Mk II Belgian Browing Hi Power

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Long overdue is my evaluation of my Mk II browning Hi Power (Belgian Production). The gun was purchased from Cole's Distributing, and the total cost after transfer, shipping, etc was $481.90. The gun shipped with 1 formally legal NYS standard capacity magazine. I now have a 10 round, neutered mag in the gun, that has been re-neutered (neutered harder) to 7 rounds to comply with current NY SAFE 13 legislation. Mechanically and aesthetically the pistol is in near perfect condition, with excellent machining and a very even park'd finish. The grips exhibit the only visible wear on the gun - a testiment to what I suspect was a very well done re-arsenal job.

The keen-eyed viewer will notice that my pistol does NOT have the solid roll-pin, which makes me suspect this may be an Israeli police trade-in, though I can find no markings to support that claim.

 The BHP Mk II comes with an Ambi-safety, enlarged from previous generations of Hi-powers, and later models (mine included) saw heavy revision to the feed ramp geometry, making them much more JHP friendly. My example has shown no issues with any hollow point I have put through it yet, but that list is still fairly small. Additionally, the Mk II comes with a lanyard loop as standard equipment. This loop does not (and cannot as far as I can tell) Interfere with magazine changes, nor does it cause discomfort for right or left handed shooting.

 Aside from a thorough cleaning, only two modifications have been made to the gun. After some dry firing and a little live firing, I decided to remove the magazine disconnect from my Mk II. The process is simple and requires only a punch and a hammer to accomplish. 

Additionally, I filled in the front sight with my ghetto night sight modification of parrot green glow in the dark paint. This helps with target acquisition, and I find that even though the sights are a bit shorter than you see on more recent production guns, they are adequate for all but the lowest light situations. My example shipped with a plain black rear and a single dot on the front. Later models had 3 white bars (similar to the 3-dot sights that are so popular today). 

At left, you will notice the 'mouse trap' spring that became standard on BHP 10 round magazines for a time. This aids in magazines 'dropping free' when the magazine disconnect is installed. With the disconnect removed, the spring allows for very positive ejection of emptied mags.

 A close up of the slide and frame to see the machining and finish. Red stuff is the gun lube I use.
 Below is a close up of the seated 10 (7) round magazine with mouse-trap spring and lanyard.
All in all, these guns are a definite buy. The BHP is an extremely natural pointing gun, and the mk II guns in a lot of ways had the best elements of the design. They did not have the excessive springing that the Mk III has, nor did they have the difficult to manipulate controls of the previous generations. Additionally, they had the benefits of a more friendly feed ramp, all while still being extremely affordable.

for under 500 dollars (less than the price of a Glock in my area by a good amount), you can pick up a high-quality 9mm handgun that is reliable and ergonomic. As I get more rounds through the gun, I will make a new post about hammer bite, and continued reliability, but as of yet neither seems to be a concern.