I've had a thing for a Hi Power for awhile, since I'm a 9mm only guy, the Hi Power is the 9mm standard by which all others are judged....right?

The range here had an Argentinian model available for rent, so I FO'd. I am a yuge proponent of renting before buying, it's been an expensive lesson to learn and as Hi Powers are pricey, I'm glad I rented one first.

I get it that this Argentinian model may not have been the best representation of the Hi Power, I still think I got a fair "feel" for the gun. This particular model had fixed sights, with a narrow milled in front post and a fixed rear with narrow slot, good for accuracy, but hard to pick up if in an hurry.
The gun felt great in the hand, it pointed well, but there were a few drawbacks to it that helped me decide on not buying one. The first thing I experienced was the sharp corners on the bottom of the magazines, those pointy corners can dig in and it is uncomfortable. Secondly, the mag had to be lined up pretty close to perfect or it just wouldn't go in.
Upon firing I found the recoil very pleasant, the heft of the pistol made it a joy to shoot. The trigger pull on this model was nice and I even did very well one handed shooting. I had several failures to eject, double feeds and unstruck primers. I also found the safety on this model was not definitive, it didn't have the positive click on either safe or fire, so I found myself double checking the position of the safety position.

All and all, it was surprisingly accurate for my first time firing this pistol, at about 15 yards I was staying center mass with an extreme spread of about 8 inches, I know I could do a lot better with more shooting. A lot of that was my not being used to the gun and pulling the trigger. Considering it is a Browning design and for when it was designed, I found it to be an awesome pistol for it's day and would've probably proudly owned one myself back then.

However, as a die-hard Glock 17 fan, I will stick with my G17's, it is like night and day. I'm sure if I had a well-maintained and properly springed Hi Power I probably would not have had the malfunctions I had, but aside from that, I just find the G17 more user-friendly, lighter with more ammo, no sharp edges at all, with better sights. The trigger is better on the Hi Power, but I am used to the Glock triggers and am quite accurate with them.

So, I'm glad I got to shoot one and if I was ever given one I'd certainly take it, but I will not be going out of my way to buy one.

I'm a big fan of the BHP and really can't stand Glocks, but that is still one of the most thoughtful and well-reasoned reports of an experience with a pistol I have read on this site.

Mine has none of the cycling issues that you describe. It sounds like you did not have a very good example to try out. I do agree that with some specific models a safety change is warranted.

I love my BHP but it is not my go to carry gun.  I love the way it naturally points and the trigger has always been great.  I agree with you on rent before buying but it also can lead to a some bad impressions as some rental guns are not maintained properly.  I know from my experience at local ranges, rentals can be some of the loosest and dirtiest examples of firearms I have ever seen.