Posted: 11/4/2013 4:22:06 PM EDT
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I am working up the courage to buy a Hi Power from Cole's.
Being frugal, I am not seeing a gigantic difference between the $370 and $490 guns. But I tend to err for the more expensive when in doubt. Can someone give me some pointers? |
| The biggest difference I see in most of the lower priced HiPowers he sells compared to the higher is that many of the lower cost pistols have replacement barrels and/or slides and the higher priced ones have original pieces. I have purchased three HiPowers from Coles and have been very satisfied with all three. I see no reason not to get one of the lower priced pistols. I see a few in the $400 range that look pretty good with matching serials denoting original parts up on Gunbroker right now. One of those should do you just fine. |
| I have purchased "several" of the FN / BHP's from Coles and the one thing I have noticed is the higher priced models are a lot nicer cosmetically. Function has been good on all of the one's I've purchased after a detail strip and thorough cleaning, regardless of looks. |
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I decided that matching numbers and cosmetics were worth an extra $100.
Stabbed the "buy it now" button and we enter the interminable wait while FFL's exchange information, money orders languish in the postal system and guns crawl to the local FFL. Still, finally getting the HP I've kind of wanted since I was in Junior High School and cracked open that copy of TSR's Top Secret. |
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I have bought 4 guns from Coles. He is conservative on his grading. I have tried to buy "original" guns- meaning same barrel and slide as when it left the factory. Right now the pickings are much slimmer at CDI and they are going to get slimmer still as time goes on. If you want a good gun, pay the money, understand that it is STILL less than you would be paying if Coles didn't have 400 guns listed on Gunbroker and be happy.
I've looked at many of the "remarks" etc that he has for sale and many are pretty damn crude/ugly. They might be able to be cleaned up etc....but if I was buying to do a custom gun on, I'd pay the extra $50 and get a better grade gun. If you just want a beater, hell, buy one of the fake FN Fegs he has. |
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I did not mean to express displeasure about the condition of the guns. The original inquiry was if the differences in prices were just cosmetic or mechanical.
In the end I decided that the extra money was worth it to me for those cosmetics. The one I picked looks very nice, as a matter of fact. I wanted a shooter, but not a beater and while there's nothing functionally wrong with the guns with the XXXX'd out numbers or with electropenciling; I discovered that I was willing to spend a little more to get original matching bits. I didn't read the comments on Gunbroker, but here the consensus seems to be that CDI is a good place to spend your hard-earned money. So I did! My grousing now centers around the waits associated with the FFL sending their info, the money order getting to CDI, shipping from them to the FFL and then finally being able to pick it up. |
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PDQ, you should have it within a week of payment being cashed. Quoted:
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Damn slow USPS. What's the average on how long between their getting payment and the gun shipping? PDQ, you should have it within a week of payment being cashed. At present I am fretting as to why my payment doesn't seem to have arrived. He said he'd email when he got it. Tomorrow will be a week when most often three postal days is enough for a letter. I really don't want to go through the whole process of canceling a postal money order. |
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Shooting at the store? Yikes!
While I was fretting, I noticed that the PO Box I'd mailed the payment to didn't match the PO Box in Mr Cole's signature. Panic sets in. Had I sent it to the wrong address? So I call. The payment had arrived. They have more than one PO Box. Relief. I now sit with tracking number in hand eagerly awaiting it's arrival at my FFL. |
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Shooting at the store? Yikes! While I was fretting, I noticed that the PO Box I'd mailed the payment to didn't match the PO Box in Mr Cole's signature. Panic sets in. Had I sent it to the wrong address? So I call. The payment had arrived. They have more than one PO Box. Relief. I now sit with tracking number in hand eagerly awaiting it's arrival at my FFL. I sent him an 800.00 money order that he said he never received. Went through the whole USPS fork over five bucks for money order tracking and lo and behold, they did in fact receive it. I forgot to add in the shipping cost, so I think that threw them a bit. But, they should have contacted me earlier because I always right the auction numbers on the FFL copy. Beyond that, it usually takes 7-10 days before you actually have the gun in hand. |
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I'm in for another one:
www.gunbroker.com/Auction/ViewItem.aspx?Item=376043858 Bought one on the far right previously from Coles: 
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It arrived today! Cole's over delivered, the promised ten round magazine is a 13 rounder. Now I am eying one of those FÉG clones he has... http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5537/10930262856_3d26a1539d_b.jpg With an older sibling from before The War. PS: Passes the click test too! Hard to stop with just one. In order of purchase. All from Coles. 
