Hi-Power, Hi-R egard

WEAPONS OF WAR

Originally sourced for wartime spies, the iconic Hi-Power equipped British soldiers well into the 21st century. Former Army firearms instructor Craig Allen profiles John Browning’s ‘other’ service pistol

THE VENERABLE HI-POWER HAS LONG EQUIPPED BRITISH FORCES AS IT WAS CONSIDERED TO BE RELIABLE, ACCURATE AND ROBUST. OVER THE YEARS, BELGIAN, CANADIAN, AND AMERICAN-MADE HI-POWERS HAVE BEEN USED BY BRITISH TROOPS BRIAN DOUGLAS/ROYAL NAVY

The legend had ended, but only after almost 85 years – and not for long. In 2018, FN Herstal and the Browning Arms Company (both of the Herstal Group) announced that production of the Browning Hi-Power pistol was to end. However, demand for the trusted sidearm was so high that FN resumed production of an updated model in 2022, more than a century after the earliest iterations were submitted for trials.

The Hi-Power is known by many names – GP, HP, BAP, P-35, L9 and BHP – and it and its variants have been adopted, licence-produced or cloned for use in the military or law enforcement agencies of almost 100 countries. It also has a rare distinction among World War Two firearms in being not only commonly issued by, but also produced by both sides. The Hi-Power’s long association with British forces began in that same conflict and was to remain in use for nearly 70 years, serving though the early Cold War, The Troubles, the Falklands Conflict, the Gulf Wars and beyond.

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