Mystery Browning Hi-Power

[Ridg1963]

I just purchased a Belgium Browning Hi-Power and at the moment it's a mystery. All the serial numbers match all parts. The the serial # letter code confirms it was manufactured year 1984 yet it looks nothing like an 80's MK II model. Except for the fact it does have a MKII hognose front slide barrel bushing. Otherwise it has none of the usual characteristic features of a MKII such as a muzzle area drain hole, large thumb safety and the top slide rib. It doesn't seem to have any particular foreign distribution markings. Does anyone have any ideas about its origins? Perhaps it was part of a special contract batch? Perhaps its not a MKII?

 

[Ironicaintit]

Though I'm not versed in Hipowers well enough to comment on it's lineage;
I can promise that you will be asked for pics to aid in helping you figure it out.

 

[Charlie Martinez]

I can't answer your question but that is a nice looking pistol. I've always loved anything Browning.

 

[FL-NC]

My $ says it was part of some military order. I have seen BHP's similar to that one overseas as well as some that were US property (but not so marked) in arms rooms where nonstandard weapons inventories were kept for training purposes.

 

[commygun]

Well, it’s gorgeous so you got that going for you!

 

[lysanderxiii]

Transition?

Very rarely does change happen all at once.

 

[Ridg1963]

Though I'm not versed in Hipowers well enough to comment on it's lineage;
I can promise that you will be asked for pics to aid in helping you figure it out.

Well, it’s gorgeous so you got that going for you!

Transition?

Very rarely does change happen all at once.

Thank you

 

[Ridg1963]

Thank you

 

[Ridg1963]

Transition?

Very rarely does change happen all at once.

Maybe, I'm not sure, I was thinkig by 1984 Browning production had only consisted of Mark II's.

 

[shoobe01]

I don't know the Browning history specifically but agree with the above. They don't always transition right away. Sometimes there are spare parts laying around, and they make "old" style guns years later. There are contracts that specifically want an older model, sometimes to fill in an old contract with no change. There are over-runs for those.

I'd try to get a factory letter. Hoping they do that like Colt and S&W do. Be happy the company exists, unlike many others who have disappeared.

P.S. Agree, very super weirdly pretty gun. Maybe the nicest box-stock factory High Power I've seen.

 

[jrmiddleton425]

Every fiber of my being says that's a Mark I that they happened to install a MkII barrel bushing on during assembly.

 

[JDR]

My MKII BHP has 1988 serial numbers on it which I’m told was the the year of the MKIII transition. It makes sense that FN Browning would use up all of the MKII parts inventory while at the same time starting production of the MKIII guns. But it’s a good shooter and that’s all that counts, IMHO.

 

[Ridg1963]

View attachment 829107 View attachment 829104 View attachment 829101 I just purchased a Belgium Browning Hi-Power and at the moment it's a mystery. All the serial numbers match all parts. The the serial # letter code confirms it was manufactured year 1984 yet it looks nothing like an 80's MK II model. Except for the fact it does have a MKII hognose front slide barrel bushing. Otherwise it has none of the usual characteristic features of a MKII such as a muzzle area drain hole, large thumb safety and the top slide rib. It doesn't seem to have any particular foreign distribution markings. Does anyone have any ideas about its origins? Perhaps it was part of a special contract batch? Perhaps its not a MKII?

View attachment 829107 View attachment 829104 View attachment 829101 I just purchased a Belgium Browning Hi-Power and at the moment it's a mystery. All the serial numbers match all parts. The the serial # letter code confirms it was manufactured year 1984 yet it looks nothing like an 80's MK II model. Except for the fact it does have a MKII hognose front slide barrel bushing. Otherwise it has none of the usual characteristic features of a MKII such as a muzzle area drain hole, large thumb safety and the top slide rib. It doesn't seem to have any particular foreign distribution markings. Does anyone have any ideas about its origins? Perhaps it was part of a special contract batch? Perhaps its not a MKII?

Thank you one and all, you've given me a good starting point to complete my research. The research has been a lot of fun. Thus far I've gathered that yes indeed various Belgium/FN Hi-Power models did overlap within a given production year. Not to mention the myriad of special contracts over the decades. What threw me off was the hognose bushing. I've since discovered that sometime during the "C" series production run ( C series began approx 1969) the elongated (hognose) bushing was added to the pistol. This type of bushing continued on with the MK II pistols. So, it looks like I have a "C" series type pistol that just happen to have been manufactured in 1984.

 

[Eugen]

Ridg1963, hog nose began about 1973 and lasted until about 1987. You have a very nice BHP, congrats!

 

[Rudolph31]

I don’t have much to offer, but the fact that it’s got Browning’s Utah address on it means it was imported and sold by them. I have a world market Hi Power and that address is absent.

A call to Browning will provide answers. The info is free, a letter will cost.

 

[Ridg1963]

Thanks for the recommendation Rudolph31. Once I knew what to look for I found the C stamp on the trigger guard with the help of a magnifying glass.

