Browning

[Eugen]

Last month I found this minty, seemingly unfired, 1969C Browning High Power 9mm at a LGS and had to add it to my 9mm shooting arsenal.

I have this thing for European 9mms.

After a range trip and 150 perfectly cycled and tightly grouped rounds, we are now good friends.

[kurusu]

Congrats Eugen.

I'm looking at the hi power too. Haven't found the right one yet.

[John Sabato]

Polished blue steel, timeless design, and finely checkered, perfectly fitted walnut grips... it just doesn't get any better than that!

[rhuff]

Do you have the original grips, or just this pair? Does this BHP still have the mag disconnect still in place, or has it been removed to improve the trigger pull? A nice looking 69C.....they are great shooters!!!

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by kurusu

Congrats Eugen.

I'm looking at the hi power too. Haven't found the right one yet.

Me too. I want the tangent sight, 'commander' style hammer, and slotted grip. IOW, the Inglis. Doesn't seem to be too many in play lately...

[kurusu]

Originally Posted by sheepherder

Me too. I want the tangent sight, 'commander' style hammer, and slotted grip. IOW, the Inglis. Doesn't seem to be too many in play lately...

Well Rich, what you want wasn't only made by Inglis. That's the original FN spec up to WWII. Don't make it easier to find one I'm afraid.

Considering the time frame, I would say the commander has a BHP style hammer.

On the other hand. Your Northern neighbours have boat loads of the thing you long for, some of them never issued. But they are most likely going to destroy them.

[alvin]

BHP and 1911 are definitely great guns. Personally, I like BHP a little bit more.

[Eugen]

Originally Posted by rhuff

Do you have the original grips, or just this pair? Does this BHP still have the mag disconnect still in place, or has it been removed to improve the trigger pull? A nice looking 69C.....they are great shooters!!!

Nope, just these aftermarket ones, but I like them. It still has the mag disconnect and it is an earlier model that is easier to remove. But, for now I plan to keep it in place. We'll see. I did buy it to shoot it.

I did want one with the hammer ring as it is so classy. 1969 was the last year for those.

[Eugen]

Originally Posted by sheepherder

Me too. I want the tangent sight, 'commander' style hammer, and slotted grip. IOW, the Inglis. Doesn't seem to be too many in play lately...

Darn, who wouldn't prefer one of those, especially a Herstal made one!?

However, I wanted a shooter and not a more valuable (read: expensive) collector model, at least for this purchase. But, I can dream.

[sheepherder]

Originally Posted by Eugen

However, I wanted a shooter and not a more valuable (read: expensive) collector model...

Odd, I have never considered a Browning Hi-Power to be anything to collect...Only shoot...

Same with Norwegian .45 M1911's...Or 1914's, whatever the Norwegians called them...

I own an Argentine Model 1927 but I don't consider that a collectible either...

[Eugen]

Originally Posted by sheepherder

Odd, I have never considered a Browning Hi-Power to be anything to collect...Only shoot...

Same with Norwegian .45 M1911's...Or 1914's, whatever the Norwegians called them...

I own an Argentine Model 1927 but I don't consider that a collectible either...

Sorry, I wasn't clear. I was referring to the FN model 1935 jobs with tangent sights and wooden stocks with holsters. Those, especially the WaA stamped versions, can get expensive and are the collectible ones I would tend not to shoot. I dream about getting one of those some day.

[John Sabato]

Originally Posted by Eugen

It still has the mag disconnect and it is an earlier model that is easier to remove. But, for now I plan to keep it in place. We'll see. I did buy it to shoot it.

Eugen, if you are going to leave the magazine disconnect in place, I would recommend polishing the area on the front of the magazine where it rubs during trigger use, and also the surface of the disconnect part as well, as the disconnect part does slide slightly on the magazine... polishing will make the trigger pull as smooth as possible. A little lubrication on those surfaces will also help.

FWIW, I once owned a new commercial FN produced HP with the round commander type hammer, the tangent rear sight, but without the frame being slotted for the shoulder stock (the reason I eventually sold it)...

I didn't feel that the sights were an improvement for an un-stocked pistol.

As I recall, I traded it for a NIB Colt Gold Cup National Match .45, which strangely enough, I also no longer own

[Douglas Jr.]

I always though the HP35 as the ultimate FN Browning design.
I managed to get a WWII era made under German occupation (sorry, they are collectable) and a T-Series made in the early 60s - I still kept both.

[Olle]

A customer turned in one of those Portuguese assembled FNs to me and asked me to put tritium sights on it, and I test fired it after I was done. First two rounds at 7-8 yards were really disappointing, I thought I only hit the target with one round. I fired a third and a fourth round with the same result: No more holes so I thought I missed the target entirely. Then I walked up to have a closer look, and found that the hole in the target was a very tight clover leaf, so all four round have actually hit the same hole. After I had the sights adjusted correctly I shot another two rounds at 15 yards, and I think the picture speaks for itself.

I tried to buy this gun from the customer, but he said "out of my cold, dead hands". Those Hi-Powers are amazing guns.

[rolandtg]

Originally Posted by Eugen

Last month I found this minty, seemingly unfired, 1969C Browning High Power 9mm at a LGS and had to add it to my 9mm shooting arsenal.

I have this thing for European 9mms.

After a range trip and 150 perfectly cycled and tightly grouped rounds, we are now good friends.

That is a beauty!
The BHP is my favorite shooter pistol.
The first one I ever saw belonged to a friend who owned a small general store. I used to watch the store for him when I was teenager and he kept an old wartime HP under under the counter.
I noticed it fit my hand really well. Several years later I bought a new one and never regretted it.
Mine has the "epoxy" finish that Browning started using in the 80's. I was skeptical about how it would wear but almost ~30 years and thousands of rounds later it still looks almost new.
I still keep my eyes open for a reasonably priced tangent sight model.

[sheepherder]

Does anyone know why the FN/Herstal Hi-Powers had the *inside* of the grips painted red???

When fitted to the pistol, the red color was not visible...So why paint them???

[Eugen]

Originally Posted by sheepherder

Does anyone know why the FN/Herstal Hi-Powers had the *inside* of the grips painted red???

When fitted to the pistol, the red color was not visible...So why paint them???

It was applied to act as a moisture barrier for the grip panel. Lastly, the color red apparently was coincidental and had no specific significance.

[Vlim]

I like hi powers. Lucky for me that Mauser sold a rip-off in the early 1990s

Courtesy of FEG I must add.

[Eugen]

Vlim, those FEGS are very nice. I like them. I was not aware that there was a Mauser labeled model. I think that is cool.

[alanint]

Here is my recent pawn shop find. A search of the serial indicates an early, post war date of about 1950. The finish is original, although I am sure the grips are replacements, due to their almost new condition.