Browning Hi Power Review: Deja Pew

“Actually, can I see that one?”

I pointed to a seasoned piece of blued steel, lurking behind the Glocks, M&Ps and CZ clones. Spots of rust impugned its otherwise graceful silhouette. Honest wear had stricken the finish from its distinctive relief cuts, near the muzzle.

As the sales guy handed it over, he likely uttered some trite euphemism in the vein of “oldy but a goody” or “classics never die.” But I didn’t hear it. I didn’t acknowledge it. I didn’t care.

The intimidating perspective so many have faced, since 1935. Specifically, mine is a 1993 MKII.

Because I was somewhere else.

Somewhere wonderful. Somewhere I’d never actually known, seen or been… but always felt. And, in a way, yearned for—deep within my handgun-hipster heart.

That’s what I call “Deja Pew.” And it’s exactly what I felt the first time I held a Browning Hi Power.

Which brings us to…

What makes the Browning Hi Power hipster worthy?

From the very first moment you hold one, the Browning Hi Power feels strikingly familiar, evoking a visceral sense of connection that makes it handle like it’s an extension of you.

As a kid, if you ever dreamed of what it felt like to hold a real handgun… you dreamed of the Browning Hi Power. It’s quintessential. It’s definitive. It’s an archetype—one that seems to permeate the collective unconscious of gun enthusiasts everywhere. It’s everything you ever imagined a “handgun” to be. And, for many, it’s everything you want a handgun to be. And more.

Mind Over Matter

When you grasp the Hi Power, it connects. Not just to your hand. Not just to your body. But to whatever part of your mind—and soul—innately yearns to wield, aim and shoot. I’m not sure what kinda metaphysical shit John Browning and Dieudonné Saive were into back in the day. But, with the Hi Power, they tapped into some elemental truth of the human condition. Some primordial “shooting instinct” that, maybe, we’re all born with.

Another way to put it: If you handed a Hi Power to someone who had no idea what a gun was, I think they’d instantly understand what to do with it… just by holding it.

But “feel” is more than just ergonomics

The grip is the first thing that strikes you about the Hi Power. It feels like it was meant to be in your hand. Not in a clinical HK P30 kind of a way, but in a way that’s more purposeful and engaging. It asks for your input as much as it informs the position of your hand. And it does so in a way that’s intuitive and instinctive. It is the Esperanto of handgun grips. But, unlike Esperanto, it is a language everyone already speaks.  

With a short trigger reach and a stable grip, the Hi Power transcends “ergonomics.”

As your fingers clench around the front strap, you feel the presence of the slide—long, slender, impeccably balanced. The web of your hand recedes into a deeply radiused cleft, making the axis of the bore—and the trigger—feel incredibly close and connected. The entire gun becomes an extension of your instincts. Your will. For you do not “hold” a Hi Power; you wield it. It implores to you aim. It wants to be shot.

 BANG!

You’re in complete control of the break. The recoil is soft, slow and predictable. The sights rise, then fall back into view—almost instantly—under the stabilizing influence of you support hand.

And there happens to be a crisp, 9mm-sized hole, right where you wanted it. Not to mention a big shit-eating grin on your face.

With VZ G10 grips—which I think I prefer.

Range Reflections

The Hi Power is accurate. Very accurate. It almost always produces tight groups and precise hits, true to POA. However, I will add one caveat to that statement. In my range visit for this review, I found myself shooting right of POA. Yes, right—which is odd. Right-handed shooters generally will shoot left of POA if and when they’re feeling a little off.

The group is pretty tight. But my shots were going low-right—which I’m not sure I’ve EVER experience.

So, maybe I was just a little off that day. I know, I know… me?! Could it really be… [gasp] SHOOTER ERROR?! Definitely. But there is one potential variable (ahem… “excuse”) which I will posit: I shot the gun with grips I’d never tried before (the wood grips you see in most of the pictures). 

The next day, I put the VZ G10 grips I’d always used with the gun back on and went to the range. I definitely hit more on POA with the VZs. But, I had another anomaly…

I’ve never experienced this before with my Hi Power. I believe the “less-than-ideal” casing crimp on the reman ammo snagged on the way into the chamber.

A failure to feed.

That’s something I’ve never had with this gun, in the many, many rounds I’ve put through it. Now, I was using remanufactured ammo: Freedom Munitions 115gr. Looking at the rounds as I was loading the mag, I could see the crimp on some of the casings wasn’t 100% flush. So, I think the top-rim of the casing just snagged on the way into the chamber. I actually had a nearly identical FTFeed with a CZ PCR using this same ammo. So… I’m inclined to say Freedom Reman just isn’t the preferred cuisine for a Browning Hi Power. Or a CZ.

Also, the trigger isn’t stellar

It’s heavy. Probably 7 or 8 pounds. Maybe heavier, if you leave the magazine disconnect in there. The single action on a 92, for instance, isn’t exactly what I’d consider light. But I promise you the Hi Power’s trigger is heavier. And while the break feels fine, it’s not quite as crisp as the SA break on a 92—let alone a 1911. So, don’t let the family lineage fool you: the Hi Power will never be a 1911 in the trigger department.

