So now I started carrying my HiPower.  I guess the upside is a bit more capacity.  You can definitely tell it's there a bit more.  But it's not really uncomfortable.  

Am I crazy for liking it more than my G26?  I actually really like that pistol.  But that was comparing it to a J frame.  It's way easier to shoot faster.  And it carries about the same.  For me.  I have a bigger grip on the j frame and carry it IWB.  

But dang, I shot the HiPower and G26 side by side last range session and the HiPower just feels so right when shooting.  It's not like I don't like the G26, it's just I like the HiPower that much better.  I think it might have an edge in accuracy too.  Well it did from my informal testing.  But I actually shoot the G26 well for me.  For such a small gun.  Not that much worse than the HiPower.  If at all.  

BUT, after shooting them side by side, I notice again that a Glock just sort of doesn't fit me that well.  There's no way I can make my trigger finger not rub on the inside of the trigger guard on the bottom.  And I think the recoil impulse is a bit smoother on the HiPower.  And it's not a huge thing, but the last round in almost ever Glock mag gives me Brass to the face.  Not the whole mag, just the last round.  And there are times that if I wasn't wearing my baseball hat, which I don't do just walking around, the brass seems like it's got a very good chance of hitting me right in the glasses.  Or worse maybe get caught in between my glasses and eyes.  That is kind of a downer.  I should see if the extractor fix would remedy that.  

Anyways....  I feel so, old fashioned.  I like the Glock, it carries nice.  But for some reason I just want to shoot my HiPower and get another 1911.  What's wrong with me?  

My Firestar .40 carries like a Shield.
But the Shield is better for me.

Whew!, thought for a sec that read Hi-point.

And here I thought you were sponsored by Glock and got a free G26 the way you rave and rave about yours.

No, you're not crazy. They are two entirely different animals. There's always a compromise to gain concealability and an advantage in full sized guns.

Cheers!
-JC

Ive read hi powers get loose/sloppy after heavy use

I can tolerate plastic pistols, I LOVE the Hipower, my all time favorite pistol.

I know, hey?  It is a good little gun.  It surprised me how much I liked it.  But seriously, it's just not a HiPower.  Or a 1911.  

The one thing that helps me rationalize this is that the plastic guns slip in my hands so much more in the winter.  Seems like when it gets cold I start fighting with the gun moving around during recoil.  In the summer, it stays put.  So...  My HiPower has rubber grips and doesn't move at all.  Even in the cold.  I guess that's good enough reason to carry it in the winter.  

JJREA, source out an alloy framed HP at about 7oz lighter than an all steel HP makes it is even easier to carry.  And there is something about the HP that just fits so right when compared to the masses.

Could I just put the slide on it?  Mines' kind of sloppy, so it would probably work.  That would be a super great idea.  I wonder how much they go for.......  Only downside is I had work done on mine and made the standard safety one sided.  I like not having it be an ambi.  And the trigger pull is like 6 pounds, instead of the freaking 10 it was originally.  

Well see, I have heard the same, but so far it doesn't seem any looser than when I got it.

Ive put roughly 4 - 5 K through it this year

My Hi-Powers are the most natural pointing firearms in my hand.  That feel makes me very accurate with my BHP's.  Right after them, I would say in order are my SR9c/SR40c, my Sig 226's and my CZ 75's.

When I was range officer handling pistol qualifying, if I had someone who was all over the place I would take them aside and let them hold and point the different arms available to shoot.  For some the best weapon was 1 1911, some a BHP, some a Beretta 92, some an S&W model 10.  Once we found what they felt comfortable with, it was never a problem qualifying them.  You learn what shoot's best normally feels best in your hand.    I can shoot most Glocks ok, but they don't feel as good as my favorites.  It doesn't mean someone else is wrong if they prefer Glock, or any other brand.  If it fits it's what you should carry or shoot.

