A purdy' Belgian Browning Hi-Power followed me home

[gsbuickman]

Hiya Guys . Lookie what popped up on the local gun Grapevine for 5 Ben Franklin's ... An original retro 9mm Belgian Browning Hi-Power from the early to mid 1970's that was originally imported by interarms firearms of Texas before Sam Cummings passed away. Somehow it found its way to Cabelas and overall it's in really nice shape. Functionally everything is super tight yet the slide is still as smooth as butter even though it has a fairly Stout recoil spring in it. It still has the factory magazine disconnect in it and even with it in place that trigger isn't bad at all and I'm guessing that as soon as I remove it it'll make for a fantastic trigger just like it did with my Israeli Kareen mk1 & my FEG P9M. Other than the finished being worn in spots and needing a nice set of wood grips, I like it. On another note it has the early fixed pre 3 Dot style sights that look like 3 dots, only they have white lines instead and the front sight is still dimpled so I'll probably touched it up with a dab of fluorescent orange fingernail polish. Other than that I plan on removing the magazine disconnect, finding a nice set of grips for it and I may even touch up the bluing a bit & I'll definitely enjoy shooting it ...

 

[Ironicaintit]

for 500? that's awesome!

If you're going to pull the mag safety, I recommend a wide combat trigger and optimization springs from BHSpringsolutions.
it eliminates everything related to the mag disconnect, and provides a better reset feel on the trigger.

I'd removed the pawl and spring for the disconnect on mine years ago and was real happy with the improved feel. but recently added the parts I mentioned, and it feels even more smooth and crisp. it's almost made me a trigger snob!

even with the worn finish, I think it's a beauty

 

[Nature Boy]

Radar O’Reilly approves.

 

[sparkyv]

Very nice! Congrats.

 

[jono]

I just bought an FN (late eighties, Belgium, assembled in Portugal) that had been modified with a SFS safety.

I really like it. Having an open hammer in a holster really bothered me even on my "good" 1958 Belgian Hi power. {I loved it but wouldn't carry it.} This gun has some bubba uglies around the trigger pin, (but it's nothing that some love, judicious application of a surface grinder, and another helping of cerakote won't fix).

This one is as butter-smooth as the 1958.

I think i am coming to terms with why Mr. Browning said that the "High-power was his crowning achievement".

 

[kcofohio]

Radar O’Reilly approves.

Only if he gets a Nehi grape soda out of it.

 

[Sistema1927]

I think i am coming to terms with why Mr. Browning said that the "High-power was his crowning achievement".

I seriously doubt that he did say that seeing as the final design didn't exist until nine years following his death and lots of additional work by Dieudonné Saive.

 

[JDR]

I got my completely original 1988 vintage BHP MK II from the Cabelas Gun Library in Lone Tree CO. Mine had a trigger lock on it which is now Cabelas policy that all their guns are trigger locked until you buy.

I used the fact that I couldn’t try the trigger before I bought the gun, to get the price down to $525.00 from $599.00. When I got the gun out to the parking lot, I unscrewed the trigger lock and found out that mine still had the mag disconnect on it. This one still shot great at the range with the tiny sights and the disconnect, but I plan on new sights and some trigger work very soon.

 

[WVsig]

Hiya Guys . Lookie what popped up on the local gun Grapevine for 5 Ben Franklin's ... An original retro 9mm Belgian Browning Hi-Power from the early to mid 1970's that was originally imported by interarms firearms of Texas before Sam Cummings passed away. Somehow it found its way to Cabelas and overall it's in really nice shape. Functionally everything is super tight yet the slide is still as smooth as butter even though it has a fairly Stout recoil spring in it. It still has the factory magazine disconnect in it and even with it in place that trigger isn't bad at all and I'm guessing that as soon as I remove it it'll make for a fantastic trigger just like it did with my Israeli Kareen mk1 & my FEG P9M. Other than the finished being worn in spots and needing a nice set of wood grips, I like it. On another note it has the early fixed pre 3 Dot style sights that look like 3 dots, only they have white lines instead and the front sight is still dimpled so I'll probably touched it up with a dab of fluorescent orange fingernail polish. Other than that I plan on removing the magazine disconnect, finding a nice set of grips for it and I may even touch up the bluing a bit & I'll definitely enjoy shooting it ...

