TexasCHLforum.com

ghostrider wrote:

My Hi-Power does not leave Condition 1 except for the brief moments when cycling shots

nice Hi-Power - is it the newer FM model? The slide isn't tapered at the front & I think only
FM does that.

Thanks! Yes, it is an FM, but it is the FM-90, which is the MkII design. The current production is the MkIII design, the FM-95. FM got rid of the beveled slide when they moved to the MkII, and all of their Hi-Powers from then forward have an unbeveled slide. I believe mine was a early to mid-90s production. I bought it NIB last year. I actually prefer this one to the newer FM Hi-Powers, mainly for the grips that come with it. They are similar to a Pachmayr wraparound grip, and fit my had very well. I may change out the safety lever with one of the newer extended ones sometime in the future, but it's not a priority right now.

ghostrider wrote:>Also the true 1911A1 design does not have a firing pin block.

The original design did not, but don't Series 80-based models (Colt, ParaOrdnance)
have a firing-pin block of some sort? Note this was to reduce the chance of the
gun firing if dropped, not to encourage lowering of the hammer on a loaded chamber.

I wouldn't carry a 1911 (or hi power) in anything other than condition 1.

What's more is that it's difficult to even do with a Hi-Power. The 1911 and Hi-Power do not lend themselves to being carried with the hammer down. There's no decocker to drop the hammer safely. While you can pull the mag, eject the chambered round and drop the hammer with a 1911, this is not possible with an unmodified Hi-Power. It has a magazine disconnect that will prevent the hammer from dropping when the mag is disconnected. Unless you keep an empty mag with you wherever you go, there's no safe way to transition to a hammer-down position.

All of that said, carry cocked and locked. This is how these guns are meant to be carried. Any other mode of carry leaves you at a distinct disadvantage in response time. If you're not comfortable with this, go to the range and get comfortable with your gun. Test your safeties and see hands-on that it is not possible to fire the gun without very specific actions. I did this, and was comfortable carrying my Hi-Power from then on.

My Hi-Power does not leave Condition 1 except for the brief moments when cycling shots, when slide locked during ammo changes, or when it's being cleaned. Even in those instances, the hammer is back unless it's being fired.