When it comes to semi-auto pistols I have largely spent the last decade or so focusing on modern designs. During this time I have purchased dozens of striker-fired polymer pistols, and even some DA/SA polymer pistols like the excellent CZ P-07. Call me nostalgic, but as I have gotten older I have found my interest shifting towards some of the more venerable semi-auto pistol designs that have stood the test of time. I spent the last year focusing on 1911 pistols chambered in 9mm. I started out with a Kimber Government TLE Custom II with a threaded barrel and a Colt Lightweight Commander. During my first range visit with these pistols, I immediately saw the merits of the 1911 platform. The excellent trigger, natural pointing ability, and pinpoint accuracy made the 1911 an excellent choice for target shooting, home defense and concealed carry.

I continued to explore the 1911 platform and purchased two more 9mm Colts (a Combat Commander, and a Government Competition) and two Dan Wesson 9mm pistols (Both Valkyrie Commanders). For me any 1911 more expensive than a Dan Wesson 1911 represents the point of diminishing returns. There is no way a $4,000 1911 is 100% better than a Dan Wesson. It can’t be twice as accurate, it can’t be twice as well fit, it can’t function twice as well, and so on. For now I feel I reached the zenith in the 1911 market with my Dan Wesson pistols. So where do I go from here?

Since I found that a pistol designed over a century ago could meet my needs better than any modern pistol, it made sense to look for another venerable pistol that has endured for decades. What could possibly make more sense than a pistol designed by John Moses Browning, the same guy who designed the platform that I have come to love so much? A Browning Hi Power it is!

Sadly, Browning announced earlier this year that it had discontinued the Hi Power for 2018. Fortunately there are many very nice lightly used or like new in the box Hi Powers out there for sale. There are also many clones of the Hi Power that can be found for half the price of a Browning (made by FN). So off to the market I went to once again trade my shekels for a pistol or two.

Last week I purchased one Hi Power and traded straight up for another. Both transactions were conducted online and I did not get to inspect the pistols before I purchased them. One is a well-used Hungarian made Hi Power Clone, a FEG PJK-9HP that was imported by KBI in the 90s. The other is a like new in the box Browning Hi Power MKIII; Browning’s most recent, and final iteration of the Hi Power.

Other than what I have read online about the Hi Power over the last few weeks, I didn’t know a heck of a lot about them. I also have not shot a Hi Power in 38 years. When I was 12 my dad took me shooting with a friend of his. It was my first time shooting a semi-auto pistol. What was it? You guessed it, a Browning Hi Power!

This past Saturday the first of my two Hi Power purchases arrived at my FFL dealer. It was the FEG clone. I don’t know if the FEG clone I received is representative of all the FEG HP clones, but I was absolutely horrified by what I received. What I got is exactly what one would expect of a handgun designed almost a century ago. While it actually looks very nice, the hammer is very hard to pull down. The slide is almost impossible to rack. The trigger, oh my the trigger, requires somewhere between 15 to 20 pounds of pressure to pull. I honestly thought the safety was activated because each time you pull the trigger it feels like you are defeating the safety; that’s how hard it is to pull the trigger on this gun. Shooting it was as unpleasant as you would imagine from my description thus far. I put a few mags through it and called it a day. I won’t be shooting it again in its current form. Though I may keep the slide and frame to do my own Hi Power build at some point.

In FEG’s defense, someone clearly played around with this gun at some pojnt in its history because I could see it was refinished, the magazine disconnect safety had been removed and the thumb/hammer safety no longer worked. I think someone tried to do a trigger job on this gun and messed it up rather badly. I’m very happy I only spent $370. From here on out, I’m going to focus soley on the FN Hi Power built for Browning.

