WE Browning Hi-Power [Review]

T.C.

Hi all, I recently ordered and received a WE Browning Hi-power, so I thought I'd give you some first impressions..

Purchase

Bought it from Airsoft Global as soon as Horse84 (thanks mate) posted in the News thread about their availability. 3-4 day express shipping with Fedex

was the same cost as the slow shipping so it got in country in three days. Like a lot of people I've read on various forums, I've kinda wanted one of
these for a while, but the reports of how un-skirmashable the Tanaka model was put paid to that for a good while. When I heard the announcement of the WE one, I was just waiting for someone to stock it, ready to jump in.

Packaging


As per usual with WE, you get the machine in the box in a polystyrene cut-out, overlaid with a black cloth. In this case they'd folded the box inside out, and it also came with a decent manual.


(Brief) Real Steel history

For anyone who doesn't know, and this is probably one of the better known pistol designs out there, the Hi-Power was designed by John Moses Browning in 1923, but was not manufactured until FN in Belgium, who had bought his design, dusted it off for the Belgian Army pistol competition in 1935. It won the competition and started manufacture in the same year. Since then it has been in very common use around the world, even to the present day, and has the distinction of being one of the few weapons used by both Allied and Axis forces during WW2.

Airsoft version

Having never held the real steel myself, I don't how this compares to it. I'm normally a M1911 man, and the Hi-Power struck me as much lighter and more compact then the other Browning design. This model is full metal (apart from the very reasonable wood-style plastic grips) but still feels light to me.


It breaks down in the familiar 1911 fashion, and all the components fit together well, with no air gaps and no rattles. The hammer action and mag release work fine and the mag seats neatly and securely. The thumb safety is stiff but works ok, and like the 1911, only when the hammer is back. It can also be used to lock the slide back if you need to relieve pressure on the slide release. The hammer will also not release if the mag is removed, in common with the real steel.

Shooting

I've only had opportunity to use this at home, so I'm afraid I don't have an fps figure for you. Subjectively, there's a good punch from each shot, and the first mag gave me all the shots in the mag on my single A4 target sheet, with no random flyers. The pistol feels good and comfortable, with all controls in easy reach, the double stack mag makes the handgrip chunky but still comfortable; not as svelte as a single stack 1911, but not as chunky as a P226. As I said before the overwhelming feeling I have is of how compact it is in my hand.

Right to the only downside I've come across - the trigger action. It's a bit hard, requiring a lot of force for it to drop the hammer. It's probably too hard to make firing the gun accurate from rest, but in a combat situation I suspect it wouldn't make that much difference.

Verdict

As far as I'm concerned this is exactly what I was looking for. Good looking and feeling solid in the hand, it shoots accurately and with mags freely available it looks like it could be eminently skimashable as well. The price was right as well, so I'm a happy camper.

They call me "Too many pistols" T.C. .....

Pictures attached...
HP_in_box_40.jpg

HP_and_mag_small.jpg

HP_disassembled_small.jpg

1911_and_HP_right_way_up_small.jpg

CaptainCook

thanks for review i ordered mine last night, do you know if tanak parts are interchangeable with the WE hipower. Also i read on a few sites they are going to bring out a stock and inner barrel thats threaded to take a silencer, do you know if there is any truth in this. Now roll on end of month so i can afford my px4

loves_to_spooge

Excellent review buddy, this has always been a tempting alternative to a 1911 and your review has just about tipped me over the edge, especially given skirmishing reviews of the tanaka are less than satisfying!
Just out of curiosity, did you have any problems with customs, etc? A few years back a mate of mine bought a shell ejecting M1 Garand collectors replica abroad and when he got it the box was marked 'opened by customs' and the rifle was literally broken in half. It makes me a little apprehensive to buy airsoft rifles and pistols from abroad!

CaptainCook

loves_to_spooge wrote: »

Excellent review buddy, this has always been a tempting alternative to a 1911 and your review has just about tipped me over the edge, especially given skirmishing reviews of the tanaka are less than satisfying!
Just out of curiosity, did you have any problems with customs, etc? A few years back a mate of mine bought a shell ejecting M1 Garand collectors replica abroad and when he got it the box was marked 'opened by customs' and the rifle was literally broken in half. It makes me a little apprehensive to buy airsoft rifles and pistols from abroad!

I just got two pistols last night from airsoft global in hong kong box was never opened, both the cop357 and mk23 arrived safely. I tend to order alot of stuff from Hong Kong as although it does work out basically the same as the irish retailers, the irish retailers, I think are very poor in terms of breadth and depth of what stock they carry to suit my personnel tastes. Thats fair enough, they are in it to make money not suit my personnel tastes by getting in a load of esoteric stuff (i.e not Armalite derivatives or AK's). I have never had a problem getting anything in from either Hong Kong or the states, just realize that its not gonna save any money, you wont have any support backup if anything goes wrong and customs do stop things, i remember they stopped a revolver launcher on me and i had to ring them to get it released, they are vey pleasant to deal with in opinion, they are more and more aware of airsoft and once you approach them in a civil and non-crontational open manner issues are generally resolved quickly.

If your interested in getting the hipower, SE airsoft have them, i ordered mine on a Monday i think and had it on Tuesday night, thats pretty amazing service, they are nice pistols all metal and pretty decent finish considering its not a premier brand.


Otherwise some of the retailers do partner products they can get anything they want from Hong Kong and it might cost ever so slightly more but you do get piece of mind if anything goes wrong.

loves_to_spooge

Thanks for the prompt and detailed reply! It's good to know that customs are becoming more familiar with airsoft and other imitation rifles.
I'm assuming anything over the 1-joule legal limit would of course be seized, but it's nice to know packages probably won't be checked, which lessens the threat of damage to bought items.
I just might give the fine people at SE Airsoft a bell over the hi-power, they've always been more than helpful anytime I've had dealings with them.
Thanks again and I hope the pistol continues to perform excellently!