|
Curio & Relic/Black Powder Curio & Relics and Black Powder Firearms, Old School shooting fun! |
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
||||
|
||||
Wanna Know If My Browning Hi-Power Is Original?
|
#2
|
||||
|
||||
This is the correct area to ask these questions with pics.
The Gallery is for showing off...just gun pr0n there, please. I'm no HP expert but your gun looks "right" to me...less the trigger shoe of course. Does it still have the mag disconnect safety installed, or did you get those parts separately? While not especially humorous, this post was sent with a smile.
__________________
|
#4
|
||||
|
||||
Where does your serial number fall in this site's serial number by year explanation? http://www.browning.com/support/date...er-pistol.html
|
#5
|
||||
|
||||
I'd like to see a better picture of the company name and address line. Maybe not, but from the angle taken it looks slightly shallow on the top like it was buffed and refinished.
__________________
YOU NEED A GUN TRUST. TLCGunTrust@gmail.com Nothing I post here constitutes legal advice, nor can it establish an attorney/client relationship. |
#8
|
||||
|
||||
ok so the serial number is t215448 according to the serial number search in the website, the year is 1968 November. I'm uploading few other pics i took with my phone. The pics uploaded in the thread was taken by the seller which were presented when selling the hi power.
Regarding the tangent rear sight i would like to know more info about it. Thats all the pics i have for now took it during the transfer. Last edited by vichenzo; 06-08-2018 at 6:09 PM.. |
#9
|
||||
|
||||
It looks fine, but I would need to see it in person to give an opinion, I'm located in San Luis Obispo. The model is called a Captain with a Tangent Sight. It was common back in that time period for people to switch or modify the slide to have a Target Sight. I bought a T series years ago at the Glendale Gun Show, from the promoter no less, that turned out to be fake. I called The Historian at Browning and his records for my serial number indicated my Slotted & Tangent sight Hi Power left the factory as a Standard Model, so someone faked it. Still was a rare gun, and I was able to sell it in GunBroker as a fake and not lose too much money. I recommend you start with a call to Browning and find out what they know.
|
#10
|
||||
|
||||
FYI, your grips should be painted red on the backside. This was done to reduce corrosion to the firearm caused by salt curing the wood (and leather) back in the day. At some point FN/Browning stopped salt curring, but they continued painting the backsides red until someone asked why, and they stopped.
|
#11
|
||||
|
||||
we took out the grips it looked like it was red color. Now as for the rear tangent sights i saw online few 60's hi powers which had the tangent rear sights now as for Lebaneseblonde he mentioned regarding the tangent rear sights that were for the Chinese contracts. any info on that?
|
#12
|
||||
|
||||
During World War II, at least one of the engineers working for fabrique nationale escaped Belgium and made it to Canada with knowledge and plans on how to build Hi Powers and began building Inglis Hi Powers. They made tangent sighted only and slotted & tangent contract pistols. They were painted black similar to Enfield rifles, and we're not as nice looking as Belgium Hi Powers. Some were made for China and have CH in the serial number. Perhaps when the came in to our country they were sold cheap, or even as parts. Again, I recommend you give Browning a call on Monday. They did not charge me anything for the call; I think they only charge for a factory letter, which you will want if yours is genuine.
|
#17
|
||||
|
||||
If it came with a stock you probably have a slotted tangent pistol, very nice!
Here is a random pic off the internet of a slotted hi-power: https://pictures.gunauction.com/573/...thumbnail0.jpg Last edited by colt11; 06-08-2018 at 9:39 PM.. Reason: error |
#18
|
||||
|
||||
From what I can see on page 34 of the Curio and Relic list - https://www.atf.gov/firearms/docs/gu...30011/download - even if the pistol has the slot for the buttstock, it would be considered a short barreled rifle if connected to a stock as the serial number is above T200,000 and it is not Muscat Omani marked. Apparently, if it was under T200,000, Muscat Omani marked and had the originally detachable wooden flat board shoulder stock, it would be exempted from the NFA and not be considered a short barreled rifle. (it says and not or, regarding the Muscat Omani requirement, but I am not sure I am interpreting that requirement correctly)
Last edited by Rogerbutthead; 06-08-2018 at 9:47 PM.. |
#21
|
||||
|
||||
I don't know anything about the 1968 production run, but Nazi manufactured HiPowers with slots and tangent sights are worth a high premium. Apparently only a couple of thousand of them - 44,500 to 47,000 - with the original wooden flat board stock are exempted from NFA as Short Barreled Rifles. http://www.ai4fr.com/main/page_milit...y_hipower.html The Germans continued to make tangent sighted HiPowers until the 135,000 mark. The tangent sighted not slotted HiPowers sell at a premium over the later produced fix sight pistols.
Perhaps the Belgians did the same with your HiPower after their production run for the Muscat Omani tangent sighted slotted examples. They used the slides with the tangent sights until they ran out - ? Only a guess. There must be a forum that specializes in HiPowers. On the other thread - http://www.calguns.net/calgunforum/s....php?t=1454111 - the four HiPowers there from left to right - include a slotted Canadian Inglis, a fixed sight Nazi, a tangent sighted Nazi and another fixed sighted Nazi. |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|