Browning Hi Power accuracy

lowrider · December 27, 1999, 03:21 PM

I recently bought a used Hi Power. It seems very inaccurate to me. I have shot reloads(which are accurate in everything else), factory ammo from Federal and Winchester, and even some military ammo. I am usually getting 6" groups, sometimes larger, from 15 yds. I even tried a rest, to make sure it wasn't me, still about the same.
Has anyone else experienced similar results with Hi Powers? Am I expecting too much? I can't feel any play in the barrel lockup, everything seems tight.
I am thinking of buying an aftermarket barrel. Any suggestions as to which barrel? I have heard good things about BarSto.
Any comments or suggestions will be appreciated.

Enigma · December 27, 1999, 04:01 PM

My Hi-Power is very accurate. I can easily get a one inch group at the distance you mention in you post. If you are looking for a barrel you might try Brownells....they have an Olympic Arms match grade barrel for $94.00 (515-623-4000). If you talk to their tech support people they should be able to help you. Good Luck!

James K · December 27, 1999, 04:35 PM

Hi, Lowrider,

What shape is the barrel in? Any even reasonably new barrel should do better than that. Look at the muzzle especially for any sign of uneveness or damage. (The trigger pull on those guns can be long, but that should not bother an experienced shooter.) If the barrel is OK, I think I would look at some other things, like fit of barrel to slide and fit of slide to frame. Buying a new barrel could help, if can be fitted to the slide, but otherwise might not solve the problem.

You don't indicate if the group is even or is strung out, vertically or horizontally. This can be a tipoff as to where to look for the problem.

Jim

Lavan · December 27, 1999, 05:18 PM

I don't know if slide to frame fit even matters anymore. I bought a Portuguese made
Browning and the slide feels like a spoon in a drinking glass. However, the barrel/slide fit is like a vault. It shoots very very tight groups.

lowrider · December 27, 1999, 05:41 PM

Thanks for the replies. I looked at the bore, and saw nothing out of the ordinary, and the crown had no dents or dings. I felt the barrel to slide fit, and it seems pretty tight. Even the frame to slide fit is not too bad.
The trigger has had some work, and is pretty good. I don't have a trigger scale, but I would guess about 5.5 lbs and crisp letoff, mag safety removed.
There is no pattern that I noticed, it seemed pretty random. I will get two good shots, then one 4" out at 11:00, then another good one, then one at 2:00, etc.

Enigma-Do you have any experience with the Olympis Arms barrels? Never heard of them, but the price is better than the $150 for the BarSto.Thanks again....

Grayfox · December 27, 1999, 06:17 PM

Maybe you just need some time to get used to it.
Lots of possabilities. I suggest you go back to the range. This time take along a friend and several different types of ammo. Have your friend watch you shoot to see if you might be flinching, jerking, etc. Have the friend shoot the gun and see what results they have. Try different brands and weights of bullets.
Some guns are just finicky. Once you figure out its quirks, you'll be just fine.

Sierra · December 27, 1999, 07:29 PM

I have two High Powers, one a MK III and the other is an Argentine MK II clone. The MK III will do 2.00-2.25 inches at 25 yards the Argentine will do about 3.00 inches. How is your shooting with other pistols? Maybe your pistol needs a trip to the gunsmith.

Stephen A. Camp · December 27, 1999, 08:57 PM

Greetings, Lowrider. In your post, you mention that you bought a "used Hi Power." What model? Was it a MkIII, MkII, or one of the "pre-Mk" commercials? The reason I ask is that beginning with the MkII's, I saw very nice increases in intrinsic accuracy with these guns right out of the box. I've shot HPs since the late 60's and early 70's and while my early guns (those that I still have) were accurized with Bar-Sto bbls, etc, I've seen no need whatsoever to do this with my current MkIII's. Several name 'smiths have noticed this as well. What about the sights?
Could the sights be giving you problems maintaining the same poa? If you like and are a reloader, I'll be happy to give you a couple of loads that have shot in every HP they've ever been tried in. Surprisingly, the most accurate HP, I've ever fired besides their now defunct GP model, was a Chinese surplus job. Let me know about the reloads and best to all.

FireForged · December 27, 1999, 10:49 PM

I bought my BHP back in the good ole 80's. I have pumped many many rounds through it without any problems and the groups were always around 3" at 15 yards. It has to be the pistol because my groups are twice that with a my friends Beretta 92.

Enigma · December 27, 1999, 11:16 PM

Hi Lowrider: Check out the Olymia website: www.olyarms.com/usa.html They have a special on their pistol barrels at this time. They are offering 20% off the msrp!! Check it out! Their match grade barrels are all made from stainless steel and are a real bargain!

