FN Hi-Power German Occupation 9mm 4.6″ Semi-Auto Pistol 1943 w/ Holster C&R
SOLD FOR: $1,108.99
LSB#: LSB260624RL001
Make: Fabrique Nationale d’Armes de Guerre (FN), Herstal, Belgium
Model: Hi-Power, German occupation production (Pistole 640(b))
Serial Number: 41782a
Year of Manufacture: 1943 / C&R
Caliber/Gauge: 9mm (9×19)
Action Type: Short-recoil, locked-breech semi-automatic pistol fed by a detachable box magazine. It has a single-action ring hammer, a manual thumb safety on the left side of the frame, a slide stop lever, and a magazine release button behind the trigger guard. This pistol does not have a magazine disconnect, which is typical of German occupation Hi-Powers.
Barrel Length: 4.6″
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a modified original blade staked to the slide. The rear sight is a replacement fully adjustable square notch sight with a white outline, mounted at the rear of the slide. Its windage and elevation screws are marked with “R” and “UP” direction arrows and graduated reference lines.
Grip Configuration & Condition: The grips are checkered wood panels, each secured by a single slotted screw. The panels show light handling marks and light wear to the checkering. There are no cracks, but there are a few tiny chips along the edges. Overall, the grips rate in Very Good condition.
Magazine Quantity & Condition: One blued steel detachable box magazine with a flat floorplate and a witness hole on one side is included. No markings are visible on its exposed surfaces. It shows light handling wear, with a small bright wear mark near the top of the body. Overall, the magazine rates in Very Good condition.
Type of Finish: Blued
Finish Originality: Refinished
Bore Condition: The bore is bright and the rifling is sharp. There is faint erosion in the bore along with light stubborn fouling throughout. In this writer’s opinion the bore rates 8/10.
Overall Condition: This pistol retains about 96% of its metal finish, all of which is a later refinish. The blue is strong and even on the slide and frame, with light handling and operational wear. The upper left side of the slide toward the muzzle has a patch of light speckled discoloration and thinning. Faint oval impressions are present in the finish on the right-side slide serrations and on the right side of the frame just behind the serial number. The barrel chamber hood is bright. The screw heads show light wear with serviceable slots. The left side of the slide is marked “FABRIQUE NATIONALE D’ARMES DE GUERRE / HERSTAL BELGIQUE / BROWNING’S PATENT DEPOSE”, with a faint, partially legible “WaA” Waffenamt stamp beneath the end of the legend and a small eagle stamp near the slide stop notch. The front face of the slide below the muzzle is stamped “WaA140”. The left side of the frame above the trigger guard has a faint eagle over a faint, illegible stamp, and there is a small letter stamp on the left side of the frame ahead of the trigger guard. The serial number “41782a” is marked on the right side of the slide, the right side of the frame, and the barrel chamber hood, which also bears a small eagle stamp; all three serial numbers match. The legend and serial numbers are clear, while several of the acceptance stamps are faint. Overall, this pistol rates in about Very Good condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this pistol. As with all previously owned firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance requirements.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: Includes a brown leather flap holster. The flap is secured by a strap over a brass stud, and the back has two stitched belt loops and two riveted steel D-rings. The back of the holster is stamped “1 ABT. 5C 58”. The leather shows scuffs, scratches, creasing, and edge wear. The magazine is described above.
Our Assessment: The Hi-Power was John M. Browning’s final pistol design, completed after his death by Dieudonné Saive at Fabrique Nationale and introduced in 1935, when Belgium adopted it as its service pistol. Its 13-round magazine, nearly twice the capacity of its contemporaries, gave the design its name. After Germany occupied Belgium in May 1940, the FN works at Herstal were put to work for the Wehrmacht, and the Hi-Power was produced under German supervision as the 9mm Pistole 640(b), with Waffenamt acceptance stamps applied by German inspectors. More than 300,000 were made for German forces before the liberation of Belgium in September 1944. Once the plain numeric serials were exhausted, production moved to suffixed serial blocks, with the “a” block falling in 1943, and late-war pistols were inspected under WaA140.
This “a” block example carries the FN slide legend, a “WaA140” acceptance stamp on the front of the slide, eagle stamps on the slide, frame, and barrel, and matching “41782a” serial numbers on the slide, frame, and barrel. It has been refinished and retains about 96% of that strong blue, the 8/10 bore is bright with sharp rifling, and the action functions correctly. A modified front blade and a fully adjustable white-outline rear sight give it a practical sight picture, while the checkered wood grips and the accompanying leather flap holster round out an appealing package. For collectors of the Hi-Power or of German occupation small arms, this serial-matched 1943 Pistole 640(b) is a handsome, well-presented example. Please see our photos for a better understanding of the condition and good luck with your bids! – L.S.