Browning Hi-Power

Guns I Like (15 items)
list by Rylvan

The Browning Hi Power is a single-action, semi-automatic handgun available in 9mm and .40 S&W calibers. It is based on a design by famous American firearms inventor John Moses Browning, and completed by Dieudonné Saive at Fabrique Nationale (FN) of Herstal, Belgium. Browning died in 1926, several years before the design was finalized. The Hi-Power is one of the most widely used military pistols of all time, having been used by the armed forces of over 50 countries since the Second World War.

The Hi Power name is somewhat misleading and alluded to the 13-round magazine capacity; almost twice that of contemporary designs such as the Luger or Mauser 1910. The pistol is often referred to as an HP (for "Hi-Power" or "High-Power") or as a GP (for the French term, "Grande Puissance"). The term P-35 is also used, based on the introduction of the pistol in 1935. It is most often called the "Hi Power", even in Belgium. It is also known as the BAP (Browning Automatic Pistol), particularly in Irish service. Although the Browning name will appear on pistols imported to the United States, the name "Hi-Power" will not be seen anywhere on any pistol, regardless of country of origin or location of sale.