Unfortunately they won't swap out as the alloy's have a round cross bar compared to the oval cross bar of the steel version.  When I had purchased several a few years back they were going for about $450 as used police surplus.  And unfortunately again I hadn't seen them come back in stock in quite some time.  Though you could likely source one on the various gun broking type sites.  A world of difference in carrying an alloy compared to the steel that is for sure.  And one of these days I am going to break down and upgrade the sights on the one I have left in my stable.

Old teaser picture

If you have small hands the Hp is good. The hammer bites me. Safety is small, it can rust, and it has a magazine safety. It has to have cone or round HP, and it's 2lb unloaded.

The Glock has none of that, and is lighter.

I love BHP, but it has rules that need to be followed. The glock- not so much. ( get it out of the holster-bang) and the 26 can be a 19 round "fist of hate " with the next reloaded swap.

This.



 

HP is a great feeling and shooting gun.  I had glocks. Still have Hi Powers.

Well a G26 as compared to a high power is kind of apples and oranges? Yes?

Wouldn't it be more fair to compare the HP to a G19 or a G17?

I have lots of pistol experience and have come to the conclusion for me at least that "feel" doesn't mean crap . In the end when I am rating a carry gun I want to shoot it against a timer or in a plate shoot where I am forced to shoot well and under some time presure.

A example is I love my 1911s and they feel great and I always felt I shot them well. The Glock 30 feels huge and chunky to me but under a bit of preasure I actually shoot very nearly as well as my 1911s Who knew.

Another miss match of feelings in my full sized G34 compared to my G19 . Logic and feel tells me I should be shooting the 34 better . On longer range target work with plenty of time the 34 is best but I can do better with the 19 at plate shoots. Now my 19 has a great aftermarket trigger that is slightly better than the factory 34 "target" trigger and my 19 is a old gen2 that has slim grips with no finger bumps. Not sure why I shoot it better but I do.

Used to kill me when I was working part time at gunshows and folks would come over , pick up several guns in turn and after several immaginary pew,pews would proclaim a certain gnd "felt better" and was what they wanted .

In the end it doesn't work to think about it too much . If you shoot a gun well and can live with it strapped to your butt then that is the gun you should be wearing

I hear what you're saying.  And I agree with the premise.  However, I don't care what you say, every gun has it's upsides and downsides.  I've yet to meet a perfect pistol.  I actually owned a 19 and got rid of it.  I know, I'm crazy.  What the 26 does for me that the 19 didn't is that it carries easier and I shoot the G26 more on center.  I struggled with the low left with the 19. More than I was comfortable with.  I'm not sure what the deal was but I don't do it nearly as much with the 26.  I don't think it's a change in grip either because I've tried a few different ways and I just don't do it as bad with the 26.   From what I can tell.  Might be just the shape of the frame.  

This BTF thing could go from a mild annoyance at the range to maybe a full blown cluster when you need it to not be a problem.  Luckily mine is just the last round of a mag.  Others haven't been so fortunate.   That's more than just a "feel" thing, even though my original post relied heavily on the adjective.  I haven't tried the remedies for it though.  

The gun slipping in the cold could probably be addressed relatively easy, so that's not probably something to whine about.  Other than that traditional pistols are nice in that you can buy different grip panels and attach them with screws.  

The fit is always something that gets a little under my skin.  The way my trigger finger is shaped, it's just always going to rub on the frame.  It's either going to be on the bottom inside or the top inside.  I've got kind of a bowed finger and the Glock is kind of small through there.  One could argue that it's not optimal for shooting to have your finger be constantly rubbing.  

With all that said, I'm not planning on getting rid of my Glock.  I just wanted a change of pace.  I have not shot them side by side on a timer.  But I really don't think I'm any slower with the HiPower.  I could be.  But I'm also a bit more consistently accurate with the HiPower.  From what I can tell.  I think I can shoot them both relatively well, for me.  

The HIPower has not been a perfect gem for me either.  I've had to get things done to it.  It does however, run and shoot great.  It's never malfe'd once.  And I've got approx 2k rounds through it.  And yes, it feels really good.    

That's what I got to say about that.  

Older forged frame models, yeah. Anything made after the mid-90s with the stronger and stiffer cast frame won't shoot loose.