A little oout of my depth....some info on a Hi-Power please?

Wrong Way

Wrong Way

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A gentleman who I cleared a bunch of long guns for a year ago has asked me if I'd like his pistol. Details are sketchy, but heres what he has told me: It is a 9mm Hi_Power, and is marked FN. It is supposedly in near-mint condition, and the finish he describes strikes me as green(ish) parkerizing.

He has had the pistol for 30 years, and doesn't know (or remember) much else about it.

So, my questions:

Is this a good gun to shoot? Both my 9's are polymer framed jobbies....so this would be different.

Reliable?

Any clues to origin from the (limited) details?

What should I pay him?

Thanks for any info!
 
If it is a Browning Hi-power then it is a very good reliable pistol. You will notice the kick is different from the polymer ones, not as much of a snap.
Pictures would help, On EE some range between $600-$900. depends on the condition.
 
Wrong Way said:
A gentleman who I cleared a bunch of long guns for a year ago has asked me if I'd like his pistol. Details are sketchy, but heres what he has told me: It is a 9mm Hi_Power, and is marked FN. It is supposedly in near-mint condition, and the finish he describes strikes me as green(ish) parkerizing.

He has had the pistol for 30 years, and doesn't know (or remember) much else about it.

So, my questions:

Is this a good gun to shoot? Both my 9's are polymer framed jobbies....so this would be different.

Reliable?

Any clues to origin from the (limited) details?

What should I pay him?

Thanks for any info!
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All Hi-Powers are made by FN (Fabrique Nationale). Browning is just the importer. The guns that don't have the Browning logo were most likely brought in directly from Europe. They are in every way identical to Browning-marked guns except for the rollmark. They are very reliable guns and have great ergonomics. You can't go wrong with a Hi-Power.
 
"...green(ish) parkerizing..." The green tinge is caused by long term storage in cosmoline. There is no green parkerizing. It may be a milsurp. Could have been used by any country that bought HP's from FN. Canadian HP's, of course, didn't come from FN.
You need more info to tell much of anything though. Even 30 years ago, BHP's were made by FN and assembled in Portugal, but without seeing it, who knows.
 
sunray said:
You need more info to tell much of anything though. Even 30 years ago, BHP's were made by FN and assembled in Portugal, but without seeing it, who knows.
Click to expand...
I don't believe that's correct. The switch to Portuguese assembly took place in the early 90s, shortly after the MKIII was introduced. His would still be made and assembled in Belgium (although there are no quality differences between Belgian and Portuguese assembled guns).
 
There are 3 pistols worth owing - the 1911, P-35 (Hi-Power), and the CZ-75.

If this is an older gun you may want to send the slide to a gunsmith to have better sights installed. Some P-35's made on military contract had difficult to pick up sights - similar to the older 1911 military contract pistols. Others had a ladder type rear sight while better, is still inferior to a modern square notch non adjustable rear sight with a ramp front sight. While at the gunsmiths, you may want to consider doing away with the magazine safety, if the gun is so equipped. To my way of thinking a mechanism which prevents the gun from firing without the magazine in place serves no purpose. With these small modifications your new pistol will be very shootable, and is strong enough for any 9mm ammo you care to run through it.
 
30 some-odd years old could put it in the "T" prefix series.
Very desireable HPs, some of the best fit and finish done on these pistols.
If it is a "T", I would suggest it is worth a premium - do not alter it.
 
My "T" series.
BHP001.jpg
 
As far as I am concerned the Hi-Power is the most ergonomically correct pistol ever made and is one of if not the best 9mm pistol ever built. I have had most of everything out there, but always come back to my Hi-Power.
 
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