WE Airsoft Hi-Power Mk3 Initial Thoughts and Teardown

[@BradMurray]

Damn I was really hoping that they got it right this time. I was even willing to overlook the fact that they decided to replicate the Mk3 instead of the Mk1 which would be a lot more useful for most folks looking for a Browning HiPower. But yet another WE product with shoddy load bearing parts is just inexcusable. My favourite shop won't even stock the brand any more because of the return/repair rate.

[@EnglishKiwi]

Unfortunately not :( I tried to use it this weekend, but it just wasn't working well :( Honestly don't know why the didn't go for the inglis WWII design, it's so much more iconic!

[@GBuzz.]

@@EnglishKiwi The problem rests in the "all brand-new hammer" not a profile modified hammer but a brand new one designed from scratch. Somehow they screwed up some of the measurements that changed the knocker timing between the old and new...

[@AnvilAirsoftTV]

So basically it’s going to great sitting in a holster at a Cold War event and very very occasionally taking a pot shot at Russians that are lost wandering in to the HQ area. :)

[@EnglishKiwi]

It could be, if the parts don't break. The short of it is, this will not be a heavy skirmish weapon, but provided none of the parts break, it could be an excellent officers pistol, sits in its holster and fires maybe 1 shot a decade 😂

[@AnvilAirsoftTV]

@@EnglishKiwi perfect for me at Gunman events then.

[@stewbacca117]

@@EnglishKiwi could always see if RA Tech will make a steel replacement. I'll also see if I can source spare parts here for it before investing in one myself. Kind of odd with the trigger transfer bar being built into the slide, does that mimic the real one? Not aware of nay other example in real steel or airsoft myself 🤔🤔

[@bravo0105]

I’ve always had a love/hate relationship with the Hi Power. I love the feel of the pistol in hand and the aesthetic, but I HATE the factory trigger which is horrifically heavy and often gritty. Hi Powers were expensive before they were discounted; now they’re outrageous. Most CZ 75 variants are cheaper and far superior. I may pick up the supposedly improved version of this WE Hi Power as it does a good job emulating the real deal.

[@ruadhagainagaidheal9398]

I love my WE hi power mk3. So much so that I pulled the trigger on the Mafioso full steel kit - there are several kits in fact, one is the steel frame and slide with sights and (oddly) the lanyard ring. Next is a full kit of small parts, hammer , trigger slide stop etc but not the valve knocker, which is available separately(part30) and lastly the front and rear chassis. You can save about £350 by using the small parts and chassis from the donor gun. It’s far from cheap to buy the whole set, but oh-my-oh-my, it’s a joy to behold.

[@subsyairsoft]

Hi Ben, watched this a while ago to be fair but, just wanted to sympathise! I have a MkIII and although I don’t routinely run around in ‘58 Webbing, I do have an Ares SLR and for reasons of simple age and nostalgia, it makes me smile and it looks fanbloodytastic as well as working! No breakage dramas with mine! Lucky for me! Is it,good enough? Yep! No probs, not a high perf hi power, but it fits the bill and does what it’s supposed to! As you already know, we carry cos we love it, or them, and I love this pistol! I also love the SLR although Ares have made a mess of it really, especially,the wobbly hop up! But is an SLR, smiley gun! I remain very jealous of your Sterling L2A3 and really, really want one cos again, I love it! Airsoft is really very simple, if you smile, it’s all good! Thanks,for brilliant content Sir! See you soon!

[@bilgerat1066]

Was looking forward to getting one after spending years being issued one to conduct gangway security on many different warships

[@EnglishKiwi]

They're all right provided you don't want to actively skirmish with them!

