Remembering back a couple weeks to the favorite metal frame 9mm thread, I for one was kind of surprised at the decided preference for these two handguns over say a Sig 226, 229 or a 365, Beretta 92 etc. The High Power is discontinued and finding a CZ is pretty rare in my area as well. What is it about the Browning and the CZ that sets them so far ahead of anything else? I've never handled either one, but maybe I should given what I read in that thread.

I think everyone gets so caught up in the search for "The Best", and often just miss out on guns that are really great. I mean, it doesn't have to be the greatest of an era, or the best of all time, to be just ... GREAT!!!

In most ways the Hi Power and CZ 75 are not any better than the guns you list; just different. But they are both extremely successful, high quality pistols that are a joy to own and shoot. I have a lightweight Hi Power that's actually lighter than a G19, yet I'm holding a full sized Hi Power. It has a great trigger, un-matched ergonomics (with Spegel grips), and reliability to match any Glock. But it lacks the overall toughness of a Glock, Sig, or even the CZ. So like a S&W 19 back in the day, I tend to practice with lighter loads than what I normally carry and save the hot stuff for specific practice & carry. Just want to save wear and tear on an outstanding carry pistol.

I carried an all steel Hi Power for many years, and they're only 2oz heavier than a LW Commander, so they're pretty light for an all steel gun; the same can be said for the CZ. But in this day, unless you just love the pistol and want to carry it for that reason, there are better choices for a carry piece. But at the range, or for home protection, both the HP and CZ will serve you just as well as any other pistol in the world.

More often than not, when I carry I'm carrying a modern Tupperware pistol; they just make a lot of sense. They're cheaper, more reliable, sometimes just as accurate, they take abuse much better, and if you trash one or lose one...well, you just go buy another one.

BHP and CZ75 are pretty comfortable guns ergonomically. Lot of people find the Beretta grip a bit on the large size and are offended that it replaced the 1911. Sigs are well made but strike me as the least inspiring DA/SA design of the popular guns.

Because they fit my smallish hands and point very well for me.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ What everyone else said. Since you haven't handled them, you certainly SHOULD, they are a joy to handle, and fit most hands like a custom glove. They are really nice pistols.

That said, they aren't as practical as the newer, plastic-framed guns, which are usually lighter and carry more ammo, but those old guns will shoot better, for the most part. The new guns are neat, too,

I just came really close to buying a SIG 320/M17 this week, but got a good dose of 1911 instead, I like those old steel guns better. Probably always will.

Just beware on the cz’s they are like chips, can’t have just one. I started out with a CZ-75 SP01 and now have an a 75 pre-b, a 75b, a p-01, and just ordered out a shadow 2 target gun. The fit the hand great and shoot very well. And easy to get a nice trigger pull. Check out the parts and guns from parts houses like Cajun gunworks or CZCustom. They turning out really nice stuff that still feels like a real gun(metal). Plus they make hammer and striker fired polymer guns if that blows up yer skirt.

Sometimes you just find one you like. Happy hunting.

They both feel really good in the hand, point naturally, and are generally very reliable and rugged. Some people find the Beretta to be too large for there hands.

This.

the first hi power i shot was back in the 70 's, a 13round mag was kind of a novelty then. I fell in love with the way it felt in the hand, and when i first shot it, i dumped 13rounds in the center of a wheel rim at about 25yards.
The cz75's came after some other cz's i had collected from WWII, and i remembered coopers remarks on them.
they fit really well in the hand, i am left handed and they are ambi, and are kind of like to me a newer hi power.
that extends to the cz 82 and 83 too.
shooting one pretty much will tell you why they are liked so much.

The grip.

Both do a good job ergonomically, they're reliable, decently accurate, and weigh enough (esp. steel framed) to be pleasant for virtually everyone to shoot. The CZ 75-B is the one I prefer, as it fits me a bit better than the BHP, and is notably less expensive new than a nice condition Browning. Both are easy enough to come by in my part of WI. CZ-USA has a solid dealer locator on their site. The BHP is a GB bid or buy it now and FFL transfer away.

"I think everyone gets so caught up in the search for "The Best", and often just miss out on guns that are really great. I mean, it doesn't have to be the greatest of an era, or the best of all time, to be just ... GREAT!!!"

**

True, GunGeek. Like the perfect woman--an endless accumulation of data and changing opinions. At the very least, the passage of time produces a usable consensus for comparisons--unlike rounds of internet voting, articles and group think. Not to say new ideas don't have merit.