Certainly, one reason for that is because the fire-control mechanics are vastly different. In fact, the Hi Power is the only gun I know of that runs its trigger-to-hammer linkage through the slide. It’s weird. Pulling the trigger pushes up on this cantilever thingy that parallels the firing pin. The rear part of that cantilever, in turn, pushes down on the sear to release it. The whole system just seems a little more “circuitous” than most conventional trigger-bar setups.

You can see the “plunger” that lifts up to engage the cantilever-style trigger bar in the slide.

Also, there’s the reset. Or lack thereof.

All you get is a very, very faint tick—and not enough to feel it. You basically just have to know how far to let it out. If I haven’t shot my Hi Power in a while, I almost always short stroke the trigger a few times.

That said, it’s still a true single-action trigger, with a defined wall, a short reach and a decent-feeling break. That’s all you need to shoot accurately. And, most run-of-the-mill guns today don’t even offer that. Honestly, the Hi Power feels so freakin’ good when you’re shooting it, really don’t notice the trigger that much, good or bad. Well, unless you short stroke it.

But trust me: that’s easy to overcome after a few mags. I’ve shot my (basically) stock MKIII Hi Power in USPSA matches and done just fine. And that brings us to another one of the Hi Power’s key virtues.

The Hi Power is battlefield proven

And it’s certainly seen its fair share of battlefields in the last 80-some years.

After being commissioned by the French military before World War II, it went on to serve with the Belgian army, the nationalist Chinese army, the Canadian army and even the Wehrmacht (when the Nazis occupied Belgium). After the war, it became the standard-issue sidearm of the British military and the Australian military (and probably many others) throughout the cold war. It was extensively used by the IDF—and in the various conflicts in which Israel found itself—and it was farmed-out to several other countries for licensed production. It also served with the U.S. Hostage Rescue service—lest you think it was never used stateside.

Hi Power, ready for action.

All that to say… yeah, it’s probably gonna work. Like I said, I’ve shot mine in a few USPSA matches. So, I’ve shot the hell out of it and I’ve never had an issue… until, literally, the FTFeed I just had.

A “full-sized compact”?

The Browning Hi Power and the Beretta 92 are more or less my favorite full-sized 9mm pistols. For me, both shoot incredibly well. And while I do generally prefer DA/SA for concealed carry, the Hi Power offers something the Beretta doesn’t: It’s not huge.

With a shorter grip than most full-sized guns, the Hi Power is better suited for concealed carry.

In fact, the Hi Power is fairly compact, overall. It’s noticeably smaller than a Beretta 92, a Sig P226, a CZ-75 or an HK USP—and considerably more slender than any of the above. In fact, its slide is even thinner than its reasonably svelte cousin, the 1911. Believe it or not, my Hi Power fits in a Kahr holster (it’s open-bottomed). My Sigs and Berettas won’t even come close. Even my P239s.

The Hi Power’s slide is incredibly slender.

When you add the short(er) grip into that equation, you’ve got a solid option for concealed carry. With its thin slide, I can tell you that the Hi Power is very comfortable to carry inside the waistband… except, for the hammer. When it’s cocked and locked, the thing might as well be a meat tenderizer. And when you’re carrying AIWB, your FUDA—or FUPA—is the meat. (If you don’t know what a FUDA is, ask me in the comments.) Some holsters protect you a little better than others, but, it’s still very… pokey.

However, it’s worth noting that there is an excellent solution: the SFS hammer system.

Essentially, the SFS system allows you to carry the gun with the hammer down, but still cocked. Thumbing the safety flips the hammer back, and you’ve got your normal-old SA trigger ready and waiting. It’s not unlike the DA+/Fast-Action system used on the Daewoo / Lionheart guns (which kick ass, BTW—I have one).

I guess you can’t have too many Hi Power glamour shots

87 years later—still—nothing feels like a Browning Hi Power

There’s been somewhat of a resurgence in Hi Power awareness/interest over the past few years—no doubt hastened by FN’s decision to discontinue the original in 2018. You’ve got clones (like the Tisas, Girsan and the SA35) and the new-for-2022 “FN High Power”—which is a completely different design, really only related to the original P35 in name and in some cosmetic/stylistic nuances.

Some might dismiss this Hi Power “renaissance” as mere nostalgia… it’s a gun that hearkens back to a bygone era of steel, walnut and three-piece suits. But personally, I don’t think it’s just that. Simply because: nothing feels like a Hi Power. For so many people, it’s the best feeling, best fitting, best shooting, most comfortable handgun in the world. That’s not just nostalgia… that’s reality.

My Hi Power, looking hella sexy in “industrial chic.”

And, as the internet expands the shooting public’s awareness of, and interest in, guns they may not have otherwise known about, people are discovering the Hi Power—like I did, in 2018, when I saw that old beater at a local gun shop. The first moment I held it, feeling was believing: I knew I had to have one.

In closing, I’ll say this: nothing I’ve tried feels as right as an original Hi Power. And if you’re gonna Hi Power… Hi Power right, my friend.

What are your thoughts on the Browning Hi Power? Experiences? Opinions? Scathing condemnations on my review? Feel free to share below…

Thanks so much for reading.

#hiptac

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