NEW FN Hi Powers!!!

[BreechFace]

In what currency?

In the currency that I would typically pay for a Springfield firearm.

 

[Spats McGee]

Anybody else notice that it was the Browning Hi Power, but it's the FN High Power?

 

[gc70]

Anybody else notice that it was the Browning Hi Power, but it's the FN High Power?

I bet there were sticky copyright and trademark issues involving both the guns and names.

 

[Spats McGee]

Maybe, but if there are, I'm not sure changing it from 'hi' to 'high' is enough to get around them. Anyway, I don't want to derail the thread with intellectual property law discussions.

 

[Nature Boy]

Anybody else notice that it was the Browning Hi Power, but it's the FN High Power?

I've mentioned it a couple of times in this thread. I believe it's a nod to the past, when the GP-35 was called a "High Power" and roll marked "Fabrique Nationale". This isn't a Browning.

 

[WVsig]

Anybody else notice that it was the Browning Hi Power, but it's the FN High Power?

I bet there were sticky copyright and trademark issues involving both the guns and names.

Maybe, but if there are, I'm not sure changing it from 'hi' to 'high' is enough to get around them. Anyway, I don't want to derail the thread with intellectual property law discussions.

I've mentioned it a couple of times in this thread. I believe it's a nod to the past, when the GP-35 was called a "High Power" and roll marked "Fabrique Nationale". This isn't a Browning.

FN Herstal owns Browning. Browning does not manufacture any guns. They never made a Hi Power they simply imported and marketed the guns for FN. They are an importer and brand name. FN owns them outright. There are no copyright or trademark issues at play. The gun that some people call the Browning Hi Power is only called the "Hi" Power here in the US. When Browning started to import the pistol with their role mark on it there was already a rifle marketed in the US as the Browning High Power. Browning did not want to cause confusion so they called it the "Hi" Power.

This new guns is a US made FN product so they are using the name Browning High Power which FN/Herstal has always done for their rollmarked guns.

 

[Spats McGee]

Welp, mystery solved!

 

[starling]

From what I can tell most of the enhancements look good. As I said... compatability probably wont be there and the purists wont like it. Its going to opperate like a Hi-power and have the feel of the original bit be more customize friendly. The "ergo" features of what I think are removable backstraps and beavertails, lefty friendly, simplified locking system etc. make a lot of sense. Magazine design is most likely improved over the not so great Mecgar 15 rounders which will only help reliability.

There have been lots of enhancements over the 1911 through the years that people like so I think the Hi-power lovers will welcome them eventually. FN makes nice firearms... I doubt very much that these wont perform equal to if not better than the originals.

Maybe think of it more as a Hi-power 2.0 than the original.

Problem for them is your average gun owner knows nothing about some Euro company called FN. Combine that with a sticker shock of $1,300 and its an uphill battle. Brand name means a lot..... not to me....but its pretty huge for 99% of potential buyers.

 

[danez71]

From my leo brother in law

My buddy is at SHOT show right now. I called him and asked him to ask FN if the new hi powers can accept original mags. NOPE. You were right. The grip is too long.

<snip>

 

[WVsig]

From my leo brother in law

I am willing to bet that they take 509 mags.

 

[WVsig]

From what I can tell most of the enhancements look good. As I said... compatability probably wont be there and the purists wont like it. Its going to opperate like a Hi-power and have the feel of the original bit be more customize friendly. The "ergo" features of what I think are removable backstraps and beavertails, lefty friendly, simplified locking system etc. make a lot of sense. Magazine design is most likely improved over the not so great Mecgar 15 rounders which will only help reliability.

There have been lots of enhancements over the 1911 through the years that people like so I think the Hi-power lovers will welcome them eventually. FN makes nice firearms... I doubt very much that these wont perform equal to if not better than the originals.

Maybe think of it more as a Hi-power 2.0 than the original.

Problem for them is your average gun owner knows nothing about some Euro company called FN. Combine that with a sticker shock of $1,300 and its an uphill battle. Brand name means a lot..... not to me....but its pretty huge for 99% of potential buyers.

Right we dumb Americans know nothing about FN and Browning High Powers.....

 

[Sergei Mosin]

Personally, I prefer Grand Puissance…

I’d like to know what’s different about the lockup before I decide whether this pistol is really a GP35 or just trading on the name.

