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<\/div>\nThe reaction at SHOT and on social media:<\/strong><\/p>\n Is the reaction justified? We’ll have to wait and see.<\/strong><\/p>\n The new FN High Power was announced at SHOT Show 2022. Available in Black, FDE, and Stainless Steel. Each comes with two sets of grips from the factory and custom grips are available as a separate purchase.<\/p>\n<\/a>\n David Higginbotham<\/em><\/p>\n FN\u2019s new High Power is a big deal for fans of the old Browning design, and its timing seems to be perfect. There\u2019s a ton of buzz surrounding the FN launch, but there are many other companies taking advantage of the gun\u2019s resurgent popularity. But my gut tells me this one is going to rise to the top.<\/p>\n Full disclosure. I\u2019m a fan of the gun. I\u2019m a 1911 fan, too, though I stopped carrying a 1911 daily almost a decade ago. The High Power, though, feels immediately familiar.<\/p>\n Discovering the High Power was, for me, something like falling for a woman only to find out she has a little sister that you fall for, too. The 1911 and the High Power are clearly related, and\u2014now\u2014and especially after the 2022 SHOT show, I\u2019d be hard-pressed to choose one over the other.<\/p>\n When Springfield dropped the SA35, I immediately picked one up. I\u2019ve not had any hiccups with it yet, and it smells like an old gun should. It ticks that historic box for me and appeals to four of the five senses\u2014which isn\u2019t something I can say for most guns.<\/p>\n But this new FN is distinctly different. This isn\u2019t an homage. This is a fully-realized overhaul of the design\u2014a gun that makes a compelling argument for the design.<\/p>\n In fact, with its 17+1 capacity, I\u2019d say this is going to be a gun that appeals to fans of the classic metal builds. The Sig P226, the 92FS, or even the 1911 (and for sure any 1911 in 9mm). These guns have a weight to them that gun companies are reembracing (even Smith with the new Smith and Wesson CSX).<\/p>\n The FN High Power reboot builds in more magazine capacity, for one. Along with the addition of rounds, the materials of the mag are upgraded\u2014much more stainless steel and polymer.<\/p>\n The guts have had an upgrade, too, though I\u2019m not up to speed on those improvements yet. They worked on the fire control group, updated the lockup, and they\u2019ve even worked on the reliability with all of the wild varieties of 9mm currently in use.<\/p>\n They\u2019ve killed the magazine disconnect, which is a big improvement. The controls are ambidextrous. FN has even worked on the trigger pull.<\/p>\n On the outside, they\u2019ve built out the texture for a better grip. The grips are polymer. Even the beavertail has been drawn out more.<\/p>\n I\u2019m looking for the right metaphor here to capture this moment. It isn\u2019t like VW reintroducing the Beetle. That was a joke. This gun is clearly built on the original and not just shaped something like it. While it is not a classic High Power, it is distinctly a High Power.<\/p>\n Will it catch on? I am hearing two polarized views on the subject. I was at a media event recently with 8 writers and editors, and we were talking about the High Powers. The room was split. Some of us were 100% on board, and already putting money down to prove it. The others were at the opposite end and couldn\u2019t see the point in any new High Power production.<\/p>\n From their perspective, there were enough High Powers in the wild already. If you want one, buy one. No need, they argued, to remake them.<\/p>\n This FN, though, isn\u2019t the old High Power. Like the tricked-out 1911s that flooded the market a decade ago, this is a gun that addresses problems.<\/p>\n And like those other Browning designs that preceded it\u2014even way back in 1935\u2014this new FN feels exceptional in the hand. The weight is an asset that will take an already capable design and, with these improvements to the trigger, ergonomics, and internals, make this 80-year-old design a gun that clearly has relevance in 2022.<\/p>\n<\/a>\n Mike Searson<\/em><\/p>\n As you’re no doubt already aware, FN USA rolled out a new pistol at SHOT Show 2022. It wasn\u2019t all that new in some respects, but apparently has quite a bit of improvement on the original. For over 80 years they produced this pistol and as sales declined due to other forces in the marketplace, most of us thought it went away gently into the night.