This is a really roundabout way for Ian to say he got a new Bronco.

I wish they would have called it the Hi-Power II to acknowledge it's not just an update, but a materially different pistol.

Almost positive that Browning would have loved the fact that people updated and optimized his design to push even more performance out of it over 100 years later.

I like how Ian is immune to nostalgia and accepts good changes.

I believe if Browning were around today, he'd be playing with plastics. And would always be improving his design. Plastic frame? Striker fired? Rails? Who knows what he would do. I like the changeable grips. Make different back straps, different beavertails? It could be fun to play with and customize.

A note on the old broncos suspension being rough. When it came out the tires it was designed to use had higher sidewalls. Combine that with lower tire pressure and you get a pretty comfortable ride.

A long ago friend was one of the first people that I knew to concealed carry, he had a double shoulder holster with two high powers one under each armpit. Following his lead I started carrying a P-38 and extra mags. I miss my friend and still wish I had him at my side.

I find side by side comparisons like this fascinating. It's always interesting to see someone try to manufacture a new version of one of the oldest and most popular somethings.

I find it interesting to note that the high power as originally designed by John Moses Browning was I think a 16 round gun. Daive savon is the one who really should get the credit for the high power as it was finally produced which was dramatically different.

A propos FN: I was in Liège last weekend and went to the Curtius Arms Collection, saw a couple of the pieces you did videos about, amazing experience!

They made it bigger to be a 1:1 recreation of the 9mm pistol from new Vegas

I used the browning hp on active duty and never had a problem with it , it never caused my hands to be sore or drew blood and we spent 1-2 days a month on the range going through different scenarios on what we might encounter. But not everyone is the same we all have different ways of holding a weapon. Still my favourite pistol from all the ones I have fired. Ian that was a great video of an iconic weapon please keep up the great work your doing, from a UK 🇬🇧 veteran. 🇬🇧🇺🇸🇬🇧🇺🇸🇬🇧🇺🇸

I always wanted a High Power and I wanted it without the magazine safety and with a hammer that doesn't bite. What FN created is an entirely different gun. It's not svelte like the P-35. It has a lot of modern features and sure it's nice to have another choice in your buying decision. The Springfield clone works for me. It has the features I wanted.

A comparison of the new Springfield and the FN would be interesting.

The 15rd Mecgar magazines for the original High Powers are flawless in my experience with a FN Browning and an Argentine FMAP.

Browning was an innovative designer. He didn't like criticism but he was all about incremental improvement. Look at the steps he took to get to the 1911. Thanks Ian.

I just miss the high gloss finish. I know glossy guns are the antethisis of modern style, but the glossy mark 3 high powers are just gorgeous.

Small correction. The original Hi Power does not have a flat main spring as stated in this video. It has a flat sear spring, but the main spring is a coil spring captured on the hammer strut with a small pin and retainer.

I wasn't enamored of everything on my Browning HP (I bought it in 1981 and immediately got rid of the magazine safety). I love the feel of the gun and as Ian has said it's a svelte design, with a narrow frame, and aesthetically pleasing. A couple of years ago I had it upgraded with new sights (the old sights suck), a Type III variation upgrade, and a Safety Fast System (SFS) (developed at FN and installed by BHSpring Solutions) that allows me to carry it loaded with the hammer down and reengage the hammer by disengaging the safety. It shoots much better and it's easier to carry without the hammer snagging. I like the new Springfield HP variation (I'll probably buy one in the near future) and this new FN version looks interesting also. There is no perfect gun, and any design can be improved. (Some designs are eternal like the 1911, but still can be improved).

The grip size was the soul of the pistol.

I still think the CZ-75 is the hi-power perfected.

To me, the chunkiness ruins the aesthetic, which is the only reason to get this gun. For a big, heavy, hammer-fired, metal-framed “duty” pistol you have nice, smooth-shooting options at lower prices, like the CZ-75 or Berettas. And if you want to go full Browning fun-factor just shoot a 1911! Overall I think this brings nothing to the table and won’t be a success.

