Last year, I attended the Celebration Exotic Car Festival. It’s a show that redefines the phrase “high-end.” Ferraris, McLarens, Bugattis, Lamborghinis, Jags, Vettes of all eras and lots, lots more. The highlight of the show was a Ferrari 250 GTO, currently valued at over $80 million. So, yes, I had the opportunity to look at a lot of motorcar magnum opuses I’ll never be able to afford. But to be clear, that didn’t reduce the joy level of the experience one iota. On other days, I’ll happily wander the lots looking at Fords and Chevys, too, and appreciate that they are within financial reach.
This is much like the process we here at Handgunner use to select cover guns. Sometimes, it’s fun to uncover the elegance of a $5,000 hand-built masterpiece of craftsmanship. Other times, we make sure to choose guns within reach of most of our readers (and staff!). It’s all very deliberate and, we hope, strikes a balance between covering practical and affordable guns, punctuated on occasion by the pricier rarity that’s just plain fun to look at.
This time around, we’re choosing to uncover the joys of a modern take on the classic Hi-Power design, and it absolutely falls into the practical and affordable category. The Girsan High Power (trademarked using that exact spelling, so we’ll write “High Power” throughout this article when talking about this model specifically) is, like many modern 1911s, a timeless core design with 21st-century upgrades. If you’re looking for a replica of an original Hi-Power, this isn’t it. If you’re looking for how a Hi-Power has evolved over the past 100 years, check this one out. I have to say, after my first range outing with it, my gut observation was, “Hey, this is kind of cool!” With all that said, let’s get on with the business.
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