Browning Hi-Power

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Image:Browning HP West German Police.jpg Template:Commons

The Browning Hi-Power is based on a semi-automatic 9mm pistol conceived and patented in the United States in 1922 by American John Browning, who eventually took his ideas to Belgium and the arms manufacturer Fabrique Nationale de Herstal. The design was fully developed and realized through the efforts of Belgian arms designer Dieudonne Saive working at FN. This pistol was noted for having the first functional double-column magazine of 9mm Parabellum rounds, capable of holding 13 cartridges, and allowing a 14th loaded in the chamber. (Modern "flush fit" magazines are now available which hold 15 cartridges allowing a 16th to be loaded in the chamber, and magazines which extend beyond the grip can hold considerably more.)

1 The Grande Puissance
2 Military Service
3 Models
4 Fiction - Movie and Pop Culture
5 See also
6 External links
7 Manual

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The Grande Puissance

Image:Browning HP (Finnish) with stock.jpg Image:Browning Sultan of Muscat & Oman contract pistol.jpg The P-35 Models were first produced in 1935 as the "Grande Puissance", [1] and are considered by many to be Browning's finest pistols, and by some even the finest pistols ever. Browning's initial concept was for a striker-fired pistol with a single-stack magazine; consultation with Dieudonne Saive at FN apparently convinced him to revise his design to incorporate a hammer mechanism and a higher capacity, double-stack magazine. Most of the salient features of this design were finalized before Browning's death in 1926 but economic conditions in Europe delayed its introduction.

Browning Hi-Power pistols were originally made in two models: "Ordinary Model" with fixed sights and an "Adjustable Rear Sight Model" with tangent type rear sight and a slotted grip for attachment of a wooden shoulder stock.

After WWII, the design was modified to replace the internal extractor with an external extractor for an incremental reliability improvement.

This pistol is often referred to as an "HP" (for "Hi-Power" [2] or "High-Power") or as a GP (for the French term, "Grande Puissance"). It is most often called the "Hi-Power", even in Belgium.

This gun, like many others of Browning's design, operates on the short-recoil principle, with the barrel being cammed down and away from the locking lugs in the slide (which surrounds the barrel). Unlike his earlier Colt M1911 (the famous Colt .45 automatic), the barrel is not moved vertically by a toggling link, but by a hardened bar which crosses the frame under the barrel and contacts a slot under the chamber (the rearmost part of the barrel). The barrel and slide recoil together for a short distance but, as the slot engages the bar, the chamber and the rear of the barrel are drawn downward and stopped. The downward movement of the barrel disengages it from the slide, which continues rearward, extracting the spent case from the chamber and ejecting it. After the slide reaches the limit of its travel, the recoil spring brings it forward again, stripping a new round from the magazine and pushing it into the chamber. This also pushes the chamber and barrel forward. The cam slot and bar move the chamber upward and the locking lugs on the barrel reengage those in the slide.

It was the first successful pistol design to utilize a double-stack magazine, meaning that the cartridges did not ride directly on top of each other, but instead were housed staggered, so that more could be fitted within the length of the pistol grip. This necessitated an increase in the width of the grip, but this is not a problem for average hands. The grip of the Hi-Power is ergonomically balanced and comfortable in most hands, and the pistol is renowned for its accuracy and reliability, and cursed for its penchant for "biting" its user in the web of the hand, between the thumb and first fingers, with its excessively long stock hammer. Many HP owners often replace the stock hammer with a smaller one.

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Military Service

Browning Hi-Power pistols were used during WWII by both the Allies and the Axis powers. The pistols the Allies used were produced in Canada by John Inglis and Company. The pistols used by the Germans were produced by FN in Belgium under German occupation. The P-35 remains popular among militaries, over 50 armies have issued the P-35 since its invention. It is also quite popular in covert operations. The famed British special operations regiment SAS (Special Air Service), the FBI - HRT (Hostage Rescue Team), and the WWII era U.S. Office of Strategic Services (OSS) are among some of the organizations that have made use of the Hi-Power. Many Iraqi officers (including generals) were relieved of their elegant customized Hi-Powers during the invasion and occupation of Iraq. The MK1 version is currently in service with the Canadian Forces.

