Sticky Browning High Power 9mm I own a Browning HighPower Practical Model that is harder that the daylights to put into battery from a closed condition. I have replaced the factory mainspring with a wolf spring kit that is supposed to reduce the slide to a 3-4 pound pull. I even have gone so far to cut some turns from the spring to further reduce the slide pull but it is still stiffer than I like to admit. I would hate to get in a fire fight with this gun cuz I would lose just because I couldn't get the gun into battery safely or fast enough.
Any suggestions as to what I might do to make this pistol easier to shoot without making it unsafe?
Thank you all in advance for any suggestion that might help me with this frustrating matter. I love the gun. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for the HighPower. I had one when I was younger that was a two finger to battery gun so I know they can be made easier to shoot.
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Carry it with one in the chamber. This will take away the need of having to worry about if you can rack it fast enough to respond to the threat. As carrying a round in the chamber does not affect the safety of the gun. It will not fire until something pulls the trigger. So if you have a holster that has trigger guard and know how to draw your gun you should have nothing to worry about.
+1 on keeping one in the chamber.....
Is the "practical" a different length than standard... and if so, is the replacement spring you bought the correct one? Not that it makes much sense since you said it had the same issue before you replaced it.
How many rounds have been run through this pistol? It may just need broken in some to loosen things up a bit... I too love the High Power... No other pistol fits my hands as well as they do.
Leave me alone... and I will leave you alone....
Don't poke a wolverine with a sharp stick unless you want your balls ripped off.
Don't start nuthin, wont be nuthin.....
I've got a couple questions for clarification.Originally Posted by Azman
I hate to come off like a nitpicker but you are saying one thing and then throwing around terms that mean something completely different.
1. Is the general issue that the slide is hard to pull back to chamber a round or is the problem the slide won't go all the way forward? (You are saying one thing but 'in battery' refers to the other.)
2. The spring you changed and cut- is it the one under the barrel (the recoil spring) or is it the one in the backstrap of the grip frame that the hammer compresses when it is pulled back (the main spring)?
IF you meant what I think you meant (the slide is too hard to pull back to chamber a round) then changing the recoil spring (the one under the barrel) like I think you did isn't the best thing to do to fix the problem.
That spring's primary job it to absorb part of the recoil of a fired round. Go too heavy on that spring and the gun won't cycle. Going too light, on the other hand, can lead to excessive wear on the frame and all kinds of problems like the firing pin still protruding during ejection. THAT one can lead to a broken firing pin. Basically, screwing with that spring is gonna mess up the timing of the action during firing and that is never good. If you were only shooting a very light load with a light bullet, sure change the spring but doing it for any other reason is just gonna accelerate the wear and tear on the gun in question.
The mainspring (one hidden in the backstrap of the grip frame), on the other hand, MAY be a better place to start. The ONLY thing that spring does is push the hammer forward when the trigger is pulled, so the resistance of the hammer being cocked right at the beginning of the slide's movement may be your issue. They are normally stout enough to work in the suspension of most medium or heavy duty trucks. Check with Wolff and see if they have some reduced power main springs. If you can find a kit, that would be the way to go because you don't know just how far you can go.
The problem arises when you go to too light a main spring for reliable ignition and you end up getting light primer strikes. I've seen competition pistols that were set up with main springs that were so light that they would only fire Federal primers (widely known in reloading circles as the most sensitive) reliably. Try shooting Winchester or Remington primed ammo (about middle of the road as far as primer sensitivity goes) in them and they go 'click' as often as they go 'BANG!'.
Aexanda45,
The 'Practical' model is outfitted with a big set of adjustable target sights and were once offered in a 2 tone blued over matte chrome. No long slides or anything else special that I've been able to find. I had one back in the mid '90's and it was not more accurate than any of the fixed sight commercial models that I have owned.
Re: Aexandra45 The spring I am talking about is the main spring. I am having trouble opening the slide and then releasing it to chamber a round. I have seen some fellas that can open the chamber to check if a round is present with two fingers. I damn near need a c-clamp to open that HighPower. It became considerably better when I lightened the main spring but it is still real hard to chamber a round. I have been under the impression that a gun that is cocked and locked is considered to be in battery. Correct me if I am wrong. Thank you
Re:Kasper and Aexandra45
I like the idea of carrying one in the chamber. I just wish it wasn't so hard to get that round in the chamber. You also might have something as far as to tight because of newness. I bought this gun off a dealer in AZ back in "05 and haven't shot it much since '07. I have applied for a pistol permit in the great Democratic Republic of New York and they are backed up for months!!
Thanks for the feedback. I truly appreciate it!
Azman
I assume you are in AZ, so I'm checking with from friends that live out that way to see if there's any good Hi-Power 'smiths (or at least ones that actually knowledgeable about the design) in your neck of the woods. Every Hi-Power I've ever owned (and that's better than a half dozen from 4 different countries) didn't have the issue that you are talking about. Since you have a fairly recently built Belgian made and Portuguese assembled Browning, folks ought to be able to delve in its' internal workings to make sure there's nothing seriously wrong.
The best folks at working on Hi Powers would be either Cylinder and Slide in Nebraska or Wayne Novak up in West Virginia. The problem is, they both are really high (you gotta pay for quality work and both of their work is impecable) and their turnaround time can get outrageous (I know, you can get fast or you can get good but rarely both).
I assume you live in AZ, so I'm checking with some folks I know out that way to see if there are some good Hi Power Smiths out that way (or at least some that are knowledgeable with the design). Gimme a day or so for them to get back with me and maybe we can find somebody near you. Without being able to handle the gun myself, I really can't figure out what may be the issue. Maybe there's somebody that's knowledgeable close to you that can lay hands on it and figure out if there's something seriously wrong.
The best folks to work on a Hi Power by far are either Cylinder and Slide in Nebraska or Wayne Novak in West Virginia (yeah, the sight guy). The problem is, both of them are high (but you get impeccable work) and their turnaround time is slow (you can get good or you can get fast but rarely can you get both).
Ok I hope you cleaned it before putting it away for storage.I think that if you break it down and oil it it might help. Also when you are able to go to the range run 300 rounds through it to get it loosened back up. After that if you are still having trouble take it to a gunsmith.
I actually live in upstate New York. But thanks for the feedback about the gunsmiths. I will look into that route when I win the lottery. Thanks.
#1 So when you first bought it in 2005 was it as hard to rack as it is now?
#2 How many rounds have you fired through the gun?
If the answer to number one is COLOR="red"]NO[/COLOR] then I would suggest firing 300 rounds through it to get it broke in and loosened up.
If the answer to number one is YES answer the second question so we can get an idea of how broken in the gun is.
As for gun smiths if it is a simple fix it shouldn't cost more then $40 dollars to get it fixed.
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