[@myxtrachild]

thanx so much for the tear down i too had fire pin striker issuse. i am familiar with 1911 dissasemblies so this one was not too bad but, with no manual your video (the only one i could find) really helped. my fire pin lasted about 800 rounds. thanx to you i knew in advance about that problem... unfortunately a freind that borrowed it did not. my fix (who knows how long it will last) was to drill out the remainder of the spring, find the rite screw and JB Weld that in place. i did have to file the head of the screw so that it moved freely. but it test fired just now and i,m good for a while. got to say it is the worst fireing pin i have seen. just bad design. i orderd mine from Hong Kong to a month and those guys still owe me 2Colt SAA pistols in blue that was a year ago and 300$ the browning i got was the silver model looks good but........ hey thanx again for the take down really helped

[@TarnishUK]

A quick one for anyone that has encountered the issue I just have. I've yet to use my Hi-Power in anger but the time may be nigh. Anyway I fished it out to check it and the magazines over and did indeed find an issue. Despite it having functioned correctly the last time I'd looked at it, I found that even with fully gassed mags I was getting light strikes from the hammer/valve knocker, a pathetic "Phhtt" sound and no movement of the top slide. After removing the grips I noticed a nut at the base of the hammer strut which holds the spring in place. A very low wattage light bulb went on in my head and using a flat screwdriver blade I tightened the nut progessively, thus compressing the spring. After relatively little adjustment I had the pistol cycling reliably again and a very pissed off cat glaring at me as I'd just woken her up.

[@darrendavies5264]

Fired less than 10 rounds from mine and the hammer is no longer under spring tension,about to strip it down and see whats gone wrong. Never had a particularly high opinion of WE with their Glock 19 being my exception to that rule. This hasn't helped my opinion on them.

[@EnglishKiwi]

It's a shame because with a bit of work it could be a great pistol!

[@otszzz79]

​@EnglishKiwi you think its fixed by now, at the new ones of 2023?

[@otszzz79]

After 2 mags and losing the ring on barrel tip/slide and the inner barrel fell out. Crappy gun. Looks and feels like it made of 10 soda cans

[@otszzz79]

Nope, got the so called 2023 shipment from seller in PH. Used 2 mags and its broken. Looks like the ring to keep outerbarrel in place is lost, cant find it anymore and the innerbarrel fell out halfway the second mag. Will see if i can get a spare ring for the tip, else i just glue the innerbarrel

[@GBuzz.]

Part #7 that you called Accidental Strike Safety has nothing to do with the safety. This part does only one thing and that is to hold the knocker in its extended position until the hammer is cocked it then releases the knocker allowing it to return to battery. You can watch this in action by field stripping. Lower the hammer extending the knocker. Now as you recock the hammer the knocker will not return to battery until just before the sear reengages locking the hammer back...So it can be best described as The Knocker Lock or Knocker disconnect. As far as the broken knocker is concerned mine broke as well but I replaced that broken pin left in part 31 with a new pin made out of a paper clip after drillng a 1/6 of an inch hole into the pad the origional pin was cast into about 3/4 of the way into that pad then crazy glued a new pin in place. By the way if you order part 30 you may want to shorten that pin Part 31 rests on by about 1/3. If you do that the next time you put a mag in with the hammer down you have given part 31 more coil spring to flex...

[@subsyairsoft]

Hi Ben, my Hi Power MkIII has just broken, valve knocker snapped, just like yours in this video. Although my inner barrel and hop are not the same as yours! Any way, did you produce a working knocker out of tougher materials or did the 3d printed one work! Can you share the STL and I’ll get one made out of steel, I have a company doing that, although so so you, of course!! Any road up!! Great to see your SUIT Sight short and great to see content! Yes, I am interested in the suit sight and a Lee Enfield No. 4 Bayonet, Mk2, the smooth one, not the cruciform! My L85 bayonet has also gone badly wrong and I need another one and maybe multi,tool,frog thing too! Again, anyway, I’m going to National Airsoft Festival and hope,to catch up there! (Not that I am any special to diary in a meet with!) take care Kiwis ,

[@RiceyRigPig]

Great instruction vid, and honest review of the browning, been sitting on the fence a bit, so will stay clear as build quality doesnt look fantastic. May I ask what sight you fitted to the SLR L1A1 thats mounted on the wall behind you?

