so i have been sitting looking at some hi powers the last couple of days, and thinking should i really take that magazine disconnect out of them? Would it really help the trigger pull?
The only one really scratchy is the hungarian feg, and as much as anything i think it has to do with the park. inside/bluing.

Next thought is to polishing the internal parts.

Any thoughts here by those who have done it?

I once had a hi-power. Very nice pistol with a very bad trigger. I took it to a smith who claimed he could fix the trigger. After multiple attempts he couldn't. I traded it off. Good luck with the trigger.

Removing the disconnect generally really helps the trigger pull on a BHP. It can always be put back in if you find it lacking.

Kevin will be starting to do work for others on Hi Powers, contact him

From all I have read and been told, you will never get a Hi-Power trigger to safely resemble a good 1911 trigger.

My previous Hi-Power had both the mag safety and the firing pin block. I always thought I should take out the mag disconnect and do whatever else I could to improve the trigger - but I never had any problem shooting it accurately. Not that I was using it for bullseye competition or any such thing, though - just casual plinking most of the time.

I eventually stupidlysoldit, for reasons I won't go into here - before I ever made any changes.

Now, I am getting familiar with this FM Hi-Power I just picked up - and after the time I have spent on 1911's and my tweaked Ruger MKIII, the H-P trigger was initially a bit of a concern (although I knew what to expect). Haven't fired any live ammo in it yet, but dry-fire practice has shown that the heavy trigger (7-8 lbs) is not causing me any trouble holding the sights on target with good follow-through. It does have a clean break though.

Although it may not be suitable for any target competition, I wouldn't hesitate to put it into defensive service. And I know it will be a fun plinker. Man - I almost forgot how naturally a H-P fits and points in my hand....

I guess what I am saying is that you could remove the disconnect and even the FPS (if yours has it) - which I understand will both make an improvement - but you can probably also just get used to it. But it will never be a finely tuned "1911-sh" trigger.

edit: BTW - http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/

freeme:
I think you just described me to some extent. I first got interested in them long ago when they were about the only hi cap gun around, and have never really had any trouble shooting them as they are. But the urge to tinker is there.

I hear that!

Fortunately for me, my tiny thumb safety will have to be replaced. That should keep me content for a while.

BTW, Ron - I seem to recall that Kevin has said the H-P trigger can be improved even with the disconnect in place (I'm guessing it costs more, if that's correct). Either way, you might want to hit him up on that.

I expect he'll drop into this thread anyway, when he comes back around.

I'll be following this for the same reasons. I have read so much regarding pros and cons of the mag disconnect that I'm not sure I even have a preference one way or the other. One thing I do know though, is that you can remove it - and then put it back. It's not permanent, like removing metal from the frame - so it's worth trying out.

Cylinder & Slide has told me they can get a crisp 5 lb trigger with the mag disconnect in place. They will not remove the mag safety.

Personally, I think one of the later ones, with a firing pin block and the thumb safety, would be fine without the mag disconnect, but of course folks worry about liability.

A 4-4.5lb trigger can be had if the man doing the work knows his stuff, and it can be very crisp. You won't get any 2.5lb trigger pulls like you see on 1911's, mostly because of the design of the sear spring. And yes, you can still get a light trigger with the magazine safety, but it's a good deal more work.

they are somewhat different in the way they are built, and the time frame. I was comparing a 50's austrian police, a later commercial belgium assembled in portugal, a fn made for the israeli's, and a hungarian feg.
The austrian has an internal extractor, the commercial is probably the smoothest, but has been shot the most which has a bearing on it, and the hungarian, i think from looking inside it that park they did looks like they just dipped it. Cylinder and slide is suppose to very good, but again, so are their prices. For a 300dollar hungarian, hard to justify. I am fighting the urge to completely disassemble the hungarian, to see if those parts can clean up. This gets me in trouble sometimes. I had a browning 1922 on my desk the other night in parts, till i could remember how to put it back together. Sears i won't touch.

Ron - I'm impressed that you found three Hi-Powers available at the same time. They go pretty fast around here, if you can even find one.

I have owned 7 or 8 Browning HP'S over the years and the first thing i did to all of them was remove the Mag Disconnect and it does improve the trigger , plus i don't like a carry pistol that won't fire if the magazine is absent or not securely seated.

this goes back to probably mid 70's. Had a friend that had one, not common to see, and i was impressed with how well i could shoot it. Wouldn't sell it to me, still has it. So i found my own. The others came later. The feg was the last one, and it was one of the straight builds, meaning suppose to be fully browning interchangeable. The commercial is the only one with a ambi safety, which is another issue for a left hander. The safties are small too. And reading comments on them although i never paid much attention to it, those hammer springs are pretty heavy too.
I passed up, should have bought it, a hi power a few years ago.
It had been built up in the back to prevent slide bite, custom barrel fitted, peened slide/frame, trigger reworked, springs, polished out etc. The guy wanted about 1800 bucks for it. In hindsight with the amount of work done on it, probably cheap at the time.
hi powers can grow on you. I was first impressed i think when dumping a full mag fast as i could into a tire rim at about 25yards. They can shoot well.

I might add about a year ago sitting in my favorite LGS. guy walks in, hard up for money, had a new hi power, in the box, brand new, wanted to sell it. The dealer was honest enough to tell the guy what it was worth, but he would only pay about 350 for it. The guy took the deal. Little while later it didn't last long went it went in the display case at about 800 bucks.
That's one of those times you want to say, "meet me in the parking lot."

as to the austrian, they must have come in prior to 68, as no importation markings, found one with pictures on the internet last night, and thought the description pretty cool. The police number mentioned is not mine, mine is lower, but everything else fits. Spotless condition as you would expect coming out of austria/germany:
Austrian (Osterreicher) rural or border Police gun.
Internal Extractor.
This variation was mfd between late 1940's and early 1960's,
(mine probably made in 1960).
Half moon relief elimination on slide started in 1960.
LGKK 0968 on frame, front grip and magazine.
LGK stands for Landes Gendarmerie Komando.
The last K stands for Karten (Carinthia) province on the southern border
with Italy and Yugoslavia.

The FM I just bought seems to have been bought new during the federal AWB years - it came with 10-round mags, and being a "model 90" puts it in that time frame too. From what I read, there were some of these Argys made for commercial export at the time and some made it to the US. Guy apparently bought it, put maybe a few mags through it, then put it away. It was very close to "pristine". He had traded it or sold it outright to Cabelas. I had an "employee price" card, and the price on the tag was already not bad as it was. One of those "can't lose" decisions. Funny thing is, I had almost walked out the door without making a pass at the gun counter - but decided at the last minute to go back for a peek.....

What does the import stamp say on your '95 Argy? Should have a company name, city & state.

Yep. That's been my experience.

I removed it on mine and it was a major improvement. Warning, some of the trigger pins are very tight. I had a GS bugger up a beautiful BHP of mine attempting to remove the pin.

Having trouble reading a company name, Kevin. I think I see ALB VT. The text before that is pretty light - there is something I can't make out, and then "87". That's all on the bottom of the trigger guard. Only other mark I see - one each on frame and slide - some kind of logo? Looks like a small "c" next to a tall "h" with a foot on it.

Doesn't the lack of extended safety and no hole in the front of the dust cover - along with the lack of FPS indicate a '90?