FM Hi-Power

CajunBass

CajunBass

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I have long admired the Browning designed 9mm Hi-Power pistol, but never really wanted to lay out the money for one. But, I'm always watching the case at "Ali-Babba's House-O'-Guns" for interesting stuff and saw this one, a FM Hi-Power, in the case for less than half the usual going price of a Browning.

Not as pretty as a Browning I'll admit but feels great in my hand. One of the most comfortable grips I've handled. I didn't even notice the finger groves until later. I didn't even realize it was FM, and not FN until later. Turns out they're made under license to FN by FM in Argentina. Interesting. I've heard of Argentine Hi-Powers, but this is the first one I've ever seen.





Very well made gun it appears. Finish is some sort of flat military type finish that looks great. Not as pretty as Browning blue, but nice nonetheless.

Came with two magazines, a regular capacity one, 13-14 rounds I guess it is, and the one I've used, a ten rounder. The ten round one has a spring that kicks the magazine out while the regular capacity one doesn't drop free (magazine safety). For all I've read about how the magazine safety makes for a bad trigger, I can't complain about this one.

I've only had it to the range once but it fired a box of Blazer brass FMJ ammo without missing a beat.

My wife can keep her Glock. :p
 
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The Hi-Power was the first self loading pistol that interested me. It took me nearly 6 decades to buy one but it was the one I am most fond of. Mine is also not a Browning, but it sure thinks it is! I shoot it occasionally and grow fonder each time it goes to the range.

Enjoy yours.

Kevin
 
I've always loved the Browning and back in 1975 I had one on lay away at my favorite gun shop of the day. The cost back then if I remember correctly was around $400-$450. I don't remember exactly? Anyway I had purchased a new car and decided I could no longer buy the Browning so the money I had invested went to purchase my first Smith Md#37 ;)
Fast forward to the 90's I was in a LGS and they had several FM's in the case, I purchased one and have enjoyed it ever since, not as nice but it fits the bill!
Someday when the time and price is right I'll go back and buy that 75 vintage Browning! ;)
Hope yours serves you well! Enjoyyyy! :)
 
Hi power

Truly one of the classics, back when I got started in my chosen profession, the Hi power, the 1911 and the S&W 39 were about the only viable semi auto pistols that were in use for police work. I have owned,carried and shot Hi powers since the 80's. A close friend of mine had one when he was on HRT and I got to handle and shoot it several times, he had thousands of rounds through his and it just kept on ticking.
Yours will serve you well, now "gas it up" and get some trigger time with it.
 
I plan to get trigger time with it. I traded for several hundred rounds of 9mm brass a couple of weeks ago. Then last week at the range the range safety officer asked if I was saving my brass. I told him I was and the next thing I see is he's sweeping up all the 9mm up and down the line and dumping it into my range bag. I ended up with a few hundred more.

Dies are on the way.
 
I always liked the BHP. It was the weapon of choice for a govt agency that I worked for. 45ACP instantly identified you as American.

I bought one a few years back, made in 1977 in Belgium. Was going to send it in to Cylinder & Slide for a complete remake, but decided against it. I have become more of a revolver guy since then. Picking up brass is becoming more difficult. I also never liked the trigger for a target gun, but it was very good for a field or self-defense gun.

Don't shoot it a lot any more, but I just can't seem to part with it. That is what BHP's do to you, isn't it?
 
I own and use a late 80s vintage Browning HP and I would not part with it. This gun is especially pleasant to shoot with 147 grain sub-sonics.

The only demerits to this gun is the magazine disconnect, which, depending on the gun, can have a negative impact on trigger squeeze, and the fact that most of them inflict hammer bite--a minor design oversight that could have been avoided had the tang been about 1/8" longer.
 
Nice gun

I have owned eight BHPs, still have #2 and gave #8 which was in .40 S&W to my son. The BHP and S&W 39-2 fit my hand better than any other handguns I have handled. The CZ 75 comes in third.
 
To the OP, if you do not yet have a holster for that FM pistol, and are right handed, I would like to offer you one. Let me find a photo of it.
 
I've wanted to get a Hi-Power for years, but the price of admission was too high for something I wasn't sure to like. MY LGS sold me an Israeli Kareen for $250 a few months ago. That pistol feels amazing and is a joy to shoot.
 