I had a browning High Power some forty years ago. I'd never owned a semi-auto an I was impressed at how sweet she handled. Accuracy was very impressive as well. I sometimes wish I'd held on to it.

I’ve learned a lot from you. From how the different weapons were developed to some of characters who came up with them. If Browning was still alive today my guess is that he’d say “Cool, why didn’t I think of that!”

That removable backstrap is begging for some sort of retro looking stabilizing device!🤔

Depression from Canada.

The more I watch these videos about the Hi-Power, either old ones or the new and improved ones, I want one. Also because I have a Star BM and a 1911. Im convinced the BM is a blend of Hi-Power and 1911. The collector in me really wants an example of each.

I used 80's FN high-power during my army servise 03-04. Loved it even though it was worn and torn and rattled like hell. Still no malfunctions ever. Nice to see back!

Very interesting to see all these changes. Certainly can't blame FN for wanting to modernize given how many old production High Powers are out there. I have a Springfield SA-35 that has some of these same improvements (no mag safety, shortened hammer, bigger sights) but keeps most of the aesthetic elements and frame size from the original. It's quickly become my favorite range pistol, and I'd definitely recommend it for anybody who likes the idea of a new production High Power but thinks FN took this version a little too far.

Like the evolution of most things, the item inevitably becomes larger. I can remember when a Mini Cooper would fit in the bed of a pick-up, now those vehicles are only Mini in name. Insert something about trading the soul of the item for the sake of comfort, cheaper manufacturing efforts and feature creep...

What I really love about the Hi-Power is the grip. It fits my hand so well, it almost seems to aim itself. Very, very nice. I'm not sure that the new model will have that same feel. But I'm willing to check it out.

It looks like they needed the "thumbprint" because that disassembly lever needs to pass through that when it swivels.

I personally think almost everything here could've been done with a "Mk4" design: change the hammer, get rid of the magazine disconnect, add an optics cut, give us a light rail, and maybe do something about that trigger. This new gun's existence isn't blasphemous, just pointless.

I appreciate this detailed review and that FN is "modernizing" the classic. However, I'll stick to my old MkII. It was my first duty piece when, back in the late '80s I first started toting a pistol along with a badge. It's been through a LOT of training and a LOT of rounds and has always had a good trigger. Use and some work by a talented but sadly late local gunsmith improved that to a really good trigger. It's still very accurate, reliable, and compact enough to tote (assuming I'm compelled to carry a full weight pistol with lots of sharp edges). It's great to see the Hi-Power hasn't died so much as evolved, but I'll stick to my classic, thank you. ;)

Learner pistol shooting with this 50 years ago, courtesy of HMRNZN, at Wangaparoa, aged 17. Loved just about everything about it - grip, balance, ease of use, simple dis-assembly, even the sight picture was good for 30 yards. Kept using it when I left Navy, at local pistol club, but at 50m competition range, with rebuilt sights - great gun. New model looks to be a great improvement with the few flaws ironed out. Well done.

As a UK viewer I'm amazed at the complexity and ingenuity of these firearms.

Thanks for walking us through both the pistols.

That is what I consider a 'resto-mod' pistol: Looks like a classic pistol, but tactfully updated to a modern standard. I like it!

Thank you for the comparison, I was curious about the new version and this helps me decide to add one to the collection in the future.

Love the SA-35. This "new" gun from FN should have received its own nomenclature.

It would have been nice to see them do a full tactical version with an Optics Mount and a rail. However I don't think they want anything in their catalog to compete with the 509 series of handguns, so we probably won't see it.

My only real complaint is I'd rather have wood grip panels, but that's just me being weird (I don't like the brown plastic. A different color even would be fine with me, just that brown doesn't sit well for some reason). Otherwise I think this is a brilliant update. It's not like John Browning considered his designs sacred.

