“What would John Browning do?”

It’s a question of common sense more than faith. Because John Browning’s penchant for simple—yet elegant—mechanical solutions continues to serve as the de facto “voice of reason” in firearms design.

To this day, we see (feel?) echoes of the 1911 and the original Hi Power in virtually every handgun on the market. And for one company, capturing the essence of Browning’s legacy became more than just an ideal.

It became a business.

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BHSpringSolutions offers a range of products and services to support—and elevate—the functional excellence of classic FN/Browning firearms. In fact, BHSS actually employs former FN engineer, Leon Hubert, who played a critical role in modernizing Mr. Browning’s designs throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

And while BHSS itself focuses mainly on product strategy, engineering and design, the company owns and operates a dedicated service and sales subsidiary, called the “Hi Power Medic”—which is led by master gunsmith and former U.S. Marine, David Mitchell.

And that bring us to the subject of today’s review…

The Hi Power Medic completely overhauled my personally owned FN BDA-9 with a fresh finish, new sights, all new springs, and swanky new grips.

And I’m here to tell you about it.

If you haven’t read my original review on the BDA-9 (aka, HP-DA), check that out here. I’ve also got a detailed YouTube review on the gun—which features a slightly cringe Halloween-themed intro, costarring my cat.

Anyway…

A Heartier Hi Power

Leon Hubert himself (again, now a BHSS employee) designed the BDA-9 back in the ‘80s as a modernized expression of the original Hi Power. It’s a little tougher. A little more functional. A little more pragmatic. It also uses a DA/SA fire-control system, per the unspoken tactical mandate of the wondernine era. And, personally, I think it looks hella good in all black.

Bottom line: it captures the spirit of sophisticated pragmatism that made John Browning’s designs so timeless—albeit in a more “Miami-Vice-meets-American-Ninja” kinda way. Plus, it shoots about as well as any service pistol can shoot.

And BHSpringSolutions made it even better.

Bringing Sexy Black

BHSS/HPM completely refinished my gun in a lustrous, luxurious Cerakote the likes of which I have never seen.

All black. All sexy. All day.

To me, it looks more like bluing than Cerakote. It feels like it, too. It has a depth and richness that exudes quality, flowing seamlessly through every nook, cranny and crevice. I perceive zero flaws or foibles in the finish. Clearly, Mr. Mitchell knows what he’s doing. I have no doubts he’ll do a great job on your pistol, should you choose to have it refinished through BHSS/HPM.

And while I think the original all-black finish was attractive, it was very functional. It was some kinda painted/baked-on enamel that was never meant to feel special. With the new finish, it still retains that sense of purpose and pragmatism—but with a newfound elegance that’s as subtle as it is seductive.

Now, if bling is more your thing…

The Hi Power Medic will gladly plate your trigger, hammer and levers. In gold, bro. I’ll admit, that was tempting. Especially when I consider the potential for “accessorizing”—with a cane, a top-hat and a limp.

Nevertheless…

I wanted more Browning than Bling. Functional elegance. Purposeful poise. I think BHSS/HPM captured that beautifully, with this refinish.

In other words, I think it’s what John Browning would have wanted.

A New Light on Sights

No doubt, the BDA-9 / HP-DA is rarity in the United States. A phantom. A ghost. A tactical curiosity, few have seen, experienced, or even know about.

As such, even basic upgrades—like sights—are generally a no-go. Especially when you consider the dovetails on the BDA-9 don’t match the dovetails on a traditional Hi Power. Mr. Hubert… why?? I have to believe FN made you do it :)

But BHSS/HPM brings redemption:

They put a superb pair of Meprolight 3-dot night sights on my pistol. I don’t know what pistol these sights are actually made to fit—I really don’t think you can find night sights expressly made for the BDA-9. So, I’m assuming Mr. Mitchell modifies them to fit the non-standard dovetails on this moonrock of a gun.

Regardless… they work. Well.

They’re light years (pun intended) better than the sights that come on the pistol—which forego dots for teeny-weeny white lines that can be tough to see clearly. The addition of the tritium Mepros help turn this artifact of a gun into something that’s a legitimate contender for everyday carry and self-defense.

*A classic 3-dot sight picture at its best*

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And I suppose that begs the question:

What about replacement parts and product support on a gun this rare and unique? So often, that’s the death knell of solid—but obscure—guns as practical tools.

Well, BHSS has you covered there, too.

Parts Galore

If you call FN or Browning about repairing your old-school Hi Power, they likely won’t be much help. If you call about your “FN BDA-9,” they’ll probably think you’re speaking in tongues.

But if you call BHSS…

They’ve got the parts—and the support—your hipster gun needs to run like the pretentious, elitist, anachronistic wind.

Talking to Mark Allen, Cofounder of BHSS, he explained how they bought vast stocks of FN’s remaining spare parts for their legacy pistols—including the BDA-9. So, you can rest assured that if your gun needs new a new extractor, new pins, new springs… BHSS will have what you need.

In fact, BHSS/HPM replaced all the springs in my gun with factory-original parts.