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Models

Genuine Browning Hi-Power P-35s are still manufactured by FN Herstal (imported to North America by Browning) of Belgium and Portugal, and by FM (licensed to Fabricaciones Militares) of Argentina; remaining one of the most influential pistols in the history of small arms. The Hi-Power has inspired a number of clones (including Charles Daly of the Philippines & USA, and FEG of Hungary), copies (including Arcus of Bulgaria), and other firearms that borrow features from it (chiefly the linkless cam system). FEG used to make an exact clone, but has now modified the barrel, linkage, and slide to be incompatible with genuine Hi-Powers (most other parts are compatible though).

The Browning L9A1, a military version of the P-35 Hi-Power, is still utilized by several branches of the UK military forces. The Hi-Power was the pistol of choice for the British Special Air Service (Special Forces), throughout the Cold War era. In Britain, the pistol is often referred to as the Browning 13-shot.

The Mark I, Mark II, Mark III, Hi-Power Standard, Hi-Power Practical, and Capitan are among the best known models of the P-35 developed over the last 50 years. A wide variety of options and features are available on the P-35 models. Recently, Hi-Power pistols have become available in the .40 S&W and 357 Sig loadings. However, the use of these calibers in guns designed and built for 9mm Parabellum has created cases of broken or warped frames. Only Hi-Powers specifically built for these rounds should be used to fire them.

The Detective is a short slide HP produced by FM. The Detective slide group is also available without the frame, and is interchangeable with other FM and FN Hi-Power P-35s.

The DA & DAO Models were first produced in the 1990s by FN. The DA model is double action, and the DAO model is "double action only," differing from the single action operation of the P-35. This gun has been marketed under the name of HP-DA and BDA-9. The DA and DAO models retain many features of the P-35, and both are available in full size and compact versions. Performance of these models is consistent with FN's high standards. These models resemble the P-35, but the most distinguishing feature is the extended Sig Sauer style trigger guard. Many parts are interchangeable with the P-35, but the magazines (although similar) are not. The compact versions also utilize shorter magazines.

The BDM Model was first produced in the late 1990s by FN. The Browning Double Mode pistol incorporates many features of the DA model, but can be switched from double action to single action at the flip of a lever. These models do not strongly resemble the classic design of the P-35, lacking its sleek lines. The performance of this model is excellent though. Magazines are usually interchangeable between the full size DA, DAO and BDM models.

Both the DA / DAO models and the BDM model borrow features from the SIG-Sauer Sig P220 pistols marketed under the name Browning Double Action (BDA) in the 1970s. Beretta 84 has also been marketed by Browning under the name BDA 380.

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Fiction - Movie and Pop Culture

Al Pacino used a Mark II Hi-Power in the movie role Serpico.

Eddie Murphy was seen in Beverly Hills Cop and Beverly Hills Cop II using a Hi-Power (the movie poster had him holding a Colt M1911).

Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith (George Peppard) used a Hi-Power throughout the TV series "The A-Team".

The villain in the Charles Bronson film Death Wish 3 had a 1960s-manufacture Hi-Power, and in New Jack City (1991), Ice-T was seen with a Hi-Power when Chris Rock was portraying a crack addict.

James Bond as portrayed by Pierce Brosnan in Die Another Day uses an FM Hi-Power in the sailboat scenes (although the movie poster shows him holding a Walther P99 that was used in other scenes.)

Lionel Luthor, father of Lex Luthor on the Smallville (TV series) is fond of the DA model Hi-Power. (the producers may have selected this model due to its "sinister" streamlined appearance)

Alec Trevelian, played by Sean Bean, also uses a DA model Hi-Power in the 007 film GoldenEye.

Anita Blake, the fictional heroine of the Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton, owns a Browning Hi-Power, which is one of her favorite guns.

Claire Redfield of Capcom's survival horror video game, Resident Evil 2, uses a Browning HP during her side of the game's story, as does Ada Wong.

Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark uses a Browning HP. It can be viewed in the bar scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark, and later just before Katanga's ship is boarded. [3]

Switch in The Matrix used a nickel plated Hi-Power Practical throughout the film. Can be seen clearly during the alley scene with Neo and Trinity in the rear of the old Lincoln.