[@WALFER85]

as written/illustrated in the manual before insert the magazine you must arm the hammer or pull the slide to arm it. Also the original we 1935 has this "problem"

[@EnglishKiwi]

Yep and I was stupid 🤣 problem is most airsofters (including myself) are fairly stupid and will probably end up inserting a mag hammer down at some point!

[@WALFER85]

the problem is that normally no one think to arm the hammer before insert the first mag. Another annoying problem can be found on src tt-33; if you continue to insert the mag without keep press the mag release the mag lips wear out because mag release mechanism hits them during insertion... I discovered that too late but it was easy to solve

[@pedrotome9119]

@@EnglishKiwi Hei pal, I know real steel guns for quite a while and I worked in an armoury, and I was in the army and I would do the same mistake... And I know Browning pistols a little, and the old man had the safety mania ( wich is another chapter of his brillian abilities ) and it is normal to get 3 safeties on some of his models. Not firing without the magazine in place, is one of them...

[@bobsmith-jb5ni]

WE are releasing another mk3 with all of the faults rectified that they have been informed of.

[@EnglishKiwi]

That's good news! Where did you hear that?

[@bobsmith-jb5ni]

@@EnglishKiwi Spoke to my local airsoft shop that deals with WE products.

[@someone-xr6ck]

Any update on this ? How would i know if its the new one?

[@bobsmith-jb5ni]

@@someone-xr6ck Sadly no, i will try and get an update.

[@highwoodsironworks902]

@@bobsmith-jb5ni Hey Man , were you able to get an update regarding the rumors about the Improved MK3 ? Im on the fence of buying one for my Vietnam loadout.

[@robertkennion9020]

this is the 2nd review i have seen where this model dies. Stay clear of this....they re-released it without re-designing. Old WE designs are terrible. AND i am saying that as someone who has a WE mp7/glocks and px4 which have no issues and run fine. Some WE models should be avoided.

[@EnglishKiwi]

I'll post a list up tonight of the parts they actually changed, but it's all external and that stupid hop. The trigger mech is exactly the same, outdated and, by the looks of things, badly made! I just don't get why they didn't put a hinged valve knocker, like on a 1911?

[@Airsoft-ED]

@@EnglishKiwi Myself and another person I know have had that Part 30 break after very little use. I wish there was an alternative to buy. Check out my video of a couple of ways to improve it.

[@darrendavies5264]

Ok. Update to why there's no spring tension on the hammer. The connecting bar that travels between the hammer and the hammer return spring(part 5) has a nut threaded onto the bottom of it,when you cock the hammer this compresses the spring and all the spring pressure is stored against this nut. If the thread on the end of the connecting bar weren't made of cheese that would be fine, although a much more robust mechanism would be so easy to design and install originally, however,as is the thread has been stripped so soldering in place has been the remedy so far. Makes stripping down a bit more of a ballache than it was originally and who knows how long it'll last.

[@pedrotome9119]

Thanks for the warning! I want to buy some HP as they seems to be very acurate in design when compared to the real steel ones, and I thought that WE has the most perfection replicas, but I'd love to shoot them once in a while, and parts in Europe, are a pain in the ass!!!

[@seansamurai1981]

"A single sheet" Kind of ironic what that single sheet is called. Explosion......seems appropriate

[@EnglishKiwi]

Ahahaha so true. It's just sad to see WE didn't even bother to re-do a manual for the mk3

[@derdersoft]

Bit disappointing, after taking about five plus years. Seems nearly identical performance wise to the previous one. Thanks for taking the time to give a thorough examination. Might just pick up a TM 1911 in the new year. Need a Cold war era pistol, alas the MK3 isn't going to fill the void.

[@EnglishKiwi]

Honestly I'm not sure how it performs. I can't give a recommendation on it yet. You never know, once it's working again it may actually be ok!

[@derdersoft]

@@EnglishKiwi You're right. Best to stay optimistic.

[@derdersoft]

@Johnny Dong Fair point. Some day we will have a decent performing Hi Power. WE is not going to be it.

