A recent thread on FEG Hi Powers and other affordable Hi Power options got me to thinking about FN Hi Powers - as opposed to Browning Hi Powers.
In the US, most shooters seem to think that "Browning" actually made the Hi Power. That's not the case, Browning is just the importer, and the pistols were (and still are) made by FN. That arrangement goes back to the turn of the 20th century when John M Browning suggested to Winchester that rather than selling a design outright, he instead be paid on a royalty basis. Winchester declined and JMB entered into an agreement with FN. Browning Arms company wasn't founded until a year after JMB's death, and nearly all the arms marketed by Browning were manufactured by other companies, such as FN, and Miroku. Currently, Browning is a subsidiary of FN Herstal.
In the past, Browning has been the exclusive importer of many of the arms produced, however when Browning declined to import a particular model, FN would import it to the US with the FN banner roll marked on the firearm. The irony here is that despite FN being the manufacturer, and Browning being just the importer/marketer for the firearms, Browning did that job very well as "Browning" firearms are regarded as the "real" firearms, whole the FN marked examples are not.
The advantage for the buyer is that FN marked Hi Powers can be had for a lot less than a Browning marked Hi Power, even when they are in identical configurations.
However, there are other configurations that sell for even less:
FN SFS Hi Power
A case in point is this particular FN SFS Hi Power that uses the "Safety Fast Shooting" system, imported by FN in the late 1990s. The SFS system is a modernized, simplified and much more durable version of FN's "Fast Action" system. In both cases, the pistol uses a two piece hammer that is cocked in the normal manner, but then pressed forward against a hammer block to put the pistol on safe. When the hammer is pressed forward, the safety lever pops up into the safe position. Though the top of the hammer is now down, it is still cocked and locked and in Condition 1. When the safety lever is depressed, the hammer snaps back into the raised position and the pistol is now in Condition 0. It's a great system for concealed carry, and it's also a good option for open carry, where the public otherwise gets nervous at the sight of a cocked hammer.
FN developed the SFS and submitted it along side it's Browning Hi Power BDA pistol for the 1984 XM-9 trials, but the SFS design was rejected as it was not a double action design. FN put it into civilian production in the early 1990s but civilian sales were not much more successful, as despite the systems merits, it just never caught on. Part of this was the change in the design to the SFS system, as Hi Power fans tend to like them as they've always been, but much of it was the "FN" rather than "Browning" label.
Around 2002-2003 the pistols started showing up at wholesalers in large quantities and they sold new in the box for around $350-$375 - about half the price of a Browning Hi Power at the time.
Even if you didn't like the SFS system, at the price you could buy them for, you could afford to buy and install standard BHP hammer, sear, safety, and slide release lever and be way ahead money wise. That was actually my plan, but I found I really liked the SFS system, particularly for concealed carry. In fact, I converted another Hi Power to SFS configuration using the SFS kit from Cylinder and Slide - which still has the original FN made SFS parts.
They still sell for a lot less than a standard configuration BHP - when you can find them, as they are not very common, as not all that many were imported, and I have no doubt some of those were converted to the regular Hi Power configuration.
FN HP-DA
FN's Hi Power BDA wasn't successful in the XM9 trials, which is too bad as in my opinion it was much better pistol than the Beretta for general issue (smaller, better trigger reach, easier to shoot well, etc).
FN had however also introduced the pistol as the HP-DA in 1983 to the civilian market just prior to the XM-9 pistol trials and produced them until 1987. They didn't sell well in part due to less than stellar trigger pull.
In 1990, FN re-introduced them with a redesigned DA trigger in both the standard DA de-cocker equipped version and in a bobbed hammer DA Only version. FN called them the Browning BDA9 and BDAO in the US, and the FN HP-DA and HP-DAO in Europe.
FN offered them in medium and compact versions as well for commercial sales, and the compact versions are rarely encountered. Unfortunately, in the US, they arrived just in time for the high capacity magazine bans of the early 1990s, and the lack of significant numbers of "pre-ban" high capacity magazines put them at a serious disadvantage to older designs and/or designs using common magazines. These pistols also didn't see much military success, with Finland being the only country to adopt the FN HP-DA as its service pistol.
