Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns Custom Browning HP Smith

I have a HP in great shape, and love the way it feels. The only problem is that it has never been what I would call accurate.

Who would you recommend to put on some decent sights, stipple or checker the front and back straps of the grip frame, tweak the trigger and do what ever it takes to improve it's accuracy without hurting reliability?

Not asking for much, am I?

Dave Walters 6226 Park Lane Dallas, Tx (214) 691-6973

Jody at JoJo Gun Works 122 Spring St Southington, Ct. 860-426-9414

This one has all the goodies most folks desire in a HP, but the work wasn't done by anyone well known like the HP experts we have on this Forum. This one was done by some Yost dude out in Arizona. He must only have one arm because it took him almost a year to get the thing back to me.

Another good HP guru is Wayne Novak. I think he's got two arms and might be a little cheaper.

wilson combat if they still work in them...mine is a .40

I like those grips.

Wayne Novak or Bill Laughridge (Cylinder & Slide).

That is just gorgeous, I love Hi-Powers.

Wayne or Bill Laughridge are my favorites as well.

I�ve seen a lot of custom Hi Power�s where well known smith�s have cut corners or have taken the easy way out on a few things; but are still charging top dollar. The Heinie sights are not the best idea on a Hi Power; I really recommend the Novak. After doing a couple, I�ve come to the conclusion that you have to completely re-shape the sight for it to turn out what I consider �right�. Looking at the work of other smith�s, it�s clear they�re having the same challenge. Part of the problem is inconsistency in the shape of the back of a Hi Power slide. I never really noticed it until I got into the Heinie sights, but the slides have been shaped in a few different way. The Mk III and later Hi Powers being the worst incorporating a big flat spot that really screws things up. One popular Hi Power smith just mills the whole thing flat, which looks like arse to me, but his customers seem to be happy. So I�m just not going to do the Heinie sight anymore; I�ll only do the Novak because it comes out looking right. And if it�s not going to look right, I�m not interested in doing it.

Avoid anyone who recommends fine checkering of the front strap, there isn�t enough metal where the corners of the magazine well is just too thin, and checkering lines will really weaken the front strap. This is why most people do stippling, but there are some who still try to checker them, and it�s a mistake. Also, when stippling, I don�t really care for stippling that goes all the way up the backstrap of the gun. I like the top half smooth for the web of my hand, but that�s just me.

I don�t recommend the C&S �wide combat trigger� either. The quality isn�t as good as your factory trigger, and the extra width really doesn�t get you anything. Your factory trigger can be modified to account for limiting over-travel if a smith knows his Hi Power�s and is willing to work for his money.

The C&S safety is about the only option out there, and I really don�t like it much; but it�s better than either of the factory (old and new) ones . The C&S ambi safety is a waste of money in my opinion. The left side lever is way too high up and too far back to be useful, so stick with the single side.

NEVER have a rail job done on a Hi Power; complete waste of money. The frame and slide are not hard enough to hold it for any great period of time. The Hi Power is a combat gun, not a target gun, so they have never bothered with hardening things to that level. If your pistol is inaccurate, spend your money on a good trigger, and a Bar-Sto barrel that�s properly installed. C&S does some of the best barrel fitting work on HI Power�s I�ve ever seen other than Bar-Sto themselves. Bar-Sto barrels have a post-1980 feed ramp, so reliability should be unaffected.

If yours is a later gun with a cast hammer, then I�d recommend one of the C&S hammer/sear sets; they really are first rate. You can reduce the hammer spring down from the factory 32 lbs to around 24 with no problems at all, and really get a good trigger. Regarding the magazine safety, I always remove it; it�s superfluous. But if you want to keep it, just buy some newer �rat trap� magazines. A good gunsmith ought to be able to get your trigger just about as good as a 1911 trigger. Also, regarding trigger jobs, be wary of anyone who recommends weakening the sear spring�anyone who really understands a Hi Power ought to know not to mess with the sear spring; it�s not a 1911.

Lastly, plunk down for Spegel grips; they�re worth every penny. Nothing feels like a Hi Power with Spegel grips, and nothing points better.

When all is said and done, there�s nothing that feels better than a properly built custom Hi Power.

As you may have gleaned, I work on Hi Powers. But I don�t take on jobs from customers. I only build Hi Powers MY way, on my schedule; I don�t build to suit. When I get the urge, I build one up and then offer it for sale. If people like it, they buy it. If they don�t, I encourage them to go to one of the well known names. I enjoy gunsmithing much better that way.

Nothing feels like a Hi Power with Spegel grips, and nothing points better.

Kevin maybe for you but not everyone has the same tastes or size of hand. I like pretty wood as well as the next person. I just find it impractical at times. ymmv

Yeah I thought such a statement clearly implied opinion. I wasn't meaning such a thing as a statement of fact.

When I got my 40 I chose Wilson Combat as C&S had a huge backlog. Wilson Combat did what I wanted for a reasonable price and didn't keep my gun for a year.

While I would agree with this if one is talking a forged frame HP, I would disagree if one is speaking about the newer cast frame HP's. There is a significant difference in the amount of metal at the corners of the mag well which Kevin speaks of. Granted, one isn't going to get 20 LPI checkering on the front of a cast, or forged for that matter, HP frame, but 40 LPI can be had on a cast frame with plenty of material left around the corners of the mag well.

See: hipowersandhandguns

As for gunsmiths, I'd place Jim Garthwaite, Chuck Warner, Jim Hoag, and Don Williams on the list in no particular order.

You have all sorts of good advice here about how to properly redo an HP. If I ever buy another 9mm, it will be at or very near the top of my list. It's only competition, in my book, is the Smith & Wesson Custom Shop gun.
What I found with my stock HP, after I had easily seen sights installed is that handloading can really make that thing shoot. Some of the factory stuff would shoot no better than 3-4 inches at 25 yds. But my handloads, with the 90 gr. sierra HP's and either 6 or 7 grs. of Unique would put five in an inch at 25 yds. time after time. I used to head shoot tree squirrels with mine. E

Thanks everyone...got emails out and plan on getting in line.

My observation is that the frontstrap radius isn�t always consistent so there�s no absolute on this subject�Just my opinion. Regardless, I refuse to checker a Hi Power front strap, and so does other smith�s I�ve spoken to. I saw a gun by Laughridge that was checkered and asked him about it once. His reply, �Hey, weren�t we all young and stupid onece?� (He�s such a great guy).

try karl sokol in vermot