Nothing breeds desire like lack of availability. And while Browning Hi-Power production officially ended in 2018, the reality is that it had been years since any metal had been cut. Every few decades or so from the inception of the BHP, we see a resurgence in popularity. The last major push came from Israel; they exported the bulk of their surplus, and they made for cheap, frustrating, and fun longer-term project guns. Most of the Is-raeli guns were extremely rough (see RECOIL Issue 39 to see our Custom Mk3), so you didn’t feel bad beating them up. The decade prior was all about subpar clones from places where you’d best be advised to only drink bottled water.
Here we only knew that Springfield Armory made something “based on a Browning Hi-Power” without any further specifics. Sometimes opening a box with a new pistol makes you feel like a kid on Christmas even when you know exactly what