Fabricaciones Militares (FM) in Argentina started building Hi Powers under license in 1969 and continued doing so until 1989. They were made to the same design as the then current pre-MK II Hi Power (with a military lanyard ring), were made on FN tooling, had FN inspectors involved in the process, and had 100% parts commonality with the FN Hi Power.

In the late '70s they were updated to reflect the 1973 FN Mk II Hi Power changes included a redesigned barrel bushing, a spur hammer, and the deletion of the lanyard ring.

In 1990 FM started making a civilian commercial version for export called the M90. Most of the FMs imported into the US have been M90s. This version is not FN licensed and does not involve FN inspectors. The most distinctive feature on the M90 is the lack of a step in the slide it runs parallel all the way to the muzzle like a 1911 slide. You'll also note the number of cocking serrations was reduced with the serrations being made wider, the top of the slide was milled to provide a non-glare aiming plane, and three dot sights were fitted. Less obvious is that parts interchangeability between the M90 and the FN Hi Power is not 100% as it was with the licensed FM Hi Powers.

The current FM "Hi Power" is the M95 and it incorporates improved sights, an ambidextrous safety, as well as the internal firing pin safety like the Mk III Hi Power.

----

They are great guns and if they have a weakness it's in the magazine. The solution is to lift it over your head, bring your arms ll the way back and then fling it as far as you can into the weeds, swamp, river, ocean, or desert depending on your local environment. Then get an original FN Hi Power magazine or a Mec-Gar Hi Power magazine for it.
 
I bought a FM manufactured Hi Power in the early 1990's mainly due to the low price. The workmanship was good and the pistol was totally reliable with jacketed ammo and cast bullet reloads. Trigger pull wasn't the best which I attributed partly to the magazine safety.

The strange thing was the single magazine that came with the pistol was blocked to 10 rounds and the base plate was welded to the magazine body - and this was before the Clinton-era 'assault weapons ban'. There were plenty of 13 round mags around so I bought two and the 10-round mag stayed in the box.
 
Everyone should own some version of the Browning HP.. price varies

Browning
FN
FM
Canadian(WWII)
Israeli
FEG
Charles Daly

That said i love my two Browning Mark IIIs in matt and bright blue......... Hogue, Spegel and others make some great replacement grips at reasonable prices.......

Because the front sight on the MkIII is dovetailed I installed the white ramp front sight from the "Practical"....... cheap and great upgrade.
 
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Very nice!
Your FM should serve you well. Well made pistol all around. And as posted, parts are not an issue with the full size FM. Buy Mec-Gar magazines. They work and are inexpensive. The 'mousetrap' magazines are nice, but pricey to replace.

I am in the process of purchasing your gun's little brother, an FM M95 Detective. The FM M95 Detective has a shorted slide and barrel, but drifts further in shared parts. Recoil springs issues come to mind first. But I like the BHP, and the FM M95 is as close as I will find to a Commander sized BHP...
 
Here you go OP, a Bianchi.
Photo503.jpg


This is a duty holster so the belt slot is 2 1/4" IIRC. You could have the slot stitched to a smaller size if you like.

I am not home at the moment, so I can't get it in the mail until Tuesday next week.
 
Still One of the Best

I have one of those "one of everything" kind of gun collections that I and my associates enjoy. I am still amazed that after decades of "advancement" the Hi Power still finds favor. The Hi Power and Walther P-38 are the two most comfortable guns in my collection. My Hi Power is a Browning, but one of the lower quality guns made in Portugal from Belgium parts. I added a Cylinder and Slide wide trigger and removed the magazine disconnect while I was inside. The result is one of the sweetest shooting high capacity 9 mm's ever with no detailed trigger work. All of the current crop of hi cap polymer guns share the same barrel lockup as the Hi Power, but house it in a fatter slide and frame. The only "revolutionary" feature of any Glock/M&P/XD/etc. is the polymer frame and a long creepy semi-single action trigger made from stamped parts. Polymer is cheaper to cast than steel is to machine, and lighter, but nobody gives up anything when armed with the venerable Hi Power. A cut-down customized version by Novak was a semi-standard duty gun with the Secret Service for years, and the world's armies carry millions of them.
 
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