1911 vs Highpower

[Dewidmt]

^^EXCELLENT POST^^

I've got VZ 320's on one High Power, with the Cylinder and Slide hammer and sear, the other is stock with Uncle Mike's thin rubber Spegel grips. I really can't decide which one I shoot better!

 

[CCF]

John Browning himself said that the Hi-Power is what the 1911 should have been.

He was very proud of his improved design.

Not trying to argue, but John never said that and certainly not about the HP we all know. The HP as we know it, is not the HP that JMB created at all. John died in 1926, and at his death the HP was completely different gun. I actually think it was going to be better in many ways. John's HP was to hold 17 rounds and the slide was designed with a breechblock reminiscent of the savage pistol he went up against during the military trials. The slide looked way cooler and more streamlined. Field stripping was way different too of course.

FN commissioned John to develop this new sidearm. John had sold his rights to the 1911 to Colt and was forced to create something completely new. The design used a staggered magazines designed by Dieudonne' Saive. After John's death in 26 Saive took over development.

In 1928 the 1911 patents expired and Saive used many of those design ideas and really turned it into a JMB "inspired" gun. It has John written all over it, but I don't really think we can call it "his" design.

Here are the prints/patent of John's HP:

http://www.google.com/patents/US1618510?printsec=drawing&dq=patent+1618510#v=onepage&q=patent 1618510&f=false

 

[fishbass62]

Have Both

I bought a Para GI Expert 1911 new and had a lot of FTF's initially. It seems to have finally worked itself out. Fiocchi ammo seems to work best. I bought a like new Browning Hi Power and have yet to have a FTF with it. I put all kinds of 9 mm through it including sold old reloads my son gave me. I like shooting both of them. The Hi Power is much easier to break down and clean and the 9 mm is a lot cheaper.

 

[ROLEXrifleman]

Less talk more pics! lol

 

[drillsgt]

Less talk more pics! lol

Okay, here's one I did that I sold to a fellow INGOer.

 

[ROLEXrifleman]

 

[Dewidmt]

Here are my two when they were both wearing cocobolo grips....

 

[LEaSH]

Geez. They're all beauties. Each of them in its own way.

Good job with them.

 

[Alamo]

I have a hipower and I love it. As noted above it is very slim, even with the double-stack magazine. I got it because it fit my hand and my trigger finger perfectly and points very well. I have short fingers, and had to crab my hand a bit on some pistols. like the Glock 17. The hipower just fits like it was part of my hand.

And it has been superbly reliable.

The standard is a 13 round magazine, but reliable 15 round flush fit (i.e. don't stick out any farther than the 13 round) mags can be found reasonably priced, as well as 17 round and 20 round.

The magazine safety does need to be taken out -- it was requested by the French military, apparently they suffered from same diseases current militaries do. It can be a do-it-yourself job, altho I took mine to Alex Hamilton in San Antonio, since he was close by, and had the trigger linkages polished. It probably will never get the same reset that the 1911 does, but it can be very nice.

If you really want something interesting, get a .40 version, and then conversion barrels for 9mm and .357 Sig. (Ciener also makes a .22 slide conversion). The .40 model has a teensy teensy bit wider slide, so it won't fit the same Kydex holsters that the 9mm model does, but it is a very nice gun also, and gives options for calibers.

My particular models are both FN roll-stamped, not Browning, but of course the same gun. They were going ridiculously cheap a few years ago when FN decided to stop importing them under their own rollmark and fire-saled the remaining ones. I bought two for about $450 apiece. Wish I had bought a dozen.

Good luck.

 

[David]

An FM Detective, their "Commander" version of the Hi Power, and a Colt Commander, with an owner installed bobed tail. I wish FN made a shorter barreled Hi Power, I like this one. The Commander length bobtailed 1911 is my idea of the ideal all around general purpose gun. YMMV.