Browning Hi Power Update

WELCOME TO THE NO BS ZONE OF TEDDY JACOBSON
I want you to know that I correspond with people all over this planet. I know my area of expertise which is handgun actions but I do not always know the very history in detail about certain handguns. The difference with me is that when I do not know, I WILL TELL YOU THAT, "I DO NOT KNOW"

I have been corresponding with a man in Switzerland, his name is AUBERT LAURENT, he is a European and a very nice man. He sent me a commentary about the final design of the Browning Hi Power Pistol and I sent this commentary to Mr. Stephen Camp to get his opinion. Mr. Camp (BHP EXPERT) is a far better expert than I am on the original design procedure of the BHP.
This following commentary has been read by myself and Mr. Camp who has told me this is all true and so I must write it and thank Mr. Laurent for his kindness in sending it to me.
All credit goes to him and Mr. Camp.
In this case I am just the messenger.

Mr. Dieudonne' Saive was a Belgian Engineer working for the Fabrique National in HERSTAL, near Liege. He collaborated quite a bit with John M. Browning who already designed weapons for FN since the beginning of the 20 th century.

At the beginning of the 1920's, the French Army planned to acquire a new modern handgun. During World War I, French Soldiers were equipped with revolvers, some of which were Ruby Revolvers that were made in Spain and they purchased large quantities of Star Firearms. They were supposed to equal the LUGER in power. These rquirements were to be a high capacity of 15 shots and were to be chambered in 9mm parabellum caliber, it was supposed to be fitted with a shoulder stock when needed.

FN recognized the importance of this project, the concept was exceptable and they turned it over to their top design engineer, Mr. Saive to design the large capacity they required. Mr. Saive developed it by modifying a 1903 Browning pistol in 9 mm to accept a double stack magazine. One of these high capacity magazines in 9 mm was then sent to John M. Browning with specifications for the French requirements.

John Browning developed two proto types that had different breech lock systems. The one that FN sent to the French Army tests in 1923 was named "GRAND RENDEMENT". This prototype already had a pivoting trigger bar in the slide and an open unlocking ramp under the barrel, it was much bigger and heavier than the final HI POWER. The French rejected all the designs presented to the "CONCOURS DE PISTOLETS", the result was that they said the FN BROWNING was considered promising but needed additional refinements.

Mr Saive again took over the project as John Browning was very occupied with other projects, unfortunately Mr. Browning died a few years later with out having done any additional work to the GRAND RENDEMENT (GR). During the next 7 years Mr. Saive refined the "GR", he reduced the slide, the grip, and changed the cartridge capacity to 13 rounds which in turn reduced the pistols weight to the strict French requirements. At the end of the 1920's , as the patents of the Colt 1911 were mostly obsolete, he equipped the "GR" with a barrel bushing. On the final Prototype, he went back to the design of using a fixed barrel bushing and mr. Saive gave the grip the graceful backstrap, that most people fell in love with worldwide.

The production of the BHP was delayed until 1935, as Europe was struck by the great depression. When they finally began to sell the BHP, FN named it "GP35"
(GRANDE PUISSANCE = HIGH POWER) and the retained the name Browning as John Browning had a superb reputation in Europe as well as in America. In the end it was justified that Mr. Browning played a major role in the design and in reality the HP is a BROWNING. Ironically the French never adopted the BHP and Mr. Saive was always in the shadows and never received the notoriety that he deserved. During World War II , Mr. Saive escaped from Belgium with the blueprints of the High Power and he was instrumental in the manufacture in Canada at the JOHN INGLIS PLANT. Later Mr. Saive designed the FN1949 semi auto rifle and the FAL.

Please Note: We are all very grateful to Aubert Laurent for his bringing all this to my attention in the superb detail that he has. I did change some of the sentence structure a little, but basically it is almost identical to what I received.


AUTHORS PERSONAL NOTATION:
This commentary as well as all my personal commentaries was my decision to write as I saw fit, because this is part of history I have written what I believed to be true.


Teddy Jacobson / Pistolsmith
www.actionsbyt.com
281 277 4008
tjacobson@houston.rr.com
jaj45f@alltel.net
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