|
|
Post by medic15al on Jul 16, 2019 18:14:14 GMT -5
Are the Detectives or the upper units still available? Some of you guys have started a heartburn for one!
|
|
|
|
Post by tnorris on Jul 16, 2019 18:48:42 GMT -5
I have an FM Detective Slide Kit and use it for carry an FN Alloy frame. I look, every so often, to see if they are available and they seem to be in pretty short supply. The FM short slide works better on an FM frame than it does on an FN frame... like my FN Alloy. There was a bit of a hiccup in mine... sometimes the trigger would not fully reset. A little (very little) jiggle of the trigger finger allowed it to reset and fire, not good for a self defense "on the street" gun. Shortening the trigger lever cured that problem and turned the set up into a wonderfully reliable pistol.
However, when I used the same shortened trigger lever with the original FN slide... it would sometimes fire twice with one trigger pull. That slide is now mothballed along with a spare trigger lever. The FM product appears to not be an exact copy of the original High Power. A complete FM Detective Pistol is probably a better way to go, if you can find one. A cut down FN slide is my dream... but expensive. I believe Arcus also made a Detective Hi Power.
Like I said... my combo works great if I don't want to interchange the slides. Hope you find one! *It was Mark at BHSS who figured out my trigger lever problem. Many, many thanks! |
|
|
|
Post by gt40doc on Jul 17, 2019 12:57:19 GMT -5
As stated above, the FM Detective Models (90 and 95) are no longer made, but they are out there. The complete FM Detective upper unit is also out there. One has to just be very vigilant in searching, and be braced for the price when you find one. They don't hang around long when they show up. I have owned my FM Detective(complete gun) for a number of years, and would not part with it.
|
|
|
|
Post by medic15al on Jul 17, 2019 13:10:19 GMT -5
Thanks guys, I had no idea they were discontinued. I do need to find 2 of them as I do prefer the Commander type balance.
I have a late production Browning Hi-Power Standard and am a fan of the platform for carry and around the house.
|
|
|
|
Post by bandito on Dec 6, 2019 19:25:30 GMT -5
I'm looking for the Detective model. I just need a bit more urgency in my search. I hope you guys get one, Be Well, Bandito.
|
|
|
|
Post by CXM on Dec 11, 2019 8:52:02 GMT -5
The CZ75 Compact is pretty close to the HP Detective model... not exact but pretty close. Real HP Detectives and conversions show up on Gunbroker from time to time, but they are no longer cheap. I got both of mine there... FWIW Chuck Thanks guys, I had no idea they were discontinued. I do need to find 2 of them as I do prefer the Commander type balance. I have a late production Browning Hi-Power Standard and am a fan of the platform for carry and around the house. |
|
|
|
Post by tnorris on Dec 11, 2019 17:20:26 GMT -5
I have a CZ 75 Compact and a CZ P-01, it's lighter Alloy twin. The FM Detective Slide mounted on an FN Alloy Frame is considerably lighter than the P-01 (a steel frame/short slide is probably lighter than the 75 Compact), and is shorter and noticeable thinner than either CZ. With the 15 round magazine, the HP holds one extra round. The CZs, once tuned by Cajun Gun Works, have very nice DA/SA triggers and definitely shine in the trigger department unless, like me, you prefer a single action trigger.
I've come to prefer my short slide lightweight HP over my CZ Compacts... which are very, very nice pistols.
|
|
|
|
Post by CXM on Dec 11, 2019 18:28:04 GMT -5
The difficulty of course, is for someone who does not have a lightweight HP OR a FM detective will have a hard time finding one in today's market... Yes, they show up from time to time but when they do they usually bring a high price. While I prefer the HP Detective to a CZ compact, the CZ IS a reasonable alternative... at least until a Detective turns up... FWIW Chuck I have a CZ 75 Compact and a CZ P-01, it's lighter Alloy twin. The FM Detective Slide mounted on an FN Alloy Frame is considerably lighter than the P-01 (a steel frame/short slide is probably lighter than the 75 Compact), and is shorter and noticeable thinner than either CZ. With the 15 round magazine, the HP holds one extra round. The CZs, once tuned by Cajun Gun Works, have very nice DA/SA triggers and definitely shine in the trigger department unless, like me, you prefer a single action trigger. I've come to prefer my short slide lightweight HP over my CZ Compacts... which are very, very nice pistols. |
|
|
|
Post by ToddSig on Dec 6, 2020 11:49:43 GMT -5
A little necroposting here, but rather than start a new thread..... This past Monday I decided to take a look on eBay to see what was offered for Hi Powers. When I searched for Browning Hi Powers, recent, the third most recent listing was a complete FM 90 Detective slide kit. The images were not great, but it surprisingly had a Buy Now option for $325. The last one I saw sell on eBay about a month or two ago was $575. I had recently purchased a 1958 Browning Hi Power and my Hi Power fund was rather dry, but this was too good of a deal to pass up, budget or not. I was lucky to look when I did, so I clicked the Buy Now and Santa came early. I am sure if I did not buy it, it would have sold within a few minutes. I cleaned it up, nice condition and I look forward to mating it to one of my alloy Hi Power as recommended by TNorris for a great Hi Power EDC. The alloy I was thinking of placing it on is an old finish, 1984 with Ambi safety. Problem is the Detective slide to alloy frame is not a good fit. Frame to slide fit is extremely tight, to the point I have to at times tap off with a rubber hammer. But it fits on other alloys, MKIIIs and classics all without problems. I guess the rail tolerances on the two are perhaps a min for one and max for the other and are just not meant to mate. Not sure what I will do. Since it fits everything else, not a big deal. What I find interesting is the serial number on the slide and barrel, matching, but with a prefix of 1C. I believe the prefix refers to the slide kit rather than full Detective pistol. My two other Detectives, a M90 and M95 are the complete pistol, not the slide kit and the serial numbers are all numeric. I have found images of two other kits (in original packaging) and both had 1C serial number prefixes. I am thinking if you see a FM Detective slide with a prefix of 1C or something similar, it is probably from a slide kit. A few images     |
