The Hi-Power, often called the Browning Hi-Power, is a massively influential pistol. If you need a testament to its popularity, look at how many companies are remaking the gun. FN is producing a modern High Power, Springfield has the SA-35, and Girsan is making a handful of various guns, including railed and optics-ready options. The gun just won’t disappear. It’s an absolute legend that is most certainly one of the most influential modern handguns.
Today we are going to cover just why the Browning Hi-Power is so damn cool. These are the reasons why it’s stuck around in a day and age of plastic fanatics, flashlights, and optics. Let’s dig into the legend and dissect why it remains such a treasured firearm.
It’s Made By Two Masters of Firearm Design
The Hi-Power is often described as the last gun of John Browning. It’s true he certainly worked on the gun and did a hefty amount of design work. We all know about Mr. Browning.
He designed some of the most influential firearms of all time. This includes shotguns, handguns, machine guns, and so much more. He shaped modern firearms design.
John Browning passed away before the Hi-Power was finished. The man who finished the gun, Dieudonné Saive, was a very accomplished arms designer. He not only finished the Hi-Power, but he was there from the very beginning. He designed the staggered magazine that has been there since the first prototype of the Hi-Power. Dieudonné Saive wasn’t a one-trick pony, though. He designed several firearms, including the famed FN FAL rifle.
While Dieudonné Saive might not have been as famous or influential as Browning, he was a brilliant man in his own right. These were two powerhouses of arms design whose culmination became one of the most famous pistols of all time.
The Hi-Power Is the First Wonder Nine
What’s the basic layout of practically every modern duty pistol? It’s a semi-automatic firearm that shoots 9mm parabellum and feeds from a double-stack magazine. Did I get it right? Well, you can thank the Hi-Power for that. It came out of the gate as the Grande Puissance, as the French would call it. This gun was unlike anything else on the market.
It offered a locked breech design in a very capable caliber and a massive magazine for the era. It wasn’t the first double-stack magazine, but it was the first notable double-stack duty pistol. In 1935 the Hi-Power offered shooters a 13-round magazine, which was nearly twice that of the competition.
The Hi-Power walked so guns like the CZ-75, the SIG P226, the Beretta 92FS, and many more could run. The world wasn’t the same after the Browning Hi-Power, and small arms were only made better by it.
The Hi-Power Served Longer Than the M1911
The classic Browning-designed .45 ACP was built for the United States military and entered service in 1911, as the name implies. It served as a general-purpose handgun from 1911 until the Beretta M9 replaced it in 1985. That’s an impressive 74 years of service. That is not bad for a military sidearm. It saw plenty of action too.
While the M1911 came first, the Browning Hi-Power lasted longer. The Belgians first adopted the gun in 1935, the year it was designed and produced. The Hi-Power served up until 2013, when it was replaced with the Five-Seven. That equals 78 years if my math is correct. The Canadians also used it for 78 years. While the M1911 is arguably the most famous in the United States, the FN Hi-Power was no slouch.
After almost eight decades of service, the gun still serves in some nations to this day. It’s especially popular in countries that might not have a massive budget. Although that hasn’t been continued service, it is still notable.
It Served Other Countries Too
The M1911 gained its fame for serving the United States, but it did make it outside of the greatest country to ever exist. The M1911 served 28 countries officially, and that’s a great resume. It really shows the staying power of a Browning design. The Hi-Power might have beat it just a little bit.
By a little bit, I mean it served double the countries of the M1911. Over 50 countries adopted the Hi-Power. Hell, there is even more when you consider guns that aren’t quite Hi-Powers but are directly influenced by the gun, like the Arcus 9mm. The Hi-Power served the Brits, the Belgians, Canada, and even North Korea. No, seriously, the North Koreans had a handful of Canadian Hi-Powers.
It’s also one of the few guns to be used by both sides of World War 2. Both the Allies and Axis powers used the Hi-Power. After the Germans invaded Belgium, they got their hands on the Hi-Power and used it a fair bit as an unofficial weapon.
The Hi-Power Is Still a Capable Choice
It’s 2023, and the Hi-Power design is almost a century old at this point. Even now, the classic pistol is still a viable choice. It keeps up with modern designs without much issue. While many prefer a striker-fired design, an SAO trigger isn’t much different than a striker-fired design in practical application. It’s a single, fairly light trigger pull.
A 13-round magazine is a bit light compared to modern guns, but Springfield’s new SA-35 magazines work perfectly in the Hi-Power and offer 15 rounds in a flush-fitting magazine design. Toss that in any Hi-Power, and you have a competent fighting and defensive handgun. It bears mentioning that it’s not like the design cannot be modernized if someone sees fit.
For example, even Girsan has produced a competent ‘tactical’ variant. This model comes equipped with a rail for a light and is even optics-ready. Of course, that’s not always necessary. It works as is, plain and ready.
The World of the Hi-Power
FN, the original manufacturer, might not produce the famed Hi-Power pistol anymore, but they do produce the new High Power. As mentioned, Springfield Arms and Girsan both produce Hi-Power clones. Additionally, plenty of countries throughout the world produced the gun, and surplus models from South America, Hungary, and Turkey are fairly common on the used market.
If you want a Hi-Power, now is the time to buy because they’ve never been more popular, and prices are only going up. It remains infinitely cool, and if you agree, let me know below. If not, you’re wrong, but feel free to tell me why.