Let’s just say given my experience with the FEG, I wasn’t very hopeful or excited about the Browning’s arrival. It arrived on Tuesday, three days after the FEG. I approached the Browning on the counter at my dealer’s shop with very low expectations and a fair amount of trepidation. After pulling back the hammer, racking the slide, and pulling the trigger, to say I was THRILLED would be an understatement. Even had I approached the gun with high expectations, I would have been equally thrilled. The slide glides across the rails of the frame like butter. The trigger breaks crisply somewhere in the 5 to 6 pound range. It still has the mag disconnect safety (MDS) installed so it has the normal initial grit and creep as you pull the trigger to the trigger wall. But once you get to the wall it breaks beautifully and effortlessly. I will probably remove the MDS and see where the trigger is at before I think of doing any work on the trigger, because it is surprisingly nice. I must have got lucky because I have read of many owners with 10 pound trigger pulls from the factory. It is also possible someone did a little work on the trigger in the MKIII I bought. It honestly feels like someone might have. I need to break it down completely and inspect it.

The MKIII I purchased has the matte black finish, which I like quite a lot, and the fixed 3 bar sights. I was surprised how much I like the fixed sights on this gun. I normally swap out all my sights for Straight 8 configured night sights. I do not love 3 dot sights. But these worked great for me. The slide is also dovetail cut front and rear to accept the sights, this means I can change them out at some point if I am so inclined. Overall the fit and finish on my Browning is amazing. The finish looks and feels great. Seems very durable as well. The slide to frame fit is as rock solid as you can possible get when putting two parts together. There is absolutely ZERO play in the slide; it does not budge a mm side-to-side or up and down. The fit could not be made tighter. Absolutely everything is fit and finished perfectly on my Hi Power.

Author’s Like New Browning Hi Power MKII
(Whatever looks like wear is just a reflection or oil)



After filling out the transfer paperwork, I only had time to run three mags through the pistol. Here are my observations so far. The Hi Power points just as naturally as the 1911 points for me, though it is definitely a little different. When you point the pistol it almost feels like the thin slide of the Hi Power is an extension of your pointer finger. I think this has to do with the fact that the majority of the weight of the HP is toward the rear of the gun, especially with a fully loaded hi-cap mag resting inside the wide double-stack sized grip. Because of the way the weight is distributed toward the rear of the pistol, I also think the HP has a bit more muzzle flip than the similarly sized 1911 9mm Commanders I have become so fond of lately, even more muzzle flip than the lighter alloy framed Commanders. By no means is the muzzle flip terrible on the HP, it has less recoil than similarly sized double-stack compact polymer pistols like a Glock 19. In fact, with the few mags I got to put through the Browning, it was truly a joy to shoot. It bore absolutely zero resemblance to my experience with the FEG HP.

Below is a picture of the first 10 rounds I put through the Browning HP today. This represents my first effort trying to hit a target with a Hi Power since I was 12 (38 years ago). The first time I shot the Hi Power as a kid I was unable to hit the target at 7 yards at all. I guess I have made a little progress over the years ;)

Author’s First 10 Rounds Through a Hi Power in 38 years! Fired Offhand at 8 yards.



I am really looking forward to spending more time with this gun and I will share my experiences here with you all after I get a lot more rounds downrange and can form a concrete opinion of the HP. But I can tell you this, I am already certain I will be buying another MKIII very soon. I will need another one when I send this one out for custom work! I'm pretty sure it is going to be nothing but 1911s and Hi Powers from here on out for a while to come. I’m really enjoying the journey back to the great American designed semi-autos of JMB.

Nice write up as usual.  I'll be honest, it it were me, I'd leave that one alone as it is.  I mean I wouldn't touch anything.  Here's my reasoning:

If you take the FPS out, it does something to the reset.  That may or may not be an issue for you, but most people like a good reset.  It becomes more vague.  If you have a 5-6 pound pull as is, I would say it's perfect.  To me, that's a perfect carry gun weight.  But obviously you may have different ideas.  But like I said, just be mindful, the reset feel will change without it in there.

It looks really nice as it is.   I would say see what you get for your next MkIII.  Because you're right, most triggers are not as nice as yours out of the box, stock.  The newer one may be the better one to get work done on, if the trigger isn't as nice.  So then you'd have a really good example of a stock gun, and one super nice one.

That's just my advice.....  Take it for what it's worth.

My slide to frame fit is loose, but you're right, when I've had the gun broken down and just put the slide onto the frame, it has a smoother feel to it than anything I've ever experienced before....  Mine is blued though, so that may have something to do with it.

I agree with you 100%. I am not going to touch the MKIII. I am leaving it as is. It is perfect.

