benc
Member
Posts: 2
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Post by benc on Jul 5, 2021 21:02:37 GMT -5
Hi all. I found this site after starting to investigate what i think is a Browning HP that i inherited from my grandfather. He brought it back after the war, and it stayed in his drawer for the rest of his life. Fabrique Herstal Belgique. Appears to have a Lufwaffe Eagle engraved on slide. Serial #9497 with a cursive letter/symbol after the SN. No sight rail. Exposed hammer. Wood grips. Trigger is a sliver/ half moon, not the kind that recesses back into the grip. Not sure how to post pictures. Id really love confirm what i think i know, and to learn more about this piece of history. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.
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benc
Member
Posts: 2
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Post by benc on Jul 5, 2021 21:04:51 GMT -5
Correction. No adjustable site rail. Simple V-style/military sights.
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Post by tnorris on Jul 6, 2021 9:47:09 GMT -5
Hello and welcome to the forum. Without pictures it's difficult to identify what you have. I purchased a GI bring-back Occupation High Power a couple years ago... searched the internet and bought a couple very nice books on High Powers to get an idea of when it was made. This morning I found a rather concise post at LugerForums which will help get you started. It is post #4 at the following link: www.lugerforums.com/threads/hi-power-information-German-marked.20177/
*If I interpret the list correctly, the fields are: Year Produced / SR# Start - Finish / Waffenmacht / number produced.
In years where multiple Waffenmacht codes were used, there is also an annual total (1941, 1943, 1944).
If the cursive letter following the serial number is " a " it was made in 1943 or early 1944. If it is " b " it is from 1944.
Mine is marked WaA140 / 25342 a , which would indicate it was #32,542 (25,342+7,200) of 101,000 High Powers produced under occupation in 1943. Presuming a steady rate of production at 1942.3 pistols per week, mine could have been produced on April 27, 1943, or more roughly, springtime of 1943. A song from "The Producers" with Zero Mostel comes to mind :-).
Cheers,
Tim
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