Less than $1500 for all of them shipped to my front door. I would have more but early S&W revolvers and a couple of .32 semi-auto C&R's have caught my attention lately. |
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It arrived today! Cole's over delivered, the promised ten round magazine is a 13 rounder. Now I am eying one of those FÉG clones he has... http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5537/10930262856_3d26a1539d_b.jpg With an older sibling from before The War. PS: Passes the click test too! Looks good! Here's how to remove the mag safety. http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=133740 Another one, you can skip removing the mag release. 230grain.com/showthread.php?1521-How-to-get-rid-of-the-Hi-Power-Magazine-Disconnect-(lots-of-pics) Also you can date your pistol here: https://www.browning.com/customerservice/dategun/detail.asp?id=35 |
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Looks good! Here's how to remove the mag safety. http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=133740 Another one, you can skip removing the mag release. 230grain.com/showthread.php?1521-How-to-get-rid-of-the-Hi-Power-Magazine-Disconnect-(lots-of-pics) Also you can date your pistol here: https://www.browning.com/customerservice/dategun/detail.asp?id=35 Quoted:
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It arrived today! Cole's over delivered, the promised ten round magazine is a 13 rounder. Now I am eying one of those FÉG clones he has... http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5537/10930262856_3d26a1539d_b.jpg With an older sibling from before The War. PS: Passes the click test too! Looks good! Here's how to remove the mag safety. http://forums.1911forum.com/showthread.php?t=133740 Another one, you can skip removing the mag release. 230grain.com/showthread.php?1521-How-to-get-rid-of-the-Hi-Power-Magazine-Disconnect-(lots-of-pics) Also you can date your pistol here: https://www.browning.com/customerservice/dategun/detail.asp?id=35 I took the trigger out. Took the sear arm out. Took the magazine release out. Lots of very fine grit inside those areas. I am on the fence about deleting the magazine safety. I've tried this gun both ways and the trigger is the same. Cleaning and lubing the trigger mechanism improved things a great deal. I do need to track down a trigger pin to replace the roll pin though. It's an '85 made gun! |
| I'm looking at these as well. Not really sure what I should be focusing on; I think I should look the ones with the dovetail front sights, just seems like that would save gunsmithing down the road if I want to replace the sights. One without the replacement slide wouldn't have the etched serial number. Some have ring hammers, most have spur. Are any of these things a big deal, or is something else? Should I just be focusing on getting a clean one with no pitting? |
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I'm looking at these as well. Not really sure what I should be focusing on; I think I should look the ones with the dovetail front sights, just seems like that would save gunsmithing down the road if I want to replace the sights. One without the replacement slide wouldn't have the etched serial number. Some have ring hammers, most have spur. Are any of these things a big deal, or is something else? Should I just be focusing on getting a clean one with no pitting? Start with your last thing, then move to other features. I wanted the original numbers, lanyard ring, spur hammer and big safety. I wish I'd noticed the roll pin trigger pin, but it works fine and has not fallen out like my buddy's FÈG did. |
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I'm looking at these as well. Not really sure what I should be focusing on; I think I should look the ones with the dovetail front sights, just seems like that would save gunsmithing down the road if I want to replace the sights. One without the replacement slide wouldn't have the etched serial number. Some have ring hammers, most have spur. Are any of these things a big deal, or is something else? Should I just be focusing on getting a clean one with no pitting? Coles has plenty to lose focus on. The most attractive ones he has, in my opinion, are the older C&R guns because there are some decent ones there if you like the look of the old classic blued gun with internal extractor and "thumbprint" slide, and the clean non-pitted refinished ones with good bores that will make good shooters. The remainder are not going to look as nice and will take more work cosmetically to look decent. The C&R guns are better left alone, in my opinion, unless you want a gun to hug and fondle and keep in the safe. So then you're back to the clean non-pitted refinished ones with good bores. The ones with the dovetailed front sight are generally Mk III guns and those generally have factory extended safetys. The Mk III sights are pretty decent as is, so there's a lot to recommend there. If you do go to replacing the sights, Novak sells sight sets that fit the front dovetail, and two styles of rear sights and both require some machining. I prefer the "old style" Novak Mk III because they don't stick up above the top of the slide like a sore thumb and that's what the "new style" do, stick up and look like crap. The ones with the raised rib on the slide are generally Mk II guns and those often have factory extended safetys also. The Mk II sights are also pretty decent as is, so again, a lot to recommend. Novak sells sight sets for the Mk II also, but a front dovetail will need to be cut and the rear will need some machining as well. Unless you have a decent smith in your neighborhood, you can box the slide up and send off to Novak and they'll turn it around with new sights in a couple of weeks. Personally I like the look of the ring hammers but don't get in a twist about them. The Mk II & III guns won't have them. Probably the best thing you can do right after bringing it home from the dealer would be to give it a good cleaning, replace the springs, jerk out the magazine safety, put on a good set of grips [VZ slim are good] and go put a couple-three hundred rounds thru it before deciding to do anything else to it. You may decide it stands up pretty well just as it is. |