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I want to buy a browning hi-power however I don't know if there is a big difference between the markIII and the standard. Mark III seems to have a matte finish/plastic grips and the standard is blued/wood grips. I was going to probably have it NP3 and have some gunsmithing work on it (mostly cosmetic stuff and a trigger job). Is there a big difference and should I just get the mark III since i'm going to NP3 it?
If you plan on carrying it for CCW purposes I'd go with the Mark III. The finish is much more durable. You can replace the plastic grips with wood or rubber. Both are very nice pistols.
Yes. Since you are gonna refinish it.
The issue was raised about if the pistol were going to be used for a concealed carry weapon.
I don't want to step on toes here, because I'm a huge fan of the Hi Power. I've had two, an all Belgian 9mm and a later model 40 which I still have and cherish. However, I feel I should pass along some personal experience to help in the decision. I carried my 40 Hi Power for years, cocked and locked, with great confidence, until one day I removed it from the holster and found the safety off. That shook me, but I chalked it up to a fluke and continued to carry it. Shortened version... it happened twice more with different holsters and I retired it to range duty only. Subsequent research turned up a short article describing how the Israeli Defense Forces carried the Brownings for a time with the chamber empty. They trained in drawing and cycling the slide while aquiring the target. If that were true, do you suppose the safety could be an issue? Anyone else care to weigh in?
I know people freak out when the safety gets rubbed off on a Condition One pistol, but in a holster that covers the trigger guard it isn't really that big a deal. Still, a gunsmith can generally stiffen up the safety travel if it is a big concern.
As I understand it, the Israelis use empty chamber because they have a lot of different pistols in the inventory and wanted a common manual of arms.
Dragonfire- Looks like the current crop of "standard" model Hi Powers also have adjustable sights whereas the MKIII does not. My 40 cal Hi Power has a fixed sight like the MKIII
http://img413.imageshack.us/img413/2...tols004ih8.jpg
oldscot3,
I have carried my 1911's for three decades and have had many times that I pulled it from the holster, only to find the safety in the fire position. I have yet to have an ND due to that. It's gonna happen from time to time. One thing that I found that helps is to indent the bodyshield on my IWB holster deeply with a flat shelf that helps to hold the safety in place.
Yes I know that the 1911 has the grip safety that the BHP does not, but the Mark 3 should also have the firing pin block, that even if the hammer did fall, would not allow the pin to strike the primer, unless you are also pulling the trigger.
tex
Looking in the photo gallery I noticed a customized Browning that had the right side lever removed. That got me to thinking if maybe the ambidextrous safety on my weapon could be a factor in the safety being "rubbed off" while being carried. I'm right-handed, a left side only safety lever would have it to the inside where perhaps the protection would prevent it from being "rubbed off". But, then again, how would I know for sure which side, left or right lever, might have been the offender.
I rarely carry mine, but I've noticed the safety "rubbed off" as well occasionally.
I have a '70's T series that I love, just a wonderful weapon..BUT would never consider carrying it unless it were hammer cocked to the safe postion and that would still limit you to cock the hammer the rest of the way. "Cocked & Locked" is too dangerous IMHO. With all the wonderful selections today of fine DA's, there's little reason to take that chance.
Glocks don't have safeties, this is why they are famous for ND's. Or is it because the most usual cause of a ND is placing the trigger finger where it doesn't belong until the pistols sights are on target? If you'll look, there is a "detent" machined in the frame on the left side for the safety plunger to engage. Simply, carefully drilling this out just a bit deeper will cause the HP safety to be more certain in its safe position. I'd recommend letting a gunsmith do this, shouldn't cost too much. On original small thumb safeties, this was never an issue, as larger pads were added, the detent engagement was never changed to allow for this.
The old system of drawing and chambering a round does work, if one practices it enough. It was the standard drill for the 1911 in the US armed forces,and with the Hi-Power in others. In fact many armed forces specified carrying pistols with no rounds chambered.
I personally do not carry a single action pistol cocked and locked unless I have it holstered with a strap crossing between the frame and hammer.