Browning Hi-Power
| Browning Hi-Power | |
|---|---|
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Browning Hi-Power
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| Type | Semi-automatic pistol |
| Place of origin |
Belgium United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1935–present |
| Used by | See Users |
| Wars |
World War II Korean War Vietnam War Rhodesian Bush War Falklands War The Troubles War on Terror |
| Production history | |
| Designer |
John Browning Dieudonné Saive |
| Designed | 1914–35 |
| Manufacturer | Fabrique Nationale (FN) |
| Produced | 1935–present |
| Number built | 1,000,000+ |
| Variants | See Variants |
| Specifications | |
| Weight | 1 kg (2.2 lb) |
| Length | 197 mm (7.8 in) |
| Barrel length | 119 mm (4.7 in) |
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| Cartridge | |
| Action | Short recoil operated |
| Rate of fire | Semi-automatic |
| Muzzle velocity | 335 m/s (1,100 ft/s) (9mm) |
| Effective firing range | 50 m (54.7 yd) |
| Feed system |
Detachable box magazine; capacities:
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Detachable box magazine; capacities:
The Browning Hi Power is a single-action, semi-automatic handgun available in 9mm and .40 S&W calibers. It is based on a design by American firearms inventor John Browning, and completed by Dieudonné Saive at Fabrique Nationale (FN) of Herstal, Belgium. Browning died in 1926, several years before the design was finalized. The Hi-Power is one of the most widely used military pistols in history, having been used by the armed forces of over 50 countries.
The Hi Power name alludes to the 13-round magazine capacity, almost twice that of contemporary designs such as the Luger or Colt M1911. The pistol is often referred to as an HP (for "Hi-Power" or "High-Power") or as a GP (for the French term, "Grande Puissance"). The terms P-35 and HP-35 are also used, based on the introduction of the pistol in 1935. It is most often called the "Hi Power", even in Belgium. Other names include BAP (Browning Automatic Pistol), particularly in Irish Army service, or BHP (Browning High-Power).
The Browning Hi-Power was designed in response to a French military requirement for a new service pistol, the Grand Rendement (French for "High Yield"), or alternatively Grande Puissance (literally "high power"). The French military required that:
This last criterion was seen to demand a caliber of 9 mm or larger, a bullet mass of around 8 grams (123.5 grains), and a muzzle velocity of 350 m/s (1148 ft/s). It was to accomplish all of this at a weight not exceeding 1 kg (2.2 lb).
FN commissioned John Browning to design a new military sidearm conforming to this specification. Browning had previously sold the rights to his successful 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 June 28, 1923, granted on February 22, 1927. One was a simple blowback design, while the other was operated with a locked-breech recoil system. Both prototypes utilized the new staggered magazine design (by designer Dieudonné Saive) to increase capacity without unduly increasing the pistol's grip size or magazine length.
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