The DA trigger on my post 1990 FN-HP is excellent, and very light by DA standards. It's almost a two stage trigger with a very light initial pull with a very abrupt stacking in the last 1/5 or so of the pull. However, the entire pull is very smooth over all, allowing a very quick and smooth pull when shooting at speed, or a very easy to stage DA rigger pull when accuracy matters on the first shot. Follow up shots are SA, with a clean pull and a nice, short re-set. The HP-DA never had a magazine safety, so the gritty feel from that is not present.
The trigger reach is also quite short by DA standards, particularly when de-cocked. If your hand fits the Hi Power well, and/or you have issues reaching DA triggers on most medium or large frame pistols, this is a DA pistol that will work well for you.
Unlike the SFS Hi Power, where the only difference between it and the standard Mk III Hi Power is the hammer, sear, safety, and slide release lever, parts commonality between the FN HP-DA and the Hi Power is almost non existent. The HP-DA was also restyled externally with a Sig Sauer looking trigger guard and a more angular treatment to the front of the slide. Mechanically, it's a Hi Power in name only, but it still very much has the feel and handling of a Hi Power.
The major downside with the FN HP-DA is the unique magazine that can be hard to find, and the limited 10 round capacity, given that the earlier 14 round magazines are very hard to find. First runner up is the 1980s style grip with the thumb rests on each side. It wouldn't be bad, except the thumb rest on the left grip panel tends to block access to the magazine release, requiring a shift in grip to drop the magazine. So far, replacement grips have proven impossible to find, and it's the only thing preventing the HP-DA from being my favorite pistol. A minor issue is that the enlarged trigger guard prevents using a Hi Power holster. However, it fits the holster for a Glock 17 just fine.
Still, despite the magazine and grip inconveniences, it's a fun pistol to shoot and is a very interesting attempt at evolution/modernization of the Hi Power to move it forward into the DA age. They are also comparative bargains, selling for around $500-$600 in excellent condition when they show up.
Both pistols share the same hammer profile, which eliminated the prior issues that the Hi Power had with hammer bite.
The FN HP-DA and FN SFS Hi Power share the same finish - a very durable epoxy paint on top of a parkerized finish. The polish and finish won't win beauty contests on either pistol, but it is very durable and does an excellent job of preventing corrosion. My SFS was a daily carry pistol for nearly 10 years and shows very little wear.
In the pictures below the SFS is cocked and locked, and the HP-DA is de-cocked.
In the US, most shooters seem to think that "Browning" actually made the Hi Power. That's not the case, Browning is just the importer, and the pistols were (and still are) made by FN. That arrangement goes back to the turn of the 20th century when John M Browning suggested to Winchester that rather than selling a design outright, he instead be paid on a royalty basis. Winchester declined and JMB entered into an agreement with FN. Browning Arms company wasn't founded until a year after JMB's death, and nearly all the arms marketed by Browning were manufactured by other companies, such as FN, and Miroku. Currently, Browning is a subsidiary of FN Herstal.
In the past, Browning has been the exclusive importer of many of the arms produced, however when Browning declined to import a particular model, FN would import it to the US with the FN banner roll marked on the firearm. The irony here is that despite FN being the manufacturer, and Browning being just the importer/marketer for the firearms, Browning did that job very well as "Browning" firearms are regarded as the "real" firearms, whole the FN marked examples are not.
The advantage for the buyer is that FN marked Hi Powers can be had for a lot less than a Browning marked Hi Power, even when they are in identical configurations.
However, there are other configurations that sell for even less:
FN SFS Hi Power
A case in point is this particular FN SFS Hi Power that uses the "Safety Fast Shooting" system, imported by FN in the late 1990s. The SFS system is a modernized, simplified and much more durable version of FN's "Fast Action" system. In both cases, the pistol uses a two piece hammer that is cocked in the normal manner, but then pressed forward against a hammer block to put the pistol on safe. When the hammer is pressed forward, the safety lever pops up into the safe position. Though the top of the hammer is now down, it is still cocked and locked and in Condition 1. When the safety lever is depressed, the hammer snaps back into the raised position and the pistol is now in Condition 0. It's a great system for concealed carry, and it's also a good option for open carry, where the public otherwise gets nervous at the sight of a cocked hammer.
FN developed the SFS and submitted it along side it's Browning Hi Power BDA pistol for the 1984 XM-9 trials, but the SFS design was rejected as it was not a double action design. FN put it into civilian production in the early 1990s but civilian sales were not much more successful, as despite the systems merits, it just never caught on. Part of this was the change in the design to the SFS system, as Hi Power fans tend to like them as they've always been, but much of it was the "FN" rather than "Browning" label.
