G-MAN Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 I just bought this pistol on gunbroker.com. Kudos to the first person to correctly identify it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rugerman1 Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 Fabrique Nationale made Model 1935 Hi-Power ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troy_built Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 you are a big collecter, huh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-MAN Posted December 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 Fabrique Nationale made Model 1935 Hi-Power ? Nope. heheOriginally Posted By: troy_builtyou are a big collecter, huh? Not really. I just couldn't pass this one up for $220. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rugerman1 Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 Browning Hi Power Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-MAN Posted December 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 Browning Hi Power Nope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rugerman1 Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 9mm,40S&W or 41AE? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-MAN Posted December 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 9mm,40S&W or 41AE? It's 9mm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rugerman1 Posted December 16, 2009 Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 CZ75? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-MAN Posted December 16, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2009 CZ75? 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? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Win Posted December 20, 2009 Report Share Posted December 20, 2009 I can't see your picture, but I bought a "new and improved" FEG Hi Power last night.The obvious differences I see are that the hammer has a tang on it; a decocker on the slide instead of the safety on the frame; the pivot area around the slide release looks cleaner; the trigger is thicker and shaped differently, and my grips are not as "aged".Still, anyone who looks at it would immediately recognize it as a Hi Power.I overpaid, probably, I gave $289 for the FEG; it looks brand new and the quality of the fit and finish is as good as any Hi Power I have seen. The bluing is about the best I have seen. I'm an accumulator, not a collector. I may give this one to my wife.Shot yours yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-MAN Posted December 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2009 I can't see your picture, but I bought a "new and improved" FEG Hi Power last night.The obvious differences I see are that the hammer has a tang on it; a decocker on the slide instead of the safety on the frame; the pivot area around the slide release looks cleaner; the trigger is thicker and shaped differently, and my grips are not as "aged".Still, anyone who looks at it would immediately recognize it as a Hi Power.I overpaid, probably, I gave $289 for the FEG; it looks brand new and the quality of the fit and finish is as good as any Hi Power I have seen. The bluing is about the best I have seen. I'm an accumulator, not a collector. I may give this one to my wife.Shot yours yet? 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Win Posted December 20, 2009 Report Share Posted December 20, 2009 It is a P9R.I have had a bit of a chance to read up on it this morning. Seems to have little in common with the original HP other than outward appearance. It sure is a nicely made piece, and has a good feel in the hand. I'm up at our house at the lake, waiting for a gun safe to be delivered (since 8:00 AM, thanks Lowe's), and if it ever gets here, I may go back out to the indoor range and blast a few rounds through it.Let us know how yours looks when you get it in hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-MAN Posted December 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2009 It is a P9R.I have had a bit of a chance to read up on it this morning. Seems to have little in common with the original HP other than outward appearance. It sure is a nicely made piece, and has a good feel in the hand.The early P9Ms are exact duplicates of the Browning P35. (NB: "PJK-9HP" was the roll-marked designation of the P9Ms that were imported into the U.S. by KBI.)There is a lot of "snobbery" by Hi-Power owners on the various forums regarding the FEG, FM (Argentina) and Kareen (Israel) 1935 pistols, calling them "fakes." Here is a post I made on another forum this morning regarding this:Quote:Saying that a FEG P35-design is a fake FN/Browning Hi-Power in the same way that a cheap Chinese Rolex knock-off is a "fake" Rolex is absurd. If the FEG pistols were roll-marked "Hi-Power" or "Browning" or "Made in Belgium" or "Fabrique Nationale," etc., then you would be dealing with a "fake."The original patent on the Hi-Power expired long ago, so no licensing of the design is necessary for someone to take the original patent drawings and make their own 1935 pistols. This is what FEG did and it was perfectly legal and ethical. To the extent that FEG follows the original patent design, the resulting pistol is a 1935 "Hi-Power." Period. It's just not a Hi-Power made by the original patent holder, FN. Of course, we can then get into which 1935 is better from the standpoint of fit, finish, durability, reliability, etc. But the point is we are comparing two Hi-Power pistols, each made by different manufacturers. We are not comparing two "similar" pistols, we're comparing the exact same pistol (so long as both are made according to the original patent. FEG did make changes to the original 1935 design over the years, so you have to be sure the FEG in question is really a "pure" 1935.). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wwillson Posted December 20, 2009 Report Share Posted December 20, 2009 Very well said, G-MAN... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-MAN Posted December 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2009 Very well said, G-MAN... 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Win Posted December 20, 2009 Report Share Posted December 20, 2009 So what is the going rate for a "real" Browning Hi Power these days?A dealer nearby has a couple of Brownings, he claims they were part of his collection, they look unfired, one is duotone nickel and matte with adjustable sights; another is nickel with a wrap around grip. He wants $900 for either, out the door. That's about $800 each because of our confiscatory sales tax.IIRC, they were Portugese assembled. I don't need another gun, but I tell myself that same thing every time I buy another gun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G-MAN Posted December 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 20, 2009 So what is the going rate for a "real" Browning Hi Power these days?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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.