View attachment 817510 View attachment 817511 View attachment 817512 View attachment 817513 View attachment 817514 View attachment 817515

To my eyes this is not a original 1970s configuration BHP. Those sights are not stock if the gun has 1970's serial number. Look at the mag well of the pistol. Are there serrations or is it smooth. 99% of the time that will tell you if it is a cast or forged frame. That and the serial number will tell you when the gun was made. I cannot see the serial number in the pics but if you post it I can tell you when it was made. I am willing to bet it is an surplus gun that was shipped from the factory in a mix master vintage configuration. The sights on the gun are MKIII sights. So either someone milled the slide and replaced the sights with MKIIIs or it shipped from the factory with those sights. You can see someone removed the lanyard ring. I would bet it is a Israeli surplus gun imported by Interarms. It wears a PRe MKII safety but the rest of the configuration screams MKIII. Again post the serial number or at least the two letters and it will help to clarify.

I just bought an FN (late eighties, Belgium, assembled in Portugal) that had been modified with a SFS safety.

I really like it. Having an open hammer in a holster really bothered me even on my "good" 1958 Belgian Hi power. {I loved it but wouldn't carry it.} This gun has some bubba uglies around the trigger pin, (but it's nothing that some love, judicious application of a surface grinder, and another helping of cerakote won't fix).

This one is as butter-smooth as the 1958.

I think i am coming to terms with why Mr. Browning said that the "High-power was his crowning achievement".

JMB never saw the gun we call the BHP. That is the gun is the last handgun that JMB designed. He died before the gun we call the BHP was completed. Look at the gun patent in my avatar. It is not what we call the Browning Hi Power. He did not design the pistol we shoot today. As @Sistema1927 stated Dieudonné Saive designed the gun we shoot today. He took the design that the French never adopted and altered it to make the BHP which the Belgians adopted in 1935. FN named the gun after JMB out of respect and for marketing purposes. FN revered JMB they referred to him as “le Maitre” of The Master.

This is the last gun that JMB designed.



There are so may incorrect statements repeated over and over again about the development and the design of the BHP on the Internet today. If you want to get an idea of its real development you need o read FN Browning Pistols: Side-Arms That Shaped World History, 2013 Edition Book by Anthony Vanderlinden and The Browning High Power Automatic Pistol by R. Blake Stevens.

To the OP nice gun for a decent price but I believe the providence of the pistol you have purchased is not what you think it is. Does not make it a bad deal or really change the gun in and of itself but I am 100% confident this is not an original 1970's configuration BHP.

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

To my eyes this is not a original 1970s configuration BHP. Those sights are not stock if the gun has 1970's serial number. Look at the mag well of the pistol. Are there serrations or is it smooth. 99% of the time that will tell you if it is a cast or forged frame. That and the serial number will tell you when the gun was made. I cannot see the serial number in the pics but if you post it I can tell you when it was made. I am willing to bet it is an surplus gun that was shipped from the factory in a mix master vintage configuration. The sights on the gun are MKIII sights. So either someone milled the slide and replaced the sights with MKIIIs or it shipped from the factory with those sights. You can see someone removed the lanyard ring. I would bet it is a Israeli surplus gun imported by Interarms. It wears a PRe MKII safety but the rest of the configuration screams MKIII. Again post the serial number or at least the two letters and it will help to clarify.



JMB never saw the gun we call the BHP. That is the gun is the last handgun that JMB designed. He died before the gun we call the BHP was completed. Look at the gun patent in my avatar. It is not what we call the Browning Hi Power. He did not design the pistol we shoot today. As @Sistema1927 stated Dieudonné Saive designed the gun we shoot today. He took the design that the French never adopted and altered it to make the BHP which the Belgians adopted in 1935. FN named the gun after him out of respect and for marketing purposes. FN revered JMB they referred to him as “le Maitre” of The Master.

This is the last gun that JMB designed.

View attachment 817579

There are so may incorrect statements repeated over and over again about the development and the design of the BHP on the Internet today. If you want to get an idea of its real development you need o read FN Browning Pistols: Side-Arms That Shaped World History, 2013 Edition Book by Anthony Vanderlinden and The Browning High Power Automatic Pistol by R. Blake Stevens.

To the OP nice gun for a decent price but I believe the providence of the pistol you have purchased is not what you think it is. Does not make it a bad deal or really change the gun in and of itself but I am 100% confident this is not an original 1970's configuration BHP.

I was even wondering if it might be one of the (intentionally) mismarked, or unmarked, FEG "bootlegs" the Israelis bought during the embargo days......

Could Interarms have stamped the slide as well?

 

[NIGHTLORD40K]

I just bought an FN (late eighties, Belgium, assembled in Portugal) that had been modified with a SFS safety.

I really like it. Having an open hammer in a holster really bothered me even on my "good" 1958 Belgian Hi power. {I loved it but wouldn't carry it.} This gun has some bubba uglies around the trigger pin, (but it's nothing that some love, judicious application of a surface grinder, and another helping of cerakote won't fix).

