https://www.guns.com/news/2024/01/08/inglis-reborn-to-market-period-correct-hi-powers
A name familiar to both military history buffs and fans of John Browning's Hi-Power 9mm pistol family is returning to the market.
Tennessee-based SDS Imports, whose umbrella of brands includes Military Armament Corporation (MAC), Tisas, Tokarev, and Spandau, is bringing back the Inglis name to the American market.
WHAT WAS INGLIS?
The original John Inglis and Company dated to 1937 (and even further back to the 1850s as the Mair, Inglis, and Evatt concern) and was based in Toronto. Primarily a maker of appliances – the firm was bought in 1987 by Whirlpool, Canada, and still operates there under the old banner – during World War II they did their part to help win the war and produced Bren light machine guns and Hi-Power pistols, making over 100,000 of each for the Allied cause.
The Canadian Browning-Inglis production was aided during WWII by FN's exiled staff, with the BHP's co-designer, Dieudonné Saive, helping with the technical package, making these guns unofficial clones. Ultimately, an agreement was reached to pay FN a royalty of 25 cents after the war for each gun produced. (Photos: Library and Archives Canada/City of Toronto Archives/Canadian Forces)
WWII-era Canadian-made Browning-Inglis No. 2 Mk1* Hi-Power,
A WWII-era Canadian-made Browning-Inglis No. 2 Mk1* Hi-Power, as found in the Guns.com Vault. Note the internal extractor and "thumbprint" slide, hallmarks of 1940s BHPs.
Browning-Inglis No. 2 Mk1* Hi-Powers that had been produced in Toronto during the conflict remain in service with the Canadian military and are set to be retired shortly by a variant of the SIG Sauer P320, which will be type classified as the C22 in Canadian service.
Other Inglis Hi-Powers went to the British military, who liked the pistol so much that it went on to adopt a slightly improved Belgian-made model in 1963, type classified as the L9A1. They remained in service with the Brits until very recently when they were replaced by the Glock 17 while the Australians opted to go with a SIG-based replacement in 2022.
Britsh L9A1 Hi-Powe
The British (and Australian) L9A1 Hi-Power was generally more along the lines of the post-WWII Browning "T" series Hi-Power, typically with an external extractor and plastic grips. (Photos: Imperial War Museum/Australian War Memorial)
WHAT THE NEW INGLIS WILL BRING?
The new company plans an L9A1 clone to include a black Chromate finish and plastic grips as well as three more commercial models: a black Inglis P-35B with walnut grips, the satin nickel Inglis P-35N with black G10 grips, and a color-case hardened Inglis GP-35.
"The market demand has not been met for historically accurate Hi-Powers," said Military Armament Corporation/SDS CEO Tim Mulverhill. "We’re planning for the L9A1 to influence the Hi-Power market the way the Tisas US Army did in the 1911 market."
Prices will range from $489 for the L9A1 to $649 for the GP-35.
We'll have the full details from SHOT Show later this month.
A name familiar to both military history buffs and fans of John Browning's Hi-Power 9mm pistol family is returning to the market.
Tennessee-based SDS Imports, whose umbrella of brands includes Military Armament Corporation (MAC), Tisas, Tokarev, and Spandau, is bringing back the Inglis name to the American market.
WHAT WAS INGLIS?
The original John Inglis and Company dated to 1937 (and even further back to the 1850s as the Mair, Inglis, and Evatt concern) and was based in Toronto. Primarily a maker of appliances – the firm was bought in 1987 by Whirlpool, Canada, and still operates there under the old banner – during World War II they did their part to help win the war and produced Bren light machine guns and Hi-Power pistols, making over 100,000 of each for the Allied cause.
The Canadian Browning-Inglis production was aided during WWII by FN's exiled staff, with the BHP's co-designer, Dieudonné Saive, helping with the technical package, making these guns unofficial clones. Ultimately, an agreement was reached to pay FN a royalty of 25 cents after the war for each gun produced. (Photos: Library and Archives Canada/City of Toronto Archives/Canadian Forces)
WWII-era Canadian-made Browning-Inglis No. 2 Mk1* Hi-Power,
A WWII-era Canadian-made Browning-Inglis No. 2 Mk1* Hi-Power, as found in the Guns.com Vault. Note the internal extractor and "thumbprint" slide, hallmarks of 1940s BHPs.
Browning-Inglis No. 2 Mk1* Hi-Powers that had been produced in Toronto during the conflict remain in service with the Canadian military and are set to be retired shortly by a variant of the SIG Sauer P320, which will be type classified as the C22 in Canadian service.
Other Inglis Hi-Powers went to the British military, who liked the pistol so much that it went on to adopt a slightly improved Belgian-made model in 1963, type classified as the L9A1. They remained in service with the Brits until very recently when they were replaced by the Glock 17 while the Australians opted to go with a SIG-based replacement in 2022.
Britsh L9A1 Hi-Powe
The British (and Australian) L9A1 Hi-Power was generally more along the lines of the post-WWII Browning "T" series Hi-Power, typically with an external extractor and plastic grips. (Photos: Imperial War Museum/Australian War Memorial)
WHAT THE NEW INGLIS WILL BRING?
The new company plans an L9A1 clone to include a black Chromate finish and plastic grips as well as three more commercial models: a black Inglis P-35B with walnut grips, the satin nickel Inglis P-35N with black G10 grips, and a color-case hardened Inglis GP-35.
"The market demand has not been met for historically accurate Hi-Powers," said Military Armament Corporation/SDS CEO Tim Mulverhill. "We’re planning for the L9A1 to influence the Hi-Power market the way the Tisas US Army did in the 1911 market."
Prices will range from $489 for the L9A1 to $649 for the GP-35.
We'll have the full details from SHOT Show later this month.
Made by a friend a bunch of years ago.
