Glock 34 vs Browning Hi-Power. Your experience sought.

[SteelEye]

I'm looking for an accurate 9mm that must be single action or not DA/SA. I will be using this gun for IDPA, Action Pistol (IPSC sorta), range work but no defense.

I have a small amount of experience with Glocks but none with BHP. I'd like to get a opinions of members who shoot or own both.

I'm one of the rare birds that owns Sigs (226, 228) and dislikes them because of the trigger.

Thanks,
SteelEye

[bountyh]

If you want a really good trigger, forget the BHP and go with a 9mm 1911. I own an STI Trojan in 9mm and I don't think you'll find a better shooting, more accurate auto under $1000.

http://www.rushusa.com/html/products/sti/trojan.html

You really don't want a Glock if you have a trigger finger that wants a clean, crisp trigger. I have the same liking and I absolutely can't stand a Glock trigger. Try some out before you buy.

BTW: if you do buy a BHP, you can plan on it needing a trigger job straight out of the box before you will like the trigger (and it can not be made to be as crisp as a 1911 trigger).

[Bartholomew Roberts]

I own a Hi-Power and a Glock 26. I've also shot the Glock 34 in IDPA-style competition.

More than anything I'd say it is a matter of personal preference. If you like your Glock right now, then I would stay with the 34.

I prefer the Hi-Power myself and that is what I carry. The Glock 26 is an excellent gun; but I am just more comfortable with the Hi-Power. I like both guns but I have a real hard time transitioning between them.

The main things I like about the Glocks are the short trigger reset, tennifer-treated steel and I don't sweat banging them up as much. One thing that drives me nuts with Glocks is that my strong hand thumb almost always ends up resting on top of the slide release and keeping it from locking the slide back (particularly if I am squeezing the pistol hard or preoccupied with other things as is common in IDPA scenarios).

With the Hi-Power, I like the smoother trigger, the almost negligible muzzle jump in rapid fire, and a much more ergonomic set of controls. The only downsides I have seen to it in IDPA are that the long trigger reset on the MkIII takes a bit of getting used too (especially if you are used to 1911s or Glocks) and the magazine disconnect can be a pain - although most people just remove it.

I'd definitely try and rent or borrow a Hi-Power so you can see if it fits your personal tastes first.

[Pampers]

The BHP is THE way to go. There's no better Hi cap 9mm than the BHP, and it'll do just fine in Enhanced Service Pistol. You CAN spend megabucks on a custom 9mm Large Capacity 1911, but Why?

Bad trigger? Mine is quite good. If you want a great trigger, contact Cylinder & Slide www.cylinder-slide.com and they'll make you a BHP as slick as you could want!


Yr. Obt. Svnt.

[hksigwalther]

Have a BHP and a G34. I do prefer the BHP mainly because it feels better grip-wise. Also seems to be more solidly built as it is all metal. Nothing against plastic.

[gryphon]

Browning HP's are sweet 9mm pistols. I have one of the clones from FEG, and it only falls behing my 1911.

[midnight]

I've shot IDPA with my G34, and turned good results for a first timer. There is a lot that can be done with the Glock trigger. This is a list of mods to my G34s trigger, and it is one sweet pull, IMO:
1. 3.5 lb connector
2. lightning strike titanium striker
3. wolf reduced power striker spring
4. Glockmeister trigger spring
5. complete polish

I got the LS titanium striker for $25, so all of that together was only $41.

[dfm]

I have both. The HP is one of the finest feeling and handling pistols in the world. With that said, I would still opt for the G34. Absolutely foolproof with minimum maintenance, accurate, and just about the perfect weight as a platform for the 9mm cartridge. The trigger can be made into a relatively close copy of a tuned 1911 with a little imagination and about $30 worth of new parts. About the only thing I had to readjust to was the Glock grip after having shot 1911/HP style pistols for so long. But even that can be modified into what you want since plastic can be easily reshaped. There's 5-6 outfits that can handle that aspect for you.

dfm

[SteelEye]

Guys,
These are great posts. And you got me to thinking about a couple of other things.

When you say accurate, can you give group sizes at 25 yards? I use 25 since this is more or less a standard of a pistol's accuracy. Cartridge info could be helpful.

Muzzle flip. Which is the faster shooter for rapid fire since the majority of most action pistol events require 2 shots to a silhouette. Is one more "flippy" then the other?

What sights are you using? Stock or custom?

Thanks to all for this information.
SteelEye

[Jeff OTMG]

It doesn't matter which one you get because they are used in different classes.

The BHP will be shooting in ESP and you will be able to use the 10 round mag as an advantage over some of the single stacks with 9 rounds. I like the grip on the HP better than a 1911 as well. Excellent triggers pulls can be had on a Browning by relocating the trigger bar as was done stock on the GP Comp model. The pull weight immediately drops one pound and a 3 pound trigger is very easy to achieve.

