36CCLLAASSSSIICC HHAANNDDGGUUNNSS:: TThhee BBrroowwnniinngg Model 1935 High Power PistolBy John Marshall

The Browning Model 1935 High Power pistolshould rank very high on anyone’s list of classicpistol designs. It’s most notable because it was thelast pistol design of the master, John M. Browning,and introduced a number of advanced features stillused today. It was the first service pistol to incorpo-rate a double-column magazine, enabling the userto have a then-unheard-of 13 rounds of 9mmammunition ready to go. Counting one in thechamber, the Model 1935 had 14 rounds of ammoto expend before reloading. Its inclined-plane tilt-barrel design is still themodern standard for alocked-breech pistol.The feed ramp of thebarrel was outside thechamber of the barrel,giving a fully support-ed chamber made toorder for high-pressureammunition. The actionwas simplicity itself,combining a trigger-to-sear lever in the slidewith the disconnectorfunction. The High Powerpistol was considered quite animprovement over the still-honored 1911 pistoldesign, dispensing with the grip safety many con-sidered superfluous. The pistol and its clones arestill in production 72 years after its introduction, atestament to an enduring design.

The history of the pistol is fascinating. Formany years, John Moses Browning had a workingrelationship not only with Winchester and Colt’s,but also with Fabrique Nationale of Belgium, or“FN” for short. In the late 1880s, FN hadapproached Browning with interest in one of hisshotgun designs, and also in a design for a pock-et pistol. FN and Browning reached an agree-ment on the pocket pistol, and began productionof that pistol in 1899. That pistol was a hugesuccess, particularly in Europe, and this cement-ed the Browning-FN relationship, which lasteduntil Browning’s death in 1926. Browning beganworking extensively in Belgium and it becamehis second home. He designed, and FN pro-duced, many successful firearms.

Four years before his death, Browning beganwork on the pistol that was eventually to becomethe High Power. A very talented firearms design-er, Dieudonne Saive of Belgium, understudiedhim. Browning and Saive collaborated on thenew pistol, and Browning oversaw the making ofseveral prototypes. Unfortunately, the design wasstill not considered complete when Browningdied. FN immediately turned the project over toSaive, who gave the perfection of the pistol hisfull and complete attention. The final product of

these two great men’s efforts was to be known asthe Modele 1935 Pistolet Automatique GrandPuissance (GP), or in English-speaking countriesas the Model 1935 High Power Pistol. It’s notablethat Saive later went on to design the FN-FALrifle, another superb firearm.

While the High Power closely resembled theclassic 1911 design, it was in fact a quite differentand simplified revision of the 1911. It was also alocked-breech single-action semiautomatic, butinstead of the swinging link utilized on the 1911,it used a simpler inclined-plane cam to drop therear of the barrel out of engagement with the

slide. The external controls were similar to thoseof the 1911, but the High Power lacked the gripsafety of the earlier design. Browning and Saivehad incorporated a magazine-disconnect safety inthe design, rendering the pistol incapable of firingwhen the magazine was removed. Fortunately formany people who disdain this concept, the mag-disconnect safety is easily removable. A transferbar in the slide connected the trigger and sear; therearward motion of the slide disconnected thosetwo parts for flawless semiautomatic firing. Butperhaps the most notable feature of this pistol wasthe incorporation of a double-column magazine.This caused a sensation at the time, and sales ofthe new pistol soared. Besides Belgium, it wasadopted by Estonia, Lithuania, China, Peru andRumania (I once had a Lithuanian High Power,which I now regret selling). When the Germansoverran Belgium during WWII, FN’s managementrefused to cooperate with them. The Nazis thenconfiscated the FN plant and ran it with Germanmanagement. Over 300,000 High Powers weremade for the German military, which christened itthe Pistole 640(b). High Powers with German mil-itary markings are quite collectable today.

During the war, the John Inglis Company ofOntario, Canada, reverse-engineered several FNpistols from China and produced the High Powerfor the Allies. British, Canadian and Chinese mili-tary forces all used Inglis-produced pistols. Somewere issued with wood shoulder stocks that dou-bled as holsters. Today, these rigs are in greatdemand by collectors. The British issued their pis-tols primarily to airborne and commando outfits.Following the war, the British Army made the HighPower its official pistol, replacing the Webley,Enfield and Smith & Wesson .38 caliberrevolvers. At that time, Denmark,

Hollandand Rhodesiaadopted the HighPower as well. InArgentina, the pistol wasmade under officiallicense. Civilian sales con-tinued at a high level. TheBrowning company in Utahdistributed the High Power(and other FN-manufacturedfirearms) in the United States.Following the expiration ofpatents, a number of cloneshave appeared on the market,most notably by FEG ofHungary, which has produced avery high quality pistol selling forless than the FN product.

Very few modifications havebeen made to the pistol since 1935.The earlier in-the-slide extractor occasionallybroke, and FN replaced it in post-war years witha shorter, coil spring-powered external extractor.The first High Powers were made with both fixed

and tangent-type rear sights. Post-war models willsometimes be found with a fully adjustable tar-get-type rear sight. The original thumb safety wasquite small, and recent production features anelongated thumb safety that’s more easily manip-ulated. Early pistols featured a rounded“Commander type” hammer, while more recentproduction models have a spur hammer. Therounded hammers had a tendency to “bite” theweb of the user’s hand, but custom modificationsto the hammer and/or the frame can correct this.My personal FEG-made pistol has been cus-

tomized with a beavertail frame by Cylinderand Slide – no problem now.

Finishes on the FN-producedpistols have varied from a high-polish blue to a matte finish for

the military models. German-produced pistols typically have

very rough exteriors. Allied wartimeInglis pistols may have a Parkerized fin-

ish or a black paint-type coating.Grip panels can be either check-ered wood or black plastic. Some

of the Inglis pistols were pro-duced with a lanyard ring.

Field stripping the High Power isextremely simple. Retract the slide, and

engage the thumb safety into the foremost ofthe two notches in the slide. With the slidelocked in this position, the slide stop is

removed to the left of the pistol. Then theslide is retracted slightly to release the

safety from the takedown notch, andit’s slid under spring power forwardand off the frame. Remove the recoilspring and its guide from under thebarrel. Then remove the barrelfrom the slide. Reassemble inreverse order. This process reallytakes longer to describe than toexecute. Disassembly of thesear and safety mechanism isnot recommended withoutproper tools and know-how. Trust me on this, I

speak from personalexperience!

FN and othermanufacturers con-

tinue to make theHigh Power today,

and it remains in serv-ice with armies around the

world. Compact, reliable, and witha high magazine capacity, the High

Power was the first of the “wondernines” and still isa fascinating, classic handgun. As a service ordefense pistol, it’s hard to beat – even after morethan 70 years on the market.

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