<\/p>\n In 2018 Browning announced the end of production of one of the great John Moses Browning\u2019s designs. The venerable Hi-Power HP-35. In all honesty, Browning passed away before it was finished. It was completed by Fabrique National’s Dieudonne SaiveIt,<\/em> a prolific designer and inventor in his own right. Although it carried Browning\u2019s name for decades, the overwhelming majority were made by FN for Bowning.<\/p>\n Of course, the FN pistols always carried a premium. Although first produced in 1935, some 50 years later it became my pistol of choice. The magazines held 13-rounds and it was single-action as opposed to the double-action and later striker-fired guns that came to prominence in the 1980s and 90s.<\/p>\n Like any other successful pistol, it saw it\u2019s share of clones once the patents expired. However, aficionados always held the Belgian-made guns by FN in the highest regard. Truth be told, I\u2019ve owned original Belgians, Argentine pistols made under contract, Hungarian and Israeli clones, and even a Mk 3 made in Belgium and assembled in Portugal.<\/p>\n FN\u2019s new version after a 4-year hiatus has one major improvement going for it: It\u2019s American-made.<\/p>\n The second major improvement is the loss of the magazine safety. I\u2019m not completely opposed to a magazine safety as a general rule. I hate them when they compromise the handgun\u2019s trigger, however, as they did with the Hi-Power.<\/p>\n Moving down the line, the next change for the better appears to be a slightly enlarged beaver tail at the rear of the frame in order to prevent slide-bite. This is followed by improved sights and a larger ambidextrous safety mounted on the frame, very similar to the Mk 3.<\/p>\n Browning revealed 3 versions: a black matte, stainless, and a flat dark earth Cerakote version.<\/p>\n What more could you want?<\/p>\n Some shooters have been clamoring for a version that could be equipped with a red dot sight<\/a>. This might have some merit as dots are becoming the wave of the future. It may not be traditional, but neither is Cerakote on one of these classic designs.<\/p>\n A threaded barrel could be a nice addition, but the Hi-Power does not work well as a suppressor host, and sustained suppressed fire could damage the pistol.<\/p>\n Personally, I would like to see a version with the tangent type of rear sight and maybe a slot to add a shoulder stock or brace. I realize that may sound like a pipe dream and would be just as happy with any of the three that were just released. Because the list of new features keeps going.<\/p>\n Takedown is quicker and easier by eliminating pins. The ejection port is enlarged, even the slide release is made more efficient than previous models and best of all may be the improved magazine capacity.<\/p>\n Traditionally, the Hi-Power held 13-rounds, which is how the Hi-Power earned its name. It held 13-rounds as opposed to 7 or 8, as was typical of most 9mm pistols of its early days until the 1970s When pistols by Beretta, CZ, etc. were made to hold 15. The new magazines hold 17-rounds<\/p>\n One almost wonders if FN would have implemented changes such as this 5 years ago if the design would have been terminated. Holding one in the hand is like shaking hands with an old friend you haven\u2019t seen in a long time.<\/p>\n The good news is that it is back with a vengeance.<\/p>\n It is simpler, more robust and more effective.<\/p>\n For more information see fnamerica.com<\/em><\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n [Click the image(s) below for captions.]<\/span><\/p>\n [ngg src=”galleries” ids=”6″ display=”basic_slideshow”]<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Comparisons](\"https:\/\/gunmagwarehouse.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/FN-releases-Hi-Power_Springfield-SA-35.jpg\")
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Historical Design, Contemporary Relevance: High Power 2022<\/h3>\n
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Holding one in your hand is like shaking hands with a friend you haven’t seen in a long time.<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n
What’s Old is New: FN Brings back the Hi-Power<\/h2>\n