Friday, July 4, 2014

Browning Hi-Power Back From Surgery

Local gunsmith both removed the magazine disconnector and put the trigger back in action.  I haven't found my trigger pull scale yet (it's around here...somewhere), but it is immediately obvious that the trigger is crisper, and lighter.  I have another Browning Hi-Power, new in box, that I bought at the same time, and it still has the magazine disconnector.  What a difference, when you pull the triggers side-by-side.

The gunsmith also showed me a very clever trick for determining that pulling the trigger really does activate the firing pin without firing live ammo: stick a pencil down the barrel, and pull the trigger.  You will be amazed at how far the pencil flies.

8 comments:

  1. Yep. I've launched a few pencils dry firing BHP & 1911 pistols over the years. I've also removed the mag disconnect from BHP pistols I own/owned as well. Pretty simple process but advisable to have done by a gunsmith if one is looking for the most optional trigger pull.

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  2. One thing that I've noticed about removing the BHP's magazine disconnect itself is that the part's absence increases the overtravel of the trigger. I used to remove only the spring for the magazine disconnect. The tension of the trigger spring against the trigger lever was enough to disengage the now springless magazine disconnect.

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  3. Just in case I ever need anything done, who's the gunsmith you used?

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  4. Be careful, you'll put your eye out doing that.

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  5. Did you try my method on your Firestar?

    Oh, and when I mentioned this, I heard the same old scare tactic of "If you've modified your gun/handloaded your ammo, the Prosecutors will go after you." Are there any real cases of this?

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  6. Larry Cole 208-353-8424 is the gunsmith.

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  7. Mauser: I decided that the Firestar's trigger was sufficiently good that there was no need to modify it.

    I intend to write an article for Shotgun News about this question of legal liability. There is one case that Massad Ayoob ran into as an expert witness where this was used, it appears, primarily as a bargaining tactic by the prosecutor to get the defendant to plead to a negligent discharge (and perhaps with good reason), but all the other case law involves liability suits against manufacturers, not owners.

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  8. As I mentioned, it doesn't affect the trigger on the Firestar. Inserting the magazine disengages a tab that blocks the transfer bar. Removing it DOES allow the magazine to drop out freely though, and stops that scrape down the side of the mag near the back edge.

    Also, some VERY cool graphics on the functioning of a 1911: http://animagraffs.com/how-a-handgun-works-1911-45/

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