JRD83 Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 Do you guys think its possible to make a Browning Hi Power competitive in Limited? I have found quality magwells for it, longer barrels, hi cap mags. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bear23 Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 The reliability just isn't there with the hi-power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BritinUSA Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 If the accuracy is good and reliability is 100% then I would say yes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfinney Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 (edited) I shot one for about a year in Limited back around 96 or so.... wanted a .40, and the 11 round mags had more capacity than my single stack, so it was an upgrade? In hindsight, it was a very "whippy" gun, really made tracking the sights kinda hard as the gun really recoils sharply in .40. The .40 would be a much better fit in Lim-10, imho. The 9mm on the other hand has better capacity, but you would be shooting minor, which would be fun but not really "competitive". 9mm mags can be made to hold 17+ with big base pads (if you can find the right pads) I'd say a tuned Hi-power is very reliable, in my limited experience. Harder to get a really good trigger job, but its very possible. Longer reset though. Long term durability is also an issue for any Hi-power as well, they simply won't take the long term beating a 1911 will. I've heard/read to expect 10K or 15K rounds of full power ammo? before major problems might arise (slide/frame cracks, etc). Having said all that, if you currently already have a Hi-power, bring it out and shoot the tar out of it, til you decide on something you might like better. Its the Indian, not the arrows. (but sometimes it helps if the quiver is a little larger, or you have a compound bow instead of a recurve ) Edited February 28, 2007 by sfinney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rubberneck Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 The reliability just isn't there with the hi-power. There are a lot of reasons why the P35 is not a good choice for limited, but reliability isn't one of them. Other than the 1911, there isn't a hand gun that has been around as long as, and has been produced in the numbers that the Hi-Power has. At one point in its was the handgun of choice with both the British SAS and the FBI HRT. Neither organization would have chosen a gun with questionable reliability as their primary sidearm. Personally I have never owned a Hi-Power that needed to be tuned to run straight out of the box. I wish I could say the same thing for some of the 1911's I have owned and that platform dominates limited. IMHO, the Hi-Power makes a much better L10 gun than Limited. They make them in 40 S&W with 10 round mags so you can even shoot major if you desire. While it is possible to compete in either L or L10 it isn't very practical considering your other alternatives. If it is some thing you want to do then go give them hell with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Sweeney Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 I thrashed a new-model BHP through 23,000+ rounds, for a grand total of two failures. One mag, one ammo. (9mm model, cast frame.) The reliability is there, the accuracy can be there, and the fit and feel are great for most shooters. What is going to kill you is the trigger. The best the BHP will be is about on par with a box-stock 1911 without any tuning. (And I love the BHP.) Shooting Minor will suck a bit, but you'll certainly be the cool one on the range. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hoofy Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 The obvious, mag safety has to be disabled. Trigger work is also a must. Becoming comfortable with it will require more time than others and effort (you'll need extra roll pins). I sold mine to buy an XD. I still miss it, but not enough to ever buy one again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRD83 Posted February 28, 2007 Author Share Posted February 28, 2007 Hoofy, I had an XD 45 Tactical. I hated it, i dont know what it was but I never could get excited about shooting that gun. I own a Glock 35 and I like it, thats why I bought the XD, but I ended up trading out of that XD and picked up a Hi Power. I was considering setting it up but I have decided to just buy a new pistol and go right into Open division. The obvious, mag safety has to be disabled. Trigger work is also a must. Becoming comfortable with it will require more time than others and effort (you'll need extra roll pins). I sold mine to buy an XD. I still miss it, but not enough to ever buy one again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flexmoney Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 Do you guys think its possible to make a Browning Hi Power competitive in Limited? I have found quality magwells for it, longer barrels, hi cap mags. You could give it a shot in Limited-10. If it is 9mm, then it would be at Minor Power Factor...where others would be shooting Major pf with 40 caliber and above. We don't see very many of them at the USPSA/IPSC matches...maybe a few get ran a bit to make sure they are still in fighting shape. You'd have to be pretty hard-core about the BHP to justify throwing a bunch of money at it for USPSA/IPSC, but that wouldn't stop me from bringing one out to play for a bit. I'm suprised I don't see more of them at the local Steel matches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eerw Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 I shot one in 9mm in the way back..when we shot all in one division..heads up.. got my "B" card with it.. then I had to have a 38 super single stack comp gun.. never took it to a major match..but did alright around the club for a newbie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichiganShootist Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 I never tried my BHP