TFB FIELD STRIP: Browning HP And Licensed Copies
In XX century very few weapons were truly ahead of their time. You can argue about many designs, and if they were actually innovative, but there is no doubt that when FN Herstal Browning HP was designed in 1935 it was way ahead of any competition.
Original prototypes of High-Power were designed by John Moses Browning and after his death, the work was continued by Dieudonné Saive, Belgium firearms designed who was employed by FN Herstal.
During WW2, Browning HP was used both by Allied and Axis forces, in the 70s this pistol became a weapon of choice of British SAS. In the 80s, the FBI HRT team used it as a primary handgun. And even now, 84 years after its creation, it still remains to be a standard sidearm in Canadian and Australian military, and there is a good reason for that.
High capacity 9 mm handgun with double stack magazine is essentially what we use right now, in XXI century. If you think about actual capabilities of Browning HP against let’s say, Glock 17, they are roughly the same. Sure, Glock is lighter, has a slightly better magazine capacity and you can put tons of goofy aftermarket accessories on it, but when the lead starts flying those two guns would be almost identical in their capabilities.
So, for those who say that Browning HP is antiquated and useless, I will say – as long as you have ammunition and magazines for it, it is not outdated. Different versions of Browning HP are still in production in India, Turkey and other countries, FN Herstal only stopped manufacturing these pistols in 2018. The amount of Browning HP pistols in circulation is impossible to estimate.
And therefore it makes sense to know how to field strip this iconic weapon. Back in the day, I did not know that, and when I first encountered a Browning HP in South Africa, I had to learn the hard way that you must keep your HP well maintained and lubed if you want it to run well.
BEFORE YOU FIELD STRIP ANY WEAPON, REMEMBER the four rules of gun safety:
- All guns are always loaded.
- Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.
- Keep your finger off the trigger until your sights are on the target.
- Be sure of your target and what is beyond it.
Step 1. Remove the magazine by pressing the magazine release and visually inspect the chamber to ensure there is no cartridge in it.
Step 2. Lock the slide rearward by pulling the slide back and engaging the “safety” lever into the disassembly recess on the slide.
Step 3. Remove the slide stop from the pistol frame by pushing the protrusion on the right side of the pistol.
Lift up slightly on the serrated portion of the slide stop to disengage it from the frame and pull it out of the frame.
If that doesn’t work, you can always use a flat screwdriver to get under a slide stop lever and push it out.
Step 4. Grasp the slide firmly, pull it rearward slightly and move the safety lever down. The slide will move forward under spring tension and off the frame.
Step 5. While holding the slide, press the head of the recoil spring guide forward to release it from the barrel.
Remove the recoil spring and its guide.
Step 6. To remove the barrel from the slide, lift up the barrel lug and slide the barrel out rearward.
According to Browning HP manual: “no further disassembly is recommended as the pistol is now stripped
adequately for normal maintenance and cleaning“.
If you want to know more, you can download Browning HP manual here
Vladimir Onokoy is a small arms subject matter expert and firearms instructor. Over the years he worked in 20 different countries as a security contractor, armorer, firearms industry sales representative, product manager, and consultant. His articles were published in the Recoil magazine, Small Arms Review, Small Arms Defence Journal, and Silah Report. He also contributed chapters to books from the "Vickers Guide: Kalashnikov" series. Email: machaksilver at gmail dot com. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Vladimir-Onokoy-articles-and-videos-about-guns-and-other-unpopular-stuff-107273143980300/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vladonokoy/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/machaksilver
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I have an FEG clone that I have been shooting for twenty years now. It has been my IDPA piece for 10+ years. Finally had to replace the extractor a couple years ago. It does not care what you feed it, it just keeps plugging away.
I came late to the handgun world.. something about a foreigner stumping for a high office, having already established himself as rabidly antigun and antiliberty got me to thinking learning about and carrying a handgun was a good idea. Spent some considerable time pestering the gun counter crew at the new Cabelas in town, ended up putting a Soringfield HD nine on layaway. It was on sale, some promotion, with extra mags and such. Seemed to be the best thing at the time. I'd always prowled their used handgun selection too, never found anything there that sparked much interes. I also bought a SMith J Frame as a piece for my long solo trips on the bicycle... not a big gun, but carrying anything on the bike is tough. LCP had not yet been invented.
While the layaway was ticking away, someone put a BHP into my hands... I was stunned. It seemed this gun was custom made for ME. I'd tried to hold every model of Glock, none felt comfortable, none pointed naturally for me. So no G-gun. The XD was OK on both of those counts. But the High Power.. onh my. The particular one I was handed was rode hard hung up wet, rough but all there. It seemed quite worn and loose... so I did not buy it. Soon after I DID find a sweet FN Belgian made BHP at a gun show, (pre-UBC mandate) so bought it. time proved that to have been a VERY wise decision. It is the first of somewhere around six or eight. Different modela. My EDC is a rather crusty old thing, also early 60's FNH, not pretty and concours, but a workhorse. If that one went away I'd not cry too hard... think I paid about $400 for it It is only slightly larger than the K 40 I carried a few years, but twice the round count on board. It is a touch heavier, but I suspect most f that weight is the extra seven rounds. A good carry rig makes it comforatablr. It points, and shoots, so naturally for me....
I did bail out the XD Nine, never fired it, almost let it go back. Later a friend of mine asked if I kneew where he could find a good new or near new Nine..... well, make my day, Mike!!! I had bought it at a sale price, thanks to the kinyun pretender and the resultant shortage/extreme demand, two more price increases put the price wayup there. I sold it to my friend for more than I had paid for it including tax. He was ecstatic as he got a NEW gun with accessories for well under then current retail. I skated from a hasty purchase with a small profit. And still have the BHP on my hip more than a decade later.
Reading about the mag lock makes me want to explore the possibility of that "falling out". I never use the safety anyway, but the smoother trigger pull sounds inviting.
So, now I own quite a few different models of the genius of John Moses.. there remains one more I'd really like to own one day.... but at present the chances of that are slim. Yup, his BMG Fifty is on my list. Maybe..... some day.... Meanwhile, what I consider his best handiwork is on my hip daily.