The
last creation of the
great gun inventor and
innovator John Moses Browning the
Browning Hi Power improved upon the
perceived shortcomings of his greatest invention the
m1911 pistol.
Though still a single action pistol, the Hi Power used a swivel type trigger. It was also chambered for the smaller, lighter, and faster cartridge the 9mmx19. Being a very robust design, the Hi Power was quickly adopted by many armies the world over and today, it still serves in the Israeli Defense Forces as a standard issued sidearm.
Do not be mislead by the name Hi Power as this does not mean a gun that fired very powerful ammunition but rather means a gun with a high capacity. Holding thirteen rounds in the magazine and one in the chamber it had double the capacity of the Colt 1911 which was chambered in the venerable .45 ACP.
The .45 ACP and the 9mmx19 (aka 9mm Luger, 9mm NATO, or just plain 9mm) being the two most popular autoloading pistol rounds in existence today make the ownership of at least one 1911 style pistol and one Hi Power style pistol a must in any decent gun collector's arsenal.
Perhaps the greater popularity of the m1911 pistol is because of the US Army's adoption of the Colt 1911 and not of the Hi Power which came much later.