I may just keep the FEG frame and slide and build that one up with a crazy trigger etc.

On my BHP, my slide to frame fit is tight as can be. There is zero side to side or up and down movement. It only goes one way back and forth. I edited my post to include a discussion of Fit & Finish as well.

My MKIII has the mag safety removed and the trigger is still around 8 pounds.   Despite that, I still think it's the best version to base a custom build on due to the more durable cast frame.  And customization is a must for me. I need a straighter trigger and more manipulable safety lever.

Sounds like there is something seriously wrong with that FEG.  I've had several over the years, and none of them have displayed the symptoms that you described.  Maybe someone tried to replace the main spring and either used the wrong one or borked the install.

OP HERE:

Here is a pic of mine with the mediocre Nickel Refinish job. Slide is matte nickel, Frame is polished nickel. Also note it has been imported twice into the USA! You can see the original KBI import marks when it probably came into the US as a brand new Blued FEG PJK-9HP. Then for some reason it was exported and eventually brought back in to the USA. You can see the CAI stamped the gun as well. So who knows where this thing has been and what's been done to it! You can also get a better look at the "finish" in the two last shots.

I wouldn't touch the MKIII.   The return on investment on custom work on a Hi Power is very slim.

The easiest trigger job you can do is to use the original phosphate finished magazines.  The polished blued Mec-Gars make the trigger horrible.

Paint the rear sight bars black and the sights have a nice picture.

A buddy of mine has a couple of $3K Hi Powers and they aren't any better than a stock MKIII to me.   Everything wrong about 'em is still wrong,

This BHP 40 chromed by Virgil Tripp is a fantastic handgun.
He did some light work on the trigger and I installed a Sprinco Corbon Recoil System
and it's become my girlfriend's favorite pistol to shoot.
Perfect for home defense.

Am liking the aftermarket thin grips on BHP's, but do not have huge hands.  While I take the mag safety's out, a little judicious smoothing on face of mag may help.

Another minor thing is to check the muzzle crown, which Browning seemed to have trouble with during certain periods.

Glad you like it so well.  Hard to go back to plastic after you spend some time with 1911's and BHP's.  For me, a proper trigger job, grip tape, and new grips are basic investments for any BHP and don't cost a lot.  Though honestly I've never once regretted having the full custom one done.

Trigger/tape/grips:

That is a beautiful looking pistol.

You are so right about the MecGar mags! It came with 2 10 round mags that have the phosphate finish and it is so much better. I needed a few hi cps and bought the MecGars not knowing about this issue. I now have to get some factory hi-caps!

Anybody ever try refinishing the Mec-Gars to promote a better trigger?

I had a Belgian P35 for a while when high capacity phenomenon was starting in USPSA... removed the mag disconnect, added a BoMar sight, textured the front of the frame with an electric pencil... but best mod was to lower the rails, which reduced a lot of the play in the transfer bar (in the slide) that connects the trigger to the sear...built a fixture to square up he sear movement across the hammer... my barrel slugged .357" and shot 38super bullets better than 9mm .355... it would run Bianchi plates at 50yd (when I had good eyes)

I doubt it was imported twice, it's probably a parts bin special.  Looks like there's an awful lot of pitting on that slide that they didn't bother to clean up before plating it.

This one started out as their “Practical” model, i.e., hard chromed frame and a painted slide like your Mk3.

I had my local gunsmith fit the Cylinder & Slide Shop’s Tool Steel Sear, Wide Trigger (which removes the mag safety) and their Elongated Commander Hammer, all of which together improved the trigger pull. Next he stripped off the paint off the slide, milled in a set of Novak sights and blued the slide. Graig Spiegal grips top it off.





13 shots @ 25 yards.

I don't understand the relation to the blued mags and it affecting trigger pull.  I need to check this out...  I have both factory and mecgars and I had never noticed a difference.........

Mine are mirror finished blue.  I don't see how that would get you any better.  Maybe a polished hard chrome.  I would think working on the face of the safety that touches the mag would help more.  I just took mine out.

OP the nickel/chrome job is not helping.  The two best factory HP triggers I've ever had where from stock like new FEG Hi Powers.  David

Would have to get rid of the mag safety, and do a trigger job .