The one thing I'm not fond of is the extra width, which in reality is a minor complaint. I like the narrower form factor of the older ones more for my small hands

Thanks for this video, Ian. I'm a traditionalist, but even I can see the logic behind the re-design of the Browning High Power. Many years ago, I owned an Inglis Browning I picked up abroad, when I was still a schoolboy. Where my father was serving at the time - in the 1950's - WW2 firearms were lying around everywhere and you just took your pick. My Inglis was of WW2 vintage - but without the Tangent Rear Sight and no shoulder stock - and someone in the know, showed me how to remove the Magazine Safety, which greatly improved the trigger. Having smallish hands, I never experienced any hammer bite problems, even when I grew up. Over the years, I made a number of minor mods to it, by replacing the Front Sight and widening the slot in the Rear Sight. Being English, I finally 'lost' the Inglis in 1996, following the Dunblane Massacre, when H.M. Government confiscated all our handguns. If I were in a position to replace it, I would probably buy the Springfield Armoury SP-35, just because I am a traditionalist; a case of 'The Devil You Know'.

The original Hi Power is one that I would like to add to my collection. I do not see this new design as hurting the original in any way. It is little more than a tribute to the original. By the way I daily drive a old classic Ford Bronco. It is used for a work vehicle and although fully restored 20 years ago, shows its use. Yes, it is bumpy, loud and hot in summer.

I like the concept, and I'm sure it will do well. If anyone wants a truly high-end new-production Hi Power, the bespoke British gunmaker Longthorne is now making a couple of stunning options. Full custom scrollwork engraving, very fancy walnut grips, etc.

Tremendous review as always. Great content and even better is your presentation!

Thanks to Ian for a comprehensive comparison. Many of us who served in Commonwealth counties have an original for nostalgic reasons. Mine still shoots accurately and reliably even with the magazine disconnect (although this makes clearing the gun problematic at some competitions, even if you care a spare empty mag). For all the updates I’m surprised that single action was not replaced by double action. There was a DA Hungarian version from, I think, the late sixties. The significant increase in width doesn’t seem like an improvement, nor would it appear necessary. Nostalgia has a shelf life, old soldiers fade away and while it is nice to see both the FN and SA versions pay homage to a veteran design it’s hard to think that there will be much of a market for this in a world with so many reliable, accurate, much simpler and likely less expensive DA pistols.

My first handgun ever back in the early 2000's was a Hi-Power. I still love them and have a Charles Daly copy, but there are definitely things I don't like about it. It would seem this new version fixes those issues, I'm all for it. Expensive, but it's not like I'm going to buy 10 of them. I hope they do well.

That is a lot of improvement. If they ever make one with tangent sights, I'll buy one immediately. Yeah, I know, those sights aren't as good, but I must have the gun from Tin-Tin.

Thank you for your time posting this interesting information.

I have purchased two Browning Hi-Powers in my lifetime. I gave my original broken in 1969 pistol to a good friend in Las Vegas for her protection, as a Christmas gift. I purchased the relatively rare 2017 Digi-Camo model and I ;love it! It outshoots the Glock 17 Generation 5 that I also bought a few years ago. I would buy the new High- Power if I were buying a new one today, but I would replace the plastic part inside the gun with a metal part, as it became available.

FINALLY a new pistol I am interested in

8:43 I heard a story from an ex army guy that the notorious lynching of two British soldiers in NI in the 80's was due to the mag release safety. The story told to me was that when the soldiers car got boxed in, the soldier armed with the Hi power had sat on the gun for concealment and when he attempted to pull the gun for defence, the mag fell out. If this safety worked, I'm guessing even a round in the chamber wouldn't be able to be fired.

I just love to watch a pro at work!: cocks the hammer to demonstrate the trigger pull (quickly checks the chamber), pulls the trigger. Even though he knows the gun is empty and the magazine is out. I'm sure he checked it before filming too, just out of habit.

