Fallen in love with another John Browning creation

I wish I knew more about them. Im not sure what to buy unless its an older Belgium made version.

You said it all, and very nicely, right there Oberon. That's it in a nutshell.

And what a fine collection too!

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Originally Posted by oberon

It is a strange and wonderful thing when a piece of machinery can evoke such sensibilities in humans.
There are some combinations of human creation that possess a singular element of near perfection as can be achieved. It is the stuff of fine art. It is what gives us the 'feelin' that only a well executed example of man's capability can provide. If Michaelangelo or Divinci were ordnance engineers, they would have built the Hi-power, but they were not. So John Moses Browning got the ball rollin'. It is one of the mysteries of the natural course of evolution. It doesn't really need explanation; it only needs to be appreciated.
https://i.imgur.com/f9n3833m.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/fT5EZ5fm.jpg
There are many great pistols.
Is there a pistol that sums it up better than an M-35 FN High Power?

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Originally Posted by hearsedriver

I wish I knew more about them. Im not sure what to buy unless its an older Belgium made version.

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There isn't a bad Browning High power. There are some beat up ones. There are many variants, and there are ones that were not made in Belguim. But they are all Browning High Powers, which is what you are really after, isn't it?
Hunt around and see if you can swing a bargain someplace. What you get may be exactly what you want. You can always trade away for something more to your liking. Ya can't play if ya don't have a ticket. Time is tight.(Booker t. & the MGS) The millions of 'em in circulation are the only ones we will ever have. Clearly, you need​ an Browning High Power.

There are a multitude of varieties of the HP. It is generally agreed that the Belgian made ones are the finest. The ones assembled in Portugal are right behind in quality. The first generations had the usual unbreakable and hard to see sights. The early ones had a strong side safety set up for right handed shooters, and later marks had ambi ones. The Inglis versions were made from evacuated plans and machinery when Belgium fell in WW2. Worldwide it was JM Browning's greatest gun, used by over 50 nations. The last versions had cast instead of forged, but they were actually stronger to handle the .40 S&W cartridge. MecGar makes magazines for the HP and use them without hesitation, as they made the factory mags for many years. Almost any holster for a 1911 will work for a HP.

I have owned three of them and this is my latest. Certainly one of the best 9mm pistols ever designed.

Attachment 642865

Here's the second one I've owned and it's a keeper. First year C-Series...Attachment 642885

Here's what a well worn Israeli surplus one looks like:
https://i.imgur.com/tbKZUyB.jpg

The final itineration of the Browning 9mm Hi-Power was not a JMB design.

I agree that the HP is a gentleman's pistol.
Fine and points nicely.
I never bought one due to the wide grip frame.
Same reason I hardly shoot my otherwise accurate M 92.
Enjoy it! Nice score!

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Originally Posted by kenhwind

The final interantion of the Browning 9mm Hi-Power was not a JMB design.

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Very true. At the time of his passing, his prototype looked like this.

Attachment 642897

It was his disciple at FN, Dieudonne Saive (who later designed the FN FAL) that finished the pistol design.