[@pedrotome9119]

@@derdersoft They ( at WE ) are asking for it... After this I am learning here, I will have to look for other possibilities as I want one or two HPs...!!!

[@derdersoft]

@@pedrotome9119 It's sad really. Maybe a nicer one will come out in 2022.

[@drewzilla88]

Fantastic video, wish I would have seen it before I ordered one lol

[@coreydiaz7297]

Really useful, glad to have found this. Kiwi, can I trouble you to upload a Reassembly Video? I'd be happy to pay you in advance for the service. I can study the exploded parts diagram, and sort of follow the disassembly process in reverse, but I'm really not mechanically adept and would much prefer learning the exact process rather than deducing. Can you help? Standing by with PayPal.

[@NCR_RangerRUS]

might be a stupid quetion, but whats the size of hex key needed to unscrew the safety pin? My 1/16 is just a tiniest bit larger than the screw and doesnt fit in

[@46templar]

Kiwi have W.E made the high power now or is it still naff ?

[@TheIndia21]

Pray tell, have you managed to get a reliable replacement (or mod) for the infamous part 30? A local airsoft shop here (NI) says WE HAS (past tense) fixed this problem; but if they have, I don't know how to tell if my Mk.III (from FatBob's by mail order, last month) is 'fixed' or not...short of trying to break it :).

[@Dizzyfatpigeon]

This is honestly beyond tragic, how long were the community asking for this thing and WE were teasing it, all for design choices like this? Something about this screams they've cut as many corners as possible just to rush it to market. It's honestly unexplainable, they cannot make a pistol to save their life, yet they have the largest range by far of any company, with only 2 of their models that barely work (Glock/Sig 226). They copy an existing TM design (like basically every other company) and somehow STILL make it inferior despite having no material limitations, like how??!?!! I just cant touch any of their pistols anymore WE are no doubt capable of creating some pretty decent GBBR's though.

[@EnglishKiwi]

I'm still honestly so annoyed by this. They were on the cusp of greatness but just didn't put the effort in to fix the issues they knew were there :(

[@Dizzyfatpigeon]

@@EnglishKiwi can you imagine a company with a range of pistols like this, and if they even moderately worked out the box they would be on top of the market.

[@pedrotome9119]

You're right!! I do nt know how this you say is possible but IT IS!!! They go from crap to gold... And in the same model also...!!! ( I do think that they do not make all their models at the same place... As many many are the times that I think that ALL of the airsoft/airgun brands are made in 1 or 2 places just... Or something alike this... But these are just an old man thoughts...Exept the japanese makers... ).

[@Terminatorbart]

Good info!

[@EnglishKiwi]

Cheers buddy!

[@MILLER_gear]

Hello Ben! Thank you very much for your video. The hammer part on my Browning HP is broken. Is there a way to get the STL of your 3D part? It is impossible for me to locate the infamous parts 30 and 31 and I see no other option to bring my Hi-Power back to life. Thanks in advance!

[@EnglishKiwi]

Hey there! If you drop me an email I can sort you out with a 3d printed replacement part to breath some life back into your hi power!

[@proudaref9185]

I'm looking to train with this replica for a real browing. Im not going to put gas in, but I'm going to be racking the slide and inserting mags in a lot. would that still be a probelm with the interanals? thank you

[@EnglishKiwi]

If you're not planning on running it with gas this should be absolutely fine for training purposes. A couple of people who've had a look at my one are old squadies and commented on how it feels and handles just like their issued ones :) hope this help :)

[@proudaref9185]

@@EnglishKiwi sounds good! Thank you so much!

[@brookswaitt6114]

Do you happen to know if the old WE P35 mags would work with the Mk3?

[@RolinRutledge]

So, did your after market striker come manufactured stronger than the original part? Like where it won't break anymore?

[@pedrotome9119]

I got that same precisely question! ANd WHERE I could get aftermarket parts for this and other WE models in Europe?? 1000 thanks in advance!!

