Custom FN Browning Hi-Power 9mm Bar-Sto Barrel Semi-Automatic Pistol, 1979
SOLD FOR: $2,825.00
LSB#: 240402MI002
Make: Browning; Made by FN in Belgium
Model: Customized Hi-Power
Serial Number: 245RN14863
Year of Manufacture: 1979
Caliber: 9mm Luger
Action Type: Single Action Semi-Auto with Removable Magazine
Barrel Length: 4 5/8” Bar-Sto Barrel
Sights/Optics: The front sight is a Novak’s blade with a recessed white dot and is dovetailed to the slide. The rear sight is a Novak’s square notch with two flanking recessed white dots and is dovetailed to the slide.
Stock Configuration and Condition: The grips are Craig Spegel checkered cocobolo. The front and back strap have been stippled. The checkering is sharp and there are no chips or cracks. The grips rate in about Excellent condition.
Type of Finish: Blue & Matte Blue
Finish Originality: Original to Customization
Bore Condition: The bore is bright and the rifling is sharp. There is no erosion. In this writer’s opinion, the bore rates 10 out of 10.
Overall Condition: This pistol retains about 97% of its custom metal finish. There are some faint streaks on the slide and some faint thinning on some of the edges. The serrations are sharp. The action has faint operational wear. The screw heads are sharp and the pins are clean. The markings are clear. Overall, this pistol is in about Fine-Plus condition as customized.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. There is no perceptible play between the slide and frame. The magazine disconnect has been removed. We have not fired this pistol. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork, and Accessories: This pistol comes with four 13-round magazines. Please note, no magazine will be included where prohibited by law.
Our Assessment: The Browning Hi-Power is a single-action, semi-automatic handgun available in the 9mm and .40 S&W calibers. It was based on a design by American firearms inventor John Browning, and completed by Dieudonné Saive at Fabrique Nationale (FN) of Herstal, Belgium. Browning died in 1926, several years before the design was finalized. FN Herstal initially named the design the “High Power”, which alludes to the 13-round magazine capacity, almost twice that of other designs at the time, such as the Luger or Colt M1911.
This is a customized Hi-power that features beautiful Spegel cocobolo grips, a Bar-Sto barrel, Novak’s sights, stippled grip straps, and the addition of a beavertail to eliminate the hand pinch that Hi-Powers are sometimes known to do. This beautiful pistol retains about 97% of its custom finish and is in about Fine-Plus condition. The bore is bright and the trigger breaks crisp. To put the icing on the cake, it is private party transferrable, so don’t sleep on this one CA residents! Please see our photos and good luck!
-Greenfield