Gun Thread: TXMoMe Discussion and Analysis Edition!

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Holy Atomic Shitballs! The 2023 Texas MoMe is in the books. What a great time! I am writing this Sunday morning as the damage in the aftermath of the get-together is being assessed. I need to go make at least a token effort at helping, so tonight's thread is going to be brief. Please consider this an open thread to discuss guns 'n shootin' and your 2023 Texas MoMe experience!

With that, step into the dojo and let's get to the gun stuff below, shall we?

Texas MoMe Madness!

Well another Texas Mome has come and gone. We implemented significant changes to the range plan for this year and I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of the people who volunteered as RSOs, exchanging some of their MoMe shooting time to make sure everyone else had a safe and pleasant experience on the ranges. I am happy to report 0.0 fatalities, so all is good. I tried to thank everyone individually, but if I missed anyone, well, thank you! I'd especially like to thank my pals WeaselBuddy Geoff for managing the pistol range overall, Nurse r and blake for running the move-and-shoot course, and last but not least Jim SND for managing the rifle range both days. Very nicely done folks. There is no way we could have a full two day shooting program without all of your hard work.

Programming Note: I will be in and out of the comments tonight and this will be an abbreviated Gun Thread, content-wise. I need to maniacally pack the car for the drive home and enjoy the last few hours with my friends and our wonderful hosts Ben Had, Cow Horse Queen and RancherBob. All y'all are the best.

In 2022, FN reintroduced its High Power. For the fans of the original, its biggest fault is that it isn't a reincarnation of the old HP-35 FN introduced to the world in 1935. While the new pistol shares a number of external design cues with its original namesake, the 2022 edition of the FN High Power is a completely different pistol on the inside. Although these changes have arguably improved 2022 FN High Power over its namesake, correcting many of the problems users have complained about over the decades, the price paid for those changes is that there is zero parts compatibility between the 2022 FN High Power and the original. Are those changes worth it?

The 2022 FN High Power ditches the original pinned slide stop holding the barrel cam in favor of a takedown lever similar to that used on the SIG P226. Simply lock the slide to the rear, rotate the lever downwards, and move the slide off of the frame. This is a much simpler and easier disassembly and reassembly process compared to the original. The 2022 FN High Power is available in black (shown here), stainless steel, and flat dark earth. The black finish uses physical vapor deposition (PVD) for placement on the steel. The PVD finish is quite uniform, with no obvious flaws or uneven tones between the slide and the frame. After a couple hundred rounds, there's no heavy wear visible on high stress locations on the pistol.

The sights are a simple rear notch and front post sight. Although these sights are much larger and easier to use than the tiny notch and blade sights on the original, the lack of three dot sights is a surprising oversight, especially considering that this pistol sold for an out the door price of $1,325.

The 2022 FN High Power is all steel, except for the plastic guide rod. The barrel is a cold hammer forged barrel, which helps explain the relatively high price of the pistol.

The 2022 FN High Power is shown for comparison with a late 1944 Post-Liberation FN High Power.

A side by side look shows that the 2022 High Power has a much larger ejection port, is a little wider, and is taller than its 1944 counterpart. The additional height is due to the 2022 FN High Power's use of a 17 round magazine vice the 13 round magazine in the 1944 High Power. This fixes the hammer bite users of the original High Power consistently reported over the decades, but at the price of concealability. The added height and width of the 2022 High Power make it a poor choice for concealed carry.

The 2022 FN High Power has a crisp 4-5 pound single action trigger, which makes the pistol capable of very good accuracy. The new model discarded the magazine disconnect safety, which negatively impacted the trigger's feel on older High Powers. The lack of a three dot sighting system makes the sights difficult to pick up on dark backgrounds. It also hurts the shooter's ability to rapidly engage different targets. The target shown was at 10 yards, using Federal Syntech 124 grain 9mm ammunition.

In addition to the pistol itself, you also get a nylon carrying case, two 17 round magazines, and a spare set of plastic grips. G10 grips in a variety of colors are available from FN. So, is the 2022 FN High Power worth its steep out the door price? I think it depends on how much of a fan of the original HP-35 you are. If the fact that there's zero compatibility with the original HP-35 doesn't bother you, you'll get a pretty decent pistol with a great trigger, good ergonomics, and some quality components. You'll have to overlook the sights and that plastic guide rod if you choose to fork over your money.

Dayum, EdL! Bigly excellent review. Thank you!

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That's it for this week - have you been to the range?

posted by Weasel at 07:00 PM

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