Known as the most evolved of John Moses Browning’s pistol designs, the Browning Hi Power is one of the most beloved semi-automatic pistols ever. And why shouldn’t it be? It was designed by the single most influential firearms designer in history, features a double-stack high-ish) capacity magazine, a grip suitable for small hands, and is chambered for the most popular service pistol cartridge in the world.
On paper, the Hi Power has a lot going for it. It deletes the grip safety of the 1911, which many folks consider superfluous. (Note that no other commonly issued modern service weapon has since incorporated a grip safety.) The overall feel of the gun speaks to many shooters. And, like the 1911, the Browning Hi Power is an attractive and ergonomic pistol in terms of how it feels in the hand. It is acceptably accurate for a service pistol, and can be further accurized by a gunsmith. And did I mention it is an attractive pistol? Other than the grips, the gun is all steel and was designed during a time where pistols were built for shooters rather than for ease of machining, which explains why the gun fits comfortably in such a variety of hand sizes despite the double column magazine.
The original extractor was upgraded from an internal design (prone to breakage) to a much more reliable external design sometime in the 1960’s.
So despite a following by a relatively small group of devotees, why hasn’t the Hi Power continued to see use by large agencies or competitors? Here’s how I see it.
Trigger
The trigger in an out-of-the box Hi Power is fairly atrocious. Yes it can be tuned by a gunsmith, but it is not easily done. It doesn’t help that the factory trigger commonly exceeds 10 pounds and is typically described as gritty and rough. In addition, the reset on the trigger is unacceptably long. This one is a deal killer. If you are used to the short travel required to reset a 1911 or Glock trigger, the Hi Power will give you plenty to curse about when you get a “dead trigger” during high volume fire. Yes, this can also be addressed by a gunsmith, but for a general issue gun, this is a losing proposition.
Magazine and Magazine Well
The 13-round flush fitting factory magazine is low in capacity by modern standards as compared to the Sig-Sauer P226, Beretta 92FS, HK P30, Glock 17, and M&P. Sure, aftermarket extended magazines can be had, but additional expense is another hurdle for mass issue when other solutions allow for use of the included factory magazines.
The magazine well itself has a geometry that does not lend itself to fast magazine changes. The small grip that accommodates small hands provides limited real estate for a gunsmith to bevel the magazine well. And let’s not mention the magazine disconnect that is both unnecessary and adds trigger pull weight.
Other Ergonomic Considerations
Early Hi Power models had a tiny thumb safety that was just about useless out of the box. Thankfully, later production models have a wider and longer safety that can actually be manipulated with the strong hand thumb. If you get slide bite with a Glock, you will not like the Hi Power. I don’t have fat hands but with a unmodified spur hammer and no extended beavertail, I am bound to get my hand chewed up. This shortcoming has kept the welders busy at Novak’s, EGW, and Cylinder and Slide.
Support
This is a big one, and is a major determining factor in selecting a platform for agency issue. A solid law enforcement armorer program including manufacturer and aftermarket support is critical. There simply isn’t a large scale factory LE support system in place for this pistol. At least, not that I’m aware of.
Don’t get me wrong, a customized Browning Hi Power is a sight to behold, and I have been drooling over several Hi Power packages from Novak’s shop for years. But if you’ve ever wondered why you rarely (if ever) see one on the hip of your local cop, these are some of the reasons.
But man are they sexy.
I love my MKII Hi Power, and I carry it on occasion. But you are right, it has a couple glaring faults that need to be addressed.
Agree with all points, word by word…
There is not much to worship in an original hi-power, specially the tiny useless thumb safety.
Tim:
Agree with you on all counts. I own three Novak BHPs, and love them. But they are difficult to detail strip (as opposed to field strip), and even the current ones with investment cast frames should not be subjected to a steady diet of +P ammo. Frankly, I do not use +P or +P+ in 9mm anyway, so my Glocks and S&W Shields do just fine with standard pressure defense loads. This is also a consideration.
