I own a Browning HighPower Practical Model that is harder that the daylights to put into battery from a closed condition. I have replaced the factory mainspring with a wolf spring kit that is supposed to reduce the slide to a 3-4 pound pull. I even have gone so far to cut some turns from the spring to further reduce the slide pull but it is still stiffer than I like to admit. I would hate to get in a fire fight with this gun cuz I would lose just because I couldn't get the gun into battery safely or fast enough.
Any suggestions as to what I might do to make this pistol easier to shoot without making it unsafe?
Thank you all in advance for any suggestion that might help me with this frustrating matter. I love the gun. I've always had a soft spot in my heart for the HighPower. I had one when I was younger that was a two finger to battery gun so I know they can be made easier to shoot.
I've got a couple questions for clarification.
I hate to come off like a nitpicker but you are saying one thing and then throwing around terms that mean something completely different.
1. Is the general issue that the slide is hard to pull back to chamber a round or is the problem the slide won't go all the way forward? (You are saying one thing but 'in battery' refers to the other.)
2. The spring you changed and cut- is it the one under the barrel (the recoil spring) or is it the one in the backstrap of the grip frame that the hammer compresses when it is pulled back (the main spring)?
IF you meant what I think you meant (the slide is too hard to pull back to chamber a round) then changing the recoil spring (the one under the barrel) like I think you did isn't the best thing to do to fix the problem.
That spring's primary job it to absorb part of the recoil of a fired round. Go too heavy on that spring and the gun won't cycle. Going too light, on the other hand, can lead to excessive wear on the frame and all kinds of problems like the firing pin still protruding during ejection. THAT one can lead to a broken firing pin. Basically, screwing with that spring is gonna mess up the timing of the action during firing and that is never good. If you were only shooting a very light load with a light bullet, sure change the spring but doing it for any other reason is just gonna accelerate the wear and tear on the gun in question.
The mainspring (one hidden in the backstrap of the grip frame), on the other hand, MAY be a better place to start. The ONLY thing that spring does is push the hammer forward when the trigger is pulled, so the resistance of the hammer being cocked right at the beginning of the slide's movement may be your issue. They are normally stout enough to work in the suspension of most medium or heavy duty trucks. Check with Wolff and see if they have some reduced power main springs. If you can find a kit, that would be the way to go because you don't know just how far you can go.
The problem arises when you go to too light a main spring for reliable ignition and you end up getting light primer strikes. I've seen competition pistols that were set up with main springs that were so light that they would only fire Federal primers (widely known in reloading circles as the most sensitive) reliably. Try shooting Winchester or Remington primed ammo (about middle of the road as far as primer sensitivity goes) in them and they go 'click' as often as they go 'BANG!'.
Aexanda45,
The 'Practical' model is outfitted with a big set of adjustable target sights and were once offered in a 2 tone blued over matte chrome. No long slides or anything else special that I've been able to find. I had one back in the mid '90's and it was not more accurate than any of the fixed sight commercial models that I have owned.
