Editing Browning Hi-Power (section)

==History==

===Development===
The Browning Hi-Power was designed in response to a French military requirement for a new service pistol, the "Grand Rendement" (French for "high efficiency"), or alternatively ''Grande Puissance'' (literally "high power"). The French military required that:
* The gun must be compact
* The magazine have a capacity of at least 10 rounds
* The gun have a magazine disconnect device, an external hammer, and [[Safety (firearms)|safety]] catch
* The gun be robust and simple to disassemble and reassemble
* The gun be capable of killing a man at {{convert|50|m|yd|abbr=on}}

This last criterion was seen to demand a [[caliber]] of {{convert|9|mm|in|abbr=on}} or larger, a bullet mass of around {{convert|8|g|gr|abbr=on}}, and a muzzle velocity of {{convert|350|m/s|ft/s|abbr=on}}. It was to accomplish all of this at a weight not exceeding {{convert|1|kg|lb|abbr=on}}.

FN commissioned John Browning to design a new military sidearm conforming to this specification. Browning had previously sold the rights to his successful [[M1911 pistol|M1911 U.S. Army automatic pistol]] to Colt's Patent Firearms, and was therefore forced to design an entirely new pistol while working around the M1911 patents. Browning built two different prototypes for the project in Utah and filed the patent for this pistol in the United States on 28 June 1923, granted on 22 February 1927.<ref>Gangarosa, Gene Jr. (1999). ''FN...Browning: Armorer to the World''. Stoeger Publishing, New Jersey. pp. 63–65.</ref><ref>{{US Patent|1618510}}</ref> One was a simple [[Blowback (arms)|blowback]] design, while the other was operated with a [[Semi-automatic pistol#Actions: blowback versus locked breech|locked-breech]] recoil system. Both prototypes utilised the new staggered magazine design (by designer [[Dieudonné Saive]]) to increase capacity without unduly increasing the pistol's grip size or magazine length.

The locked breech design was selected for further development and testing. This model was [[Firing pin#striker|striker-fired]], and featured a double-stack magazine that held 16 rounds. The design was refined through several trials held by the Versailles Trial Commission.

In 1928, when the patents for the Colt Model 1911 had expired, Dieudonné Saive integrated many of the Colt's previously patented features into the Saive-Browning Model of that same year. This version featured the removable barrel bushing and take down sequence of the Colt 1911.

In 1929, as an effort to find an alternative solution to the long-ongoing French trials, and with a pistol that they considered by then to be good enough to stand on its own to find other potential clients, FN decided to announce the "Grand Rendement", incorporating a shortened 13-round magazine, for sale in their commercial catalogue. They hoped to find a military contract which would in turn help them finance a production line, essentially through the same process as their previous [[FN M1900]] pistol.

By 1931, the Browning Hi-Power design incorporated the same 13-round magazine, a curved rear grip strap, and a barrel bushing that was integral to the slide assembly. The Belgian Army showed a definite interest and bought 1,000 pistols based on this prototype for field trials.

By 1934, the Hi-Power design was complete and ready to be produced. Ultimately, France decided not to adopt the pistol, instead selecting the conceptually similar but lower-capacity [[Pistolet automatique modèle 1935A|Modèle 1935 pistol]]. However, it was good enough to stand on its own as a service pistol for the Belgian Army and other clients. These would become the Grande Puissance, known as the High Power, in Belgium for military service in 1935 as the Browning P-35.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.forgottenweapons.com/before-the-high-power-was-the-fn-grand-rendement/ | title=Before the High Power was the FN Grand Rendement | date=8 August 2022 }}</ref>

===Military service and widespread use===
Browning Hi-Power pistols were used during World War II by both [[Allies of World War II|Allied]] and [[Axis powers|Axis]] forces.{{sfnp|Thompson|2020|p=33}} After occupying Belgium in 1940, German forces took over the FN plant. German troops subsequently used the Hi-Power, having assigned it the designation ''Pistole'' 640(b) ("b" for ''belgisch'', "Belgian").<ref name="arnolddw"/> Examples produced by FN in Belgium under German occupation bear German inspection and acceptance marks, or ''[[Waffenamt]]s'', such as ''WaA613''. In German service, it was used mainly by [[Waffen-SS]] and {{lang|de|[[Fallschirmjäger (Nazi Germany)|Fallschirmjäger]]}} personnel.

High-Power pistols were also produced in Canada for Allied use, by [[John Inglis and Company]] in Toronto. The plans were sent from the FN factory to the UK when it became clear the Belgian plant would fall into German hands, enabling the Inglis factory to be tooled up for Hi-Power production for Allied use. Inglis produced two versions of the Hi-Power, one with an adjustable rear sight and detachable shoulder stock (primarily for a [[Kuomintang|Nationalist Chinese]] contract) and one with a fixed rear sight. Production began in late 1944 and they were on issue by the March 1945 [[Operation Varsity]] airborne crossing of the Rhine into Germany. The pistol was popular with the British airborne forces as well as covert operations and commando groups such as the [[Special Operations Executive]] (SOE), the U.S. [[Office of Strategic Services]] (OSS), and the British [[Special Air Service]] (SAS) Regiment. 

