Browning HP Lightweight (Aluminum Frame)

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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Browning HP Lightweight (Aluminum Frame)

Posted: 10/21/2015 10:06:20 AM EDT

I am looking for a BHP Lightweight but I don't know what they are worth. I've been told that most if not all you will come across are surplus and cosmetically they are rough but mechanically they are sound. Any insight on these, especially the price would be helpful. Thanks!

Posted: 10/21/2015 10:17:28 AM EDT

[#1]

I have two of them. I bought the first to send off for some work to make an awesome carry gun, then bought the second one because I wanted an original example. Most of them (all?) I've seen have had quite a bit of finish wear as well as dings in the frame.

Before and after of the 1st gun LW I bought:

The second LW I bought was in better shape:

Both of these were about $550 + shipping if I remember correctly. But, they were regularly showing up on Gunbroker when I bought these. I'd expect now it's going to be challenging to find one, and you'll have to pay the asking price. They're great for carry- the LW Hi Power weighs the same fully loaded as the steel gun does empty. But the frames are not built for hard use, I'd not recommend using any +P in them, and keep them away from high round count sports.

Posted: 10/21/2015 12:56:07 PM EDT

[#2]

Appreciate the information. I'd like to mount a Detective slide on one of these Lightweight frames but I understand there's some machining that has to be done to the barrel and frame to work properly. This is due to the round cam in the Lightweight and the oval cam in the Detectives and other forged/cast framed HPs..

Posted: 10/21/2015 3:37:40 PM EDT

[#3]

Just my opinion, but using an IWB holster, barrel length is not significantly related to concealability. The full size Hi Power is roughly the same size as a Glock 19, there's nothing to be gained by making it smaller. I'd hesitate to spend any money on making an Argentine slide work on an FN frame.

Posted: 10/21/2015 5:33:19 PM EDT

[#4]

That's good advice, appreciate it. It just came to mind. I'll probably get a Lightweight just to add to my collection of HP variants and keep the Detective as is for my EDC. Well, it has Novak sights and will get a refinish in the near future and a C&S extended safety. LOL!

Posted: 10/21/2015 7:18:37 PM EDT

[#5]

If one really wanted to slap a Det. slide onto an alloy, the easiest route likely would be to cut the barrel down from the alloy upper, provided it had a good fit with the det. slides lugs. And that would make your alloy upper useless.

I had bought mine when they were in the low $400's but you would be lucky to find one now for less $500 as there just isn't that many out there to be had.

Posted: 10/21/2015 10:49:56 PM EDT

[#6]

I found two of them for $700 each. The guy will let them both go for $1300. I really want one but not sure if I can sell one of them for $650 or not. Hate to get stuck with two of them. They're both in pretty good shape actually. Wish I knew what they are going for elsewhere but I can't find any anywhere else to compare. Should I take a chance on them?

Posted: 10/27/2015 2:02:05 PM EDT

[#7]

Well finding them on the second hand market is the challenge as when these did tickle in, it was in drips and drabs. I hadn't seen any for sale in sometime from the couple of places that had received the alloys originally.

I will tell you that I sold one that I had stippled and coated with Norrells for $900, but that was a couple of years ago and it sold fast.

Posted: 10/27/2015 2:21:14 PM EDT

[#8]

How about those polymer framed hipower from SA

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/Polymer%20Frame.htm

Posted: 10/27/2015 2:46:20 PM EDT

[#9]

Quote History

Quoted:

How about those polymer framed hipower from SA

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/Polymer%20Frame.htm

http://www.hipowersandhandguns.com/Polymer%20Frame_files/image002.jpg

View Quote

The company that made them in South Africa went out of business sadly. I'd love for a Polymer Framed Hi-Power.

Florida Arms at one point made an aluminum Hi-Power frame with a light/accessory rail. They stopped though. When I last spoke with them back around 2010 hey said they needed an order of 150 frames to get them going again.

Here is a 2008 post about them on the 1911 forum

Posted: 10/27/2015 7:09:01 PM EDT

[#10]

Thanks for the background information, very interesting. Would like to have a poly model. Maybe I can trade one of my Lightweights for one.

Posted: 10/28/2015 6:43:02 AM EDT

[#11]

Quote History

Quoted:
I found two of them for $700 each. The guy will let them both go for $1300. I really want one but not sure if I can sell one of them for $650 or not. Hate to get stuck with two of them. They're both in pretty good shape actually. Wish I knew what they are going for elsewhere but I can't find any anywhere else to compare. Should I take a chance on them?

View Quote

I would be quite tempted at that price and pretty sure you could get all or almost all your money back on the second one. Perhaps not immediately, but within a reasonable time period. I'm a little tapped out right now or I'd be P-M-ing you about trying to wrangle a mini-group buy.

I have one in my safe right now, as a matter of fact, bought with the intent to install good sights/good trigger/good safety and use as my daily driver, but it arrived in much better shape than described. It's probably a 95% gun, which for these things is somewhat unusual, and I just can't bring myself to do anything to it.

And by the way, I don't think you'd hurt a carry gun very much by carrying it with +P. Regularly shooting +P in one, of course not, but if you ever had to pull it, any possible accelerated wear from a few rounds of +P would be one of the farthest things from your mind.

Posted: 10/28/2015 9:09:02 AM EDT

[#12]

Andouillie, thanks for the input. If they're still available, I'm going to snatch them up. If nothing else, I'll keep one as is for my BHP collection and the other for customizing.

Posted: 10/28/2015 1:29:46 PM EDT

[#13]

ozarkmarc, If you don't have a hipower currently, I suggest you just get the alloy one and see if you really feel like you NEED to put the shorter slide on. In it's normal configuration it is a lot shorter than a full sized gun and carries much easier. If that's what you want it for. Sure, it's not a subcompact, but it's size feels a lot smaller than most full sized guns. Heck even the G19 feels big compared to it, in the slide, because it's so much fatter.

Posted: 10/28/2015 3:53:23 PM EDT

[#14]

JJ, I appreciate that piece of information. My plan was to attach a Detective slide to a Lightweight frame, but as Don Wilson explained, there is some work that has to be done. Essentially it will work but you have to cut and re-crown a Lightweight barrel to the Detective slide before you can do it. This would leave me with a Detective frame and barrel and a Lightweight slide as unused parts. That's why I am looking for a spare Lightweight barrel to do this. Not a big deal, I'll just leave the Detective and Lightweight as they are unless some time in the future I come across a spare Lightweight barrel.

Posted: 10/29/2015 12:13:22 AM EDT

[#15]

Have you found one yet? Those LW's seem like they'd be real cool.

Posted: 10/29/2015 8:50:57 AM EDT

[#16]

I have a Lightweight, just not a spare barrel yet. I may sell my other Lightweight.

Posted: 10/29/2015 9:31:31 AM EDT

[#17]

Quote History

Quoted:
I have a Lightweight, just not a spare barrel yet. I may sell my other Lightweight.

View Quote

I am not really in position to start any other projects right now, but if you decide to peddle the second one, shoot me an email or PM. Been trying to loose some weight and maybe doing away with buying groceries for a couple of months to finance it might help.

Posted: 10/29/2015 10:52:08 AM EDT

[#18]

LOL! Will do.

[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Browning HP Lightweight (Aluminum Frame)

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