|
|
|
Post by tnorris on Dec 6, 2020 13:05:48 GMT -5
Nice find Todd! Mine is also a 1C kit (#1450). I have recently added a BHSS one piece barrel and the BHSS Advanced Trigger Assembly to mine. Mark did the trigger install while I watched. Looked pretty easy and I believe I can do it on my other HPs when more triggers are available. The barrel needed a bit of polishing to fit properly... those min/max tolerances again. When I first had it mated to the alloy, with a C&S trigger, the trigger lever had to be shortened to allow for reset... the slide dimensions are not identical to the FN slide. With the original FN slide, after having the Detective Slide function perfectly, the pistol gave me automatic double taps with each trigger pull. The new trigger assembly did not require such a shortening of the trigger lever to function with the Detective Slide. I have hope the original slide will once again work properly with it's alloy frame. I was only able to run 15 rounds through it at the end of the day and I am very pleased. The new Meprolight sights sure did stand out in the dark. Anyway, mine is out of the carry rotation until I can get to the range and run a couple hundred rounds through it. I intend to test the original slide on the same trip. Tim
I'm adding a couple pictures... Improvements!
New Alloy Detective configuration with Meprolight Sights, BHSS barrel and BHSS Advanced Trigger
Magazine Eject Spring: You can see where the spring catches the magazine as it is inserted. The magazine pushes the spring out of the way of the trigger. The Eject Spring is optional but it positively ejects the magazine every time.
Trigger lever in new assembly.
|
|
|
|
Post by ToddSig on Dec 6, 2020 15:58:27 GMT -5
Nice find Todd! Mine is also a 1C kit (#1450). I have recently added a BHSS one piece barrel and the BHSS Advanced Trigger Assembly to mine. Mark did the trigger install while I watched. Looked pretty easy and I believe I can do it on my other HPs when more triggers are available. The barrel needed a bit of polishing to fit properly... those min/max tolerances again.
Tim, yes, I think I was pretty lucky finding the detective slide. Now, given that it is not fitting on the alloy frame I had in mind for it, not sure what I will do. I do want it on an alloy frame. I might have to wait for another alloy to come along and then have some work done to it. I am now thinking of sending the Detective slide to Novaks for some new sights. My other Detectives both have Novaks on them, and I do like them both functionally and aesthetically. I like what you have done to your Detective slide and alloy frame, it looks really good, and I find the BHSS trigger really interesting. I am waiting for them to become available and will definitely give it a try. I like the idea and application of the magazine ejection spring. Keep us posted when you get to the range for further function and reliability testing. Really interested to hear the results and your thoughts on the BHSS one piece barrel and the new trigger. |
|
|
|
Post by tnorris on Dec 6, 2020 16:56:45 GMT -5
Todd, Just in case you haven't seen it... here is a video from BHSS discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the FM Detective.
|
|
|
|
Post by ToddSig on Dec 6, 2020 19:36:34 GMT -5
Todd, Just in case you haven't seen it... here is a video from BHSS discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the FM Detective.
Thanks for the link Tim. I had not seen the video, will watch. |
|
|
|
Post by ToddSig on Dec 13, 2020 14:08:06 GMT -5
I have determined there is no way the FM Detective slide will fit on my 1984 LW frame. Tolerances are just too tight. I have another LW which Bob Cogan at APW worked on and hard chromed for me. With the FM Detective slide it now has a Hi Power Practical look. The Detective slide fits without issue and it cleaned up nicely and matches well to the new hard chrome on the LW frame. For now, and until I find another LW as a donor frame, this is where it will stay and become part of my EDC rotation.   |
|
|
|
Post by sourwoodtom on Feb 1, 2021 21:32:27 GMT -5
I just sold an FM Detective a couple weeks ago.
Bought it years ago from a guy who needed a few bucks. At the time, the kits were still available for about $200 (I think) from Sarco or someplace similar, maybe Southern Ohio Gun. Paid $175.00 for it, if I remember correctly. Back then I couldn't afford the real thing, and this seemed cool. Better than the Arcus 94 I had, which just plain didn't work. It was his truck gun, so it was pretty ugly, but still a hi-power, and I was poor.
Cleaning out the safe these days, and discovered these are really worth something. Mine, really ugly, but with new BHSS springs (had to use Keltec P40 recoil spring prior), brought $600. Nice ones are now bringing close to a grand. Whodathunk?
Anyway, if John Moses Browning had lived just a bit longer, he'd have probably come up with a 4" BHP.
|
|