A small percentage of guys are going to outperform no matter what is in-between their hands. Provided it performs as advertised, personal preference carries most weight for me longer-term. The CZ, to me, feels as close to the HP as anything I have ever tried yet gives a guy a different start-up system...:)

Rather than just reading through that thread, I charted them and lots of handguns got an honorable mention and a couple got one or two nominations, but those two were over a dozen for the Browning and a close runner up for the CZ 75. I'm going to have to wonder where triplem is finding those CZ's in the area. UPS and Gun Broker goes everywhere, but having kind of a large mitt myself, I'd like to finger some to see if they would fit.

I believe the thread said "favorite", not "best."
"Best" threads will take off and go all kinds of places, but could very likely end up in fanbois hurling insults at each other.
"Favorite" is different. As long as it works acceptably and you don't need "better" for competition or real combat, there can be all manner of reasons for favorite. Perhaps it is your favorite because you think it is the best. Perhaps you have other reasons.
I happen to think the HP is perhaps the coolest looking semi-auto pistol ever produced. I'd love to own one "just because." But I'm not willing to pay for one "just because." I did drop $225 on a Bowie knife recently, purely as an objet d'art, so I do get the concept. But I've never been willing to pay the bill for a HP. If I were to ever encounter a stupid good deal on a HP, I'd snatch it up and probably wouldn't resell it even though I could make some good money.

I only carried a Hi Power briefly in the late eighties. There are better choices, but I wouldn’t be without one in my collection just based on cool factor. Nostalgia, too. Same for 1911s. Too many reasons to carry a Glock to carry either a Hi Power or 1911, but I still enjoy owning them and occasionally shooting them.

some fn belgian hp's are floating around out there, originally made for israeli's.
i think few years ago when they started coming in about 450bucks. didn't have the high gloss finish, but still they were hipowers.
then there are the argentine's.
i debated about it for a long time, but finally acquired one of the early feg's, it in actuality is not a bad pistola.

If you have pretty large hands, consider one of the competition model Tanfoglios (imported by EAA as Witness models) rather than the CZ. The Tanfos are based on the 75 as well, but the competition models imported in the US are almost all large frames (same size frame for 9mm as for 10mm and 45) and they fit large hands better. You can distinguish the competition models by the square trigger guard, standard models have a round trigger guard. A couple examples are the Stock II and Stock III; I picked up a Stock II recently myself after owning some of the standard models, and like it.

One nice thing about the CZ/Tanfo 75-based guns are the full length slide rails, and good reputation for accuracy from either brand. The steel frame models of either one tend to be very flat shooting, with lots of mass in the frame and relatively light weight slides.

Had a Tanfo 75 in the early 90's outshot more than one Sig,Berreta,Glock...yes I said it. Old man at range had a Sig 210 that I could put a scare into...but Joe always got me@40 yard line. He was a good winner though pointing out to all that my $259.00 Tanfo was near his $1850.00 Sig. Wish I had that Tanfo back.(sad face)

I've had a Talfoglio TZ-75 Witness since the early 1990s. It does shoot quite well. It being so heavy probably has something to do with that.

I’ve shot and worked on some Tanfoglios and they are definitely good shooting guns. They are heavy things but I suppose that’s part of what makes them easy to shoot.

The FEG HiPowers are good pistols for the money. In the 90’s there was a few articles speculating that quality was about on par with some of the 70s and 80s production Brownings. I had one as one of my first centerfire handguns and it was a solid performer.

Another thing I like about the BHP that has been mentioned before in this thread is that I think they are one of the best looking auto pistols out there. My engraver buddy did a CZ75 with an old Westley Richards pattern that he silver inlaid that was a dang nice looking unit as well. Wish I had a pic of it.

The CZ I'll find on and off at a few of their stocking dealers in NE WI. Usually I hit Precision Gun Works out on 44.

I’ve had a Sign226. Thick grips were not to my liking. Made like a tank. I bought a cz 75 b compact (safety design). I added the Cajun Gunworks Pro Kit and night sights. I love to shoot this pistol. The ergonomics are great. The grip circumference is neutral IMO. Someone with big mitts might find it difficult to shoot. The 75 isn’t perfect out of the box having a long and hard trigger pull. They shoot well but taming the trigger makes it a fine shooting pistol.

I have the all steel version. I wish that I’d gone for the alloy frame version. It shaved off 1/2 pound making it an easier carry. I can’t remember the loaded weight of my compact but it is certainly heavier than a polymer pistol. I don’t know if a polymer pistol that could come close to the upgraded trigger system that I installed. It’s like butter.

I like my CZ 75 D P-01 Compact very much. It’s alloy framed and carries nicely IWB. I slightly prefer a Glock, however. Although, if all I had was the CZ, I’d have no problem with that at all.