The G34 would shoot in SSP. It is the choice for winning that class. It can also have trigger work done. Mine are just under 4 pounds with no take up. A buddy of mine who use to shoot on the Bushnell Holosight pistol team has a Glock 17 that he shoots in Bianchi Cup and a Glock 24 that he shoots in IPSC and both have 1.9 pound rolling triggers. Rolling triggers are very popular in International Rapid Fire competition as well.

[SteelEye]

What are rolling triggers? Is that something that needs to be sent out or is that a do-it-your-self project?

[Jeff OTMG]

A single action trigger on a semiauto, as we know it, ideally is a clean, crisp, pull. There will be little to no take up and no overtravel.

A double action trigger as found on a semiauto or revolver is a long heavy pull that results in a hammer retracting and falling.

On a striker fired pistol, like a Glock, there is a long take up and a definate engagement point that, when passed, results in the striker being released and the pistol firing.

A rolling trigger is a trigger found on a semiautomatic that has a long pull, as on a DA or striker fired gun, but there is no decernable resistance or 'event' which lets the shooter know the gun is about to fire. There is a rolling trigger group that can be fitted to a Walther OSP for International Rapid Fire competition. They are used when engaging multiple targets so the shooter can get a 'rhythm' going when moving from target to target. Rather than aim, click, move, aim, click, move, aim, click... there is a long pull that allows the shooter to move more smoothly from target to target. It is the reason that Bianchi Cup is dominated by revolver shooters, the long pull allows a rhythm to be established. On the Glock 17 and 24 that Dwight Shepard shoots you would see the long trigger pull that Glocks are known for, but the resistance from the beginning to the end of travel does not vary. That is about 1.9 pounds and through that travel the striker is pulled and released. You can't tell that you are pulling back the striker and there is no resistance when it is released.

I assume that you are referring to the do it yourself job on the Glock pistol. The only person that I know that is capable of doing this is Vern Slunaker at S&S Guns in Slidell, La. Dwight is the only person that I know of that has had this work done and it is on race guns. I would not say that Vern is somehow the only person in the world capable of doing that work, you might be another, but he is the only one that I know of. On the Walther OSP it is a factory trigger pack. I do not know if other makers like Hammerli or Pardini offer a rolling trigger option.

[SDC]

I've got a Hi-Power and a 17 (and I've shot the 34), and if you're OK with the Glock trigger, I'd stick with the 34. The extra weight out front will make it less "flippy" than the Hi-Power, and I've never seen a 34 have feeding trouble the way I've seen some Hi-Powers have. Also, if you have large or meaty hands, the Glock isn't nearly so likely to "bite" you; I can't shoot my H-Power without getting nipped by the hammer.

[AndABeer]

nuther thing to consider with the uses you have mentioned is trigger reset, the action stuff requires rapid shooting and a good short trigger reset aids in shooting fast and accurately, I really like my HP but it's long trigger reset is not a plus, Glocks have one of the better resets out there

[bountyh]

On my BHP, I find it to be "nose-light" and hard to control in rapid fire even shooting 9mm. That may be because I have larger hands that don't fit the gun well (the HP is better fitted to small hands). You can get a HP trigger pull down to about 3.2# using the aftermarket sear lever made by C+S. Requires having the slide bored for the new pin and a trigger job. C+S quoted me around $280 for that job last month.

As far as the 9mm 1911 being "handicapped" by holding 9 rounds, most people use the 10-round .38S magazines that work pretty well in most guns. I put increased capacity followers in all my MEC-GAR 9mm mags so they all hold 10 rounds now (work perfectly). As for shooting: a full sized 1911 in 9mm is very easy to control and has almost no muzzle rise.

[AndABeer]

if you look at this from a "gamer" view point 9 rounders may actually be a plus, in IDPA most courses of fire require that you load mag capacity (assuming gelded Klinton mags) + 1 chambered, with a nine round mag you end up with a total of ten, if you then put two to each target you will not lock back in the middle of a pair, were you to have a ten rounder you would have to reload in the middle of a pair which seemed to throw my rhythm of, seemed to be a slight advantage when I used my 10mm single stacks (9 rounders) in IDPA

[wolfman97]

the G17 and the BHP. I prefer the BHP. For one thing, the lines are just a bit more tasteful and classier. For another, I just can't seem to miss with the BHP no matter what I do. It seems to point and shoot better than any other weapon I have ever had. I can bounce tin cans like Clint Eastwood in a western movie until the cans are too far away to see. I can do reasonably well with the G, too, but that bouncing tin cans stuff just doesn't seem to come as easy.

And, it just "feels right" -- to my particular hands, anyway. YMMV