Was thinking of getting a hi power, saw a clone yesterday called arcus was wandering if any had any thoughts on these or any other good clones of the hi power.
Thanks for the cz tip really like that ( mostly cause of price & quality of cz). Does any where to pick one up at, what about feg would like to look at one of those.
But if one gets an Argentine FM Hi-Power... It's not a clone. It IS a HiPower. Built in Argentina by tooling sold to the Argentine government, by FN, for their police & military.
The FMs offer full parts interchangeability and compatibility.
Downside: They're getting scarce.
Clones: I hear good things about Arcus (Turkish?) and FEG (Hungarian). I don't know so much about Charles Daly. I'd bet that all HP parts would fit, but no idea. If it matters any, CD is out of business and you can't get any support.
FEG has a few models of "hi power" and I can't keep their alpha-numeric nomenclature straight. One of 'em is a true clone. The other is very very similar in outward appearance to a HP, but is quite similar to a S&W M39 in function (double action).
Another note about the FM pistols: You can find 4" commander-length slides/barrels/springs and make your 5" pistol just a little shorter. 5-6 years ago, finding both the 5" guns and 4" slide assy. was much easier than it is today.
We have an Argentinian FM Hi Power and several CZs and I have to say that the CZ is the nicer of the two pistols. The Hi Power is a nice gun, but given the choice of that and a CZ (or many of the CZ clones), I'd go with the CZ. The overall fit and finish of the CZs, Tanfoglios and Armalites are much, much better than the FM Hi Power. Now, I'm not knocking the Hi Powers or even the FM, as the Belgian built Hi Powers are among the nicest looking guns I've seen. The FM is a great gun and if your just wanting to add a Hi Power to the collection, it's not a bad choice. But, if your just looking for a good 9mm shooter, the CZs are worth looking at.
I'm just beginning to refinish my FM Hi Power and some of the machine work sure is rough. Some of the areas of the frame look like they were shaped with a belt sander. But, it's a great shooter and is one of the more accurate guns I have.
I saw the arcus really liked the look,feel, and the price was what caught my eye. Three mags, gun, and case for 299+ tax. But must say the price was what turnd me away as well.