new to high power and have ?'s

dberry · 08-14-2009, 15:38

I have recently fell in love with the single action trigger and am interested in the high powers. How is the durability and reliability compared to DA/SA pistols? Could $550 get me a decent high power? Pardon my ignorance,please. Thanks.

h2o-5o · 08-14-2009, 16:48

Put on a pot of coffee, and start reading up on them at http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/

There has been a lot of HP's pop up for sale on the various boards lately, some for quite reasonable prices.

JohnJak · 08-15-2009, 07:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by h2o-5o

Put on a pot of coffee, and start reading up on them at http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/

There has been a lot of HP's pop up for sale on the various boards lately, some for quite reasonable prices.

+1

Like anything else you buy please do your homework. BHP is the finest pistol made in my honest opinion.

bac1023 · 08-15-2009, 18:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnJak

+1

Like anything else you buy please do your homework. BHP is the finest pistol made in my honest opinion.

Definitely one of the best 9mms of all time.

Strada Man · 08-16-2009, 02:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by dberry

I have recently fell in love with the single action trigger and am interested in the high powers. How is the durability and reliability compared to DA/SA pistols? Could $550 get me a decent high power? Pardon my ignorance,please. Thanks.

It's been said that when John Brwning designed the 1911 he hit a Home Run. When he designed the Hi Power, he hit a Grand Slam. I happen to agree.

I myself think it's the finest 9mm or .40 S&W platform out there today and it's reliability is second to none as long as you have a Mk III. The MkIII is any of the newer ones, but the production date escapes me at the moment, and it's too late and I'm too tired to look it up right now before going to bed.

As far as durability, change the recoil spring every 1,200 to 1,500 and you should be OK for the rest of your life. I myself carry and shoot a .40 S&W Hi Power off duty and change the recoil; spring every 1,000 rounds. It's cheap insurance.

I saw a 9mm MkIII for sale, looked seldom fired and well cared for, for sale in a local Pawn Shop. If I hadn't spent all my extra money on a Colt AR it would've gone home with me that day. The price? IIRC was $470 + Tax.

Strada Man

Lester R. Britton · 02-11-2010, 13:57

I recently saw a HP for sale and it was extremely used. A lot of that fantastic blueing was gone. The asking price was $550.00. I recently purchased a "used" HP that looked to me like it had never been fired. It was/is absolutely perfect to the point where I'm in a quandry as to whether or not I should shoot it. I was $740.00 OTD. I finally figured someone was going to shoot this gun and it might as well be me. Shot 100 rounds, cleaned it and put it back in the box. This pricing is in the mid-west.

El_Ron1 · 02-11-2010, 14:40

Quote:

Originally Posted by dberry

Could $550 get me a decent high power?

Yes. Do your learning and choosing, have the money, look energetically and be patient.

El_Ron1 · 02-11-2010, 14:45

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lester R. Britton

I recently purchased a "used" HP that looked to me like it had never been fired. It was/is absolutely perfect to the point where I'm in a quandry as to whether or not I should shoot it.

What model, how old? Unless it's uncommonly rare and hard to replace, I'd start exercising your authority upon it. We ain't gonna live forever.

RUT · 06-10-2011, 06:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by h2o-5o

Put on a pot of coffee, and start reading up on them at http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/

There has been a lot of HP's pop up for sale on the various boards lately, some for quite reasonable prices.

I wonder if this book will still be available now that Mr. Camp has departed us?

FireForged · 06-11-2011, 18:42

I own (3) and have never had a problem with any of them. Mine are unmodified (right out of the box) guns. Well, I did put thin grips on them and always use FMJ's.

vmr357 · 06-11-2011, 19:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by RUT

I wonder if this book will still be available now that Mr. Camp has departed us?

His wife will keep his site up and running while interest remains. I ordered the J-Frame book just this week and got a very prompt delivery.

I only have two Hi Powers, but am very happy with them. I'd recommend them to anyone.

Vern

RUT · 06-11-2011, 21:34

Ok, thanks for the heads-up.

W.E.G. · 06-11-2011, 22:55

First things first.

Its a HI-POWER... not a "high power."

Except for the price of the thinner grips, I got this one from AIM for $400 last year.