Enigma

lowrider · December 28, 1999, 04:48 PM

My Hi Power is indeed a "pre-MK" commercial model. I'm not sure if the sights are the source of my problems. The gun has adjustable sights, I am not sure if they are original equipment or aftermarket. They look like Millett sights, but I am not sure. BTW, Steven A. Camp, how bad were your early HP's shooting before accurizing?Just curious.
Maybe another trip to the range this weekend, I will try another factory load, maybe some Remington. Although, I would prefer my gun shoot at least reasonably well with most factory ammo.
Those Olympic barrels are on sale, maybe I will just take a chance and order one...Thanks for the tip, Enigma.And thanks to everyone for the input.

Stephen A. Camp · December 29, 1999, 07:29 AM

Hello, Lowrider. My older HPs shot about 3.5" at 25 yards with most jacketed loads, but cast bullet loads were useless in the standard bbl. Also, the guns seemed very, very load dependent for good groups and while this is always true, the newer MkIIIs seem less prone to this and work better with cast bullets. The BarStos do improve cast bullet accuracy even today as the 1:16 twist seems more lead-compatable than the Browning's 1:10. Current MkII and MkIIIs seem to group under 3" at 25 yards and sometimes much better right out of the box with ammo they like and no larger than 3" with most any ammo. Of course, there was always the exception back then. For example, one Chinese surplus HP I shot, grouped like a match gun. Go figure. Best.

lowrider · December 29, 1999, 08:03 PM

Thanks, Steven A. Camp. I was thinking about the BarSto, but the Olympic barrel is about half the price, I think I am going to go with that. I'm not looking for match accuracy, if I can get 3" groups at 25yds, I would be happy. Your info has been most helpful, and if I ever get off my lazy butt and get my Dillon set up again, I might take you up on the reload info.

December 27, 1999, 03:21 PM	#1
lowrider Member Join Date: November 2, 1999 Location: Virginia Posts: 67	I recently bought a used Hi Power. It seems very inaccurate to me. I have shot reloads(which are accurate in everything else), factory ammo from Federal and Winchester, and even some military ammo. I am usually getting 6" groups, sometimes larger, from 15 yds. I even tried a rest, to make sure it wasn't me, still about the same. Has anyone else experienced similar results with Hi Powers? Am I expecting too much? I can't feel any play in the barrel lockup, everything seems tight. I am thinking of buying an aftermarket barrel. Any suggestions as to which barrel? I have heard good things about BarSto. Any comments or suggestions will be appreciated.

December 27, 1999, 04:01 PM	#2
Enigma Member Join Date: December 1, 1999 Location: Santa Rosa, California Posts: 46	My Hi-Power is very accurate. I can easily get a one inch group at the distance you mention in you post. If you are looking for a barrel you might try Brownells....they have an Olympic Arms match grade barrel for $94.00 (515-623-4000). If you talk to their tech support people they should be able to help you. Good Luck!

December 27, 1999, 04:35 PM	#3
James K Member In Memoriam Join Date: March 17, 1999 Posts: 24,383	Hi, Lowrider, What shape is the barrel in? Any even reasonably new barrel should do better than that. Look at the muzzle especially for any sign of uneveness or damage. (The trigger pull on those guns can be long, but that should not bother an experienced shooter.) If the barrel is OK, I think I would look at some other things, like fit of barrel to slide and fit of slide to frame. Buying a new barrel could help, if can be fitted to the slide, but otherwise might not solve the problem. You don't indicate if the group is even or is strung out, vertically or horizontally. This can be a tipoff as to where to look for the problem. Jim

December 27, 1999, 05:18 PM	#4
Lavan Senior Member Join Date: December 10, 1999 Location: California Posts: 2,716	I don't know if slide to frame fit even matters anymore. I bought a Portuguese made Browning and the slide feels like a spoon in a drinking glass. However, the barrel/slide fit is like a vault. It shoots very very tight groups.

December 27, 1999, 05:41 PM	#5
lowrider Member Join Date: November 2, 1999 Location: Virginia Posts: 67	Thanks for the replies. I looked at the bore, and saw nothing out of the ordinary, and the crown had no dents or dings. I felt the barrel to slide fit, and it seems pretty tight. Even the frame to slide fit is not too bad. The trigger has had some work, and is pretty good. I don't have a trigger scale, but I would guess about 5.5 lbs and crisp letoff, mag safety removed. There is no pattern that I noticed, it seemed pretty random. I will get two good shots, then one 4" out at 11:00, then another good one, then one at 2:00, etc. Enigma-Do you have any experience with the Olympis Arms barrels? Never heard of them, but the price is better than the $150 for the BarSto.Thanks again....

