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Considering a 9mm

Twigg

Twigg

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I love my 1911 but given the cost of .45acp these days I'm strongly considering a shift to 9mm.

One of the pistols I'm considering is the Browning Hi-Power and there seems to be a whole slew of them available. I know little of these other than the fact that John Moses Browning designed it and that's the principle reason I'm considering one.

I've found Belgians, Canadiens, FN, and others. I'm not looking for anything collectable. I want a shooter. I also don't want a piece of crap, are some variant's better than others ? Why or why not ?

What should I look for ? Any known issues I should watch out for ?

School me.
 
1) They have a magazine disconnect which is simple (but not always easy) to remove from the firearm.
2) The trigger, while pretty sweet, is an odd mechanism and relies in a weird way on spring tension to fire reliably.

The trigger spring on my Hi Power (Industria Argentina, or FM, licensed clone) is kaput. And on this particular gun, the trigger pin refuses to respond to punching, which means itll have to be pressed out. Depending on the gun you get, this may or may not be an issue.


That being said, the only variants I've ever heard anyone say aren't serviceable are some of the European (Hungarian and whatnot) clones.

For a cheap shooter, FM/Industria Argentina would probably be the way to go. You can find em on gunbroker for ~$400
 
If you're serious about shooting, I'd skip the Browning High Power. It has all sorts of problems with its trigger if you intend to shoot quickly. While it can be really light, with takeup and safeties, it's about the same (or not quite as good) as a nice competition M&P trigger. It has a less tactile and (more importantly) longer reset than any gun I've ever shot, except perhaps a double-action revolver. The first gun I ever short-stroked was a Browning High Power.

Add on the magazine safety and somewhat odd ergonomics, and it's just not worth the prices they fetch, in my opinion. There's a reason that competition shooters who want 9mm guns shoot 1911s in 9mm, not Browning High Powers.

That said, they make some really nice looking ones, if that's important.[smile] If I had a great price on a really cool looking one, I'd probably own it. But not for serious use.

I like to pretend Browning had little to do with it, and like to think that, had he lived, he would have fixed the problems.
 
i have a belgian hi-power and i love it. it shoots great and the mag safety can be removed at any time if it bothers me. i even used it in a pin match and did halfway decent. scored it from a member on NES for a great price.

another member i shoot with has a hungarian one and it's a fine gun as well, no problems to speak of with it. of course the FEGs, etc. aren't exactly of the same quality as the belgian or argentinian ones but they can usually be had for cheap money. since you're in a free state you should have no problem snagging a belgian though.

ever consider a CZ-75? one of my favorite handguns ever and i'm STILL waiting for one to pop up in the DPRM when i have the cash to afford it. [sad2]
 
eisenhow said:
Why not a 9mm 1911? Since you're in the promised land you have a bunch more choices than we have here. [sad2]
Click to expand...

That actually would be my preferred platform I want something with a higher capacity. Other then Para's and STI who makes a double stack 9mm 1911 ?
 
You should concider a CZ-75. I have a CZ-75B that amazed me when I tried to hit bowling pins at 100 yards on a whim, it was surprisingly easy to do. (souds silly for a 9mm pistol, but its true). Its also a condition 1 pistol if thats what you are used to with the 1911. Reliability is exceptional with these pistols as well. I dont think you would be dissapointed. Ill even come to you if you want to try mine out. I also have a CZ-75D Compact. I like these pistols so much I will never sell them.

/John

ETA: And of course high cap magazines can be had for these as well.
 
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SQUELCH said:
You should concider a CZ-75. I have a CZ-75B that amazed me when I tried to hit bowling pins at 100 yards on a whim, it was surprisingly easy to do. (souds silly for a 9mm pistol, but its true). Its also a condition 1 pistol if thats what you are used to with the 1911. Reliability is exceptional with these pistols as well. I dont think you would be dissapointed. Ill even come to you if you want to try mine out. I also have a CZ-75D Compact. I like these pistols so much I will never sell them.

/John

ETA: And of course high cap magazines can be had for these as well.
Click to expand...

spread the love, what do you need two CZs for? let me take that B off your hands... [laugh]
 
MrTwigg said:
That actually would be my preferred platform I want something with a higher capacity. Other then Para's and STI who makes a double stack 9mm 1911 ?
Click to expand...
Dunno. S&W makes a single stack 1911 in 9mm.