I had an American commercial market Hi-Power in the 70’s, a mildly ‘smithed one in the 90’s. I really want another. This is fascinating and sort of makes me want the new one, too. But I want that slim, elegant original. I really appreciate the breakdown and size comparison.

The big question is how the new pistol feels in your hand. The best thing about the original hi-power was (and still is) how easily it fell to hand. FN can put as many updated parts on the gun as they want, if it doesn't replicate the feel of the original Browning, it's a waste of money.

You've heard of High Power, get ready for Higher Power!

Ian - Curses, your review has put yet another pistol on my “one day” list! Great review and comparison of the Browning & FN Hi Powers!

The flat spring behind the magazine in the older High Powers is the sear spring, the hammer spring was always a coil spring.

Having gone thru the police academy in 1986 with a High power mark III, loved it and still have it today; I think the new FN is a great pistol and pays homage to JMB while giving us a new and improved version.

Good overview/ C&C. An additional point on the new gun's trigger transfer bar: it incorporates a firing pin block safety. Expecting they will drop an optics ready & railed Tactical in next year or two. Should kind of plug the gap between the CZ & 2011 platforms.

Well I have had 3 HP's and all of them had coil hammer springs. If you don't believe me look it up on the Browning HP Mk3 parts diagram. I can't believe that FN went to the trouble of remaking this pistol without redesigning it to use the 1911 stirrup type trigger. It could easily have been done as witnessed by several double stack 45's like Paraordance. Especially as the rear of the grip now dissembles like a 1911.

That thing looks like it was cast/machined in the Khyber Pass on a Friday afternoon and the dude almost just threw it in the scrap pile before saying fuck it, he's got quotas to meet.

It is always good to put in the market a new design, even if a refined in the details one. So long as the ballistics and ergonomics are improved

Ok I get the Bronco analogy and I'm on the side of I'll stick with my old Bronco. It was real, and tough, and it took me everywhere. I hate the new Bronco. I like the idea of the new FN High Power. I've reached a moral divide.

I love the look of the old high power, the only thing I really dislike about this gun is the larger ejection port as that is very much part of the iconic look for me but I don't mind this gun being different, thanks for the in depth comparison!

I like the new FN. I wish it was thinner, but I like it as a new platform. I'm looking forward to an A1 with a light rail, optics-ready, threaded barrel, and I'm already thinking about how the 3D Printing community is going to use that backstrap function for braces.

If no one wanted to pay $1,000 for a Hi-Power, I fail to see how re-designing it and charging $1,300 was a good idea. Any other hammer-fired design at that price is going to be a much better pistol.

I think it's kinda odd the kept the old external features that no longer serve much purpose. The sides of the pistol look rather cluttered. Still, I'm kinda happy a modernized hi power exists.

I bought one of the Springfield Armory's SA35's and I'm quite satisfied with it. Springer did a lot of product improvements on the SA35 such as better sites. They also did away with the magazine disconnector. And they eliminated the hammer bite problem.

04:00 LOL ... i drove a '71 bronco for three years in yuma, arizona. towel on the seats, towel on the steering wheel. i once drove that bronco from fort bragg to yuma proving grounds in three days.

I wanna like the new one, but I really think that one of the appeals was how svelte it was. I can get the thicker grip (longer, less, so) but ot sure I get why the slide needed to get fatboyed?

There's a lot to like here, it looks like they put a lot of thought into upgrading this. I'm not sure what to think about the increase in dimensions, especially width, but I'm reserving judgment until I can try one.

I have a Girsan Hipower. In 1970 I joined the Royal Marines and one day at the range I had a pistol stuck in my hand, told to point down range and shoot it. Blood running down my hand. In the 1980’s I bought a used hipower, nickel plated just for nostalgia reasons. Paid £200 I think. When we had surrender them I think I was compensated the same. If I had it today I understand it would be worth some $5,000. Now living in Wyoming I bought the Girsan. I like it as a full-size carry Gun. It conceals well, shoots well (with the mag disconnect removed). It is simple and does not have extras to get in the way like my S&W M&Ps, both of which shoot great but an all steel gun gives me more confidence in an extreme situation. You don’t have time for fancy sights and add-ons. Fairbairn taught point shooting when getting the perfect sight picture is a luxury. I wish I had the original but I think the Girsan is better, and better than the SA35 also.