Around 2002-2003 the pistols started showing up at wholesalers in large quantities and they sold new in the box for around $350-$375 - about half the price of a Browning Hi Power at the time.
Even if you didn't like the SFS system, at the price you could buy them for, you could afford to buy and install standard BHP hammer, sear, safety, and slide release lever and be way ahead money wise. That was actually my plan, but I found I really liked the SFS system, particularly for concealed carry. In fact, I converted another Hi Power to SFS configuration using the SFS kit from Cylinder and Slide - which still has the original FN made SFS parts.
They still sell for a lot less than a standard configuration BHP - when you can find them, as they are not very common, as not all that many were imported, and I have no doubt some of those were converted to the regular Hi Power configuration.
FN HP-DA
FN's Hi Power BDA wasn't successful in the XM9 trials, which is too bad as in my opinion it was much better pistol than the Beretta for general issue (smaller, better trigger reach, easier to shoot well, etc).
FN had however also introduced the pistol as the HP-DA in 1983 to the civilian market just prior to the XM-9 pistol trials and produced them until 1987. They didn't sell well in part due to less than stellar trigger pull.
In 1990, FN re-introduced them with a redesigned DA trigger in both the standard DA de-cocker equipped version and in a bobbed hammer DA Only version. FN called them the Browning BDA9 and BDAO in the US, and the FN HP-DA and HP-DAO in Europe.
FN offered them in medium and compact versions as well for commercial sales, and the compact versions are rarely encountered. Unfortunately, in the US, they arrived just in time for the high capacity magazine bans of the early 1990s, and the lack of significant numbers of "pre-ban" high capacity magazines put them at a serious disadvantage to older designs and/or designs using common magazines. These pistols also didn't see much military success, with Finland being the only country to adopt the FN HP-DA as its service pistol.
The DA trigger on my post 1990 FN-HP is excellent, and very light by DA standards. It's almost a two stage trigger with a very light initial pull with a very abrupt stacking in the last 1/5 or so of the pull. However, the entire pull is very smooth over all, allowing a very quick and smooth pull when shooting at speed, or a very easy to stage DA rigger pull when accuracy matters on the first shot. Follow up shots are SA, with a clean pull and a nice, short re-set. The HP-DA never had a magazine safety, so the gritty feel from that is not present.
The trigger reach is also quite short by DA standards, particularly when de-cocked. If your hand fits the Hi Power well, and/or you have issues reaching DA triggers on most medium or large frame pistols, this is a DA pistol that will work well for you.
Unlike the SFS Hi Power, where the only difference between it and the standard Mk III Hi Power is the hammer, sear, safety, and slide release lever, parts commonality between the FN HP-DA and the Hi Power is almost non existent. The HP-DA was also restyled externally with a Sig Sauer looking trigger guard and a more angular treatment to the front of the slide. Mechanically, it's a Hi Power in name only, but it still very much has the feel and handling of a Hi Power.
The major downside with the FN HP-DA is the unique magazine that can be hard to find, and the limited 10 round capacity, given that the earlier 14 round magazines are very hard to find. First runner up is the 1980s style grip with the thumb rests on each side. It wouldn't be bad, except the thumb rest on the left grip panel tends to block access to the magazine release, requiring a shift in grip to drop the magazine. So far, replacement grips have proven impossible to find, and it's the only thing preventing the HP-DA from being my favorite pistol. A minor issue is that the enlarged trigger guard prevents using a Hi Power holster. However, it fits the holster for a Glock 17 just fine.
Still, despite the magazine and grip inconveniences, it's a fun pistol to shoot and is a very interesting attempt at evolution/modernization of the Hi Power to move it forward into the DA age. They are also comparative bargains, selling for around $500-$600 in excellent condition when they show up.
Both pistols share the same hammer profile, which eliminated the prior issues that the Hi Power had with hammer bite.
The FN HP-DA and FN SFS Hi Power share the same finish - a very durable epoxy paint on top of a parkerized finish. The polish and finish won't win beauty contests on either pistol, but it is very durable and does an excellent job of preventing corrosion. My SFS was a daily carry pistol for nearly 10 years and shows very little wear.
In the pictures below the SFS is cocked and locked, and the HP-DA is de-cocked.
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