Classic Handguns of the 20th Century: The Browning HI-Power

Handguns Magazine ^ | 2003 | David W. Arnold

[45Auto]

The Browning Hi-Power is a notable handgun of the last century for a number of reasons. It was John M. Browning's final pistol design. It introduced the concept of the high-capacity double-column magazine. It is considered by many to be an improvement of the famous Colt Government Model of 1911.

Finally, it is one of the most-used military service pistols of all time. In fact, during World War II the Hi-Power, also known as the P-35, saw service not only with a number of the allied forces but was also used by the German military.

The fact that the Hi-Power remains in production today without major changes speaks volumes on the soundness of its basic design.

FN AND JOHN M. BROWNING Although the P-35 is often called the Browning Hi-Power after the legendary American gun designer, its country of origin is in fact Belgium. It is a product of that country's huge arms company Fabrique Nationale, often referred to as FN.

FN was created in 1889 by a consortium of Belgian financiers to manufacture Mauser rifles under license for the military of that country. Ironically, Ludwig Lowe of Germany helped the Belgians set up the machinery and factory. Lowe is best known for his involvement in the development of the Luger pistol.

The Mauser rifle production did not provide the profit margin anticipated by FN's backers so the company began to look for other products to manufacture to increase profits. FN began producing sporting rifles, shotguns and bicycles.

These did not take full advantage of the company's production capacity. During the late 1890s FN came in contact with John M. Browning. At the time, Browning was working with Winchester but was dissatisfied with that company over the manufacture of one of his shotgun designs.

FN showed great interest in the shotgun and also a pocket pistol that Browning had designed. The company began production of the latter, completing the first pistol in 1899. The pistol was a success, and it began an association that was to last until Browning's death in 1926.

Belgium became Browning's second home, where he and FN collaborated in developing a number of successful firearm designs. Some four years before he died, Browning was working on a 9mm semiautomatic project that proved to be his final pistol design. Browning made several prototypes, but the design was incomplete before he died. The project was completed by his protégé, Dieudonne Saive, and the final design became known as the Modele 1935 pistolet autamatique Grand Puissance, or, in English-speaking countries, the Model 1935 High Power pistol. This designation was later changed to "Hi-Power."

DESIGN CHARACTERISTICS Many 1911 adherents view the Hi-Power as Browning's ultimate design, one that simplified the Colt .45 Government Model and corrected what few faults it has. It is certainly true that the Hi-Power does share many of the 1911's characteristics and has a similar appearance.

Like the 1911, the Hi-Power is a locked-breech semiautomatic pistol that has a single-action trigger. Instead of the 1911's swinging-link barrel-locking system, a simpler cam-operated action is employed to unlock the action immediately after firing.

While the Hi-Power has an exposed hammer and the same slide stop, magazine catch and thumb safety as the 1911, the grip safety is absent. Instead the pistol has a magazine disconnect that disables the action when the magazine is removed.

The stirrup type of trigger used on the 1911 is replaced by a connecting bar contained in the slide. The latter is a lever that releases the hammer when activated by the trigger.

Perhaps the pistol's most unique feature is its 13-round, double-column magazine. It was Browning's intention to retain a single-column magazine because he was concerned about the reliability of the double-column type. It was Saive who decided to use the double-stack magazine. The amount that the higher-capacity magazine adds to the width of the grip is surprisingly small and does not detract from the pistol's handling characteristics.

While the Hi-Power is a simpler design than the 1911, its trigger cannot be custom tuned to the same extent. In addition, the thumb safety of the original models is small and stiff to operate. This has been improved on the current models.

MILITARY USE The Model P-35 is one of the most widely used military pistols of all time. When it first appeared, it was immediately adopted by the Belgium military. Later, sales were made to Estonia, Lithuania, China, Peru and Romania. World War II interrupted further foreign sales.

When the Germans invaded Belgium, FN management refused to work for them. The factory was confiscated, and German management was installed to run it. Over 300,000 Hi-Powers were made for the German military. These pistols were designated as the Pistole 640(b).

The British, Canadian, Chinese and Greek forces used Hi-Powers made by the John Inglis Co. of Ontario, Canada. Hi-Powers were generally issued to Special Forces such as airborne and commando units.

After the War, FN resumed production of the Model 35. Postwar military pistols are designated as the Model 1946, while the civilian models are called simply the Hi-Power. The British Army adopted the P-35 as its official pistol to replace the Webley and Enfield .38 revolvers. Other countries also adopted the pistol for their military forces, including Argentina (where it was made under license), Denmark, Holland and Rhodesia.