 

[WVsig]

You have to imagine a universe where the industry never went to poly striker glock inspired designs. Like I said ....its an early 90s throwback pistol. Kind of like the new CSX. There is a market there but I dont know if $1,300 combined with the FN brand is realistic. As good as FN is they dont really have a hard core following like Sig or HK. They are more like Steyr in terms of devoted followers.. FN is more about military contracts and I highly doubt this is aimed at that market. So its a strange approach to securing market share. Most likely it will fail unless the custom shops can hype it up enough and start tricking them out. Going to be tough but not impossible.

If someone like Sig dropped this nobody would care about $1,300 MSRP.

They might of tried offering two versions. The steel frame deluxe at $1,300 for the boomers and a polymer frame pistol in the $6-700 range. Similar to what Kahr or BRNO does. That would give the brand more exposure/recognition to the commercial market and not scare away a large bulk of consumers with the high MSRP.

The Canadians are looking for a new military pistol and are retiring the Inglis BHP. I am not sure the contact spec is out but they might be the last Army on the planet that might consider a SAO gun.

 

[WVsig]

Personally, I prefer Grand Puissance…

I’d like to know what’s different about the lockup before I decide whether this pistol is really a GP35 or just trading on the name.

Look at the barrel. There is no way it is using the BHP lockup. This is a very Siglike barrel to my eyes.

 

[md7]

Right we dumb Americans know nothing about FN and Browning High Powers.....

View attachment 1053190

Well done, sir. Awesome picture

 

[WVsig]

Well done, sir. Awesome picture

Just part of the collection.

 

[Nature Boy]

@WVsig doesn't care much for Hi/High Powers

 

[gc70]

I am willing to bet that they take 509 mags.

The magazines in the photos of the new High Power do not look like any of the photos of 509 magazines on the FN store's website.

 

[danez71]

I am willing to bet that they take 509 mags.

I'm not one to be sure on this but when I looked at 509 mag pics they didn't look like the HP 2.0 mag pics

 

[starling]

The Canadians are looking for a new military pistol and are retiring the Inglis BHP. I am not sure the contact spec is out but they might be the last Army on the planet that might consider a SAO gun.

Seems like everyone and their mothers are going to Poly Strikers but you never know. Maybe they could use these as some sort of dress/parade pistol.

BTW...Was not trying to say Americans are Dumb... I am one. Just that FN has about as much name recognition as Steyr in the US among average gun owners. Both make top notch firearms but they dont have the Brand recognition to most. Could this change things... maybe. CZ was once like this as well as many others. Unlike FN.... CZ priced their CZ75 type pistols competitively and grew the brand before raising up the prices. FN has had some good poly pistols available but they just never really take off.

I hope it does well though.

 

[WVsig]

I'm not one to be sure on this but when I looked at 509 mag pics they didn't look like the HP 2.0 mag pics

You are right. They look more like Beretta mags with the cut out. I would bet they are made by Mecgar.

 

[WVsig]

Seems like everyone and their mothers are going to Poly Strikers but you never know. Maybe they could use these as some sort of dress/parade pistol.

BTW...Was not trying to say Americans are Dumb... I am one. Just that FN has about as much name recognition as Steyr in the US among average gun owners. Both make top notch firearms but they dont have the Brand recognition to most. Could this change things... maybe. CZ was once like this as well as many others. Unlike FN.... CZ priced their CZ75 type pistols competitively and grew the brand before raising up the prices. FN has had some good poly pistols available but they just never really take off.

I hope it does well though.

Right now one of the hottest selling pistols on the market is the 502. The 509 is selling pretty well. They have never been able to get a major contact in the US but they sell well to the rest of the world. To compare them to Steyr is just wrong. Most people have seen a FN pistol outside of the BHP. 99% of gun owners in this country have never seen a Steyr M pistol. I owned a S40, S9 and M9 at one time. They were well made with great triggers and good ergos but had zero support at the time so I dumped them. They have a terrible marketing department and really missed their window. Once everyone else got into the poly striker game they were done in the US. IMHO

 

[danez71]

You are right. They look more like Beretta mags with the cut out. I would bet they are made by Mecgar.

I asked my BIL to ask his friend to ask FN about the 509 mags

His reply (mentioning just for humor)

He's at the Glock booth right now. He said he'll ask when he gets back to FN. But he said, "who on earth wants an FN509?" Lol

 

[Hesa Hard1]

Maybe they'll make one in 10mm.

The 9-weenie meter is soooo boring.

 

[The Glockodile]

The frame looks like it's made of plastic...

Was it confirmed to be metal, somewhere in this thread?