I friend of mine recently bought an Argentinian licensed copy of the Browning Hi-Power. He loves it. I was wondering a few things what have people's experiences been with the gun? Are these still made? and, who imports them to the USA?

I have one, but there are different variations that make one more desirable than another. They are still made, but different information surfaces from time to time concerning their availability.

If the gun has the slide identical to the original Browning, i.e. the sides are scalloped toward the front, it is more desirable. If it has the slide flat over the entire surface, i.e. the 1911, it is less desirable. That's not to say it's not desirable, but there are questions about its durability relative to metal softness.

I have one of the early ones and it resembles a military spec Browning in detail. The metal is very hard based on the home gunsmithing I've done to it. There is no evidence of unusual wear or peening after several thousand rounds.

A friend had the other version and ended up selling it in an unservicable state due to the barrel cam having broken in two pieces. To be absolutely fair, Brownings can break here as well and custom Browning pistol smiths offer repairs as a regular part of their service...so one has to assume all P-35s are subject to this problem occassionally.

Dan

http://www.cruffler.com/JLD.html#The%20Electronic%20Catalog

Doesn't Vanimrod have one? I think I recall that.
Never heard anything bad about them thats for sure.

Not an Argy. I have an FEG.

Both Argies and FEGs are very good, though, honestly, the Argy may have the edge.

I did a review of the Argentine Hi Power�s a few years ago for American Handgunner; the one�s without the slide scallops. On the subject of metal hardness and quality, the factory rated them okay for +P and after firing over 100 rounds of the stuff and closely examining the pistol, I couldn�t see the first hint of any lug setback whatsoever.

Overall, the pistol is a mix match of Browning features, from the 1963 model and the MK I & II models. It has a baked on enamel finish that�s pretty tough and the �Cycolac� plastic molded grips. The ambi safety is exactly like the FN Browning. Sights are similar to the MK II and there is a serrated rib down the top of the barrel to reduce glare. My only complaint was the use of a pre-1980 style barrel feed ramp, which is most often referred to as the humpback feed ramp. Still, with a wide variety of JHP�s I couldn�t get the pistol to mis-feed in any way.

I also reviewed the shorter barreled version called the �Detecitive� and found it to be quite serviceable as well. I think for the money, they�re very hard to beat when talking a quality service pistol. Remember, these are real military service pistols, not wannabe�s; with several South American nations, some pacific nations and a dozen or more police forces using them. I�d say all in all, the Argentine Hi Power is a well proven pistol.

All Argie's have proven to be pretty accurate, with groups around 2.5-3" at 25 yards. To the last, they all seem to have somewhat long and gritty triggers, but keep in mind; this is a military pistol, and there are a lot of militaries that find a long, stiff trigger a desirable feature when handing a handgun to a 3rd world conscript.

Although the earlier ones with the lightening cuts on the front of the slide are much more pleasing to the eye, I have encountered feed problems due to the humpback feed ramp design with those. I really can�t explain it, but the shape of the �hump� is different on the later models. While I can�t for the life of me figure out why they would change the shape of the hump, rather than just going to the very proven post-1980 design. I have to admit that whatever they did...it worked out very well.

As for gunleather, the newer ones without the lightening cuts on the front of the slide, will slip right into your favorite 1911 holster, or even a better fit if your holster is cut for a Commander.

Yank that damned magazine disconnect, and the trigger goes light-years forward.

Preach it Br'er Sean!

Be a little careful when removing the mag disconnect. I removed mine and for some reason there wasn't enough tension on the spring that held the sear lifter in place in its groove on the inside of the slide. Occasionally, it would come out of position and the weapon would have to be stripped to make it servicable again. Never had that happen with a Browning. But nothing I tried corrected the problem, until I returned the disconnect parts to the weapon. Still and all, the trigger work I did paid off even with the disconnect in place. It has a very crisp trigger now and I don't even miss having the disconnect removed.

Dan

I don't know if it was Kevin's review or not that originally piqued my interest but after handling a FM M90 Detective at my local gun shop 15 years ago (yes, 1994) I bought it. It has proven utterly reliable and quite accurate.

Not being one to leave good enough alone, I tweaked mine by installing a Cylinder & Slide CS025C Duty/Carry spring kit, CS037 trigger, and CS035 safety. I removed the magazine disconnector, beveled the magazine well, smoothed the trigger action, and hand stippled the frontstrap and back strap. Finished things off with a set of Craig Spegel Madagascar rosewood presentation grips secured by Hogue hex grip screws. Had the gun re-blued too (not something I do at home).




My Detective mates well with my home customized Mk III

This photo has been posted here before, but this is my Argy after a little home tweaking. I really like the gun.

Dan

I have one I bought in 87 In Pensacola Fl. The finish, sights and trigger is nothing to write home about but it's been reliable for several thousand rounds so no complaint for the $250 I paid for it. Mine has the scalloped slide but no ambidextrous safety.

It was my sidearm during Desert Storm vice the issue .38. The Navy was a bit looser about those rules then! (well, and we didn't tell them that most of us carried our own weapons. )

Are Argentine Hi-Powers still imported?

Yep, if you can find them.