Inglis High-Powers made for [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] forces have the British designation 'Mk 1' or 'Mk 1*' and the manufacturer's details on the left of the slide. They were known in British and Commonwealth service as the 'Pistol No 2 Mk 1', or 'Pistol No 2 Mk 1*' where applicable. Serial numbers were 6 characters, the second being the letter 'T', e.g. 1T2345. Serial numbers on pistols for the Chinese contract instead used the letters 'CH', but otherwise followed the same format. When the Chinese contract was cancelled, all undelivered Chinese-style pistols were accepted by the Canadian military with designations of 'Pistol No 1 Mk 1' and 'Pistol No 1 Mk 1*'.<ref name="inglis">{{cite book |title=Inglis Diamond - The Canadian High Power Pistol |last=Law |first=Clive M. |year=2001 |publisher=Collector Grade Publications |isbn=978-0889352650 }}<!--|access-date=August 6, 2012--></ref>

In the postwar period, Hi-Power production continued at the FN factory and as part of FN's product range, which included the [[FN FAL]] rifle and [[FN MAG]] general-purpose machine gun. It has been adopted as the standard service pistol by over 50 armies in 93 countries. At one time most NATO nations used it, and it was standard issue to forces throughout the British Commonwealth. It was manufactured under licence, or in some cases cloned, on several continents. Former Iraqi ruler [[Saddam Hussein]] often carried a Browning Hi-Power. Former Libyan ruler [[Muammar Gaddafi]] carried a gold-plated Hi-Power with his own face design on the left side of the grip which was waved around in the air by Libyan rebels after his death.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/10/20/confirmed-gaddafi-dead-new-york-yankees-baseball-fan-captured-tyrant-115875-23503068/ |title=Confirmed Gaddafi dead: New York Yankees baseball fan 'captured' tyrant - Mirror Online |publisher=Mirror.co.uk |date=2011-10-20 |access-date=2012-11-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120121081052/http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2011/10/20/confirmed-gaddafi-dead-new-york-yankees-baseball-fan-captured-tyrant-115875-23503068/ |archive-date=2012-01-21 |url-status=live }}</ref> A Hi-Power was used by [[Mehmet Ali Agca]] during the assassination attempt of [[Pope John Paul II]] in 1981.

===Decline and resurgence===
While the Hi-Power remains an excellent and iconic design, since the early 1990s it has been eclipsed somewhat by more modern designs which are often double-action with aluminum alloy frames and are manufactured using more modern methods. However, even to this day, the Hi-Power remains in service throughout the world. As of 2017, the MK1 version remained the standard service pistol of the [[Canadian Armed Forces]], with the [[SIG Sauer P226]] being issued to specialised units along with the [[SIG Sauer P220#P225.2FP6|SIG Sauer P225]]. The weapon is the standard sidearm of the [[Belgian Land Component|Belgian Army]], [[Indian Army]], [[Indonesian Armed Forces]], [[Australian Defence Force]], [[Argentine Army]], [[Luxembourg Armed Forces]], [[Israel Police]], and [[Venezuelan Army]], among others. The [[Irish Army]] replaced its Browning Pistols (known popularly as BAPs, or Browning Automatic Pistols) with the [[Heckler & Koch USP]] in 2007. From 2013 the [[British Army]] is replacing the Browning with the [[polymer]]-framed [[Glock 17|Glock 17 Gen 4]] pistol, due to concerns about weight and the external safety of the pistol.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/01/11/browning_9mm_finally_replaced/ |title=British armed forces get first new pistol since World War II |work=[[The Register]] |date=2013-01-11 |access-date=2013-01-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117080615/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/01/11/browning_9mm_finally_replaced/ |archive-date=2013-01-17 |url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2018, FN announced they would end production of the Mark III Hi-Power, which was expensive to produce and had been assembled in Portugal to cut costs. Early in that year, Browning officially ceased production of the Belgian Hi-Power for the first time since 1935. An unlicensed clone called the "Regent BR9" was produced in Turkey by [[TİSAŞ]] in 2019 and had gained some popularity now that authentic Hi-Powers were no longer being made and surplus Hi-Powers from other countries like Hungary and Argentina had dried up. The Regent BR9 design was more of a copy of the Mark I design, but did offer some modern design features, like a Cerakote or stainless steel finish and Novak-style sights.<ref name="Tisas BR9 Vs. Browning's Hi-Power"/> The BR9 was soon discontinued, but, in 2021, another Turkish company called [[GİRSAN]] began producing their own Hi-Power clone called the MCP35, imported by [[European American Armory|EAA]]. In 2021, American firearms company [[Springfield Armory]] announced their own Hi-Power clone, the SA-35.<ref name="SA-35 Handguns"/> GİRSAN and Springfield Armory's clones began competing with each other by offering new design improvements that would help them compete in the oversaturated defensive handgun market. GİRSAN's MCP35 attempted to replicate the Mark III design as closely as possible, including the Belgian-style ambidextrous thumb safety, Mark III-style sights with a windage drift adjustable rear sight and dovetailed front sight, and Mark III-style black polymer grips. The MCP35 also retained the Belgian magazine disconnect safety. However, the MCP35 incorporated the original ring hammer design instead of the claw hammer design of the Mark III and also incorporated some design elements to appeal to the modern shooter, such as a 15-round Mec-Gar magazine and Cerakote finish.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://eaacorp.com/product/girsan-mc-p35/|title=Girsan MCP35|date=8 November 2023 }}</ref>

