Browning Hi Power Walnut Grips

In 1925 Fabrique National asked John Browning to design a new automatic pistol to their specifications. The pistol was designed shortly before Browning's death in 1926. In 1935, FN offered a 13-shot 9mm in two variations, the ordinary model with fixed sights, and the "adjustable rear sight model" which also had provisions for the attachment of a combination holster/shoulder stock. The French and Belgian governments bought the adjustable sight model, the Lithuanian and Romanian governments bought the ordinary model. During WWII, the pistol was manufactured under German supervision for German military use. The quality of the German-produced guns is poorer than that of guns produced before or after. In 1943, production of the pistol was begun in Canada for the Canadian, British, Australian, Greek and Chinese governments. Some Canadian-produced guns were made with alloy frames for weight reduction. After WWII, the pistol was manufactured by FN for the Belgian, Danish and British armies, and since 1953 has been commercially available in the U.S. Other variations of both FN and John Inglis Canadian models were produced, including model MP, a fully automatic version.