

[Yellowfin]

It's clearly not a 1911 but I'd certainly like to have one if the opportunity presents itself. I've never shot one but welcome the opportunity if possible.

 

[GearHead_1]

I would be interested in the nature of the conversation where this comment was made. It seems like a silly remark. Please tell your friend I have a Kel-Tec for sale, it's really a Kimber you know.