[[File:FN Browning High Power (right side).png|left|thumb|FN Browning High Power M46]]
The steady competition between the MCP35 and the SA-35 to make the original Hi-Power relevant to the market stirred up a great interest among both Hi-Power fans and new shooters. On 18 January 2022, after a four-year hiatus, FN announced they would resume production of the Browning Hi-Power, albeit with a number of upgraded features.<ref name="Highpower"/> FN named the 2022 redesign the "FN High Power" and incorporated a number of features to help it compete with the improved Hi-Power clones being made by GİRSAN and Springfield Armory. FN incorporated a number of changes that would make the classic Hi-Power design more modern and ergonomic. The most significant changes included opening up the top of the slide to increase the size of the ejection port to ensure reliable feeding and ejection, incorporating an ambidextrous slide lock and reversible magazine release, a completely different takedown that is faster and simpler, and redesigning the barrel and recoil spring. Other changes FN made include removing the magazine disconnect safety, adding an extended beavertail and redesigned hammer to eliminate the issue of hammer bite, several sets of redesigned grips, new sights compatible with the [[FN 509]] dovetail pattern, wider slide serrations, different colored [[Physical vapor deposition|PVD]] or stainless steel finish offerings and 17-round magazines. The new FN High Powers will be made at FN's Columbia, South Carolina factory in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2022/01/18/fn-hi-power-reborn/|title=&#91;SHOT 2022&#93; the FN Hi-Power is Reborn -|date=18 January 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.americanrifleman.org/content/new-for-2022-fn-high-power/|title = An Official Journal of the NRA &#124; New for 2022: FN High Power}}</ref><ref name="Highpower"/>

At SHOT show 2022, GİRSAN announced new color offerings for the MCP35, including two-tone and gold, as well as the MCP35 "Match", which incorporated a number of designs intended to cater to target shooters, such as an integrated 1913 [[Picatinny rail]] for accessories, ergonomic grips, a shorter hammer throw, beveled and flared magwell, a flat target trigger and raised target sights with a fiber optic front sight.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2022/01/19/shot-2022-2022-year-hi-power-girsan-mcp35-new-pistols-eaa/|title=&#91;SHOT 2022&#93; is 2022 the Year of the Hi-Power? Girsan MCP35 and Other new Pistols from EAA -|date=19 January 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thefirearmblog.com/blog/2022/01/19/shot-2022-eaa-girsan-mc-p35-year-hi-power/|title = &#91;SHOT 2022&#93; the Modern Hi-Power, the EAA/Girsan MC P35 Match -|date = 19 January 2022}}</ref> 

At SHOT Show in 2024, Tennessee-based company SDS Imports announced that they were reviving the [[John Inglis and Company|John Inglis line]] of military-spec, parkerized Inglis Browning Hi-Power clones. SDS CEO Tim Mulverhill stated: "The market demand has not been met for historically accurate Hi-Powers. We’re planning for the L9A1 to influence the Hi-Power market the way the Tisas US Army did in the 1911 market".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.guns.com/news/2024/01/08/inglis-reborn-to-market-period-correct-hi-powers|title = INGLIS REBORN, TO MARKET PERIOD CORRECT HI-POWERS|date = 8 January 2024}}</ref> The new Inglis Hi-Powers are available in black chromate, black Cerakote, satin [[nickel]] and color [[case-hardened]] finishes. The SDS Inglis line is essentially a more military accurate version of the now-discontinued Regent BR9, and it is a fully interchangeable Mark III design.

In August 2024, another Browning Hi-Power clone, the Centurion 14, was announced by [[Century Arms]]. The Centurion 14 is built in Turkey by Alpharms Savunma Sanayi, and imported by Century Arms.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://gundigest.com/handguns/centurion-14-review | title=First Look: Century Arms Centurion 14 | date=15 August 2024 }}</ref>