[Iowegan]

Not being much of a 9mm fan, I never got too excited about Browning Hi-Powers, even though they are an excellent classic design. In December, one of my best friends was dieing from cancer and called to ask if I was interested in his Hi-Power. Of course I said yes because I know it is a classic but mostly because it will be a constant memory of a good friend. A few weeks ago, my friend passed away so I finally picked up the Browning.

To my surprise, it is a beautiful 1959 vintage Hi-Power made in Belgium. It has the internal extractor and ring hammer, which add considerably to the value. It also has the Browning "Rug", an extra factory magazine, and an extra set of Pachmayer grips. Naturally, I had to take it out and fire it. It functioned flawless and was way more accurate than I expected.

 

[Jim H]

...A few weeks ago, my friend passed away...

Please accept my condolences on your loss.

...it will be a constant memory of a good friend. ...It has the internal extractor and ring hammer, which add considerably to the value.

It is already a priceless gift of memory of a good friend, so these other features add only to its resale price, not its 'value' to you.

Peace.

 

[Iowegan]

Jim H, You're right. It's not for sale and never will be. When I cash in my chips, someone is going to inherit this gun plus a few others that are near and dear. I guess I made it sound like "value" was my only concern .... not so, however, what a pleasant surprise to inherit a truly fine example of quality craftsmanship that was made when I was in high school and just so happens to be highly collectible.

 

[Jim H]

I guess I made it sound like "value" was my only concern .... not so,

I did not take it that way for an instant, and from what I've gathered from reading many of your posts here there is no doubt in my mind how you value this gun.

I just took an opportunity to state the obvious, that we all have items that cost us a lot of money, and some items that we value more than money could buy.

 

[deputy125]

sorry you lost your friend.

the hi-power has always been one of my favorites but i have always owned the newer versions in the mkii or the mkiii.

concerning the one you have, what is the design/significance of that half-moon "dish" in the slide forward of the ejection port in the pic?

 

[Iowegan]

deputy125, That divot is called a "Thumb Print". When you lock the slide back to field strip, the "thumb print" aligns with the slide stop pin to make is easier to push out. According to my Matt Eastman's book (he is THE authority on Browning firearms), the thumb print was discontinued in 1959, the same year my Hi-Power was born. If you look at Fjestad's Blue Book of Gun Values, he says the HP was manufactured with the thumb print from the beginning through 1958 .... I'll believe Eastman but will accept Fjestad's values. Fjestad says to add 50% for the ring hammer and internal extractor and another 60% for the thumb print. Not that dollar value is important on this particular gun .... but it is nice to see it has the scarce features.

 

[deputy125]

appreciate it.

 

[jaredshs]

Sorry about your friend, but it is truely wonderful that he wanted to share his treasure
with you. It shows how much he thought of you and your friendship.

 

[Taurus_9mm]

My heartfelt condolences Iowegan for your loss. God rest you friend's soul. The Browning is beautiful and a great symbol of the friendship you and he will always share.

 

[bowhunter]

My uncle had a Nazi Hi-Power bring back from WW II. Had it loaded in his closet from 1945 to 1969 with the original magazine. When I got back from Thailand he asked me to go through it and clean it. I did, then went out and fired the "original" 24 year loaded magazine without a single hitch. All 13 cartridges went off without a single missfire. I was pleasantly surprised to say the least!.......................Dick PS: Unfortunately for me, my cousin "swindled" it from my uncle while I was in Germany and still has it.

 

[gunlover24]

Iowegan, enjoy your firearm like your friend would have wanted keep her clean and shooting straight. Im sure he knew it was going to a good home.

 

[Bud White]

Beautiful Hi power Boy guns where sure different back then

 

[Iowegan]

Bud White, When you stop and think about it ... the BHP is actually quite modern. In addition to the high capacity magazine (13+1), the High-Power has a magazine disconnect and the same type of delayed blow back action as Ruger P-guns. It was John Browning's last design ... went into production in 1935. Who would have thought there would be such a following more than 70 years later. Many companies have copied the basic Browning design .... even Ruger. Of course today, a 9mm pistol needs a polymer or alloy frame instead of solid steel with real wood grips.

 

[kc outdoorsman]

Hey sorry about your friend, but it was nice of him to give you something as charished as a nice firearm. That one is a beauty too!

 

[Daan Wessels]

Magazine spring tension

fired the "original" 24 year loaded magazine without a single hitch. All 13 cartridges went off without a single missfire.

Iowegan can bear me out. Mag springs do not lose their tension when under pressure for a long time.
I was involved in developing and testing military firearms for the South African Defence force in the 1980's, and one of the things that was tested very thoroughly was the resilience of magazine springs. The finding was that it lost a small fraction of its tension in the first couple of times it is compressed and released, and thereafter stayed stable. What does cause it to lose resilience is extreme heat and stretching the spring.
So I'm not surprised at that after 24 years the magazine functioned flawlessly. So much so for those who believe that you should not store a magazine loaded for any length of time.
PLEASE, do not stretch the spring to "return it" to its original tension. It will only weaken it.