My first job as a machinist was with Beretta USA, back in the early 90’s, & the slide line was still a series of conventional machines doing a single operation. The barrel line was primarily CNC machines, the frame line was a little of both.

I once owned a surplus Hi-Power used by the German Police. I loved the slender slide but not the magazine safery feature. I believe that Springfield has done a better upgrade keeping the HiPower size with their improvments than FN has done. Time will tell...

I am genuinely excited to get my hands on one of those, I’ve never heard any of this controversy it’s causing before. Still have yet to see one come to our shop though.

I imagine the new one is thicker because they’re using a simpler locking system, there’s less material around the lug so it needs to more material. The ejection port lugs have trade offs

I loved the Browning Hi-Power as a service sidearm and this just looks like everything I loved with icing on the cake

I wish you would do a video on the recently forgotten FNS9. It was rather interesting. With several models, being used by several major police departments. The odd nyc police mishandling that resulted in a recall, the changing in manufacturing techniques resulting from that recall. There would be a lot of talking points. Ive had one for 6 years and it has been flawless and a great shooter.

My take on these new Hi-Powers: neither change the right things. Yes, it's good they keep the aesthetics, but they need to add some rails and provision for sight mounting. That, I think, would be a huge improvement. Yet neither the Springfield nor the FN do this. Without that, I think these guns will be kneecapped for serious use. EDIT: As to whether it is a "blasphemy against the original," Browning and Saive designed practical, working firearms. It seems a shame to not follow the spirit in which they were invented as well as surface aesthetics. I want a Hi-Power that looks and feels as much like the original that has as many modern features as possible. And honestly, if you live in a state with magazine restrictions, an optic and less weight makes me lean towards the Springfield.

I think it's great, I was talking to a friend about the VW Beetle 1936 to 1976 small upgrade as better designs were found, but always got the job done. Aftermarket you could get anything from a 40 hp to 234 hp long block. It was up to you. VW even considered wet heads on the Bug to keep them quiet, but the Rabbit just fixed every American Governmental complaint, and safety regulation. My favorite ideation of a original 1974 Bug, was one with a ducted radiator on the roof, with a Turbo Diesel Ribbit engine on the stock Bug transaxle. She was getting 73 MPG, with real heat inside for winter, and AC for summer. But then VW sold 40 million Rabbits in the first 2 years in America. Proof that there's lots of room for upgrades, BUT a clean sheet of paper well executed design, will always win the battle.

Ever since this hurricane started, I have had a consistent image of Ian's face in the eye of the storm, bellowing "Welcome back to Forgotten Weapons "

What's sad about the Hi-Power is that I feel FN never tried to breathe new life into it ever since the Mark III was introduced in '88. The 1911 has remained a viable product for Colt because they've looked over the years at the modifications custom gunsmiths have been making to it and gradually incorporated these into their base models, offering the consumer a more and more refined pistol straight out of the box. Likewise, there have been plenty of custom gunsmiths over the decades whose work on the Hi Power FN could've drawn inspiration from, and more recently, the Hi-Powers produced by Nighthawk were probably the pinnacle of the design. If FN could've offered something similar at a substantially lower price, thus putting it within the reach of the ordinary shooter, I'm sure the Hi-Power could've enjoyed renewed interest and lived on as a successful product for many more decades.

I like the updates in concept, but I do wish they went further with it. As is, it’s a bit half and half. It modernized enough internals to make it incompatible with any aftermarket accessories, but didn’t add things like a picatinny light rail or a red dot mount, which is a little strange. Contrast that with double stack 1911s that still retain some accessories compatibility while also having light rails and red dot mounts.