December 27, 1999, 06:17 PM	#6
Grayfox Senior Member Join Date: December 17, 1998 Posts: 1,885	Maybe you just need some time to get used to it. Lots of possabilities. I suggest you go back to the range. This time take along a friend and several different types of ammo. Have your friend watch you shoot to see if you might be flinching, jerking, etc. Have the friend shoot the gun and see what results they have. Try different brands and weights of bullets. Some guns are just finicky. Once you figure out its quirks, you'll be just fine.

December 27, 1999, 07:29 PM	#7
Sierra Senior Member Join Date: November 29, 1998 Location: Portland,OR,USA Posts: 335	I have two High Powers, one a MK III and the other is an Argentine MK II clone. The MK III will do 2.00-2.25 inches at 25 yards the Argentine will do about 3.00 inches. How is your shooting with other pistols? Maybe your pistol needs a trip to the gunsmith.

December 27, 1999, 08:57 PM	#8
Stephen A. Camp Staff In Memoriam Join Date: April 16, 1999 Posts: 2,570	Greetings, Lowrider. In your post, you mention that you bought a "used Hi Power." What model? Was it a MkIII, MkII, or one of the "pre-Mk" commercials? The reason I ask is that beginning with the MkII's, I saw very nice increases in intrinsic accuracy with these guns right out of the box. I've shot HPs since the late 60's and early 70's and while my early guns (those that I still have) were accurized with Bar-Sto bbls, etc, I've seen no need whatsoever to do this with my current MkIII's. Several name 'smiths have noticed this as well. What about the sights? Could the sights be giving you problems maintaining the same poa? If you like and are a reloader, I'll be happy to give you a couple of loads that have shot in every HP they've ever been tried in. Surprisingly, the most accurate HP, I've ever fired besides their now defunct GP model, was a Chinese surplus job. Let me know about the reloads and best to all.

December 27, 1999, 10:49 PM	#9
FireForged Senior Member Join Date: November 4, 1999 Location: Rebel South USA Posts: 2,074	I bought my BHP back in the good ole 80's. I have pumped many many rounds through it without any problems and the groups were always around 3" at 15 yards. It has to be the pistol because my groups are twice that with a my friends Beretta 92.

December 27, 1999, 11:16 PM	#10
Enigma Member Join Date: December 1, 1999 Location: Santa Rosa, California Posts: 46	Hi Lowrider: Check out the Olymia website: www.olyarms.com/usa.html They have a special on their pistol barrels at this time. They are offering 20% off the msrp!! Check it out! Their match grade barrels are all made from stainless steel and are a real bargain! Enigma

December 28, 1999, 04:48 PM	#11
lowrider Member Join Date: November 2, 1999 Location: Virginia Posts: 67	My Hi Power is indeed a "pre-MK" commercial model. I'm not sure if the sights are the source of my problems. The gun has adjustable sights, I am not sure if they are original equipment or aftermarket. They look like Millett sights, but I am not sure. BTW, Steven A. Camp, how bad were your early HP's shooting before accurizing?Just curious. Maybe another trip to the range this weekend, I will try another factory load, maybe some Remington. Although, I would prefer my gun shoot at least reasonably well with most factory ammo. Those Olympic barrels are on sale, maybe I will just take a chance and order one...Thanks for the tip, Enigma.And thanks to everyone for the input.

December 29, 1999, 07:29 AM	#12
Stephen A. Camp Staff In Memoriam Join Date: April 16, 1999 Posts: 2,570	Hello, Lowrider. My older HPs shot about 3.5" at 25 yards with most jacketed loads, but cast bullet loads were useless in the standard bbl. Also, the guns seemed very, very load dependent for good groups and while this is always true, the newer MkIIIs seem less prone to this and work better with cast bullets. The BarStos do improve cast bullet accuracy even today as the 1:16 twist seems more lead-compatable than the Browning's 1:10. Current MkII and MkIIIs seem to group under 3" at 25 yards and sometimes much better right out of the box with ammo they like and no larger than 3" with most any ammo. Of course, there was always the exception back then. For example, one Chinese surplus HP I shot, grouped like a match gun. Go figure. Best.

December 29, 1999, 08:03 PM	#13
lowrider Member Join Date: November 2, 1999 Location: Virginia Posts: 67	Thanks, Steven A. Camp. I was thinking about the BarSto, but the Olympic barrel is about half the price, I think I am going to go with that. I'm not looking for match accuracy, if I can get 3" groups at 25yds, I would be happy. Your info has been most helpful, and if I ever get off my lazy butt and get my Dillon set up again, I might take you up on the reload info.