[@davidmarshall7390]

Thanks for the vid, was looking forward to picking one up. Now, not so much, that finish is worse than the 1935 one they brought out. :(

[@EnglishKiwi]

I'm not upset with the externals, they're pretty good for a WE. It's the internals that leave something to be desired :(

[@Leo_Sneedinsky]

When I was shopping for a second hand hi power, it was pretty common to see service mark 3s from Europe and Israel with rough finishes

[@neilrobinson3083]

Why can they not get it rite. My mate had one wouldnt even fire. Another mate had the mk11 and the sight snapped off. The guy on youtube who does repairs had 2 mk3,s and they were both knackered out of the box.

[@kenthethistle]

How do you get the outa barrel out anyone ??

[@NM-wd7kx]

I do love that some of the shots of your face you appear to be appealing to a deity about the bullshit you're dealing with. I presume there's a display up there?

[@EnglishKiwi]

Ahahah bit of both really 😂 yeah the screen of the top down camera is there, I need to get a separate one to go by the talking head cam!

[@NM-wd7kx]

@@EnglishKiwi honestly, I think it adds to the character of the channel, it's a very British blend of professional veneer on a bodge job and I cannot get enough of it

[@EnglishKiwi]

@@NM-wd7kx professional veneer??? Have you even watched one of my videos 😂

[@NM-wd7kx]

@@EnglishKiwi the production quality is excellent, the background is aesthetic, and you're a pretty great host man

[@EnglishKiwi]

Honestly man, thank you! That means a lot!

[@PurpleHelmet]

Fantastic video. Could easily be sorted out with a bit of basic fabrication but just disappointing - shouldn't have to on a brand new pistol, not like it's being sold at 45 quid real cheap n nasty pistol level Has your mate any breakers yard ones going cheap I could buy 😂

[@EnglishKiwi]

Ahahaha I don't think he does, but no doubt there will be some appearing soon 😂

[@rylanmartin9040]

You should put airsoft in the title

[@EnglishKiwi]

Good Shout! Thought I had!

[@biscuitzie9482]

where can i get a L85 AEG for cheap

[@EnglishKiwi]

which brand are you after and where abouts are you based?

[@Shadow_Ag3nt]

Если внести несколько изменений то это уже будет огнестрельное оружие

[@Booze_Rooster]

WE stands for: Will leak Easily broken pot metal

[@FreeFragUK]

I can't help but look at this with resounding disappointment. The airsoft community was reasonably vocal when communicating with WE that a good quality Browning was desired and that it was a gap in the market but sadly it's a rehash of the original which made many issues (if memory serves). Part of me is curious about tracking down the Tanaka Works version. While I have no doubt that it would come at a premium price Tanaka do have a certain reputation for quality, at least when it comes to their revolvers.

[@EnglishKiwi]

So true! I was really hoping they would have made it better, but alas no :(

[@pedrotome9119]

As far as I know Tanaka is always a great replica. I did not know that they had/have the HP...

[@Airsoft-ED]

Myself and another person I know have had the SAME part break in the SAME place!!! Terrible design 🤬 (Its part 30 from KYAirsoft)

[@EnglishKiwi]

Yeah it's not the best is it! I've been experimenting with a flexible rubber like material to replace it and the spring. I've had some promising results from it but need to do a bit more in depth testing to see if it holds up in the long run :D Also great videos on your one, your finish looks fantastic!

[@Airsoft-ED]

@@EnglishKiwi Interesting idea. I've ordered a spare part and I'm going to try and use JBWeld liquid metal to strengthen the stem of the pin that broke. 🤞 And I'll avoid inserting the mag with hammer down.

[@EnglishKiwi]

@@Airsoft-ED ah nice hadn't even thought about strengthening the original! I've also ordered a spare (few weeks back now) and have yet to see it. I'm an idiot though, so I don't trust myself to not load it on a hammer down! :P

[@EDcase1]

@@EnglishKiwi Would be interesting if we could find a more flexible spring of the correct dimensions

[@pedrotome9119]

Ufff! This is driving me crazy and I did not even bought one so far...!!!