Got a high power a month or so ago.  Don't know a ton about them, but I have seen a couple videos that make it seem pretty easy.  Is there any downsides to doing it? Or at least precautions I should take?

I've got four BHP pattern pistols and the magazine disconnect has been removed from them all. It's a cheap and easy way to improve the trigger feel.

ETA: If it's used, put a new recoil spring in it.

No. Yank that sucker outta there.

The magazine safety is a feature that should never have been added in the first place.

I actually was lucky enough to pick up a NIB one from Belgium.  What springs should I stock up on?

Doing this mod, you should have a 2 coil trigger return spring.  A lot of new guns come with a slightly weaker 3 coil spring, the 2 coil is a bit more stout and makes for better trigger return.

I have only removed it from the guns that are "shooter" models for me, the others still have it intact.

The downside is the trigger reset "feel" is gone completely.    You almost have to let the trigger out all the way to fire the next shot.

It slows down shooting because of the long take-up,  But it's worth it.  Trigger feel is greatly improved that it outweighs the cons.

Replace the trigger spring with a 2 coil spring from Wolff to alleviate this

http://www.gunsprings.com/Semi-Auto%20Pistols/BROWNING/1935%20(HI%20POWER)/cID1/mID3/dID5

Not if you replace the trigger spring as I suggested two posts above yours...replacement of the spring is highly suggested for this type of reset issue.

A lot of people will make the point that removing a safety feature on a gun is a potential liability issue in court should you ever use your gun against an assailant.  I've testified a lot on the stand over the last 20 years of my LE career.  Though I'm no legal expert, I think I can draw some fairly accurate conclusions.  If you shoot someone, you will most likely be sued.  If you shoot someone with a Hi-Power that has had the mag disconnect removed, it will most likely be brought up in court if the defense knows about it.  If you are prosecuted in a criminal case, the chances that it becomes an issue are even higher.

That said, my wife's gun, which I put together, has no mag disconnect.  I refer to it as a magazine disconnect because nowhere does Browning or FN ever refer to it as a safety.  I see no reason to perpetuate the myth that the system is a safety and not what it truly is, a means to disconnect the trigger from the firing sequence when the mag is removed.

Some other food for thought.  If you shoot someone, let's assume everything goes well and the LE agency and/or prosecutor's office clear you.  They will examine your gun.  They may or may not notice or document that your gun is missing parts.  That's a big if.  I know the agency I work for would likely pick it up, and the county attorney's office would not bat an eye.  What I think most people should consider, if carrying a gun is something you choose to do, is know of an attorney you want if you ever need it.  

I can tell you this much.  The moment you shoot someone, the world becomes crowded with all types of people who will control your fate and Monday morning quarterback you.  Not having the name and number of an attorney in your wallet is something you may regret when you need it.  Anyway, a good attorney can argue on your behalf when either a prosecutor or attorney in a civil suit tries to paint you as a reckless trigger happy vigilante who wantonly took off his "magazine safety" for the sake of tuning his "hair trigger".  Me, I know who to call if I or my wife need it, and I made the choice to go to a C&S trigger with no provision for a mag disconnect.

Again, it's all food for thought.

Agreed!

Can you cite any cases in a civilian self-defense shooting that were successfully decided upon due to a firearm with modifications?

I could see it in an accidental shooting, or even an LE shooting where you might have to hold a suspect at gunpoint, but if I intend to shoot the guy, I don't see a 3# trigger or a 8# trigger having any bearing on my intent to shoot the guy.

Might as well try to hang me for having night sights that are too effective on my Glock.  "Your Honor, he had radioactive night vision assassin sights on his gun to make it easier to make deadly shots in the dark!"

Guys, my post was to make two points.  One, it's not a safety.  I know how attorneys are with regards to scouring the internet for tidbits they can use in court.  I think it might be counter productive to call the disconnect a safety if one doesn't have to.

Second, I said it's food for thought that you might be sued in a shooting.  I see it all the time.  I couldn't agree more that a good shoot is a good shoot. Nevertheless, it happens, and attorneys can be very unscrupulous.  I was involved in a very righteous shooting, but still the dead guy's mom tried to sue us.  It's just inevitable.

Can I cite specific civil cases?  No, I don't have a list of articles from Mas Ayoob or anything like that.  I've read enough instances where an attorney and sometimes even prosecutors get bent over things like "hair triggers".  The thing that always amazed me locally was the case of Harold Fish, who allegedly shot a charging hiker with a Kimber 10mm.  They made his choice of firearm out to be overkill.  Maybe apples and oranges, but to me it's similar.

Again, I just mention it as food for thought.  I stated that my own wife's Hi-Power is devoid of a mag disconnect.  The big thing, in my opinion, is to have a plan for legal defense if you ever get involved in a shoot, not keep from modifying your pistol.

There are legal databases that can be searched for case law if such a thing existed.

Lawyers can search the internet all they want, but if they want to use what we are talking about as an example, they would be using the same legal databases and primary sources that I am talking about.  If they want to win and not make a fool of themselves at least.  

The late, great Stephen A. Camp, who was also a po-lease for many a year, on magazine disconnects:

Disconnected his

Also, remove the spring under the sear lever in the bottom of the slide. The originals didn't have one (up until the Mk3s I believe, maybe Mk2s? I know my T-series didn't have one), and it will lighten up your trigger pull immensely...

if you used your pistol to protect life and limb...the prosecutor may try to discredit anything you did...but if you used it within the law, you should be just fine...if you want it removed, remove it...BUT make sure you change the trigger return spring mentioned above...VERY important...

Bill

While the originals didn't have it, the MKIII slides are not quite the same as the old days.  That spring helps the sear lever from dragging across the back of the frame, instead of removing it as mentioned, it has been suggested else where to clip a couple of coils off the spring.

See the small shiny spot on the edge of the frame adjacent to the hammer.

Hmm, seems to work fine for me...I'll give that a try though. Can't hurt.

Edit - gotcha...I'll check mine. Thanks!

You got it.

If the case rests upon the inclusion or deletion of certain parts of the firearm, you're already in a world of hurt.

Hobbs: Does Arizona state law insulate a defendant in a case of justifiable homicide from civil action? I know Michigan law does.

Damn.

No downside at all, remove and enjoy.

Not again...

Shit. That's a damn shame. Rest in peace, Detective. Prayers go out to his family.

will the wolff return spring and C&S trigger work in a FEG?

The downside to removing the mag safety is that if someone gets hold of your gun and the mag ejects doing so they can shoot you with the round in the pipe. I leave it to you to figure the odds of such an occurrence; I rounded it up to astronomical.


I suggest you hold off till its in your hands. My CDI izzy MKII needed no springs heavier or otherwise with the mag safety removed.

I order a pair of the 2 coil wolf springs for my 2 FN's with safeties removed.

Edit: Replaced the 3 coil trigger spring with the 2 coil wolf trigger spring and test fired my beater FN out back yesterday.
It is a significant improvement on trigger pull and trigger reset. Wish I would've know about that sooner.