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theocrabalar · 1 year

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Is the Browning Hi-Power relevant today?

The venerable Browning Hi-Power, arguably the very definition and first of the so-called "Wonder Nines" from when double-stack 9mm handguns started hitting the scene. Developed for the French Army Pistol Trials of 1935 where the requirements were to be able to hold more than 10 rounds and kill a man at 50 meters (55 yards) The GP35, Grande Puissance meaning "High Power" in French was the name given as it had such immense firepower of being able to hold 13 rounds of 9x19 parabellum, which was quite hefty in those days. But this isn't Forgotten Weapons, this is just me rambling and double checking with the Wikipedia page that I'm right.

Today we'll be looking at what the BHP brings to the table in modern terms.

For actual shooting, we can start with how the trigger is mushy, like pushing your finger into almost frozen wet sand. God knows how many pounds that trigger pull is. And that is after removing the magazine disconnect which makes the trigger pull significantly lighter. Yes, this gun comes originally with a magazine disconnect, which makes it so that you can't make the hammer drop if you pull the trigger without a magazine inserted. The magazine disconnect can be easily removed, but it's reduces your out of the box readyness and is an unnecessary hassle in the modern day. And modifying the trigger today requires a steady hand and a file, far from the modularity and ease which comes with say a Glock 17. The magazines are also another peculiar quirk for these guns. 20 rounds and bigger magazines have been made, but have fallen out of fashion, so they are quite difficult to find now. For my own journey of BHP ownership, I happened into a 20 round magazine one time and sold it again before I knew better, never to have seen one available again. The original magazine capacity is 13 rounds. Today, I'd argue the standard capacity of the pistol is 15 rounds, provided you use modern produced MECGAR magazines. They appear to be identical, except, with a shiny finish and a shortened follower making up most of the effort to increase capacity, which makes the modern magazines still seat flush like original magazines, but you end up with a +2 boost in capacity which is real nice. MECGAR also makes +2 basepads for their pattern of BHP mags, which now bump you up to 17 rounds of capacity, which makes you now reach something resembling modern capacity. Still requires seeking out these mags and basepads in specific, whereas for a Glock 17, 17 rounds is your standard. G17 magazines will in expensive areas run you about $45 / €45. MEC-GAR BHP mags + the extension gets you to $99 / €99, and there's very little of extending the magazines even further. So again, the BHP has fallen to wayside. The hammer bite of the gun, can be a turn-off for some, and a turn-on for others. My second BHP has a no-bite hammer installed from when I bought it used. It removes the issue, but it's yet another $100/€100 part that you don't even need to think about today.

With my kinda big hands, I still get a slight marking from the hammer when I fire in excess of a 100 rounds a day. As for disassembly, I can never agree with myself if I'm putting in the recoil spring upside down or not. Meanwhile with a modern handgun, like an M&P or the Glock, it can't be installed that wrong. Now depending on which model you have, you might be stuck with a fixed front with, which means you can't install your favorite fiber optic front sight that easily. And if you want a red dot, as far as I know, no one makes a red dot mounting plate for the BHP. Some companies do cut BHPs for optics, MKIII Firearms in Las Vegas have put out plenty of good work on their youtube and instagram of them doing fantastic work on BHP pistols, but again, this is custom work, we prefer user-serviceable out of the box solutions here. Any modern 9mm pistol today will either have optics plates available, have an optics ready variant available or in some cases even come with the dot already mounted. My person BHP sights look like they are cut out of a toilet paper tube someone stuck on top, requiring two screws to be adjusted if I want to adjust windage. Now, for the modern day, we see more and proliferation of equipment to make fighting and shooting in the dark more easy than ever before. On a stock BHP, you don't get night sights, you can't mount a gun light, you can't mount a red dot nor light. Meanwhile modern bargain bin sketchy turkish import pistols will have those features, showing how basic and necessary they are today.

Threaded and or ported barrels are also a specialty item, yes, they are out there, but you are going to be looking quite a bit more and dealing with longer wait times.

Are you a left or a righty? If you are left handed, you better start practicing even more to be right handed. As far as I know, the magazine catch is right hand only (left side of the gun) and so is the slide release. The safety can be modified to be ambidextrous tho.

Holsters. So for a Glock/M&P/Sig 320, you are going to get holsters out the wazoo for ever possible solution and operation.

For a Browning Hi-Power, I can't even recall ever seeing a kydex holster. This severly limits you in how you can carry the gun. Surely, there are specialty shops who can custom make you that kydex holster with the Taylor Swift pattern on it for your BHP, but it's still not an off the shelf solution. I personally use a Bianchi M12 or a Hogue Powerspeed holster whenever I'm out on the range with my BHP.

And with the advent of chassis based pistols like the SIG P320, or the new modularity of the Glocks with the 45 and 47 pistols being or being close to full size, but using G19 recoil spring assemblies, allowing you to mix and match slides, so you can perhaps nestle that compensator tighter, or run a short slide for a faster cyclic rate but still a full size grip for use with an optic. Out of all of these options, on the Browning Hi-Power, you get nothing. Again, custom jobs are possible, but now we are reaching into really far out there territory where people rarely go.

As for the rails. Yes, the Recover Tactical sleeve/frame/grip thing exists. But it looks butt-ugly and crashes with your style. I also don't know about any holsters that will fit it. (running a Black Hawk Omnivore holster) might circumvent this issue.

The tiny safety as well, yes, after market safeties are available. But Due to the weight of the trigger pull, you could almost pull the logic of revolvers and argue that the safety can be completely deleted. But what about FNs new gun?

You are still left with a very barebones gun missing many features. And the new BHPs have even less of an aftermarket since they are re-engineered to be slightly better, leading you to unfortunately distancing yourself from what is already an established aftermarket for the BHP.

But what about Girsans gun?

They seem interesting, but with foreign imports that add features, holster compatibility seems like an afterthought that hasn't hit them just quite yet.

What about Nighthawk?

I ain't got that kinda cash, fam.

What about Springfield?

I have very little experience with them, but they seem to fall in the same category as the old ones and the new ones from FN, still a barebones gun.

Conclusion:

If you think the Browning Hi-Power is a cool pistol and you want one as a historic relic or a range toy, I am 100% supportive of it. But as a modern duty/combat pistol, it is surpassed in every single way by the most basic of low budget handgun. I am after all on my second Browning in the journey that is ownership of slightly out there handguns. I shoot my 1977 produced gun in competitions still and thoroughly enjoy it despite all of it's glaring flaws.

#john moses browning #john browning #9mm #9mm pistol #Dieudonné Saive #Belgium #GP35 #Browning Hi-Power #BHP #Browning HiPower #High-Power #High Power #HighPower #Hi-Power #History

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