The Hi-Power has enjoyed good civilian sales worldwide thanks to its cartridge, reliability and high-capacity magazine. The latter feature was considered by many to rank the pistol high as a combat arm. In the United States the Hi-Power and other FN arms were distributed by the Browning Arms Company starting in 1954.

MODIFICATIONS The Hi-Power today remains little changed from the original pistols of 1935. Some of the first models manifested a tendency for the internal extractor to break. This was corrected by replacing it with a short, more rugged extractor.

The first Hi-Powers were made with either fixed or adjustable sights. The latter was a tangent-type rear assembly. Post-war civilian Hi-Powers included a sports model that featured a small, fully adjustable rear sight.

Early Hi-Powers all had a round-shaped hammer. This was replaced with a spur-type hammer in 1972 for pistols that were imported to the U.S. Many military models were made to accept a detachable stock that also contained a flap holster.

During the war, the Inglis Company experimented by machining scallops to the slide of the pistol to make it lighter, but it was never produced in quantity.

Hi-Power finishes vary from profusely engraved presentation models to drab, Parkerized military-issue guns. Civilian models usually have a bright, polished blue finish. Late German Hi-Powers often have a very rough, gray Parkerized finish with much evidence of machine marks. Allied wartime model 35s usually have a matte Parkerized finish, although some may also have a black paint-like coating on the slide.

All post-war U.S. Hi-Powers were at first made with checkered wooden grip panels. Starting in 1986, grips made of black-checkered plastic were offered.

FN continues to make the Hi-Power much as it was in 1935. Changes include a spur hammer, larger ambidextrous thumb safety, form-fitting black plastic grips with a built-in thumbrest and external extractor.

The Hi-Power remains in service with a number of armies even to this day and has been used by FN as a platform for double-action, fast-action and compact versions. Elsewhere in this issue is my review of the modern version currently imported by FN.

[supercat]

//Of course I was speaking of detachable ones.//

Well the 1896 Mauser's magazine was not detachable, though I know of nothing fundamental to the design except the bolt-hold-open that would have prevented use of a detachable one [later Broomhandles did use a detachable magazine, though I don't know how the rest of the surrounding mechanism compares]. Interestingly, the Broomhandle's feeding and loading required a double-stack magazine; a single-stack one wouldn't have worked.

[TERMINATTOR]

