Hi Power

Though still a single action pistol, the Hi Power used a swivel type trigger. It was also chambered for the smaller, lighter, and faster cartridge the 9mmx19. Being a very robust design, the Hi Power was quickly adopted by many armies the world over and today, it still serves in the Israeli Defense Forces as a standard issued sidearm.

Do not be mislead by the name Hi Power as this does not mean a gun that fired very powerful ammunition but rather means a gun with a high capacity. Holding thirteen rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber it had double the capacity of the Colt 1911 which was chambered in the venerable .45 ACP.

The .45 ACP and the 9mmx19 (aka 9mm Luger, 9mm NATO, or just plain 9mm) being the two most popular autoloading pistol rounds in existence today make the ownership of at least one 1911 style pistol and one Hi Power style pistol a must in any decent gun collector's arsenal.

Perhaps the greater popularity of the m1911 pistol is because of the US Army's adoption of the Colt 1911 and not of the Hi Power which came much later.

This means that the handgun has a mechanism which makes it incapable of firing a chambered round if a magazine is not properly inserted and seated in the magazine well.

Some shooters do not like the effect the mechanism has on the trigger pull, claiming it makes it gritty and heavy, both of which are indeed undesirable on a good trigger pull. The magazine disconnector also retards the movement of the magazine such that it will at times not allow it to drop free even after one presses the magazine release button. The magazine disconnect feature can be removed and many Hi Power owners do that as their first mod on the gun.

Nazi era productions of the Hi Power did not have the magazine disconnect safety.