For a personally-owned gun, the BHP is still a great one, and you are still likely to encounter them work-wide. But for an agency – no.
Great article!
A Browning Hi Power was the first centerfire semi auto I ever fired. One day I will own a Heirloom Precision Custom Hi Power. They are beautiful guns, but for all the reasons you stated they just don’t appeal to me as a daily use gun.
I ccwd a mkiii for a few years before I ditched to a bowie-ized Glock 17. I took a defensive pistol class with a local police department and when the G17 amazingly pooped out, I finished with the bhp. One of the cops asked what kind of pistol it was. I told him and he said he had heard of it but never seen one.
Why the trigger issue? It seems contradictory to what has been seen here on MSW’s lately i.e.,
Not shooting to reset and mastering these heavier “unmodified” trigger pulls that are more likely to be found on an issued Glock.
Just an observation, that was my first thought when reflecting on the essay.
I do understand that there are plenty of people in uniform that may not be able to actually pull a 10lb trigger due to hand strength or injury.
Stock Glock triggers may not be characterized as particularly awesome but also typically do not exceed 10 pounds like an out of the box, faxtory Hi Power. I don’t need a light trigger but beyond 7 or 8 pounds, it becomes quite a bit more difficult to shoot accurately at distance due to the mechanical disadvantage the shooter has on the gun.
While I don’t shoot to reset, a particularly long reset like the Hi Power requires quite a bit of retraining due to the longer release stroke, quite a bit more travel on the release stroke than probably any other modern service weapon. So it is an issue.
All true but few guns are more beautiful to me than a custom Hi Power which is still on my wish list and always will be.
Why keep it waiting? Even the cheap clones can be very serviceable pistols. If it’s equipped, removing the magazine disconnect takes no more than five minutes. The gun field strips brutally easily, and a detail strip is nowhere near difficult. Try out the pistol before you buy it if at all possible, but they fit the hand very well and there are plenty of aftermarket grip options should you require. Hammer bite can be a problem with the spur hammers, but it is usually solved by either modifying the existing hammer or switching to a ring hammer. Also, skip the rest and go straight for Mec-Gar’s flush-fitting 15 round magazines.
…And the fact that the trigger needs to be addressed with armorer level intervention (trigger and hammer) makes it a less than ideal choice for an issued modern service weapon, which was the entire point of the post. If you are a hobbyist or enthusiast, then knock yourself out.
After shooting many different pistols, I’ve found only two that have any appeal to me: the Hi Power and the SIG P-210. While the SIG is on my wish list, the HP’s rugged simplicity, good accuracy, crisp trigger (with mag disconnect removed, of course), and natural pointing ability that have made me purchase two of them with more to come. I’ve carried one every day for years, and it’s only a simple matter of a few minutes’ retraining to get used to the design. It’s not for everyone, but it is certainly still viable and a serious contender to today’s models, certainly moreso than the 1911.
It is viable for a defensive weapon for an enthusiast willing to dedicate some money, time and other resources to the platform. However, for the reasons outlined in the article, it is a less than ideal choice for an agency looking to field a number of them. Hmmm, sounds familiar…
On the agency point, I would agree wholeheartedly. For an individual who can knock a couple pins out and turn a couple screws, go for it. Cheers.
The long reset and other contraindications outlined in the article above makes the BHP a less than ideal duty weapon. And trigger work on the BHP involves more than moving around a few pins and screws. There is a reason why there arent that many BHP specialists floating around. But hey if it makes you feel good, knock yourself out.
Your statement that no modern service weapon incorporates a grip safety is false. The pistol designed in Croatia and sold by Springfield Armory, the XD and XDm series of pistols, utilize a grip safety very similar to a 1911 designed pistol.
While I may personally not see a benefit to this design, the fact is, it is still used in a modern polymer pistol.
