Browning's Hi-Power Mark III

 

Browning currently offers the Hi-Power 9mm pistol in three configurations; Hi-Power Mark III – Fixed Sights (Above), Hi-Power Standard – Adjustable Sights (Below) and Hi-Power Standard – Fixed Sights. All are available in 10 round and 13 round versions to meet individual state and local laws concerning magazine capacity. The Mark III has a black epoxy finish and polymer grips rather than the Standard’s black oxide finish and walnut grips. At $1,109.99, the Mark III MSRP is $90 less than the Standard. The history of the Hi-Power and John Browning’s association is addressed extensively, with hardcopy sources referenced, in a previous Real Guns article, The Browning Hi Power.
 

Top, the Browning Hi-Power Standard has a high polished and deeply blued finish, the slab grips are densely checkered walnut. The Mark III below has a matte black slide and satin frame, the finish is epoxy. The Mark III’s left grip integral thumb rest makes for a comfortable and well supported hold hold. The reach from backstrap to trigger suits medium to large hands; the wrist is set straight, trigger pull is straight back and the sights pull up level on a target.

The Hi-Power and its 1911 cousin…

While there are obvious similarities between John Browning’s design of the 1911 and the Hi-Power, there are some significant differences. Both are short recoil, tipping barrel, locking system handguns and both have radial locking lugs. However, the 1911 barrel has a pivoting link connecting the bottom lug of the barrel with the pin on the slide stop. It is this linkage that pulls the barrel downward to unlock as the slide travels rearward on discharge.

Model – Browning High Power Mark III
Company	Browning
Points of Manufacturer	Belgium – Portugal
UPC #	023614629924
Type of Action	Single Action Autoloader
Caliber	9mm
Capacity	10*
Barrel Length	4 5/8″
Barrel Material	Stainless
Barrel Finish	Natural
Rifling Twist Rate	1:10″
Slide Material	Forged Steel
Slide Finish	Black Oxide
Frame Material	Forged Steel
Frame Finish	Black Oxide
Grips	Checkered Polymer
Front Sight	Face Ramped
Rear Sight	Square Notch Three dot
Sight Radius	6 1/4″
Trigger Pull	9 1/2 Lbs
Weight of Firearm	32 Oz.
Overall Length	7 3/4″
Overall Height	5 1/4″
Width	1 1/4″
Thumb Safety	Ambidextrous
Drop Safety	None
Magazine Disconnect	Yes
Loaded Chamber Port	Yes
Integral Key Lock	No
CA Certified	Yes
MA Certified	No
MSRP	$1,109
*Also available with 13 Round Magazines where legal.

The Hi-Power does not have a pivoting link tying the barrel to the frame. The rear foot of the barrel’s lower lug moves rearward with slide and barrel when the pistol is discharged, until it encounters a wedge fixed in the frame. There, the rear of the barrel is driven downward and the barrel is unlocked from the slide. The slide stop is retained by the recoil spring cap and detent ball. First interaction with the function of the detent ball and recoil spring cap usually comes with the first attempt to remove the slide stop when the need to rotate the stop upward becomes evident.

The Browning Hi-Power as a double stack gun is wider than a 1911 Auto, however, the grip is significantly smaller than most double stack autoloaders. I would attribute the narrow feel to the pinch at the top of the grip frame that moves the hand closer to the trigger and shortens the trigger reach. A second noticeable difference is that, perhaps because of the longer barrel and slide, the 1911 feels nose heavy where the Hi-Power is balanced in the hand. The Hi-Power has no grip safety or removable barrel bushing. A final difference is in trigger feel and pull; the Browning Hi-Power’s addition springs, levers and mechanical advantage influences keep even a slicked up trigger hovering near 4 pounds.

The Browning Hi-Power is easy to take down for maintenance; pull the magazine, check for empty, lock the slide back with the thumb safety, push out the slide stop, release the slide and ease it off the frame. Missing is the presence of the 1911 Slinky spring and having to pull recoil spring plugs out of ceiling tiles.

 

Live fire…

Five types of factory ammunition were selected as representative of commonly used products, each with a different bullet profile. Shooting was done from a steady rest, approximately 18 rounds per type in this case; 6 for velocity and 12 for accuracy, 90 rounds in total. The intent was to get a sense of the pistol’s handling characteristics and general accuracy, not to perform a scientific study of either firearms or ammunition. That said, experience tells me that results of this type of check out are reflective of longer term and higher use expectations.

The broad Hi-Power’s grip, compared to the 1911’s narrow mainspring housing and grip safety, make it comfortable and steady in hand. No bites, no significant muzzle jump and always a feel of balance.

The drift adjustable sights are appropriate for the pistol’s intended application; self defense. They are clean in profile and fast on target. No attempt was made to drift the rear sight to alter point of impact. Group sizes were collected by aiming to a bullseye without adjusting for shifts in point of impact across ammunition types. The extreme shift across all ammunition types was approximately 2.5″. For personal use, ammo type would have been selected and sights adjusted to zero on the bullseye.

There were no negative issues regarding reliability. Mixed magazines or running common ammunition types, there were no jams, failure to feed or misfires. I’ve read Internet comments referencing “the common problem of being bitten by a Hi-Power” and what can be done to correct the problem. My response would be, learn how to hold a pistol, as a person’s hand would have to be up over the beavertail to be caught by the hammer.

Overall…

The Browning Hi-Power is the perfect pistol for anyone who likes the 1911 form, but wants a 9mm with greater magazine capacity, but not appreciably larger bulk. It is easy to shoot, easy to maintain and obviously not a bad looking pistol. I do believe I would opt for the standard model with oxide finish rather than epoxy as $90 more is not such a big financial leap for a significantly refined firearm. I do, however, prefer the form of the Mark III grips.

I am not quite sure why the Hi-Power trigger pull is so heavy. I am used to shooting pistols with very light and crisp triggers, mostly 1911 types, and I am used to shooting very heavy double action triggers, so it was not that difficult to acclimate myself to the 9 1/2 Lb Mark III trigger and shoot the pistol with accuracy. That said, there are many good shops that can put a clean 4 Lb trigger on a Hi-Power for about $140 and I think that is a worthwhile enhancement for a Hi-Power owner. It would be nice if Browning would drop pull to even a consistent 5 Lbs or, as S&W has done, offer a quick turn around custom shop trigger clean up option.

Ultimately, the Browning Hi-Power, Mark III or Standard remains the classic, high quality autoloader that has always instilled confidence in use and pride of ownership.