Modern Changes/Updates: Metallurgic changes in recent Hi Powers
This information was recently emailed to me, and I am very grateful for the time it took in assembling it and passing it on to all of us. Many, many thanks. The information posted herein does not originate with me. It has been collected from various magazine articles, conversations with gunsmiths,conversations with Browning/FN, and other sources. It has not been independently verified, and therefore I make no guarantees as to its accuracy. I will not be responsible for any use or misuse of this material. When Browning started to develop the .40 S&W version of the Hi-Power in the middle 1990s, they quickly discovered that significant changes had to be made on that version in order to stand up to the beating of the .40 S&W cartridge. These included a thicker (stronger and heavier) slide, additional slide/barrel locking lug, and other items. Also, the strength of some of the materials was improved. The improved steels are now used on both the 9mm and .40 guns. Thus, any .40 Hi-Power should have the stronger steels, and the newer 9mm guns will also have them. Specifically, the receiver (frame) was changed from a forged steel to a cast steel. Although we tend to think of forged parts as being stronger, machining of the part becomes difficult when really strong steel is used. Practically speaking, cast parts are sometimes stronger than forged ones because a really good steel can be used in the casting, with only minor machining required. One gunsmith has told me that when testing the parts on the Rockwell hardness "C" scale, the forged Hi-Power receivers show a hardness of around 5, while the cast receivers show a hardness of around 26! The cast receivers have the minor disadvantage, sometimes found in cast parts, of being slightly porous in certain areas. This is most common at the bottom of the grip frame, and I am told that the ridges now found around the mag well opening exist to disguise any slight porosity blemishes in that area. These ridges are the quickest way of identifying a cast receiver, but are not foolproof. I have seen a few forged receivers with the ridges, apparently produced during the changeover period. Another clue that a receiver is cast is the existence of a casting-facility ID mark on the inside of the mag well. I have seen an emblem on the inside-right of the mag well near the top (requires removing the slide to see), or just below the mag catch inside the well, in the relieved area (requires removing a grip panel to see). A cast receiver may have a slight texture inside the mag well, instead of showing machining marks. Also, the thin spots at the front corners of the mag well, are not quite as thin on the cast receivers. The newer receivers look like they have a small piece missing from the right-rear slide rail, when compared to old receivers. I was told that on the .40 guns this piece would break off after a while, no matter how hard the receiver. But since it didn't effect functioning, the factory simply machines it off during manufacture of all the receivers now! The slide on the Hi-Power got some minor dimensional changes in the early 1990s to improve durability (compare ejection port shapes). During a phone call to the FN factory in 1994, I was told that an improved heat-treatment of the slide was introduced during the Summer or Fall of 1993. The manufacture year of a slide made during the 1990s is indicated by a hexagon with a single digit inside, stamped on the center rail underneath the slide (where the top cartridge in the mag rubs), near the rear. The hexagon is always missing at least one side- the number of missing sides indicates the quarter of the year that the slide was made. After the first quarter, the hexagon is stamped along the edge of the sear-lever cutout in the slide, to create more "missing" sides. Thus, a hexagon stamped in the fourth quarter may be pretty hard to find because most of it is over the edge of the sear-lever cutout, in order to give the effect of 4 "missing" sides on the hex. Any slide made in the 1990s with a digit of "4" or higher inside the hex should be the new heat-treatment. So should one with a "3", if it has four sides missing. A gunsmith who has Rockwell-tested some slides told me that the "old" slides typically test around 20, the new ones run around 40. If you already have and like one of the so-called "soft" guns made before 1994, don't despair! I have been told by several sources that if you stay with standard-velocity (115 gr/1165fps or 124gr/1075 fps) U.S. ammunition, these guns have a typical service life of 30,000-50,000 rounds. However, using hot loads will drastically reduce that life! For example, I have heard that some British military 9mm loads were around 124gr/1300fps, and the gun would only last a few thousand rounds before breaking. Most NATO fmj is a bit warm (124gr/1170fps) but not as bad. The newer "hard" guns should hold up even better, but I would still avoid extensive use of hot loads. I had one that was starting to show a little peening of the slide/barrel locking lugs after 300 rds of police-only +P+ (115gr/1300fps). That gun would certainly have lasted a lot longer, but I went back to standard ammo. Various gunsmiths have told me that the brazing that hold the barrel/chamber together (look closely, there is a joint-line) sometimes fails at around 15,000 rds. Other eventual failure-points can be a crack starting at the lower-rear corner of the ejection port, slide-barrel locking lugs that peen over or get rounded off, and the unlocking cam in the receiver that can break. Except for the occasional "freak" failure that can happen with any piece of machinery, a nicely-treated Hi Power will usually outlive its owner, but these are areas to watch.

[fish hawk]

Yep, great gun. I got mine 30 years ago for a hundred bucks from a friend. Old model with military sights too. I dont know how old it really is.

[yarddog]

Thanks for the information.

It does sound like they are only getting better. For what it is worth, I recall during the early 70's that the government commissioned the HP White laboratories to do extensive testing of all handguns in a back door attempt to ban them. The tests were too tough and most guns failed them. I do remember that the Browning Hi-powers came through them smelling like a rose.

Oddly enough another gun which came through was an RG which I always thought of as the worst guns ever made, in fact the RG must have stood for "rotten gun".

[Khurkris]

Good to see your knowledgeable posts on the Hi-Power. The Argentine version of most interest are the ones made of steel from a German Battleship - I think they were referred to as Balesteri (sp?) Very good steel, good German of course!

CZ-75's are most excellent and I am interested in that FEG .45acp that was posted. Verrrrrrrrryyyy interesssstttinnng...as the little German would say. The FEG's I have come across have all been well made guns.

[yarddog]

Of the maybe 12 or 13 Hi-powers I have owned the best one is an Argentine. It sold for all of $189 brand new.

I have a bag of 9mm ammo which is really bad stuff. Some of it was reloaded during the 60's when I didn't know what I was doing. Some of it is some PMC 90 grain jhp which would even jam a Sig P226. Some is some German machine gun ammo which is hard to ignite.

To make a long story short, this ammo will jam any gun I have ever tried it in. That is except the Argentine Hi-power. The chamber is not too large either. It simply feeds everything that is even close to being usable.

One day some of my friends brought over some of their ammo which has been unreliable in their guns. The Argentine ran through it like a sewing machine. As I said it does not have a loose chamber and is unusually accurate.

