Hi everybody

I bought this gun in 2014 at an auction here in Switzerland. In fact I bought two HP, the other one will be described in a separate post.

It was fairly cheap ($300.-) and in fairly good condition, a few dings here and there, a gun with character. It shoots very nicely and has been reliable so far, abt. 1500 rounds went trough it since I bought it.

I was told it was manufactured in 1952











Grips

Inside









Magazine





Neat gun, classic and slick lines

Really nice. You got a great deal on that one. I have its sister in the 53xxx range. I like mine.

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Charlie

Sheesh. $300 for THAT?

I guess there’s something to be said for a limited customer base. I think you could triple that amount over here. Of course, in Europe you can also pick up excellent-condition ex-police Walther PPK’s for a few hundred

Oh, definitely a good gun at a good price.

But look for a spare extractor. I've read that those older style ones are more prone to breakage.

BTW, I always admire your English skills.

Got pics ?

True, lots of gun enthusiasts here, but even more guns, seems supply is exceeding demand. Maybe the younger generation is less interested too.

And what abt. this 1954 mil surp for 600 ?

What a beautiful HP at a GREAT price!

I assume that is a Sig 210?

What a Beautiful handgun!

Thanks. But don’t give me too much credit. I am German, so that helps. I started learning English at 15, in school (compulsory) and during holidays in Portugal (as strange as that sounds). Most tourists were Brits, with the occasional Swedes, Danes and Dutch. So I had to learn fast if I wanted to converse with the young ladies (play “summer nights” / Grease in the background here).

And I’ve been working in English every day since I’m 22 (I’m 50 now).

Yes, military issued P49 / Sig 210-2, 2nd Series. A great shooter, one of the most accurate semiauto out of the box, even with fixed sights. Unbreakable too, some here have had over 100’000 rounds through them.

You are making me cry. What a deal.

Yep, your 37129 was produced in '52...


The FN Controller...Charles Daenen, began his duties in '52. The barrel was inspected...as an individual part, 1st. quarter of '52. The only other readily identifiable Part Date Code evident in your pics is the one on the thumb safety and it was inspected...as an individual part, in the 3rd. or 4th. quarter of '51. Clearer/closer pics of the right side of the trigger guard root and left side of the trigger itself could reveal Part Date Codes there. Besides; the SN 37129 fits neatly between two of the properly dated '52s in my collection (332XX and 421XX).


Hope that's of use.....

Thanks, I had also posted this one in the BHP section of the 1911 forum in December ‘15. That’s when you told me it was a 1952.

That is a fine example of a High Power. I noticed that your Capitan has very rough tool marks on the barrel, while this one has them less pronounced but still clearly visible. I just compared that to my 1988 High Power and it has about the same tool marks as your 1952.

It always pleased me to clean my P210-4 and P210-6 and see how well the finish inside of the gun is executed and how close the tolerances are.

That is a fine example of a High Power. I noticed that your Capitan has very rough tool marks on the barrel, while this one has them less pronounced but still clearly visible. I just compared that to my 1988 High Power and it has about the same tool marks as your 1952.

It always pleased me to clean my P210-4 and P210-6 and see how well the finish inside of the gun is executed and how close the tolerances are.

Attached Images

FN HP Belgium.jpg (86.3 KB, 16 views)

Ahhhhh, YW. Sorry I didn't recall our 2015 exchange on 1911/BHP , sometimes I'm lucky if remember what I had for dinner last night .

I have a couple of magazines with that same follower. I believe it might be aluminum. Mine were advertised to be British, but I have no idea.

If memory serves me correctly brand new High powers cost under $100 in the early 50s. Still a great deal and I agree it would probably bring 3 times that amount in the States!
Jim

They sold back in those days for a lot less than $100. My father bought a new one in 1959-60 for about $75 as I remember. I wish he had kept it but he didn't.

Sorry for piggybacking on this one.

I bought an Hi Power last year. It's an E series. I figure early fifties but am unable to pinpoint the year. Hoping that sub-moa vast knowledge can help me.



Edit. Under the A it's a 0 with a bar to it's right.




