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Post by redd73 on Jan 17, 2022 20:12:53 GMT -5
I have just purchased one with serial number 1t99xx. Anything you all can tell me about this guns story would be wonderful.
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Post by ToddSig on Jan 17, 2022 21:35:02 GMT -5
Welcome to HPC redd. Congratulations on your Hi Power purchase. Post some images of the pistol and proof markers. With that we should be able to get you some good detailed info.
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Post by redd73 on Jan 17, 2022 21:41:46 GMT -5
Don’t know how to do that
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Post by ToddSig on Jan 17, 2022 22:08:27 GMT -5
Use the reply button, then top right corner is an attachment button, click on that, then the + button to upload the images, limited to 3.
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Post by redd73 on Jan 18, 2022 9:10:16 GMT -5
I had to crop it so they would let it post.
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Post by ToddSig on Jan 18, 2022 17:37:05 GMT -5
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Post by CXM on Jan 19, 2022 9:14:39 GMT -5
Even the Reader's Digest version of the history of the Inglis HP is somewhat complicated, but I'll try to give you s short summary.
In 1940 the German army over ran Belgium... including the big FN plant. As the Germans approached, some of the FN management and engineers fled Belgium to England taking with them a set of engineering drawings for the HP pistol and a semi auto rifle they were working on at the time. This rifle was later introduced after WWII as FN's first semi auto rifle and was adopted by a number of countries.
When the FN group got to England they discovered the British were not very interested in trying to transition to a new semi rifle in the midst of a war... but they were very interested in a modern pistol for their forces.
To cut this short, after some wrangling and negotiating it was decided the HP would be produced for Empire forces... but there were no production facilities available in the UK so it was decided to make the HP in Canada... at John Inglis a heavy industrial company.
Because the engineering drawings were done in metric measure and becuase Inglis was set up to use Imperial (and Armstrong) measure converting the engineering drawings to English measure and tooling up to produce the HP was complicated and took a lot more time than expected. Production didn't really get going until 1944... about 4 years after Belgium was occupied by the Germans. Why they didn'g just buy some metric tools escapes me... but I digress.
Early on Inglis contracted to produce HPs for China as well as Empire forces. As production increased, the Empire forces liked the gun very much... and later the Chinese contract terminated and you see some HPs in the west with Chinese markings. The UK and Canada were the principal users of the Inglis HP, but Australia also used them in quantity too.
FN made HPs in Belgium for use by the German forces until the Allies re-captured Belgium in 1944. The HP was extremely popular with the SS.
After the war the Brits adopted the Inglis HP asa their offical sidearm eventually replacing the Webley and Enfield reolvers. Later on the Brits bought Belgian HPs.
So that is a short history.
FWIW
Chuck
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