I am not a marketing whiz. I know what I like and I know what works and I feel I am able to judge quality. A few years ago FN eliminated the High Power from production. Decreased sales and an ever increasing price point due to heavy manufacturing costs of this older design played a part. Springfield introduced a High Power clone and the next thing we know folks are buying the High Power again. EAA also introduced a High Power clone- and FN has redesigned their High Power. It is even more expensive and folks are clamoring. I don’t know but I suppose it is all a good thing. The EAA imported Girsan High Power is a faithful copy of the Browning MKII High power in most ways. There are good sights, an ambidextrous safety, good fit and finish, a 15 round magazine, compatibility with Browning High Power parts and magazines, and good reliability. The quality is good, for the price, at about five to six hundred retail depending on the model. It is worth the money and you may own a good shooting High Power for less than half the price of a ‘real’ High Power.
The trigger is heavy like the original with most models breaking at 8 pounds. A MATCH version with flat trigger offers a better trigger action and adjustable sights. The MATCH OPS also offers a light rail. These are very interesting handguns. The High Power is a pistol that fits most hands well and has a certain retro look many appreciate. With these modern improvements the pistol offers a good shooting experience. I tested the MATCH and MATCH OPS versions. The slide fits the frame with little lateral play. The ramped barrel is well fitted. The front sight is a bright red fiber optic. The rear sight is a compact but fully adjustable unit. The rear of the sight is serrated. The rear square notch offers a good sight picture. The ambidextrous safety allows a left handed shooter or right handed shooter in a jam a good option. The grips are a modern starburst similar to Wilson Combat types. The MATCH trigger breaks at six pounds, a pound lighter than a standard High Power. The flat trigger helps the action feel better and reset is good- not as fast as a 1911 but good for a High Power trigger.
Firing the pistol went as expected. The 9mm isn’t a hard kicker and a pistol weighing well over thirty ounces loaded isn’t likely to jar the teeth with recoil. An extended grip tang and a slight dip in the frame to lower the bore axis helps. I used Black Hills Ammunition 115 grain FMJ for most of the firing. The pistol was well lubricated before firing and never failed to feed, chamber, fire or eject. The 1911 is fast to an accurate first shot while the High Power may be even faster. Drawing from a Falco leather Crabhawk holster and zeroing in on the X ring I had good results at 5, 7, and 10 yards. The trigger isn’t my favorite but it would not be difficult to acclimate to the trigger. The pistol is supplied with one magazine. It is a quality MecGar type. I added several original FN magazines and the pistol ran well. I fired the MATCH OPS most and only a few rounds in a comparable MATCH pistol. In the end I found a pistol worth the money. As for absolute accuracy I benchrest tested the pistol with two load. The Black Hills 115 grain FMJ gave a five shot 15 yard group of 1.9 inch. The Black Hills 124 grain JHP grouped five shots into 1.7 inch. The pistol seems accurate and reliable. If you are looking for a High Power on the cheap this is the piece for you.
FINISH: BLUE/BLACK
- CAL: 9mm
- CAP: 15+1
- BBL: 4.87″
- OAL: 7.75″
- WT: 1.8 lbs