Edit. The safety lever has a lazy 1 with one bar to the left of it (forgot to take the picture)

Attached Images

	DSC00016.jpg (64.5 KB, 151 views)
	DSC00017.jpg (72.9 KB, 148 views)
	DSC00011.jpg (51.4 KB, 149 views)
	DSC00010.jpg (70.1 KB, 148 views)
	DSC00013.jpg (105.9 KB, 148 views)

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Expect the unexpected

Second set of pictures.


Edit. that is a 5 on the triggerguard. The trigger has a 1



Edit2. The number on the triggerguard is a 0 next to the L shape mark

I'm a lousy photographer. Sorry.

Attached Images

	DSC00018.jpg (61.9 KB, 146 views)
	DSC00014.jpg (69.9 KB, 145 views)
	DSC00019.jpg (58.8 KB, 146 views)

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Expect the unexpected

Max: Classic12's magazine...assuming a period correct "button" baseplate, would be original to his '52 BHP...including the aluminum follower which was standard from inception through '62.


If your aluminum follower mags were FN and they really did see British service, they would have been supplied by FN between the early '50s and '62 as the Brits slowly and gradually transitioned away from the WWII Canadian Inglis HP to FN BHPs. These interim BHPs eventually led to the FN Contract built L9A1, who's mags were fitted with the period/current plastic follower. Incidentally, the WWII Inglis HP mags were fitted with an aluminum follower as well.


Hope that helps

You are not alone Kurusu, I'd starve it I did photography for a living .


In this case though...through enlarging/manipulation, they just might be good enough . The "E" series was only produced a few years, were all in the same configuration and are normally profusely marked.


First; comparing your E05533 with my '51 E0600X...less than 500 apart, I suspect yours to be '50 or '51...leaning towards '51.


As far as the PDCs...as alluded to above, I'd prefer clearer pics than either of us take , but I'll give it a shot and imagine the barrel to be 4th. quarter '50...assuming the PDC is up side down as that's the only way I can imagine a "dot" (within the partial square) to the lower right of the "0".


You say the frame PDC is a "0"...I'll take your word for it though I don't see the expected "dot". It looks more like a partial "1" to my eye which would make it 2nd. quarter '51.


Finally, the slide; there are at least 2 partial marks...a common issue because of wear and ill struck PDCs (especially on the FPT), that could be PDCs...one might very well a "1". Note that the "1" in the '51 PDC has a large "flag" off the top left...as often found on some European "1"s. If it is a "1" PDC it would be either first or second quarter of '51 because there is a line below it...the other sides of the square are not apparent.


OR, we need clearer pics and/or I need better glasses or to dial back my imagination . Either way, best I can manage.....

I'll settle for 51.

I did try better images. But to no avail.

The left side of the triggerguard looks like this |°0, being that the vertical right line of the 0 is so lightly struck that it's almost invisible and it does not show at all on the photo.

As for the slide. What I see is:

Z (somewhat canted), 3 (or at least looks like a 3 with a flat top), lazy 1(with the lower dash), |- , |-, and finally a canted underlined 1 with a parcial lower dash that only extends to the left.

Best I can do.

And thank you very much for the information in spite of the lousy "evidence".

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Expect the unexpected

While I'm loath to just wing it K, and though I still can't make out the trigger guard root PDC in the pic, your explanation and particularly your rendition of it (turn it up side down and you've got 4th. quarter of '50) shoots down '51 for the trigger guard root PDC, I'm still leaning to '51 because of the slide. The "canted underlined 1 with a partial lower dash that only extends to the left" you describe on the slide still appears to me to be a '51 PDC as well. That taken with the...two now, 4th. quarter '50 PDCs and proximity to my '51 E0600X and you are pretty safe at '51 .


Oh, you are most welcome …..

I bought a few mags, a weird seller had lots of different mags, supposedly accumulated them in case he buys the guns that go with it. But he does not have a Thompson, or an M14, or Steyr AUG ...



Got three FN HP mags with the aluminum follower





However they are parkerised unlike the blued one I have that originally came with the gun. But the base plate is blued. Guess they are military issue.





One of them has a marking, can’t figure out if it’s a 2 or a reversed 5





This is the blued one that came with the gun

For $300, I'll take two!

Very nice!