 

[WVsig]

Thank you one and all, you've given me a good starting point to complete my research. The research has been a lot of fun. Thus far I've gathered that yes indeed various Belgium/FN Hi-Power models did overlap within a given production year. Not to mention the myriad of special contracts over the decades. What threw me off was the hognose bushing. I've since discovered that sometime during the "C" series production run ( C series began approx 1969) the elongated (hognose) bushing was added to the pistol. This type of bushing continued on with the MK II pistols. So, it looks like I have a "C" series type pistol that just happen to have been manufactured in 1984.

What is the serial number in the gun? Does it have a 2 letter date code of "PW" on it? I assume it does which is why you believe it was manufactured in 1984 or does it have a 2 digit year code followed by a C. If it does not have the "C" it is not a C series. The C stamped on the trigger guard does not make it a "C series" gun.

Here is what I can see from the pics you have provided. More pics of the gun and its proof marks might help but this vintage of BHP does not have the inspector marks and date codes of older guns. These codes can be used to narrow the date range of when individual parts were manufactured and inspected. Are there any markings or proof marks on the frame covered by the grip or on the butt of the frame? Are there any proof marks, letters or stampings on the underside of the slide? This is the area I am talking about. I don't think they will be there but its worth a quick look.



The gun clearly has the hog nose busing but lacks the drain hole. It also does not have the rib on the top of the slide. It lacks the more modern front and rear sight and ambi safety found on "most" MKIIs. Clearly you can see parts and features that are found on Pre MKII guns. The small thumb safety, half moon front sight and the walnut grips are all pre MKII features. The gun has a Browning High Power rollmark and not a FN "Hi Power" rollmark so the slide was originally intended for the North American market. Browning imported for the US and Canada.

This gun is not IMHO that big of a mystery. This is a MKII. MKIIs were produced starting around 1982-1983 and continued to about 1988 when the MKIII was introduced. FN were horrible record keepers. Documentation and serialization of High Power and Hi Power pistols was more of an art than science at Herstal. This is 100% a sporting pistol imported into the US by Browning. This was a common model. FN never threw away parts. There is a lot of these made between 1982-1985. They used parts already in production or in warehouses to build pistols.

This is why the slide has no ridge line like most MKIIs and has no drain hole. It is also why it has the halfmoon sight. The slide was made before the introduction of the MKII design. The grips, thumb safety all were produced prior to the MKIIs launch. So FN simply used them. IIRC they sold them as a "classic" version of the pistol. They were sold in fixed and adjustable sight versions. Most were sold with a gloss blued finish while many of the standard MKII went to a rougher parkerized finish and later to epoxy. Once the parts were used up these dissapeared from the FN/Bowning catalog.

Yours is a very nice clean example of one of these transitional pistols. Enjoy it! It should serve you well. I found these examples with a quick Google images search to confirm what I believed to be true. I am no expert but I do like the BHP and have done a fair amount of reading and research on the pistol. This is just my opinion which is nothing more than a sort of educated WAG.

1984 Adjustable sight


1984 Fixed Sight




1982 Fixed sight




1982 Fixed sight

 

[Ridg1963]

Thank you WVsig for this information and I believe you're very correct. This all makes sense based upon my own research. I've read about the fuzzy record keeping the way the serial number system has transition over the years. Yes, the letter code is PW . Would you say it's technically the same as a C series?

 

[Ridg1963]

Also, underneath the slide there is a diamond shape mark with the number 5 inside the diamond stamp mark.

 

[WVsig]

Thank you WVsig for this information and I believe you're very correct. This all makes sense based upon my own research. I've read about the fuzzy record keeping the way the serial number system has transition over the years. Yes, the letter code is PW . Would you say it's technically the same as a C series?

It is close to a C series but the process used to blue the guns changed with the MKIIs introduction similar to the change when the C series replaced the T. It is as close to a C series as a MKII can be. It is a transitional gun. The serial number and the use of the hog nose bushing make it more of an MKII in my book but you could view it differently. That is a very FN answer. LOL

 

[WVsig]

Also, underneath the slide there is a diamond shape mark with the number 5 inside the diamond stamp mark.

If it has the complete diamond all 4 sides the slide was made in the first qtr of 1975 which would fit into my other observations about the gun. It is an early transition MKII with many C series parts. It should serve you well.

 

[Ironicaintit]

pfft, and WVsig says he's not a wealth of info on BHPs!

OP, that sure is a sweet piece o' iron ya got there. My BHPs havent been that pretty in a looong time

 

[WVsig]

pfft, and WVsig says he's not a wealth of info on BHPs!

OP, that sure is a sweet piece o' iron ya got there. My BHPs havent been that pretty in a looong time

I know enough to make few educated guesses but I am no expert. I am a BHP fan. I have few.

 

[Toprudder]

Made me get mine out to compare. I think this is from 1985, I am the second owner.



It came with the original rug and instruction manual.

 

[Ridg1963]

That's a very nice Hi-Power Toprudder. The pistol and the old price tag brings back memories. I seem to remember prices really jumped up by the mid to late 80's. Feeling nostalgic so I just pulled a PDF copy of 1980 Handgun Test magazine.
Colt 1911: $277
Colt Python: $416
S&W mod 19: $250, mod 13 under $200
H&K P9S: $390