Editing Browning Hi-Power (section)

==Design==
[[File:FN Browning HP Marinir.jpg|right|thumb|A FN Browning High Power, of the [[Indonesian Marine Corps]]]]

The Browning Hi-Power has undergone continuous refinement by FN since its introduction. The pistols were originally made in two models: an "Ordinary Model" with fixed sights and an "Adjustable Rear Sight Model" with a tangent-type rear sight and a slotted grip for attaching a wooden shoulder stock. The adjustable sights are still available on commercial versions of the Hi-Power, although the shoulder stock mounts were discontinued during World War II. In 1962, the design was modified to replace the internal [[Extractor (firearms)|extractor]] with an external extractor, improving reliability.

Standard Hi-Powers are based on a [[Trigger (firearms)#Single-action|single-action]] design. Unlike modern [[double-action]] semi-automatic pistols, the Hi-Power's trigger is not connected to the hammer. If a double-action pistol is carried with the hammer down with a round in the chamber and a loaded magazine installed, the shooter may fire the pistol either by simply squeezing the trigger or by pulling the hammer back to the cocked position and then squeezing the trigger. In contrast, a single-action pistol can only be fired with the hammer in the cocked position; this is generally done when a loaded magazine is inserted and the slide cycled by hand. In common with the [[M1911 pistol|M1911]], the Hi-Power is therefore typically carried with the hammer cocked, a round in the chamber, and the safety catch on (a carry mode often called ''cocked and locked'' in the United States or ''made ready'' in the United Kingdom, or sometimes called ''[[Jeff Cooper#The Modern Technique of the Pistol|condition one]]'').

The Hi-Power, like many other Browning designs, operates on the [[recoil operation|short-recoil]] principle, where the barrel and slide initially recoil together until the barrel is unlocked from the slide by a cam arrangement. Unlike Browning's earlier Colt M1911 pistol, the barrel is not moved vertically by a toggling link, but instead by a hardened bar which crosses the frame under the barrel and contacts a slot under the chamber at the rearmost part of the barrel. The barrel and slide recoil together for a short distance, but as the slot engages the bar, the chamber and the rear of the barrel are drawn downward and stopped. The downward movement of the barrel disengages it from the slide, which continues rearward, extracting the spent case from the chamber and ejecting it while also re-cocking the hammer. After the slide reaches the limit of its travel, the recoil spring brings it forward again, stripping a new round from the magazine and pushing it into the chamber. This also pushes the chamber and barrel forward. The cam slot and bar move the chamber upward and the locking lugs on the barrel re-engage those in the slide.

===Design flaws===
The pistol has a tendency to "[[Hammer bite|bite]]" the web of the shooter's hand, between the thumb and forefinger. This bite is caused by pressure from the hammer spur, or alternatively by pinching between the hammer shank and grip tang. This problem can be fixed by altering or replacing the hammer, or by learning to hold the pistol to avoid injury. While a common complaint with the commercial models with spur hammers similar to that of the Colt "Government Model" automatic, it is seldom a problem with the military models, which have a smaller, rounded "burr" hammer, more like that of the Colt "Commander" compact version of the 1911. Another flaw is that the original small safety is very hard to release and re-engage. This is because when cocked, the shaft the safety turns on is under hammer spring pressure. Later versions went to a larger safety to address this issue.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.shootingillustrated.com/articles/2013/3/20/whats-wrong-with-the-hi-power/|title=What's Wrong With the Hi Power?|magazine=Shooting Illustrated|date=March 20, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cylinder-slide.com/bhptoday.shtml|title=The Browning HI-POWER Today|magazine=Guns magazine|date=February 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2017/10/24/a-look-back-at-the-browning-high-power-pistol/|title=A Look Back at the Browning High Power Pistol|publisher=www.americanrifleman.org|date=October 24, 2017}}</ref>

[[File:Swedish Volunteer Corps weapons.JPG|thumb|Hi-Power artillery version with its adjustable tangent rear-sight and shoulder-stock in the upper right-hand corner]]