This one is as butter-smooth as the 1958.

I think i am coming to terms with why Mr. Browning said that the "High-power was his crowning achievement".

Right, others have called it his crowning achievement, not JMB himself, a commonly held misconception, no worries.

Of course, the 1911 guys would argue that point.......lol, I like both.

 

[Sovblocgunfan]

I believe, as stated in John M Browning: American Gunmaker, Browning himself thought his Automatic 5 shotgun was his most successful design.

Regarding the counterfeit FEG pistols, as I recall they were serialed with numbers that didnt match FN’s system-there was a letter code put in the wrong place, I think. So even though the other markings were good fakes, the serial numbers gave them away to those who knew what to look for.

 

[drobs]

Looks to be an Israeli FN Hi Power. Good guns - I have 2 Israeli's FN's.

 

[WVsig]

I was even wondering if it might be one of the (intentionally) mismarked, or unmarked, FEG "bootlegs" the Israelis bought during the embargo days......

Could Interarms have stamped the slide as well?

To my eyes it is not one of the FEG fakes. They have different characteristics and had a different rollmark than the OPs gun.. The have "Bs" in the serial number and look more like MKII style pistols like this one which was owned by the late Mr. Camp.







If the OP will post the serial number I can tell him more about the pistol. I can't see the serial number clear enough in the picture. It sort of looks like a NT which would make it 1996.

 

[Ironicaintit]

....... like this one which was owned by the late Mr. Camp..........

you are quite the source of info on the P35. Do you own that one from Mr. Camp?

 

[WVsig]

you are quite the source of info on the P35. Do you own that one from Mr. Camp?

No I don’t. I have seen one but do not own one of the counterfeit FEGs.

I love the BHP but am far from a “source” just a guy who likes them.

 

[a2x4bbl]

Nice find , I'm sure you will enjoy it . People put a Hi Power in their hand and you see it in their face , then they shoot one and want one . They just seem to fit every ones hand . I need another one.

 

[johnmcl]

I'm in with WVsig, banking that this gun is an Israeli import, circa 90's production. That said, it is an awesome BHP at a smokin' price. Clean it up, and report back on how it shoots.

I'm glad you have it, OP, and so will your grandkids....

 

[dogtown tom]

….. I may even touch up the bluing a bit....

That ain't blueing, it's an epoxy based paint. If you strip it off you'll likely find a pretty rough surface that would look terrible if blued.
I wouldn't sink a lot of money into it. Go to Wal Mart, buy can of hi temp Krylon and you'll have a black pistol.

 

[WVsig]

I'm in with WVsig, banking that this gun is an Israeli import, circa 90's production. That said, it is an awesome BHP at a smokin' price. Clean it up, and report back on how it shoots.

I'm glad you have it, OP, and so will your grandkids....

Pretty much everything about the gun screams MKIII but the thumb safety. I am not sure why the OP things it is a gun from the 70s. Nothing but the thumb safety looks like a 1970s BHP. Again it is pretty easy to figure out it’s age. The serial number, inspection marks and date codes will tell the story. All we need is some info from the OP and the mystery will be solved.

 

[I6turbo]

I love the BHP but am far from a “source” just a guy who likes them.

I don't know.... I'd say you're pretty close to being a source.

 

[gsbuickman]

I forgot to mention that this Belgian Hi Power is an all numbers matching gun #245NT02574 . It also has the early style short beavertail & standard hammer rather than the commander style hammer & extended beavertail that I prefer .

 

[gsbuickman]

That ain't blueing, it's an epoxy based paint. If you strip it off you'll likely find a pretty rough surface that would look terrible if blued.
I wouldn't sink a lot of money into it. Go to Wal Mart, buy can of hi temp Krylon and you'll have a black pistol.

Thanks for the heads up & I agree . When I bought it a few days ago I didn't take much time to check things out because I've been bouncing around like a pinball in a pinball machine, but now that things have slowed down since yesterday was Christmas I had the chance to take a closer look at it. If I get froggy and decide to do something with the Finish, rather than just using high-temperature Krylon I think I'd rather use ceramic header & engine paint for hot rods, race cars and muscle cars.

 

[Von der Goltz]

Very nice; always wanted one of those; thanks for sharing!

 

[JDR]

OP I’m anxious to find out how yours does at the range. The best part about a BHP is that you can put it away for a while then take it out to the range and still put nice tight groups on targets with It. You don’t have to shoot one continuously to be able to shoot it decently. That is my experience anyway, I go back quite a long way with these guns!