Browning High Power
What is the popular opinion on disabling a High Power magazine safety? How is this done? Just wondering.
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Why is a Browning Hi-power called "HI-Power"? Does it shoot its bullets faster than a regular pistol? 0 -
I've done it on a few HPs and while I am NOT ADVISING THAT YOU DISABLE THIS SAFETY FEATURE, ii does improve the trigger pull...And I never saw a need to the feature to begin with. There is a very small cross pin located in the trigger and it retains all of the magazine safety parts. If you drive out that pin you can remove the magazine safety components, although they are a tight fit inside the frame. Once again, I am NOT suggesting that you do this, this information is provided just to satisfy your curiosity. 0 -
Removal is accomplished as mark suggests. I've owned several "T" series Hi-Powers and I removed the magazine safety on all but the one I currently own. I've never liked the magazine safety and removal not only improves the trigger pull, but it allows the firearm to still be usable if the magazine was misplaced or lost for some reason; perhaps when you needed it the most. 0 -
I think the two experts have covered this well.
There are two good reasons to disable the mag safety on a Hi-Power:
a. You get a better trigger pull afterwards, and
b. In an emergency you can use the gun as a single-shot without a magazine.
There are at least two good reasons NOT to do this:
a. The magazine safety actually DOES serve a useful purpose. Negligent discharges caused by irresponsible gun owners who eject the magazine but forget about a live round in the gun chamber are depressingly common.
b. In our litigation-prone society deliberately defeating ANY safety measure on a gun looks bad.
Of course if the shooting in question is a negligent discharge where someone accidentally shoots the gun with the mag out, then whomever disabled the mag safety is going to be held directly liable for that.
But even in cases where the shooting has NOTHING whatever to do with the mag safety, an aggressive prosecutor may try to paint the gun owner as irresponsible for disabling a safety. The fact that other guns completely lack this safety feature and/or that a BHP is actually perfectly safe without this feature is irrelevant. In some jurisdictions, you can expect a prosecutor or jury to consider you borderline insane merely for OWNING a gun, let alone actually shooting someone with one (in self-defense or otherwise).
c. If your gun has a mag safety, hitting the mag release will effectively disable the gun. This is potentially useful in a close quarters fight where you think you are about to be overpowered and have your gun taken away from you.
Edit: Personally speaking, I wouldn't disable the mag safety on a Hi-Power, mainly for reasons a. and b. above. If I weren't comfortable with the trigger pull or the mag safety in general, I'd consider trading the gun for a different one instead of messing with the safety. There is no shortage of good service type all steel guns in 9mm or .40SW. As one example, the CZ-75 in particular is roughly comparable to a modernized version of the Hi-Power.
Edit #2: Most traditional European military pistols won't drop the magazine all the way free deliberately, the thought being that mags are expensive and necessary, and you don't want to lose yours. Even so, partially dropping the mag should still disable the gun. Removing a partially dropped mag (should you want to do that) is still probably faster/easier than trying to rack the slide.0 -
I agree with everything, except bean town's "C". When you hit the mag release with a mag safety in, the mag won't drop free. The mag safety on every HP I've owned had enough tension to hold the mag in.
The 40cal. HP'S have a spring on the bottom of the mag to push the mag out [;)]0 -
I have practiced mag changes with both of the high powers i own, on my 9mm i will agree with dcs but on my 40 it drops clean when i hit the button 0 -
It's an often discussed subject. I prefer to not do it. Unfortunately in today's society we are held hostage by the lowest common denominator of gun handling fool. If you disable the safety and that fool accidentally shoots himself in the butt, or someone else in the butt - or you sell it and the eventual buyer does the same thing - I think you have liability. I'm not an attorney, but I work with them & have attorney friends - at least they say they're my friends, but that's usually when the bar tab arrives. Every one of them tell me they would much rather have the safety in if they were representing the defendant, and would view a disabled safety as a plus to their case if they were representing the plaintiff.
As one said to me - "Why would you want to give me more work to do to save you a**?"0 -
quote:Originally posted by dfletcher
It's an often discussed subject. I prefer to not do it. Unfortunately in today's society we are held hostage by the lowest common denominator of gun handling fool. If you disable the safety and that fool accidentally shoots himself in the butt, or someone else in the butt - or you sell it and the eventual buyer does the same thing - I think you have liability.
I'm not an attorney, but I work with them & have attorney friends - at least they say they're my friends, but that's usually when the bar tab arrives. Every one of them tell me they would much rather have the safety in if they were representing the defendant, and would view a disabled safety as a plus to their case if they were representing the plaintiff.
As one said to me - "Why would you want to give me more work to do to save you a**?"0 -
My latest Browning magazines come with springs which eject the magazines from the grip when you press the magazine release. I believe this was first incorporated in the High Powers in 40cal 0
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