Browning Hi Power success

[velocette]

I have been working (slowly) for several years on a Browning Hi Power Mk III in .40 S&W.
When I bought it, essentially NIB, it was the typical HP. Poor trigger, OK accuracy, totally reliable. Since then, I have removed the magazine disconnect, replaced the hammer & sear with Cylinder & Slide parts, Replaced the trigger itself with a C&S part. Replaced the barrel with a Bar-Sto drop in, (it did NOT just drop in) installed Hogue grips and slowly tuned the whole pistol. The tuning took longer than anything else, like polishing / stoning all the moving parts of the pistol.
I now have a pistol with a crisp 4# trigger with little overtravel & quick re-set, it shoots out the center of the target at 25 yds, is totally reliable and it fits my hand like it grew there. This pistol is just a joy to shoot, it's almost instictive how it comes on target.

Roger

 

[Scoots]

That's a mighty fine looking firearm, and sounds like a beauty to shoot. Did you consider replacing the safety? That's one thing I'm kicking around with my Hi-Power.

 

[worth]

Very nice weapon velocette. I obviously was a labor of love with a happy ending. What did you have to do to the barrel to make it fit?

 

[velocette]

Worth;
The locking lugs needed to be slightly chamfered at their rear edge and they had to be reduced about .005" vertically to enable proper lock up.
Other than that, the feed ramp was polished and the chamber mouth chamfer smoothed and lightly polished. VERY little metal was removed in those operations, NO dremel.

Roger

 

[Chris_B]

if there is a more purposeful looking handgun than a BHP, I'd like to see it.

 

[Stephen A. Camp]

Hello and thanks for letting us see your "slicked up" and sort of "personalized" Hi Power! I hope that it serves you well for years to come...and suspect that it will.

Best and good shooting.

 

[bamaranger]

+1

Yeah, a HP in .40 is a great combo. Not classic, but very practical.

 

[Tbag]

So why the barrel change out, did you feel that was the root of it's inability to shoot well?

 

[velocette]

Tbag;
The stock barrel yielded poor accuracy, or more correctly, poor accuracy with cast lead bullets. It was combat accurate, pie plate at 25 yds. I wanted better. The barrel slugged at .402", a bit oversized for a .40. I've had good luck with Bar-Sto barrels in several of my other pistols, so the barrel choice was easy.
It now does, 4" groups @ 25 yds one handed with my cast lead reloads. Probably better from a rest.

Roger

 

[Chesster]

Nice Job.

 

[gak]

Great job. Envy. Have been eyeing a BHP .40 for some time.
+1 ChrisB comment.