It's a very cool update to the design, I hope it's successful enough to continue production.

My Girsan P35 PI never bites me, i do have smaller hands. I also can't imagine needing more than 15 rounds. They do sell 21s that stick out the bottom if someone really wants it. Girsan also sells an upgraded version called the OPS that updates the Hi Power without changing what it is at it's core. Beavertail for you big handed and high gripping shooters, sight rail, optic mount, mag interlock delete.

The shoulder stock was the first thing I thought about when you showed the removable back strap. If we could get rid of the NFA that would be so cool to have.

I think a modern production of the Hi Power makes sense for them. I like a lot of the small changes they made. One thing that does not work for me though is the size. I understand they wanted higher capacity, but this thing is down right chunky. Even if I would have to give up a few rounds of capacity, I would want something closer to the original size.

Thanks a lot, Ian! Not only do you have me slobbering for a new High Power, but you have me looking on my Pistole 640(b) (which I used to treasure) with scorn! Hopefully, FN has seen your video and will update this model with an optics cut to compete with the Girsan that is getting all the attention now. When that happens, I'll be $1400 poorer.

Just wanted to say thanks for adding subtitles in every video so some folks can enjoy.

I am not 'Downing' the new pistol. It has a lot of things already that I used to do to them. The big thing about that is a lot of people aren't gunsmiths and couldn't do, what I used to do. I would grab the Brownell's book (yes, this was before an Internet) and order (5) 15 round magazines, a set of full checkered wooden grips, a 'Wolf' spring set, the cheapest 1911 beavertail and a new ejector. I would disassemble the pistol and weld the last 1/4-3/8 of an inch of the beavertail to the frame, disable the magazine safety (and perform a good trigger job at the same time), install the new ejector and spring kit, open up the ejection port some (nothing like the new one) and then run a few hundred rounds through it. The gun got tore down, cleaned, refinished and the new grips installed. I always started with a late 70s vintage Hi Power so the sights were already pretty good. Based on what I was working with, I sometimes opened up the rear sight notch just a little... I liked the size of the original but like you said the pistols had a few short comings. The replacement ejector was a tiny bit bigger than the original one and gave a much better 'throw' to the case with the bigger port (and to me the bigger port was mandatory). I remember handling a number of Hi Powers that would not eject loaded rounds (some would poorly but on most of them the bullet would hit the front of the ejection port and it was luck whether it dropped inside or outside of the weapon...). It seems like what FN did isn't a bad thing for most people. I don't think I will be buying one though. For Me personally, I liked the 'Slim' lines of the original one. I liked the handling and I liked the way it carried in the small of my back. Anyway, Nice Video about a pretty cool weapon, especially for the folks who aren't equipped or inclined to do the work I described. Ya'll Take Care and be safe, John

Single action is great. The trigger transfer bar is suspect. It is obviously wider. I'm hoping it feels as nice in the hand as the original.

I have one of the last original HiPowers, but there is no hammer bite at all... And my AD removed the no magazine 'safety' which made me a very happy owner. Also, it was fully made and assembled in Herstal (not Portugal or US).

"Bless them, they have gotten rid of the magazine safety" Could not have said it better myself Gun Jesus

I was showing off my new Glock 48 with 15 round Shield mags to an old timer. He was jealous for about a week about that high capacity in a gun smaller than a 1911 Commander. Then he ordered custom 15 round magazines for his High Power. Now we’re just about even again.

Like you, I find it curious that they retained the trigger design of the original. I've always thought it would be an improvement to use a 1911-type trigger in a HiPower. I don't know if it's feasible on the original design, but in the new one it could've been incorporated.

My FN High Power wish list; 1. An accessory rail. 2. Threaded barrel. 3. More back strap options. 4. Optics cut slide.

Your bronco analogy is awesome. I cant relate as i only drive classics but its fitting and undertandable