Sorry, I am aware that this is The S&W Forum but also know there very few folks interested in firearms who only know one particular brand, I have very limited to no knowledge of the Browning HP's but in spite of that fact I found one recently. I am wondering how to determine the approximate age and if it was a military or police weapon? Serial Number 1599XX does have identical proof marks on left side of the frame & slide and the S/N matches on the three visible places, barrel, slide & frame on the right side. Proof appears, I believe, as "WaA 63" under what may be wings. Double stamped on the frame but the slide is single stamped. Any & all help will be very much appreciated!

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Sam
S&WHF 333 S&WCA 2198

I am sure someone will come along to help you soon. In the mean time, there are some extremely knowledgeable folks at the Browning Hi Power Owners site...hipowertalk.com. I am a member there as well as here and sincerely hope I have not just committed a forbidden act by giving you this information. As here, you will be asked for photos for a positive ID of the weapon.

The Waa63, if the mark is legitimate, indicates that the BHP was made during WW2 for the German military. Condition is critical to higher value but the WW2 models are eagerly sought after by collectors. I'm sure that more comments will be coming.

Charlie

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SWCA # 2294

Thank you for the reference, I shall look to learn from those High Power folks. Sorry, I'll not be able to offer any photos for I am not able to take or post photos. Hope this is not a requirement.

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Sam
S&WHF 333 S&WCA 2198

I found following in my Military Firearms Catalog:

Hope this helps.

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Jorge

Pictures are only a requirement to determine value.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk 2

AFAIK,,,

With a ser# almost at 160,000,,,the Waffenampt should be 'WaA 140'.
Those are pistols made in the 1941 thru to the end of the War.
You can have fixed sighted and tangent sighted pistols in this bunch. Supposedly these late production should be 'unslotted'. Though a few have been seen with this feature. Wether factory original or done after the fact,,I don't know. I'm no one to argue.

The fixed sighted pistols start around ser# 150,000., WaA140

A WaffenAmpt mark of WaA 613 is the earliest German acceptance marked HighPower marking (1940).
It shouldn't be on a pistol with that high of a ser#. (I realize you typed WaA 63).
Pistols in this bunch were in the serial number range of the low 40,000's to low 50,000's. Nicely finished, and with the slotted frame,,they have the look of commercial, peace time production as they were the pistols in production at the time the plant was taken over.

Some later actual production with same WaA613 WaffenAmpt do not have the slotted frame . These were made of pre-war parts and are nicely finished as well. Those numbers into the 60,000's.

(There's a short lived WaA 103 marking used after '613', but not at issue here. It's actually the rarest of the Occupation marked H/Powers.)


The WaA140 production was crude finished for the most part. Some better than others.
Some of the early '140' production still has the magazine safety, but it was elliminated during this run ( I think in '42). Bakelite grips show up as subs in the production too as wood supplys ran low.
A letter suffix type of ser# arrangement was put to use starting at #200,000.

I just looked at the Proof marks again with better lighting & more magnification and what I see is WaA 63 there is no 1 included and the small "a" is not definite. I have taken some photos with my cell phone hoping to capture a clear photo of the Proof Marks & the S/N. I am not sure I can even send these to another cell number but will try if someone wants to PM a cell number, suppose that number has to have text capability.

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Sam
S&WHF 333 S&WCA 2198

WaA63 was the waffenmark of Waffenwerke Brünn during the time of German occupation of FN. Not a waffenmark you would find on a Hi Power. There are fake waffenmark punches for sale on ebay from time to time.

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LIVE FROM THE DAWGHOUSE

Those "wings" are the NazI Eagle.

You may have seen a photo of a tough looking Waffen SS soldier with a belt of MG ammo on him, a dagger clipped to his lapel, and a Browning 9mm in hand. It was taken during the Battle of the Bulge.

Brownings seem to have been issued largely to SS and paratroop units. The holsters i've seen resemble those late types for the P-38, but the muzzle area is naturally wider and the spare mag. pouch is for the thicker Browning magazine.