The mag disconnect rubs on the front of the magazine and for whatever reason the rougher phosphate finish yields a much better trigger pull than the polished blued mags.

Some people would serrate the face of the disconnect pad to help it a little.

If you just remove the mag disconnect it can/will make the trigger reset very soft/sluggish and the trigger won't have enough tension at rest.   An old two coil FN spring or an extra power Wolff spring will help.

OP HERE:

The serial numbers match on the slide, frame and barrel so it is not a parts bun special. It started life as a FEG PJK-9HP imported by KBI.

Yes the refinish job is awful!

It definitely was imported twice.

OP HERE:

Last night I took my handy dremel with a sanding wheel and took the finish off the front of the mag where the MDS contacts the mag. 10x better now. Still not quite as nice as the Phosphate 10 rounder it came with.

CDNN Has the Browning Factory Phosphate 13 rd mags for $27.99. I ordered a few of those last night as well.

Beautiful gun!

OP HERE:

The difference is NIGHT and DAY. It is a total Grit Fest with the MecGars. Smooth as can be with the factory phosphate mag. Completely different experience.

That's very interesting.  You would think it is the exact opposite.  David

So why not just take out the magazine safety and then no part of the trigger group contacts the magazine?

My HP's trigger breaks at 3 pounds 10 ounces on average on my Lyman electronic trigger pull gauge, just checked it.
The reset is not as pronounced without the mag disconnect but the trigger pull, with the C&S parts minus the mag safety,
is considerably better. Better by somewhere around 4 or so pounds.

OP HERE:

Exactly! You would think putting some futuristic lube on the front of the mag would make it better too. Nope, MUCH worse. The disconnect skips along the surface of the mag for the worst feeling trigger ever! Very strange.

I just did a little trigger measuring with four of mine.

MKIII - 6 lbs
MKII - 7 lbs
MKII  - 5 lbs
FEG - 4 lbs

I'm probably going to buy a C&S hammer and sear for the MKIII and one of the MKIIs, and 3 more straight Garthwaite triggers as well (already fitted one to the MKIII).

I've already worked over the FEG to the point I'm happy with it.

MKIII
Attached File


FEG
Attached File

"I continued to explore the 1911 platform and purchased two more 9mm Colts (a Combat Commander, and a Government Competition) and two Dan Wesson 9mm pistols (Both Valkyrie Commanders). For me the any 1911 more expensive than a Dan Wesson 1911 represents the point of diminishing returns. There is no way a $4,000 1911 is 100% better than a Dan Wesson. It can’t be twice as accurate, it can’t be twice as well fit, it can’t function twice as well, and so on. For now I feel I reached the zenith in the 1911 market with my Dan Wesson pistols. So where do I go from here? "

I disagree. Have you ever handled and actually shot a Wilson Combat or a Night Hawk Custom 1911? I used to think like you "before" I actually handled a $4,000 1911 pistol. It can't be that much better. Well, like you, I was wrong. I bought a brand new Night Hawk Custom 10mm 1911 pistol off of Gunbroker just before I retired a few years ago as a present for myself after 28 years in law enforcement. I owned various Colt 1911 pistols back in the late 80's and upgraded to Kimber 1911 pistols in the late 90's and then to Dan Wesson pistols (Silverback and a stainless Specialist Commander, both in 10mm). But, that Night Hawk Custom is the best 1911 pistol I have ever handled, much less owned in my 30 years of collecting and shooting various firearms. It has a better slide to frame fit and smoother ride on the rails, it is more accurate than either of my two Dan Wesson 1911's, and it is a lot more reliable than either Dan Wesson pistol.

My NHC was good to go right out of the box and has functioned flawlessly with all varieties of 10mm rounds that I have fed it. I can't say the same for the Dan Wessons. The Silverback was more reliable (brand new out of the box) than the Specialist Commander. The Silverback did chamber and reliably run all the various 10mm round that I fed it, but, unlike the NHC, the Silverback's slide movement was a little shaky with the heavier full house 10mm rounds. The NHC fed all loads without any hiccups. From your comments it sounds to me that like me you never actually compared a Night Hawk Custom or Wilson Combat 1911 to the Dan Wessons. If you do, your eyes will be opened. The old phrase comes to mind .... You can bring a horse to water, but, you can't make him drink.

