Looking to buy a Hi Power which model should I get? why?

Mk3 with black enamel finish.   They run, they are a fairly accurate, and they are absolutely beautiful guns.   We have 2 in my house.   My wife thinks it's the best 9mm ever.   The trigger sort of sucks, but you can Improve it a bit.

Budget?  Use-ccw, range toy, competition gun, collector?

Given no other information I would say hold out for a good deal on a used MK3.  Earlier models may or may not feed current hollow points well.  In the MK3 they changed the design of the feed ramp and they are very reliable with all bullet designs.  (note: not all early HP's have issues with hollow points.  I have a 1981 model that I've shot quite a bit and I think it would feed rocks if I could fit them in the magazine).  As for the trigger, it's better once you remove the magazine disconnect and if you get it to the right gunsmith, it can have a great trigger.

I have a nice '82 FN with VZ grips that will be up for sale shortly.

Most Hi Powers will have no trouble feeding hollowpoints, but be sure to test it out if you intend to use hollowpoints. Both my Mk. II's feed them just fine.

The Mk. III's are very nice, but I would suggest you look for one with the SFS safety system.

A cast-frame (yes, really) MKIII is the one to get.

Thanks for the input it helps.

Decide if you want a 9mm or a .40 cal to begin with.

Preferences on finish will make a difference on what models are available.

Preferences on what you want it for. Some come with adjustables and others come with fixed sights. If you have other than adjustables, you'll end up changing out the sights, so be prepared to pay up front to get the sights you want or later to have them installed. Many folks have Novak's installed. They have a variety of combinations you can purchase.

The only "light" model they make is referred to as the "Lightweight" and is aluminum. You can tell the difference between it and the cast and forged models. Significantly lighter and suitable for carry. The cast and forged are pretty heavy for carry weapons. The lightweights are pretty rare and all of them need to be refinished and contemporary sights installed. You can find them for about $400 or so at Ohio Ordnance Works.com occasionally.

While we are talking cast and forged, either is acceptable. Forged always sounds stronger but in fact the cast was made for the heavier .40 cal BHP.

Be careful when it comes to "clones." There is a lot of misinformation out there on those. Two of the most common clones are the FEG (Hungarian made) and FM (Argentine made), not to be confused with FN (Belgian made), which is NOT a clone.

Bottom line, work on any pistol, finish, sights, etc., is expensive. Whatever you put into the pistol, you will most likely NOT get back out of it at re-sale.

Hope this helps!

Learn these two names:  



Novak's and...

Cylinder and Slide.



The BHP is nearly a perfect handgun as one can hope for WITH a couple of mods.



First, the OEM sears are known to wear out at a fairly high round count.  Mine lasted about ten thousand rounds and then started hammer following.  I replaced the sear with a Cylinder and Slide A2 Tool Steel sear and have been rocking and rolling ever since.  I dropped the stupid magazine safety at that time.  What a difference!  Bobbing the hammer AND rounding the back strap of the hammer really cuts out the hammer bite.  I haven't been bitten since I did that.



I also use the Cylinder and Slide extended safety with a specially made detent and spring to give the safety a more positive feel.



Once I had worn the gun out the first time ( somewhere close to the 20k round mark )  I sent it to Novak's to have them install 1911 style carry sights.  I then parked the gun and had it coated with OD Green K.G. Guncoat.  Since that time it has turned a dark, dark grey, green that is just awesome looking!!!



With a few mods and some patience, the BHP is right there with the 1911 as a premier carry and defense piece.

FN eliminated the humped feed ramp with the MkII a couple of years before the MkIII.

Just curious, why is that?

While I'm intrigued by the concept of the SFS and acknowledge that it would make for a reduced snag carry gun, I'm not really sold on the durability of the system.

I mean to get the hammer to do what it does when cocked and locked with an SFS they need to put additional parts / clutches inside of the space occupied by
the standard single action hammer.  That's not a very wide piece of steel to begin with and it just seems to me that the parts would be more fragile than their SAO counterparts.

I was interested in the SFS system to the point of sending a S&W 1911 to Cylinder and Slide and letting them install it with one safety leaver as I could't stand the idea of an unwanted plastic safety on the right side.  It worked fine, but I never really felt comfortable with the arrangement and removed it.  I think you have a good point on the gimmicky part and it just seemed like a lot was going on and parts were getting very small and fragile.  

Despite that, my hat is off to whoever came up with it as far as design.  That part is brilliant, but the execution leaves a bit to be desired.