G-MAN

Bingo. Makes me wonder if the Nazis, after they took over FN during the occupation of Belgium, said "Let's get rid of that dang mag safety and improve the trigger pull."

Nah. Look at the trigger. There's a pin missing. If you know what that pin holds, you know what this gun is missing.

Someone just posted this pic of a Nazi Hi-Power he just traded for. Something Hi-Powers are known for is missing from this gun. Can you spot it? I've seen photos of Nazi Hi-Powers with and without, so the back story on why some have it and some don't would be interesting.

I did a little research on this gun. It appears that Charles Daly had contracted with BUL in Israel to build their new G4 1911, but somehow that deal fell through and Magnum Research stepped in and, voila, what was to be the CD G4 is now the Magnum Research Desert Eagle 1911. Here's a CD G4 prototype. Note the KBI roll mark on the frame along with "Israel." And here's the Desert Eagle 1911. Pretty obvious it's the same gun.

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Monarch (Academy). I'm going to shoot a box of Winchester white box through it next Wednesday and see how that does.

Went to the pistol range today and took the FEG Hi-Power, the P95, and the PPK/S. The FEG's sorry trigger took a lot of getting used to. The first 5 rounds I fired at 15 yards didn't even hit the target. It took me about 30 rounds to get used to the trigger and then I could get on the target with some in the black. The gun shoots high at 15 yds, so I had to compensate for that, too. Had 3 or 4 FTEs and stovepipes in 80 rounds fired. I think these were due to me limp-wristing as I was trying to get used to the stiff and creepy trigger. Here's the 20 rounds I fired from the P95: And here's a couple of 5 round targets from my PPK/S. The first target only has 4 holes because I had a FTF on the 5th round in the mag:

One thing I discovered when I took the pistol apart last night: The magazine disconnect has been removed. Hi-Powers have notoriously bad trigger pull, and this one is no different. I hate to think what it must have been like when the mag disconnect was still in there.

It looks like it has the same features as my MetroArms FireStorm. I wonder where Magnum Research's 1911 is made?

On most of the Browning forums FEGs get trashed. I read posts about tool marks on the inside and outside, sloppy fit, etc. There is none of that on my FEG. Tool marks on the inside are about the same as on Hi-Powers made by FN that I've seen. And there are no tool marks on the exterior of mine anywhere. Also, there are no importation marks on mine anywhere, which leads me to believe this gun was originally sold in Europe. Here's a couple pics:

I'm blown away by the quality and fit and finish of this FEG Hi-Power. I don't know where this guy gets his stock, but this is not one of the FEGs that was imported into the U.S. by KBI in the 90s. This doesn't have PJK-9HP on the slide (the model designation chosen by KBI for the FEG Hi-Powers they imported), nor does it have any KBI roll marks on it. It simply has "Parabellum Cal. 9mm Made in Hungary FEG - Budapest" on the slide. This gun has been refinished with a nice dark gray parkerising. If it wasn't for the badly worn wood grips the gun would look new. I think it was a holster queen. Doesn't appear to have been fired very much at all. Barrel lugs are nice and sharp. Serial number on barrel, slide and frame all match. I've got it broken down to clean now. Once I get it back together I'll take some pics. I'll reserve judgment until I get it on the range tomorrow and see how it shoots, bur right now it's looking like a killer deal at $220.00. Even with the FFL transfer fee and shipping, I'll still have less than $300 in this gun. (It's been a quarter century since I last handled a Browning Hi-Power so I'd forgotten how petite these are in comparison to a 1911.)

I'm not sure I follow you. The original patent was filed in 1923 and bears JMB's signature. Browning died in 1926 and the original patent was issued in 1927. The reason the 1927 design and the 1911 design are so dissimilar is because Browning had to work around the 1911 patent. Colt owned the rights to the 1911 design and the patent would not expire until 1928. Therefore Browning himself could not incorporate any of the tried and true 1911 designs in the new pistol until the 1911 patent expired. Unfortunately, JMB expired before the 1911 patent did. But I'm convinced that the pistol that became the 1935 Hi Power, which did incorporate a lot of 1911 "technology," was already being worked on by JMB and Saive at FN before JMB died. He was just biding his time until the 1911 patent would expire in 1928. Dieudonne Saive just continued with Browning's work, and once the 1911 patent expired, there was no further impediments to producing the new "improved" version of the Hi Power.