Read the article. No commonly issued service pistol incorporates a grip safety. The XD has yet to be widely accepted by domestic law enforcement or the US military. It has some things going fir it but some goofy features and lack of spare parts availability to agencies will likely keep the XD from being adopted by any large police agencies.
Ouch . . . but true. And like the Hi-Power, I was able to make an XD work pretty well for me . . . . as a hobbyist/enthusiast. But I can see why a department armorer would prefer 60 of the Glock I carry now over 60 of the XD I used then. That’s to say nothing of 60 Hi-Powers . . . .
I recently sent my third HP down the road. I love the design and the history of the weapon, it’s got to be the sexiest pistol around. Unfortunately, it’s too small for my hands and I don’t shoot it as accurately at longer ranges as I’d like. About every decade I seem to forget this and buy another one. I can’t explain it as my hands aren’t shrinking and they aren’t making the pistol larger. Like the 1911, the HP can be a bit of a mouse trap, but without the large commercial support base of the 1911, which only exacerbates things. These days the HP is best left to the hobbyist, as there are far better service pistol designs available.
Patrick, agreed wholeheartedly. The BHP is dead sexy, but I also subjectively found the grip and short trigger length to be difficult to manage. I’m sure this can be overcome with training, but all its other issues have really turned it into not much more than a curiosity for me.
Ultimately, I think I’ll satisfy my HP desire by finding an older sample with a beautiful blued finish and just appreciate it for the cool factor. When it comes to a weapon for serious use I’ve recently jumped on the polymer bandwagon. I’ve spent decades climbing down the 1911/BHP rabbit hole and seem to be done with it. While I love the classics I’ve also discovered the joy of being able to work a pistol hard right out of the box without any fuss. It’s nice to spend time shooting rather than turning a screwdriver.
Tim, as a long time BHP fan and someone who owns over a dozen, I have to AGREE with your assessment…100%. There are definitely some challenges to the BHP design when you compare them modern pistols. I still love my BHP’s but it would not be the handgun I’d pick to run out the door in the SHTF situation…
The Cylinder and Slide guy wrote in a magazine about 8 years ago that a HI-Power is only good for 30K rounds until the frame cracks. Thats with standard pressure ammo!
They are ergonomic but i would have to buy a new one every 3 years.
I cannot remember the exact figure, but some HP’s (L9’s) used by the British SAS were well past 50,000 rounds. This is with the earlier forged steel frames. The more recent cast frames are a bit stronger, built to accommodate .40 SW and then made standard for all HP calibers . Week springs appear to be the biggest contributing factor to premature wear, and swapping out the springs regularly seems to be the surest way to keeping it going, although that applies to any pistol. 9mm +P+ is pretty close to being submachinegun ammo, and has been know to batter the crap out of all types of pistols, not just HP’s. Still, stick to standard pressure ammo and good springs with the HP.
I liked the one I had in .40. I was carrying a G22 on duty that the department gave me. Very similar in trigger feel to me but I would give the nod to the Hi Power. I wanted to carry it on duty but the department wants certified factory armorers to inspect yearly. Neither Browning or FN were offering that anymore. Once I ditched the G22 for a P220 I really didn’t want to stock another caliber so I got rid of the Hi Power. I still miss it and this article doesn’t help. Maybe once I pick up the next 2-3 on my list I’ll pick one up in 9mm. It is a slim gun that is easy to conceal IWB. A lot of modern guns are just too fat for that.
I’m a bit surprised, as to the best of my knowledge at least Browning is servicing Hi Powers-couldn’t your service Hi Power be sent to ’em for an annual inspection/certification?
Best, Jon
That is not typically feasible for most agencies as what would each officer carry while the gun is sent away? For a typical department, the armorer’s periodic limited technical inspection might be performed when at the range for qualifications. If the gun is sent away, then a large pool of loaners would be required, and though some loaners are typically kept for various reasons, a large quantity would be required for a send away maintenance program. This of course is allowing that the BHP is a viable candidate as an issued weapon over more modern designs which also include factory sponsored armorer training.