Today’s Hot Gear Friday feature (with a nod to Anti-Strib’s Hot Chick Friday only with, like, gear instead of chicks – although please, guys – Barbara Eden? Yeep) is the Browning HP35.
A first-cousin of the legendary Colt M1911A1, this 1935 design was the standard pistol of most British Commonwealth armies from the end of World War II (it was served with Britain’s paratroopers and commandos during the war), and the standard sidearm of the SAS’ hostage rescue teams until, reportedly, quite recently.
I never much liked 9mm handguns – but the Hi-Power is perhaps the one handgun in the world that fits my hand perfectly and points like no other I’ve ever shot, including the M1911. They’re not cheap, these days, but ooooh nellie, I tell ya – one of these next tax refunds…
I like 9mm, and Brownings are fine – if there are no Glocks available.
Don’t blame me. That would be “The Admiral”.
13 round magazine? Ain’t that illegal?
Magazines aren’t illegal anymore – at the moment, anyway.
High capacity magazines are no longer banned. Anyway, if you want the gun that the SAS replaced the Browning High Power with then go by yourself a Sig P226. Its a truely awesome gun. I personally own a P220 but last time I was at the range I had the chane to shoot a P226 and it is an insanely accurate and well balance gun. Also, there are no lame safetly devices you will find on Glocks or other guns. Basically you load it, pull the slide back, release, and away you go. No safety switches to click off, no trigger safety to squeeze, no grip safety to squeeze, nothing… Just pull the trigger.
I have had some pratice shooting and at 15 feet I put 11 out of 11 rounds in center off mass in about 3 seconds. Awesome gun.
JS
Sounds like the Sig took a page from the G-lock, JS. There are no external safeties on the Glock, either. Same deal – lock & load & down the road.
Wasn’t the Sig in the last James Bond film?
Terry, the magazines were never illegal, just the manufacture of new ones for a while. I made a nice chunk of change selling some of my spares while it was illegal to make new ones.
As to the gun, the HP35 is not nearly as nice in my hands as either the newer Sigs or even a 1911A that’s been customized for competition. You’ll get my 1911A when you … well, you know.
PaulC, my friend has a Glock 22 and I cannot stand the double action on the gun. Plus the trigger pull is WAY TOO LONG and mushy. It has that built in trigger safety which I think accounts for the mile long action. Shooting his gun I got into the bad habit of trying to squeeze the slack out of the trigger for my next shot. Because of that I started double tapping by accident. It’s taken me months to break me of the habit tho I still do it form time to time with my SIG.
Glock is a good gun but the whole trigger mechanism and no option for a DA/SA, in my opinion, makes it subpar.
Anyway, anyone here own a P229? Since the P226 is full frame I was going to get the P229 for carrying.
JS
JS,
I see what you’re saying about the trigger safety; I’ve been using them so long I guess I don’t think about ’em much now.
Even the smaller frame versions of these things (Glock and probably P229, too) – you notice them when you’ve got ’em along for the ride. I even tried a Walther PPK but their handles are long for carry. Unless you get a little .22, carrying is always kind of a circus.
Actually, I’m curious about the 220. How’s it work for ya?
In Hawaii magazines that hold more than 10 rounds have been illegal since (I think) ’92. I don’t keep up on the federal firearms laws as much as I should because the local laws are generally much more restrictive.
Can you mainland guys keep a howitzer in your back yard yet?
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I was hanging out at Burnsville Pistol Range today talking politics and guns — and gun politics; we’ve got a DFL metrocrat statewide gun registration bill to stomp on, or we will have gun registration this year — with, among others, Donnie Larson, one of my favorite shooting instructors. (And favorite people; he’s a really nice guy.) He’s a wizard with a Glock, and does great holster work and instruction, but is much less fond of the SIG’s DA/SA; the transition from the initial DA pull to the SA one slows him down and widens his groups.
I really, really like the SIGs, though; but you’ve got to put in a fair amount of time on transition drills. DA shot; SA shot; then hit the hammer drop, regain your shooting grip and start all over again. Very important that nothing in your grip shifts between the two kinds of shots.
Me, I like revolvers, as I may have mentioned a time or two. When I do HR218 training for the retired cops, the POST shooting qualification requires that we use some dummy rounds and for them to clear stoppages. The semiauto guys vary in how quickly — even under the very mild stress of a qual — they can get back on target; the revolver guys just snicker a bit to themselves as they pull the trigger again and get a bang.
That said, if I was going to carry a fullsized semiauto, the 220 would be high on my list, but if you’re thinking about the Browning, try the Springfileld XD. The shape of the grip is just about identical, and you’ve got the grip safety, and a trigger that’s pretty similar to the Glock. (Slightly longer reset, I think, but that’s not a big deal.)