I'm not a fan of the Hi-Power trigger. I have a CZ-75B. Also not a fan of its trigger, and mine has horrid sights.
 
Springfirld EMP 1911 platform built around 9mm. i have it, i carry it. great gun
 
The BHP is a fine firearm... with one exception.

The typical stock safety is best defined as ABSOLUTE GARBAGE.

It basically "scrapes" into position. It's the nastiest safety ever.

Everything else on the gun can easily be fixed... the safety can be improved, but it still typically sucks, it doesn't have a positive detent like a 1911 does. It just "scrapes" into position with a different lever.

-Mike
 
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I am still relatively new to firearms, so I don't claim to have any special knowledge, but I shot a bunch of 9mms up at Manchester and the overwhelming winner in my mind was the Sig P229, which I now own. The trigger needs a little work, but other than that it is a great shooting pistol. VERY comfortable to shoot, simple to take apart and clean, reliable from all reports, metal frame, some mods you can do if you want...I am really happy with mine.

A Sig 226 is more or less the same deal, just a little larger. I liked the 226 I shot as well.

My second choice was the Walther P99. I really like the ergonomics of that gun and the mag release. It was fun to shoot. For some reason, though, I seemed to be more accurate with the Sigs than anything else. Polymer frames seem to cause me trouble for some reason. I always had my heart set on a H&K USP even though I would have to buy used in MA, but I didn't love it.

I have not shot a glock yet which is obviously a huge omission, but I was really looking to buy new for my first/primary/carry firearm. From whatever little experience I have, I cannot recommend the sig enough.

EDIT: Sorry, Actually my second choice was the Beretta 92. I liked that gun a lot, but it was a little big for my girl's hands and she didn't like it at all. I like the Sig better overall, but the beretta was excellent as well.
 
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+1 on the Sig 226. They are expensive new but if you're patient you can usually find a good deal on a used one. They've been around since the 80s. The 229 is nice too, a slightly shorter version available in 9 mm. Likewise if you come across a good deal on a 225, which is single stack, give it a try.

The 92 is nice too but a little long on the trigger pull and has an external safety.
 
HardJeepGuy said:
Why not get a Glock? A G17 or G34.
Click to expand...

I was thinking seriously about this. I dang near bought one too.

I just cannot warm up to the long mushy pull (IMHO anyway).
Did you get the Ghost trigger ? Does that shorten the pull any ?

Another_David said:
The 92 is nice too but a little long on the trigger pull and has an external safety.
Click to expand...

Yeah that's why I kinda ruled out the Beretta. I recall trying one a couple years ago. Didn't care for it.
 
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If take up is an issue, you'll never be buying a Glock or an M+P. First shot travel is always intentionally long, although both pistols have a pretty short reset.

-Mike
 
MrTwigg said:
I just cannot warm up to the long mushy pull (IMHO anyway).
Click to expand...
It's not that long. It's just nasty. The lighter Glock 34 trigger is significantly better than the standard trigger, which is, of course, damning it with faint praise -- it still sucks.

Reset is nice, though.
 
I'm a 1911 snob to an extent, but if you're not limiting yourself to Browning's platform, I'm pretty convinced that the M&P is far and away the best 9mm pistol out there right now. With Apex trigger parts, it's simply in a class of its own.
 
TheRoland said:
I'm a 1911 snob to an extent, but if you're not limiting yourself to Browning's platform, I'm pretty convinced that the Glock is far and away the best 9mm pistol out there right now. It's simply in a class of its own.
Click to expand...

I agree.
 
If you don't like long trigger takeup, you won't like the BHP. Mine was one of the first pistols I bought. I like the looks, and the feel in the hand is awesome. Most comfortable double stack gun I've shot. Competition has become my primary focus, and as TheRoland says, the BHP trigger just isn't conducive to shooting fast. Mine is for sale.

I think the M&P is one of the best 9mms out there. I don't think anyone makes double stack 9mm 1911s besides Para, STI, and SV. I'm not a fan of Para and STI/SV guns are rather pricey.

You're welcome to try my BHP sometime if you want.
 

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