The Browning Hi Power for Home Defense

Sometimes the oldies really are goodies.  An excellent choice is the Browning Hi Power for home defense.  I was introduced to it back in the SF Weapons Sergeant course as a weapon that is used worldwide.

If you want a gun that feels like it was made for your hands, this might be the one for you.  The grips and ergonomics are among the best of any pistol made.  They handle well, are balanced, have good capacity, and they point great. If you haven’t seen one for a few years, take a look at the new ones Browning came out with a couple years ago.  There is a new three point sight, the safety has been made ambidextrous and the grips have been improved even more.

The Browning Hi Power for Home Defense

Probably the most controversial issue in the Power modifications is the magazine safety. This device prevents the firing of a chambered round if the magazine is removed. Basically, the pistol cannot be fired with the magazine removed.

Many people remove the magazine disconnect to allow the magazine to drop free when released and to be able to fire the weapon without a magazine in place if necessary. You have to think about this before you do it. There are a couple issues.  First, if and when you get into a threat situation and end up using your weapon, removal of a safety device even if it has nothing to do with the shooting might be used against you in court.  Also you have to make doubly sure that your weapon will not fall into the hands of children who may think the weapon is safe if the magazine is removed. If you decide you want the magazine safety removed, a good gunsmith should be able to do it for you, no problem. You decide what’s best for your own situation.

Like most M1911s, the Hi Power is a single action pistol meaning that you have to manually pull the hammer back to fire the weapon. If you are only used to double action pistols you are going to have to think about how you are going to carry the pistol, condition one, two or three (one = hammer back, round in the chamber, two = round in the chamber, hammer down, three = chamber empty, hammer down). I will save a debate of the conditions for another post.

The Hi Power can be a bit pricey so I would look around at gun shows and pawn shops to see if you can find a good deal on one.  Even if you can’t afford it, I suggest you find one to fire. It is a sweet weapon which will give you a whole new perspective on how a gun can feel.

Check out the short little review of the Hi Power below.  Leave a comment and share the post around.

Photo credit: KevlarSix