ibn USPSA... but I shot it for a number of years in ESP for IDPA. IMO.... they are100% reliable, lots of after market stuff is available, cheap high cap mags. are everywhere..... but the trigger was a problem... I had two smiths work on it.... (it's the newer Practical model in 9 mm)...before I converted to a 9 mm 1911. My speed, accuracy, scores and placements improved over night.... even giving up one round in capacity. The BHP trigger design will not allow it to ever come close to a 1911 in speed or trigger control. So I mounted mine with a Crimson Trace laser grip and it is now a favorite carry and home protection piece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MasterLefty Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 The first autoloader I ran in IPSC was a Browning GP Competition. I ran for a short while as major (until we upped the pf to 175) and then ran it in minor until 1990. Once I installed the Ed Brown beavertail and worked over the trigger (reduced pre-travel, overtravel and pull), it rivaled any 1911 around at the time. Plus I had 4 rounds over the supers. This was in the dinosaur ages back when the magazine had to be flush with the bottom of the gun. Kenny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveM Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 I was out of the sport for about 10 years. When I started back it was with a stock HP at a local steel match. Then I went to a glock to get into USPSA production, then to a 2011 just cause I wanted to buy a new gun. I thought the HP was OK. I could shoot it just as fast as the glock and some guy won limited nationals with one of those this year. Rumor has it he is not in fact mortal though The trigger wasn't a problem for me, mine was about 4.5 lbs and a little creepy but it was doable. If you got it and like it I say shoot it especially if it is a .40 where you can make major. Mine was a 9mm and I only put about 5000 rounds through it but I never broke anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carlos Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 If you like the Browning, then take a look at the CZ-75 SA or "Single Action" models - they are sort of tuned Brownings w/o the mag safety - only more accurate & refined. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRD83 Posted February 28, 2007 Author Share Posted February 28, 2007 I removed the mag safety, but the trigger is still crappy. I think I'm just gonna go right into open division so I guess it wont be a problem anymore. At least this gives me a better reason to drop some money on a new gun, alot of money. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfinney Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 (edited) While you're waiting for the Open gun to materialize, come on out and play with the HP or G35. 4 or 5 reliable mags, a kydex or or other cheap holster, some wally world value pack ammo, and you're in business. No need to "set up" either, other than that, to start. Good practice on the basics, until you're ready to set the world on fire in Open Plus, you'll really appreciate that Open gun that much more as well! Edited February 28, 2007 by sfinney Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRD83 Posted February 28, 2007 Author Share Posted February 28, 2007 Thats what I've been doing Sfinney, I shoot the HP, 35 and the good ol Kimber .45 on a regular basis. I doubt I'll be setting anything on fire at first, but maybe with some practice I can at least warm things up a bit... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DMH Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 I absolutely love mine (I have the 2 tone practical model) and have used it to shoot IPSC, at minor, but I do find that slide to frame fit can get loose quick on those guns. Very reliable and a GREAT CCW piece. Me and a bud here call it the "ultimate ladies gun." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mistral404 Posted March 1, 2007 Share Posted March 1, 2007 The BHP is very reliable. It is the most produced handgun in the world. It does exceed that of the 1911. The frame is the real issue. It is just not made to withstand that number of rounds a competitor shots in a year. It was designed as a military weapon not a competitive gun. The best trigger job comes out of Cylinder and Slide (Ralph). Mine is around 2 lbs. Robbie shot a BHPwith a trigger job by Ralph. Accuracy is a problem because of the flyer effect. C&S built mine, but Irv actually installed the barrel. No Flyers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bountyhunter Posted March 6, 2007 Share Posted March 6, 2007 (edited) Accuracy is a problem because of the flyer effect. I have two HP's: a beautiful hard chrome 9mm with adjustable sights..... that won't group worth a crap. It also throws random flyers, usually about one or two per ten rounds. I have shot it from bag rest (17 yards) and seen a group of five shots in a nice one inch cluster... and two others prctically shoot throughs about two inches away from the main group. I used to fancy myself a gunsmith, but I gave up on that gun. If a master fitted a new barrel, it would probably fix it. I bought a frankenstein HP GP Comp built up from various sources... and it's accuracy is quite good. It is very easy to shoot. My gripe about HP's is mainly the trigger: to get a light trigger with clean break, you have to really cut the sear angles close to hammer follow. And a little wear on the sear will cause it to occur eventually. I think HP's require trigger work on a regular basis if you want a light trigger. I agree the gun is very snappy, even in 9mm. I also don't like the short trigger reach and blocky grip (which is about 3/4" shorter in length than a 1911 grip). A HP is a good semi-compact gun for carry because the short grip makes it easy to conceal, and it carries the full capacity (13 +1) of 9mm. Edited March 6, 2007 by bountyhunter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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