Picked up this old FN Hi-Power, made in Belgium at Cabelas for a good price a week ago but don't know a whole lot about it. Anyone give me an idea on what year it might have been made, etc. Sorry my photo isn't better. It does have the lanyard in the butt & the black plastic grips, fixed sights & came with one mag. No box or papers but this thing is a shooter with 128 gr powder coated HP's. Thanks,



Dick

Looks like it might be an Israeli surplus MK II. At least the slide does. Great pistol as-is, or for customization to whatever level you want to take it to. Need to see the other side to be sure exactly what it is.
Bob

http://www.browning.com/support/date-your-firearm/hi-power-pistol.html

Nice! Have always liked the Hi-Power design.

looks like one of those made for the israeli's.
when they started surplusing them, i think aim had them for about 430bucks.

That not typical to have the lanyard hole.

Edit: They are great firearms. I’m wanting to add one to the collection.

the israeli ones had a lanyard stud with a split ring for the lanyard. that hole may be where the lanyard stud was removed (screwed out?)

which is the way the one i am familar with is. i finally got around to taking the magazine safety out which made a big difference. There is a little lever in there that presses up against the mag. if the mag has been parked, the trigger pull is pretty scratchy.
When the shipments started coming in they had a owners manual included.
The guy i got it from sent along with it a canadian flap holster in o.d. green, that kind of canvas material. They are nice pistolas.

What you have there is a military contract Mk II Hi Power, which were made from 1982-1988. The main difference in the Mk II from previous models ( there is no "Mk I"): subtle rib down the center of the slide, change to the sights (still smallish), small hole drilled in the slide under the barrel (presumably for water to drain), "flat style" feed ramp to accommodate JHP's, Parkerized finish, and that pistol originally had molded "Cycolac" plastic grips. For military contracts the Mk II was available with or without a lanyard ring. By the 1980's lanyards were being used less and less, so you'll find most Mk II's and later military Hi Powers don't have the Lanyard. I have always thought the lanyard loop was kinda cool.

Your pistol appears to have the magazine safety removed, and the grips are older military contract plastic panels. Overall looks to be in good shape, and I'll bet the trigger is even pretty good. You'll find it's an amazingly reliable pistol, accurate and easy to shoot well with.

Of all the pistols out there to customize, the Hi Power IMO benefits the most from thoughtful customization. Change to a C&S safety, some night sights, or low mount some Novak sights, thin panel grips (nothing feels better than Spegel grips) and that gun will be transformed into the best pistol you've ever owned.

I sure used to think so....until I had one done pretty much like you described. I find it still sits in the safe in deference to polymer frames and more bullets.

If it's an Israeli Hi Power you'll find a Star of David acceptance stamp on the right side of the frame. Either just above and behind the trigger, and sometimes on the web of the trigger guard toward where it meets the frame.

that ain't a kidding about the spegel grips. somebody had a supply on the s&w forum and i bought a set. They give a much different feel.
pretty nice.

Although not as nice as the Spegel's, VZ's thin BHP grips are quite good as well while being less expensive and readily available.

The best thing to do is remove the magazine disconnect or the trigger is kinda heavy.

To All,

Fwiw, I once counted the number of companies/arsenals that at one time or another have made the BHP or a "clone". = 11 is the number of different makers that I came up with back then.
(Who knows how many that there really are??).

That BHP just MAY be an Israeli model & made in Hungary by FEG. - Some IDI hi-powers . (or P35 pistols, if you prefer) are a combination of Hungarian parts (made on contract) & some parts actually made in Israel. - Reportedly, the Israelis made some complete P35 pistols.
(Also, I've seen a P35 that LOOKS Israeli but is totally unmarked except for a serial number. - I was "told" OCONUS that those "sanitized" BHP clones were made for what we US GIs used to call, "an occasionally reliable government agency".)

yours, tex

my understanding is the early feg guns were 100% compatible parts wise with a belgian p35. Later became a mixture of parts, later still the israeli's started making their own. The later ones used a fire control group similar to that in a smith.

Israel mostly bought FN Hi Powers, but they also bought a large lot of FEG's which are very good Hi Powers. The domestically "made" Kareen Hi Power was made from parts sourced either from FEG or from Bulgaria (Arcus 94 pistol). The makers did enough machining to call it a domestic product, but mostly they did assembly and finishing, then put their name on the guns. Some Israeli LE agencies used the Kareen, but the vast majority of Israeli military and LE HP's will be FN and FEG.

The FEG's can be a confusing story. The first were based on the 1973 model FN Hi Power and were completely compatible with FN guns. The FEG's were not licensed copies of the HP, but they were very good Hi Power's nonetheless.

Toward the end of the 1980's FEG re-designed the locking system of the Hi Power to that of the S&W 39 so their guns could handle the .40 S&W round. Honestly, their solution to the .40 S&W problem was much more elegant than FN's solution. So on those guns, fire control parts remain interchangeable with FN HP's, but the barrel is very different.

FEG also made a "double action Hi Power" that was really a S&W 59 knock off that was made to look Hi Power-ish.

GunGeek,

100% CORRECT.

yours, tex

Thanks guys, I'm a little late getting back here but lots of good information on my Hi-Power. The mag disconnect is gone & the trigger is very good. With my handloads using a 128 gr cast HP it is shooting a tick low at 15 yds but very accurate. I've built up the rear sight with JB Weld for now & it's right where I want it. I'll look into the C&S safety because I don't like this one. Any thoughts on the Pachymar grips compared to others? Also, I'll have to check for the star you mention Gun Geek. Again, very impressed with how this old girl shoots, better than my S&W M&P & it's no slouch with good handloads. Forgot, all test loads have been powder coated, haven't shot any jacketed through it, never shoot jacketed in anything.
This is from 15 yds, two different loads. The bottom loads is using Longshot powder & a 128 gr cast HP that's powder coated, you can see it's pretty low. The top groups is using Winchester 231 & the same bullet. I turned the box over so you can see it's also quite low but very accurate except for one shot. The wind was blowing hard enough to blow the box off the table twice. Building up the rear sight with the JB Weld had corrected the elevation problem. My 140 gr. FN solids shot almost as good.



Dick