FM Hi-Power Detective

[G Smith]

What experience has anyone had with an FM (Argentina) Hi-Power Detective Model?

[Hawkmoon]

I have one. It's solidly made, fits tightly, and it's accurate. I don't have a lot of rounds through it, but I have not experienced any malfunctions of any kind with it.

[pa_guns]

Hi

The FM High Powers I have seen seem to be pretty good pistols. I don't have one, but they seem to be a good deal.

Bob

[weeble]

I had bought one of the Detective uppers & put it on a FN MKII & has worked out great for me.

[Sniperfox]

I had bought one of the Detective uppers & put it on a FN MKII & has worked out great for me.
Are all the FM parts interchangable with BHP's?

[weeble]

Absolutely not.

[Hawkmoon]

Are all the FM parts interchangable with BHP's?

Absolutely not.
That's curious. I don't have a Belgian Hi-Power on which to try swapping parts, but everything I have read says the FMs are built under license from FN Herstal and that all parts interchange. This would be consistent with the way Argentina seems to operate. When they wanted 1911s, they licensed the design from Colt, bought the machinery from Colt, and the Sistemas are 100% interchangeable with Colt for parts.

[weeble]

I tried swapping FN & FM MKII ejectors & wouldn't fit. The FN would fit in the FM but the FM wouldn't fit in the FN.

[weeble]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v399/stickypost/pistolstand.jpg

[tekarra]

New guy here.
Thinking of buying a Detective slide to put on my HP. Looking at the photos of the slide, there does not appear to be recess for the amidexterous safety. What to do - machine the the recess into the slide?

[weeble]

The FM Detective is a version of the MKII. If you get the Detective upper & put it on a MKIII (no guarantee its compatable) you can take the pin out of the right side safety lever of the MKIII lower & may work.

I think you would be better off finding an old MKII & just put the Detective upper on it. I picked one up one for alittle over $200 & at the time the Detective upper was $165. I very much like the MKIII sights & the Detective has the same type sights.

JMO

[Candiru]

I own an FM Detective Hi-Power and like it a great deal. Although I
have a full-length FN, that gun is reserved mainly for practice; because
I carry OWB, the Detective's shorter slide makes it far easier for me to
conceal.

Initially, I was wary of purchasing a Detective due to some negative
reports about durability I read online. Users reported severe barrel
lug setback, magazine catches breaking, and other small parts failures;
one went so far as to describe the barrel as having been rifled "with a
rusty drillbit." Upon further examination, I discounted many of these
objections; almost all came from one or two people whose volume of
posting these complaints and general incoherency led me to doubt their
ability to accurately assign blame to the gun itself. Mr. Rusty
Drillbit was also the same guy who broke his mag catch, as it turned
out, practicing speed reloads with 15-round flush-fit mags. He also
admitted to using his Detective as an IDPA gun. Because I already had a
Hi-Power suitable for practice, I decided to take the chance the
Detective would be a gun to carry a lot and shoot a little.

As of yesterday, I've put 700 rounds and change through it without a
single hiccup, misfeed, or extraction failure, despite my best efforts
to induce same. The gun looks to be in good condition. There was some
initial alarm on my part when it looked like the lugs were wearing, but
it turned out they were just taking an initial set. The heat-treating
on the lugs could be a little more comprehensive, but it appears to be
doing its job so far.

One thing research indicated was that short-slide Hi-Powers wear their
recoil springs down fairly quickly, and it's practically impossible to
get factory replacement springs from FM in Argentina. Fortunately,
Wolff CZ-75c 18-pound recoil springs work well. Don't use the
20-pounders--they slam the slide back into battery too hard. The actual
round count required before the spring wears out is unknown; I know a
guy who has over 500 rounds on the same spring and reports no problems,
although I have yet to exceed 350 on the same spring.

The FMs are parkerized on the inside and coated with a sort of bake-on
enamal covering on the outside. This coating is easy to care for and
regrettably durable, as I'd love to have an excuse to get the gun
refinished in brushed chrome.

Finally, I was surprised to find the accuracy and recoil virtually
indistinguishable from that found on full-sized Hi-Powers.

Hope that helps.

[Paladin42]

I don't see these springs on the Wolff website. Can you give me a part number? Thanks.

Fortunately, Wolff CZ-75c 18-pound recoil springs work well.

[Candiru]

Sorry to have taken so long to respond. I rarely check this forum since, alas, it sees so little traffic.

Wolff CZ-75 Springs are the same kind as used by EAA Witness firearms. If you look here (http://gunsprings.com/SemiAuto/CZNF.html#CZ7588), it directs you to the EAA section of the website. You want the EAA Compact (http://gunsprings.com/SemiAuto/EAANF.html#RecoilCompact) springs at 18 pounds, or part number 43318, "CZ, TZ, P9 and all other Compact models." Wolff's website is pretty confusing when it comes to these springs.

[Paladin42]

Thank you! Got 'em ordered.

[pa_guns]

Sorry to have taken so long to respond. I rarely check this forum since, alas, it sees so little traffic.


Hi

That's why e-mail notification is such a nice thing.

Bob

[Candiru]

Hi

That's why e-mail notification is such a nice thing.

Bob
I don't check my email very often, either. :o

[pa_guns]

I don't check my email very often, either. :o

Hi

But how do you stay up to date with all the latest spam? Don't you feel left out ... :D :D :D :D

Bob

[Candiru]

Yeah, I'm really missing out. Half of my spam assumes I want to look at internet porn, and the other half assumes I need herbal viagra to enjoy it.

[Paladin42]

The springs are here, now I need to go try 'em. BTW - I presume that the one CZ spring replaces both of the Detective springs - is that true?

thanks,

[Candiru]

That's right, it just takes the one spring.

[Paladin42]

Thank you sir! You've been a big help. :)

That's right, it just takes the one spring.