I too would pull the magazine disconnect on the mkIII and leave it stock. I have both and I can't say that I like the hipower or the 1911 better.

I began my adventure with this FEG.  I figured that if I didn't like the platform.......well, it was only a bit of money, compared to the genuine BHP.



OK, Ok, ok......I didn't shoot it with those grips.  Though I did manage to find Hogue grips.  Yup, a definite improvement right there.  The accuracy and trigger pull was as good enough.  Well, as much as I expected, out of a stock Hi-Power.

So then, I liked the platform.  And decided, that I'd spring for REAL "classic looking" BHP.  I lucked upon this one.  Small sights and safety and all that.



Yup, at that point......I NEEDED another BHP.  So, my last buy, was this one.



The hogue grips just feels "better".  IMHO.   And, all of my Hi-Powers still have the MDS in them.  For those that cry about trigger pull weights.  Duh.  They're combat arms,  Not target guns.   But, if you want to spend the efforts and money......go ahead.  Enjoy your firearms.

Aloha, Mark

There's an awful lot of people on the internet who say their new Dan Wesson or Les Baer is just as nice as a Wilson, Nighthawk, Springfield Custom, etc.  I don't think they've ever had any of those others.

I have a pair of Dan Wesson Valkyries next to a Springfield Custom Carry and a Wilson Combat X-Tac and
there is a very distinct difference between them.  Most notable is that the DWs don't shoot to POA with any ammo, one front night sight is dead, one has malfunctioned and has very poor/erratic ejection, the thumb safeties are stiff and not crisp, and when you turn the bushings they feel like they're full of sand. The grip safeties are not blended to the frame and there is no evidence of hand fitting on any parts.

That being said, the Dan Wessons are still a great value for the money, they're just not quite ready to go right out of the box.

Yeah. If you can't see the difference between a $1700 gun and a $4000 one, that's OK but don't hate on people who can.

I see a LOT of difference between a Dan Wesson and my Wilson and Springfield Custom.   The Wilson was $2600 new and the Springfield was about $1800 new.  The Springfield is closer to the Wilson than the DW.

OP HERE: (Another visit to the range with the HP)

I had to go by the local range today to pick-up another on-line purchase that came in for me (S&W 3914 Lady Smith). Being Easter, my time for shooting was pretty limited. But I was feeling optimistic and decide to tuck my Hi Power into my range bag. After filling out the paperwork for my transfer, I had to break down and lube up my bone dry acquisition before I starting running rounds through it. I was enjoying shooting it so much, I wound up putting 150 rounds through it. Which left me no time to shoot the Hi Power :(

I decided to break out Hi Power anyway and quickly run a couple of mags through it. Last Wednesday I ordered 3 of the FN/Browning Factory 13 round mags from CDNN. These are from a batch of Mags someone found in a warehouse somewhere in Europe, or so they say. They are currently on sale for $27.99 each at CDNN. These mags have the proper phosphate finish on them which I recently learned enables the mag disconnect safety (MDS) to glide across the mag body without any grittiness. The blued Mec-Gar mags I had bought while waiting for the Hi Power to arrive, proved to be a Grit Fest. Though you would expect the opposite, for some reason the slick blue finish of the Mec-Gar causes the trigger to feel very gritty as the MDS rubs along the body of the mag. But for some strange reason the rough phosphate finish found on the factory mags allows the MDS to glide along the mag’s front as smooth as the proverbial baby’s bottom. These CDNN mags absolutely do the trick.

I noticed something today, that kind of blew my mind. When I picked-up the sight unseen Gunbroker purchased Hi Power about a week ago, it was clear that the 1995 MKIII I received was hardly fired in its 23 years of existence. Though the exterior finish is in about 98% condition, the internals look new. My new to me Hi Power couldn’t have had more than a few mags through it, if even that many. The day I picked it up I put about 150 rounds through it, and I have spent the last week dry-firing with snap caps quite a bit. The trigger seemed to me to be right around 6 pounds, probably just under that. Well after I shot twenty rounds through it today, I noticed something remarkable. Before I put it back in my range bag, I dry fired it, then did a double-take and dry fired it again. I thought to myself “Could it be? Did the trigger pull get lighter?” I dry fired it again, and again. Sure enough, the trigger had a lighter pull than it did the day before.