Below is a drawing from Browning's original "Hi Power" patent. Several prototypes of this gun were built, but Browning died during its development. As you can see, the pistol that eventually went into production in 1935 as the Browning Hi Power is markedly different from Browning's original design. Some have said the 1935 Hi Power was really the product of FN's designer, Dieudonne Saive, and is not really a Browning design at all. Others have noted that Saive was working with Browning in the development of the Hi Power and all he did after JMB's death was continue with the changes that Browning himself was already working on. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle. Here's a trivia question: Why do you suppose the original design is so dissimilar from the 1911 design and the 1935 is much more similar to the 1911?

What I've been using on the rails of both my P95 and 1911 is Royal Purple's Maxfilm. This stuff really clings but is very low viscosity. After 100 rounds the slide and rails were still "wet." I like Ed Brown's philosophy of lubricating the 1911: Use oil, and be liberal with it. I know some people prefer grease on the slide rails, but I think that's what contributed to a couple of stove pipes on my 1911 the day I qualified for the CWP because it was so cold and the grease was so thick.

Now that is pretty cool.

Meaning what, exactly? They are "throw away" after a catastrophic failure of the barrel? I'm not sure I'd keep using an all steel auto pistol that had a failure like that even if there was no apparent damage to the frame or slide.

I think the Browning Hi-Powers have been "made" by FN in Herstal and "assembled" by FN in Portugal for many years now. The going rate seems to be whatever the market will bear. I've seen them on gunbroker.com from $575 to $25,000. It all depends on the "desirability" of the particular Hi-Power in question. For example, a mint Hi-Power made entirely in Belgium will command a higher price than an equal gun "assembled" in Portugal. Also, for otherwise identical guns, but one sold only under the Fabrique Nationale name the other roll-marked as a Browning, guess which one will fetch the higher price? I'm not into names, since to me a P35 is a P35 I don't care where it was made or by whom. Once I did enough research to be satisfied that a Hi-Power made in Hungary by FEG was a solid and reliable handgun, I started looking. When the one I got popped up on gunbroker.com for $219.95, hitting the Buy It Now button was a no-brainer.

Thanks. Some of those "fake" Hi-Power discussions are hilarious. I've never seen that sort of stuff in the 1911 community. Look how many different companies over the years have made 1911s. The debate is always who makes the best 1911, not whether or not Brand X is a "real" 1911. If 1911 owners had the mindset that a lot of 1935 owners have, NO ONE, not even Colt, still makes a "real" 1911--not even the ones that claim to make a "mil spec" 1911.

For home defense, the .45 ACP. Less worries about over-penetration than with the .40 S&W. Around here .45 ACP ammo is cheaper than .40 S&W. But 9mm is still the cheapest, at roughly half the cost of .40 S&W. Last time I checked prices at Academy: 9mm: $12 box .40: $22 box .45: $18 box

Mine hasn't gotten here yet. First thing I'm going to do when I get it is break it down and inspect it thoroughly. I've got a 3 day (unfired) inspection period and if I see anything amiss the gun is going back. The FEG you got sounds like the P9R, which is not really a clone of the 1935. It's a FEG DA/SA design loosely based on the 1935.

Congrats. Is this what you got? It's a good looking gun. I looked at the S&W Sigma when I got my Ruger P95 and I wasn't impressed. Didn't like the way it felt in my hand.

No. It is a Hi-Power, but made by Fegyver És Gépgyá (FEG) in Hungary, and called the PJK-9HP. Up until about 10 years ago they were imported into the U.S. by KBI, which currently sells guns under the Charles Daly label. They even sold a Charles Daly Hi-Power which was made from parts imported from FEG and assembled here in the U.S.--first by Dan Wesson and then by another company. Eventually, FEG made some changes to the original 1935 and you have to know what to look for to ensure that you're getting an "exact" Browning-patent Hi-Power. These are the most desirable FEGs and are a part-for-part duplicate of the FN and Browning Hi-Powers. The one I got is. Here is a pic of one in blue that is NOT an exact duplicate of the original 1935. There are two major design changes, one external and one internal. Can you spot the external?

It's 9mm.

I was going to take my PPK/S to the range today since I have not shot it in 25 years. Went looking for 380 ammo yesterday. I didn't realize there was a shortage of 380, so I was a bit taken aback when the clerks kept looking at me like I was nuts when I'd ask for a box of 380. I went to 5 different places and no one has any 380. Most said they didn't know when they would be getting any. Academy said February at the earliest. I came back home and bought 2 boxes of Federal 380 on gunbroker.com. I think you're right about concealed carry permits. In the course I took last Saturday, the instructor gave us the latest stats he had for SC: As of October SLED had granted over twice as many CWPs in 2009 as they granted total in 2008. The shortage in 380 has got to be killing the sales of guns chambered for that round. I can't imagine anyone buying a new 380 auto and then being told by the clerk he doesn't have any ammo for it and doesn't know when they will have any.