RUT · 06-16-2011, 07:02

Update: I did order and receive Stephen Camp's Hi-Power book, and it came within a few days. It's quite informative and of very high quality. So, it would appear his wife (Sandy) is carrying on the business as before. Since she's listed as the "editor" of the book, I suspect she was handling this end of the business anyway.

Bret · 06-22-2011, 16:36

I got that same book from him earlier this year with a signed note from him. The book is good. He'll be missed.

LarryNC · 10-15-2011, 15:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by RUT

I wonder if this book will still be available now that Mr. Camp has departed us?

Oh man, I did not know that. What a bummer. I love his website. I even e-mailed him once and he was a very nice man. I really hate to hear that. I'm pretty sure that he has gone to a better place though. He will certainly be missed.

ca survivor · 12-28-2011, 16:08

I recently paid $800.00 for mine, no box or papers, but unfired.....

Retired Squid · 06-19-2012, 09:55

When it gets back from gun smith for trigger job and magazine safety removal I'll have $700 in the gun, bought used but unfired with box and papers.

Bret · 06-19-2012, 11:47

Never wanting to miss and opportinity to show one of my guns, here's my latest. As the owner of several Hi Powers, I decided that I'd like to have something that's not available in factory configuration. Since I had an aluminum alloy framed Hi Power that was in below par cosmetic condition, I decided to use it as the base for my creation. I decided that I'd like to have it made as reliable as possible, dings and scratches removed, a trigger job with the magazine disconnect removed, hard chromed, and big white dot sights installed. After some reading and a conversation with him, I decided to have Don Williams do the work. Here's a picture of the pistol before work started.

The thing that most impressed me about Don was what he told me didn't need to be done. He told me that I didn't need to have anything done to the barrel and I didn't need to have anything done as far as reliability goes because the Mark II Hi Powers are already extremely reliable.

Don machined the slide for and installed as set of Novak sights with big white dots for my less than sharp visioned eyes, did a trigger job, fabricated an extended safety, cleaned up all the dings/scratches, and had the pistol hard chromed by Metalife. For those who think that you can't hard chrome aluminum, it is possible. The trick I'm told is that the frame had to be nickel plated prior to the hard chrome being applied. Here is the final result.

257 roberts · 06-24-2012, 07:25

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lester R. Britton

I recently saw a HP for sale and it was extremely used. A lot of that fantastic blueing was gone. The asking price was $550.00. I recently purchased a "used" HP that looked to me like it had never been fired. It was/is absolutely perfect to the point where I'm in a quandry as to whether or not I should shoot it. I was $740.00 OTD. I finally figured someone was going to shoot this gun and it might as well be me. Shot 100 rounds, cleaned it and put it back in the box. This pricing is in the mid-west.

thats where I'm at!!! just got a "new" 1980 Hi-Power and not sure if I want to shoot or sell it

Retired Squid · 06-24-2012, 10:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by 257 roberts

thats where I'm at!!! just got a "new" 1980 Hi-Power and not sure if I want to shoot or sell it

My ANIB '93 Capitan is same way, absolutely stunning bluing. But I'm going to shoot the little beauty as often as time and tired old body permits and as much as I can afford to these days.

FireForged · 06-28-2012, 18:41

yeah the prices have gone crazy... I am seeing mkIII's locally for $900. Thats just nuts! I guess I wont ever lose any money in mine.

Retired Squid · 06-28-2012, 18:50

Quote:

Originally Posted by FireForged

yeah the prices have gone crazy... I am seeing mkIII's locally for $900. Thats just nuts! I guess I wont ever lose any money in mine.

I guess we should thank POTUS and Congress for that.

Veedubklown · 07-01-2012, 19:42

There were also fantastic hi-power clones, made in various contries. Some of them can fetch prices as high as a real browning or FN. I have one made in Argentina, an FM. I paid $200 for it, with night sights and extended controls. The finish on it is about 80%, but I'm not too concerned about how a carry gun's finish is, as long as it's not rust. I need to have it refinished, but for now, here's how it sits, with hogue grips. The origionals were like gripping a beer can with a trigger. It had the mag safety removed before I got it, but I really didn't care for the large take-up, or over-travel it had. After polishing the hammer and sear, I put a small bead on the front of my trigger as an over-travel stop and fit it. I also had to fit the trigger bar. I was amazed the way the trigger actuates through the slide, and not through the frame like a 1911 or so many other pistols. Now this is truely like a 1911 trigger. Very short travel, equally short reset.