Hi Power Q's

D

doubleaes2

New member
I just recently picked up a beat up Hi Power for a project. Can anyone tell me about this one? The S/N is A42xx, it says "FABRIQUE NATIONALE HERSTAL BELGIQUE" on the left side, the mag has the same serial as the gun, and whats left of the original finish looks like some kind of black enamel. Thanks for your time guys.
 
Definitely an oldie, the A prefix might indicate WW2 production under Nazi occupation.
My WW2 HP was 3 digits and a letter.

Belgian commercial guns did not use letters in the serial number until the 1960s, when the T series started.

Any other markings, eg. Patent Deposee below the FABRIQUE... line?
Any importer marks?
Any German military marks eg. Eagle over letter/number?
Is there a crest on the top?
LT
 
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Some pictures would definitely help; some post-war HPs had a black baked-on style of enamel finish. What sort of sights does it have? Does it have an ambidextrous safety?
 
The gun does not have any German marks that I recognize. There looks to be 2 proof marks on the frame below the slide stop, a square with a "C" in it on the left of the trigger guard where ti meets the frame, on the right side in the same position on the guard, there is an "AC" in an oval below a crown, and a sideways"K" next to it. Yes the gun has an ambi safety. On second thought, I think the ambi safety was added later, as someone trimmed the corner of the grip panel to get it to fit. The gun also has fixed military style sights. (tiny and hard to see)

The finish is horribly worn on this, it looks like someone had it in and out of a holster a billion times over its life span.
 
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Also, the barrel, frame, slide, and magazine all have the number 4253 stamped on them, each one directly above the other, ie, 1 on the barrel hood, 1 directly below the ejection port, and 1 below where the slide stop pin sticks out. This last one has the "A" prefix. I think i found an importer mark, looks like "GTM KINGSTON TN HP", on the bottom of the slide, parallel with the barrel.
 
Wonder if it is one of those imported Israeli Hi powers? I had one of those with the black poly finish but don't recall the serial number. Maybe the K on it is for "kosher"?:D The other Hi powers I have seen with black poly are Argentines, but they are not FN marked but country of origin. Unless you have huge hands, I always found that I liked the ultra thin profile grips that Brownells sells for it. They are some kind of black laminate or hard black stuff anyway. They can chip at the thin parts if whacked but are overall checkered and not nearly as fat as the wood grips.
 
Tom2 - the Israeli HPs (Kareems) are marked as such, the gun here has Belgian markings. The low serial number indicates commercial production, possibly before WW2.
Need to see pictures!
LT
 
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