I’m guessing the gun, from the lack of ever being used, was not broken in yet. The 150 rounds I fired last week, all the dry-firing I did over the last seven days, and the 20 rounds today, helped break the trigger in. After coming home from the range today and testing the Hi Power side by side other pistols that I know the trigger weights of, the trigger is now right around the 5 pound mark. Maybe even a touch under. Given all the bad things I have heard about Hi Power triggers, I consider myself very fortunate to have gotten one with an excellent trigger. Once you pull the trigger right up to the trigger wall, it breaks very cleanly with zero creep. I have decided, all least for now, to leave the MDS right where it is and not touch the trigger.

I took a quick moment to snap a pic of the first 10 rounds of the 20 rounds I fired today. Shooting was done offhand at 9 yards.



Here are a couple of more glamour shots I took this week :)





I will spend a lot more time with the Hi Power over the next few weeks. Once I have finalized my thoughts, I will do a more detailed write up of my newly acquired Browning pistol.

Easy Guys. No one is hating on anyone. Here is what I wrote:

"For me any 1911 more expensive than a Dan Wesson 1911 represents the point of diminishing returns. There is no way a $4,000 1911 is 100% better than a Dan Wesson. It can’t be twice as accurate, it can’t be twice as well fit, it can’t function twice as well, and so on. For now I feel I reached the zenith in the 1911 market with my Dan Wesson pistols."

I thought I did a pretty good job of making it clear that this is just MY opinion. Further by no means do I dispute that the semi-custom makers spend more time and effort fitting and blending the parts than DW does. BUT, if I had to quantify it, I do not think Wilson's, NHs, Baer's, Brown's, etc, are twice as good, or a 100% BETTER fit than DWs. Maybe 20%, even 30%, sure. Are they twice as accurate as DW pistols? Do they work twice as well? And so on. I honestly don't think so, and I don't think you believe that either. I use 100% BETTER as the mar, because these smei-customs cost 100% more than my DW Valkyrie. That’s why I say FOR ME Dan Wesson represents the point of diminishing returns in the 1911 world. The more money I spend over $2K on a 1911 I am not getting as much return as I did up until the $2K mark. Again, 20% or 30% more return going from $2K to $4K, absolutely, BUT 100%, no way.

Am I basing my conclusions on speculation? No. Have I ever shot or handled a Semi-Custom? Yes.

I'm actually a manufacturer in the firearms industry. I own a brand name company that manufactures firearm accessories. As a result I do the big shows every year like SHOT show and I have come to know a lot of other manufacturers. Over the years I have handled many high-end 1911s. As someone with an eye towards engineering and machining I have always been impressed by the workmanship and the fit and finish of the high end guns. To be honest, historically I didn't pay a great deal of attention to this segment of the market because I was not particularly interested in 1911s. I was not then, and I still am not now a 45acp guy. Until the 9mm 1911 lightbulb went off in my head last year, I had always associated the 1911 platform with 45acp. However, given my new found interest in 9mm 1911 pistols over the past year I have been paying very keen attention to the platform, especially the high end guns.

There is a high-end gun store locally, and over the years I have become close with the folks that own it. This shop caters to the "Big Fish" gun buyers (which I am sadly not). They have a nice couple of handfuls of customers who spend on average over $100K a month on guns. Down here in South Florida, there are a lot of folks who have more money than they could ever spend in a lifetime. Anyway this shop always have a couple of hundred high-end 1911 pistols in stock. So yes, I have handled many semi-customs, and in the past year I have even had the pleasure of shooting a few. Is the fit and finish on these semi-customs a little better than my DWs? Yes. A 100%, or twice as good? No. Do they shoot twice as well as my DWs? No.

So, for the moment, it does not make sense for me to spend twice as much as a DW on a semi-custom. Simply because of diminishing returns, I’m not getting twice as much for my money. That’s not to say at some point I won’t justify buying a Wilson or NH for some other reason. But it won’t be because it is twice as good as my DWs.

