Classic Handguns of the 20th Century: The Browning HI-Power

Handguns Magazine ^ | 2003 | David W. Arnold

[yarddog]

The BDA is not a Hi-power. It is similar tho.

I very seldom carry the Browning Hi-power. The few times I did, I in fact carried it cocked and locked with a hammer blocking safety strap.

When I carry concealed it is usually a Russian Makarov in the original caliber. I carried a 1911 for many years and always carried it cocked and locked.

That original Hi-power probably saved me and my then girlfriend from at least a beating by a gang in South Asheville, NC back around 1969. I carried it under the seat (which was illegal in NC at the time) When a gang of about 10 pulled in front of us and blocked us. I had never seen them before. When I went for the gun they recognized what I was doing and immediately got back in their convertible and left. The 13 shot magazine would have been useful at the time.

[therut]

O:K it is Friday so I'm just gonna say it. I love my Browning but I love my Kimber,and Glock etc.etc. just as much. As a matter of fact I've never had a firearm I could not admire in some way. And this from a female freeper!!!!!LOL.

[Lurker]

I know what you mean.

Even the crappy little Barretta .22 I just got rid of while it was useless as a firearm it sure was pretty to look at.

L

[Shooter 2.5]

Thanks.

The main reason I never went out of my way to buy a High Power is because all this time I thought they were double actions. Changing out the safety for this left handed shooter was a turn-off too.

My wife bought me a Taurus 92 but it's my least favorite pistol to shoot. Although it does allow me to have a defensive 9mm.

[Shooter 2.5]

Are you the Runt from the High Road website?

[yarddog]

I haven't owned one of the later Hi-powers but I think the newer ones have not only ambidextrous safeties but enlarged safety levers too.

[yarddog]

At one time I owned over 200 guns. If I could own just one it might very well be a Beretta model 70 in .22 lr.

It is the pistol I keep in my quick grab bag of survival gear along with a brick of 500 and a spare mag.

[Shooter 2.5]

I'll have to check out the new ones at the next gun show. Thanks again.

[Spok]

But not only for the hi-power, but the 1911, .30 cal. water cooled, and the BAR. And if he'd lived long enough, I'm sure he would have invented the M-1 (with apologies to the Garands).

[yarddog]

Browning invented so many famous guns that it would take some time to list them all.

Among them are the Winchester model 1892, 1886, 1894 and 1895 lever actions, the 1873 high wall single shot, The Browing auto shotgun, The 50 caliber machine gun, a 37 mm anti aircraft gun, the Ithaca model 37 pump, the Winchester model 1897 pump, the Colt .32 and .380, the FN models 1899, 1900, 1910, 1922, Swedish 1912 in .32 and 9mm short cals. The Winchester model 1891 pump .22, Colt Woodsman .22 plus a bunch more. He invented the automatic pistol slide which is used in practically all automatic pistols to this day. He also invented gas operation.

[habs4ever]

ping! pow! bam!

[supercat]

While the Hi-Power has an exposed hammer and the same slide stop, magazine catch and thumb safety as the 1911, the grip safety is absent. Instead the pistol has a magazine disconnect that disables the action when the magazine is removed.

I guess I'm unclear on why the grip safety was a bad thing or the mag-disconnect a good thing? I can understand there are some circumstances where the mag-disconnect could be good, but the sentence above suggests it's a substitute for a grip-safety.

Perhaps the pistol's most unique feature is its 13-round, double-column magazine.

Was the HP the first pistol to have a detachable two-column mag, or to have a two-column mag in the grip, or what? It certainly wasn't the first pistol to feed from a two-column magazine--watch Star Wars for that.

[Capriole]

Oooh! Oooh! That's my gun you're writing about. I've been so pleased to learn that this piece, given to me as a gift, is a true classic. Though I have a woman's small hands, it's amazingly comfortable in the hand--it is so beautifully balanced.

[FreedomCalls]

How about its distant cousin the CZ-75B?

All the best parts of the Browning HP plus a lot of improvements as well.

[yarddog]

I would guess the Savage .32 auto was the first with a double column mag. It was a 10 shot.

Of course there is always some odd ball gun which you never heard of that came before the well known ones.

[VOA]

the Ithaca model 37 pump

I couldn't tell for sure from the photo, but yesterday there was a file photo of
Uday sitting in a boat with what looked like a Model 37 (or similar; no side ejection
port, but the hand grip on the slide looked too large)

[supercat]

I would guess the Savage .32 auto was the first with a double column mag. It was a 10 shot.

Well, unless Savage came up with their .32 in or before 1896 it wasn't the first pistol to use a double-column magazine (though it could be the first to put it in the grip--I don't know).

[yarddog]

I guess there were probably several pistols before the Savage with enbloc magazines which were double column.

Of course I was speaking of detachable ones.