The topper was when I tried a USA mag which is basically junk and it even fed using that mag.

[TERMINATTOR]

I went in the opposite direction. My HP .40 S&W came with Hogue grips and my trigger finger was hitting my thumb, so I switched to Pachmayer grips like on the Practical. I've got long thumbs and that ridge to rest your thumb on works for me. One advantage of the Hi-Power is that there are lots of aftermarket parts available like extended slide releases, safeties, .357 SIG barrels, etc..

[Khurkris]

I do not wish to start any urban rumors. Mt reference to the Argentine pistol from German Graf-Spree steel seems to be just that...an urban rumor.

Here is a link to a good reference sight:

http://www.sightm1911.com/lib/history/ballester.htm

Ballester-Molina
Type: Self Loading Locked Breech Semiautomatic Pistol
System of Operation: Recoil
Caliber: 11.43x23mm (.45 ACP)
Capacity: 7+1 rounds
Sights: Fixed blade front, notch rear drift adjustable for windage

[Khurkris]

Another inteesting site I turned up.
Reviews of current Argentine HiPowers:

http://www.jldenter.com/Argentine%20Browning%20High%20Power%20Firearm%20Review.html

[yarddog]

I had not heard the one about the Graf Spee but it sounds unlikely since it was scuttled off the coast of Uraguay.

The Argentines did use better than standard steel tho. They used a high grade Swedish steel which was more dense than standard, in fact the Argentine .45's actually weigh an ounce or two more than Colt made ones.

This brings up another interesting fact. Not only was the Argentine hi-power the best Browning I ever had, the most accurate .45 was also an Argentine one. This was despite having a heavy trigger pull. With a trigger job it probably would have been a one holer. I foolishly traded it off.

[ozzymandus]

Oh Yeah. The Hi-Power is a better-handling gun than any of the later "wonder-nines" that followed it. Makes the Beretta 92 look like a pipe wrench.

[Khurkris]

I hear what you're saying. Back in '74 I had a girl friend who inherited a FN Hi-Power from the estate of her brother. It was made around '66-'68 and it came with box, 2 mags (13 rounders) cleaning kit and handbook. Absolutely cherry. Being young(24), dumb and full of ...ignorance I turned down her offer to sell it to me for $100.00. Oh well..

I also turned down an Army buddies offer of a boxed German PPK, same set-up, a couple of years later for all of $250.00. What was I thinking...

[Vinnie]

IMHO.. the most beautiful firearm of all. The Browning semi- auto 22 rifle.

I had a P-35 circa 1969. I had it for about 20 yrs. Had Novak sights and ambi safety installed ( I'm a leftie). It was pristine. I carved rosewood grips for it.

That was before the invention of decent ammo in 9mm.

The P35 has the most natural feeling grips of any pistol I've picked up.

I sold it. :(

Wish I had the pistol today.

[therut]

Yes to #25 No to #27

[yarddog]

I don't know what it is about great guns but I have traded off nearly all the best ones I had.

Actually when I was in grad school, I needed the money and sold a lot that I really didn't want to sell.

[yarddog]

I think you must be referring to someone else.

I married the prettiest girl in school and am 6'3".

[MileHi]

Nice pistol, except it's a 9. I love my 1911s'.

FReegards

[TERMINATTOR]

They make a .40S&W version too.

[Kathleen]

Blam!

[ExSoldier]

I own a Browning Hi-Power in 9mm, with the Hogue grips. I rarely shoot it and actually have it waiting for my nephew to turn 21 in a few months so I can give it to him. This should drive my antigun sister totally nuts. Well, to be fair, she's only anti HANDGUN. They live in Massachusetts and the kid is attending Georgetown next fall...so I figure he needs somethin' to remind him about life in FREE America. I helped instill in him a love for shooting and the shooting sports as chief babysitter and #1 Uncle. I'll hold the pistol for him until he moves someplace less communistic. But it's HIS nonetheless. I just sent my daughter her Ruger SP101 .357 now that she's out of college and engaged. That and her CCW were her graduation present from me. If I want to carry a 9mm, I'll carry my Beretta M92FS. Otherwise, it's a Glock M27 40 or one of my Colt 45's.

Actually, I think the only real improvement on the venerable 1911 has come from ParaOrdnance, with it's plethora of models and the new LDA action. With two new empty spots (one pending) I guess I'll fill them with a couple of Para's. Maybe a Tac-4 and the new Para Carry.