I know one of you were saying how problematic your DWs have been. Mine have been flawless. Not only that, mine are fitted, and yes, blended very nicely. How much more do I need the MSH blended than it is on my Valkyrie? (See Pic Below) That is even if you could blend it much more. You certainly can’t blend it 100% more or better than it is already blended. The same goes for my grip safety (don’t have a pic handy). Are these parts blended 100% better on my Dan Wesson’s than they are on my production Colts. Yes! So, it makes sense my DW cost 100% more than my production Colts. But these parts on Wilsons and NHs are NOT blended twice as well as they are on my DWs, so I cannot justify spending twice as much right now. Get what I’m saying now??? Am I hating? No, I think I’m just making sense.

Blending on the Main Spring Housing of one of my Dan Wesson Valkyries:

Harris, could we get a pic of your 3914????

I've always lusted after the 39 series Smiths.....

Yes! I just took these pics today. The gun is absolutely in mint condition. It had not been shot that much and it certainly wasn't carried. Anything you see that looks like wear is just the lighting or oil/lube. While S&W made a pretty good number of the 3913 Lady Smith's which were the Stainless ones, they made VERY few of the 3914 Lady Smith's. I managed to score it on Gunbroker for $426.06. So I think I got an amazing deal. It even came with the Lady Smith Purse, cleaning kit, and all the paperwork. All of which is also in excellent condition.







I have generally always had at least one S&W Gen 3 single stack 39xx in my collection, but for some reason I have always wound up selling them. At different times over the past 15 years I have had two 3913 Lady Smith's, and three regular 3913's. I actually do know why I have always wound up selling them. Aside from the fact that I hate guns that have slide-mounted safeties/decockers, I don't love the look of pistols that are ALL stainless. A two-tone I can live with, but I never seem to hold on to stainless semi-autos very long. However, note that the 3914 is BLUED, and I have NEVER had a blued single stack S&W Gen 3 before. It also only has the safety/decocker on one side of the slide; which I can live with. I can't, however, live with safety/decocker on both sides of the slide; it is just awkward in too many ways. I don't see myself ever selling this Blued 3914 with the single decocker/safety.

In my opinion, the S&W Gen 3's are some of the best single stack DA/SA 9mm pistols ever made. While I am not generally a fan of DA/SA triggers, I personally think a DA/SA trigger is not such a bad thing on a smaller compact carry gun. Ever since I had my daughter 3 years ago, my striker-fired guns with no safeties have given me a bit of pause. I find myself carrying guns with safeties since she was born. I'm not saying everyone should do this or there is something inherently unsafe about a striker-fired trigger with no safety; it's just my personal preference at the moment.

Here is the first two groups I shot today right after I picked up the 3914 LS and lubed it. They are 8-round groups I shot at about 8-9 yards offhand. The mags hold 8 rounds, so 8 round groups are what you get.



How is this for a strange looking group??? 124gr Federal HST 8 rounds at 8-9 yards offhand.
The gun DOES NOT shoot low, I just hate the 3-dot sights that are on this gun, and I always struggle with these factory S&W Gen 3 sights. You can see my first shot hit low and I literally worked my way up to the dot one shot at a time! I don't suspect I will be able to find a set of Straight 8 Night Sights for it. I might have to do a black rear and front night sight. We will see what I can find.



I will say one thing about my shooting experience today with the 3914, I was very surprised how nicely this little gun handles recoil; it is surprisingly mild and very controllable. One of the reasons it surprises me, the axis of the bore is noticeably higher above my hand than most modern polymer guns. I honestly felt like this gun has less recoil than my Glock 19. I will have to shoot them side by side to confirm that though!

Niiiiiiice.   You painted a snake.  

You like that. I was actually cracking myself up as I was shooting that "group", or line as it were. After the 4th shot I saw what I was doing and I just continued long my merry way to the bull.

I just did a little more detailed write up of the 3914 here:
http://smith-wessonforum.com/smith-wesson-semi-auto-pistols/554796-3914-lady-smith-initial-thoughts.html

Reminds me of a group I did with my recce not too long ago.....