Now, I’m not sure my gun needed all new springs. It ran just fine. But, you never how many rounds have been through a used/surplus gun. Regardless, the gun’s action now feels little more taut, crisp and spry. It feels like a new pistol.

Now, the DA pull on the gun is actually a bit heavier, owed to the fresh mainspring. But it’s no more difficult to shoot. And I’m sure, in time, the spring will loosen up.

So then…

After getting some much-needed trigger time with my “bougie-fied” BDA-9, I find myself reflecting on the gun’s unique merits—and its identity—in the modern tactical landscape.

Long story short: This gun means business.

No Games

Yes, the BDA-9 is a premium, high-end, well-made weapon. There’s nothing about the fit and feel that doesn’t convey “quality.”

But a “target pistol” it is not—or a “gamers pistol,” to embrace modern parlance. And while I find to it be every bit as accurate as my 1993 MKIII Hi Power, its trigger and its ergos are still quite…

Utilitarian.

The single action has a somewhat gritty take-up, owed to the unique firing-pin block mechanism: it’s essentially a modified firing-pin stop that raises up, as you pull the trigger (watch my original YouTube review for more detail on this). Now, as soon as you scrape through that slack, you find a firm wall.

And a clean, cohesive break.

BANG! Bullseye.

It’s not light, per se. Maybe 6ish pounds. But as long as you manage the trigger with some sense of intentionality, the gun puts up phenomenal groups. On a recent outing, I found myself shooting tighter patterns with the BDA-9 than with my MKIII Hi Power. Still, if BHSS/HPM ever figures out how to smooth-out the coarse sensation in the takeup… definitely interested.

As far as the DA pull…

Yeah, it’s heavy—but it’s fairly consistent through the stroke. It gives you a springy sense of resistance that, to me, feels somewhat HK-esque. Okay, I’ll say it: “staple gun.” But imagine a fairly smooth, fairly predictable staple gun that allows for decent practical accuracy.

BANG! Close enough.

And that brings me to the ergonomics: they’re not immediately intuitive. Definitely not like an OG Hi Power—or even a Beretta 92 or just about any CZ pistol.

The sides of the grip housing taper inward, from the back to front—no curves or palm swells to give you lateral support. The backstrap is straight. The material (from the factory) is slick plastic. At first grab, it’s not quite as

However, there are… thumb rests.

And when I switched to the thumb-over-thumb grip technique (aka, “Israeli style”), everything about this gun’s ergonomic equation suddenly made sense. With both thumbs crushing down on the thumb rest, I felt a renewed sense of control. My accuracy improved substantially. It seems like that’s how this gun was meant to be handled.

“But what about those sexy wood grips in the pictures, Matt? They’ve gotta be better than those boring, factory plastic grips.” Well, they’re sexy. For sure. But let’s talk more about the practical performance.

Get a Grip, Bro

The wood grips hail from KSD, in Turkey. They’re pretty much the only game in town when it comes to aftermarket grips for the BDA-9/HP-DA. So, I was happy to try them out when Mark offered them as “bonus” with my refinish.

Lemme tell ‘ya…

They look great. They feel great. The texture that KSD machines into the wood provides ample traction without feeling abrasive. I have KSDs on my Smith & Wesson 6904 and they definitely improve the shooting feel.

But on the BDA-9, unfortunately, the KSD grips lack a truly secure fit.

Like the Smith & Wesson 3rd gen grips, the BDA-9 uses a monogrip design—so, KSD glues two pieces of wood together to create a single clam-shell grip module. But the S&W design has a more secure mounting point, near the bottom of the mainspring. The single screw on the BDA-9’s grip frame just doesn’t anchor the wooden grip unit securely to the frame.

So, you experience some flexing and shifting as you shoot. I think the FN factory grip has more internal bracing to help stabilize the unit against the gun’s frame… which the KSD product lacks.

The KSDs are great if you want to dress your gun up. And I thank Mark for letting me try them out. But, for serious carry/defensive purposes, I would probably stick with the factory grips. For extra traction, you can always use some skateboard tape.

And I suppose this brings us full circle.

*It’s hard to argue with the “ninja” look*

Browning’s Legacy

The BDA-9 was never meant to be a barbecue gun.

Because John Browning—presumably—didn’t have time for barbecues. And, to me, the BDA-9 lives up to what John Browning would have envisioned for a service pistol in the late 20th century.

It’s reliable. It’s safe. It’s super accurate. It’s meant to serve you well under stress, in adverse conditions. And while I haven’t personally carried this gun into swamps, deserts and war zones…

It definitely feels like that’s what it was meant to do. With grace. With gusto. And now, with functional nights sights, fresh springs and an elegant finish that tastefully accentuates the gun’s lineage to John Browning… and to Leon Hubert.

Thanks so much for reading. And thank you to BHSpringSolutions.

What are your thoughts on the BDA-9 / HP-DA? Experiences? Opinions? Scathing condemnations on my review? Feel free to share below…

#hiptac

BDA-9 by BHSpringSolutions Review: A Better Browning?