Looks like a capitol J on an angle.... LOL.

Except your is a lot better than mine :)

Very nice

You know that is a rifle, right?  I can't shoot handguns near as good as you can.  Or maybe I could if I had those 9mm 1911's you have.  

Yes, I'm just playing around. What's the twist on your Reece, 1/7? People seem to like that 50gr round. I have never shot it. In fact, I have never shot anything less than 55gr in my ARs. I have shot plenty heavier, but not lighter.

Other than lots of practice there is one reason I can shoot pistols reasonably well. From 2011 to 2015 I went on a revolver binge; S&W revolvers in particular. In those years I shot far more 38 spcl than I did 9mm. But I did not shoot a single round single action, every round I fired was double action. The DA triggers on all of those S&W revolvers I bought during those years ranged from 10 to 14 lbs; with the majority of them much closer to 14 lbs. Once you can shoot a revolver with a 12 to 14 lb trigger pull well, you shoot everything well. That includes rifles too; basically anything with a trigger. Though I didn't realize it at the time, my revolver phase was the best thing that ever happened to me in all my years as a shooting enthusiast.

Once I came out of my revolver fog sometime in 2015, and spent some quality time with my semi-auto pistols and rifles, I could not believe the difference in my shooting ability.

This is how you know when you pretty much have the revolver thing figured out :)

Yes, my recce is a 1/7.  And yes, lighter than 55 grain and even 55 grain will shoot well in it.  I always tell people that 52 grainers have been very accurate in any twist AR I have.  They have fairy dust in them.   Well at least Black Hills Blue 52's.  I have shot UMC 45 grain HP in my 20" 1/7 and the were fine too.  Although they had an extreme shift in POI.   Although that particular gun shows a bent toward shifting POI in different loads.  Moreso than other barrels.

I carry a 442  ever day and feel the same way.  I have not mastered it yet though.    And I like shooting my Model 19 Double Action too.   iAnd a gun I've shot a lot of is an M9.  And I practice Double action with that.

I still don't have a mastery over a striker gun though.  I actually prefer shooting Double action guns........  

I also like double action guns as well as I have always like shooting revolvers double-action only and I am quite good at it.
I have a Sig P229 9mm DAK that I am very fond of.

Is that the factory finish on your Sig? It almost looks like it was refinished with Black Nitride (Melonite, Dan Wesson Duty Coat, Tenifer, etc)

How long is the reset with the DAK trigger? Does the trigger have to go fully forward for it to rest? I shot a friends many many years ago and have no recollection.

The Sig factory finish is a nitride.

The Dak is meant to be shot as a dao. If you do not release the trigger all the way out you can shoot it at the standard SA spot but at a very heavy pull.

I remember the DAK trigger being quite different and I felt like I would have to learn a whole new trigger system if I was to consider carrying one. I have too many trigger systems as it is. For years I thought I had narrowed it down to striker fired. Then the whole 1911 9mm thing happened, now the Hi Power, and I always have one or another DA/SA blast from the past sneaking into my collection. The latest DA/SA is the 3914 Lady Smith Gen 3 S&W. I'm trying to keep my carry gun options all the same trigger system. But I just found myself ordering a holster for the 3914! It is really a great option when one of my Lightweight Commander type 9mm 1911s are just a little too big for the attire I am wearing, but my clothes are not so skimpy that it is necessary for me to go all the way down to my Glock 42 380. That spot in between my Commanders and the diminutive Glock 42 is currently reserved for my S&W Shield. Since the Shield is pretty much S&W's successor to the 3913/3914, it makes perfect sense I would consider it for the in between Commander and G42 role.

We will see how that plays out. I do shoot my Shield pretty damn well. It probably has a lot to do with the just under 3 lb trigger it currently has. I installed an Apex Tactical M&P Competition Trigger kit in it, and did some fine tuning myself. It also has a threaded barrel installed in it right now, but it doesn't seem to interfere with my ability to conceal it at all. It has actually haven't carried it since last summer. If I recall I think I only needed to carry it a few days the whole summer. It was so hot, when I dressed down, I really dressed down and needed to carry my tiny Glock 380.