Photographic Glossary of High Power Discussion Terms
Jun 21, 2017 16:41:48 GMT -5
coreman and cmatons like this
Post by jaypee on Jun 21, 2017 16:41:48 GMT -5
THE BROWNING HIGH POWER
In order to establish a common understanding about the subject of this Forum, we should first say that the technical and historical nomenclature of the gun this Forum is devoted to is the single-action semiautomatic pistol designed by John M. Browning and Dieudonné Saive, and first produced by Fabrique Nationale of Herstal, Belgium in 1935. Introduced as the Grande Puissance, and subsequently known as the Browning High Power, this pistol was later imported into the United States, beginning in 1954, by the Browning Arms Company, which called its offering the “Browning Hi-Power.”
PHOTOGRAPHIC GLOSSARY OF COMMON TERMS USED IN HI POWER DISCUSSIONS
“BEER CAN” REAR SIGHT- This sight is the first sight used on the Browning Hi Power Sport Model. It is formally known as the Type A adjustable sight. It is unique in that the rear sight “blade” is actually a laterally-mounted metal cylinder with a center sighting notch machined out of it. It is also unique in that it has two windage screws - In order to move the sight for windage, one screw is loosened while the opposing screw is tightened. There is no record of where the term “beer can” sight came from, but the prevailing opinion in the High Power community is that it is a reference to the cylindrical sight blade. This sight is a scaled-down version of a larger sight used on the Browning Lever Rifle for a time. It was also used on at least one other Browning Arms pistol.
The cylindrical rear sight known as the "Beer Can" rear sight. This one is on a 1979 BHP Sport Model.
CAST FRAME AND FORGED FRAME – For most of its history the Browning High Power was made with a machined, forged frame. But with the advent of the .40 caliber High Power, the battering the .40 S&W dished out to the High Power’s frame was just too much for the forged frame to bear over the course of a normal service life. So, the frame had to be strengthened, and the cast frame offered the best solution. The production of cast frames appears to have begun in 1993 in both the 9mm and .40 caliber High Power pistols. All current Browning High Power pistols are being made with cast frames. A cast frame can be identified by the grooves or ripples in the bottom of the grip frame, as shown on the pistol on the right in the photograph.
Photograph used by permission of Mrs. Steven A. Camp.
The functional advantage of a cast frame over a forged frame is that stronger steel alloys( can be used in the castings, whereas when tougher steels are used in forged receivers, machining becomes extremely difficult and drives up costs. Castings are not only stronger, but reduce the number of machining operations down to an economical level, thus providing another good reason for their use. Note: The Browning High Power is no longer being made in .40 S&W caliber.
“DISASSEMBLY NOTCH” – Sometimes referred to as the “half-moon cut,” “thumb print,” or “thumb print depression,” the disassembly notch was a small, sculpted, semi-circular, partial cutout in the right side of the lower slide just to the rear of the front frame edge. Its purpose was to aid in the removal of the slide stop when the slide was locked to the rear. Introduced on the original P-35 pistol, the notch remained a feature of the gun until 1962, when it was eliminated as a cost saving measure.
This is a classic BHP with the disassembly notch, hump and bump sights, rowel hammer, undoubtedly the small factory safety, and internal extractor.
“FACTORY AMBIDEXTROUS SAFETY” – This refers to the FN extended ambidextrous safety first seen in the High Power Mk II in 1981. It is the only safety lever used on current production Browning High Power pistols
A right side view of the BHP ambidextrous safety lever on a Mk. III BHP.
“FIRING PIN SAFETY” – This is a device that blocks the firing pin to prevent it from moving forward and firing the pistol unless the trigger is pulled. It resets automatically after every shot. The firing pin safety was introduced to the Browning High Power pistol in the Mk II version of 1988. However, some authorities maintain that it was introduced in a special police version of the Mk. III called the MK.IIIS in January, 1989. It remains in production in all Browning High Power pistols today.
This photo shows the revised sear lever and the machine cut needed to accomodate the new firing pin safety.
“HOG NOSE BUSHING” – First introduced in 1973, the extended barrel bushing at the front of the slide, informally known to enthusiasts as the “Hog Nose Bushing,” is believed to have been intended to provide additional protection to the vulnerable crown of the barrel. There is some conjecture among enthusiasts that it was also intended to reduce production costs by eliminating a machining step. It was eliminated with the introduction of the Hi Power Mk III in 1989.
The "Hog Nose Bushing" extending well forward of the barrel crown, protecting it from damage.
“HUMPED FEED RAMP” – This term describes a curvature in the face of the feed ramp of High Power pistols that resembles a “hump” in the ramp. It was used for most of the High Power’s history – 47 years to be exact. The humped feed ramp is known to feed round-nose bullets reliably, but caused a number of misfeeds with the introduction of more truncated or blunt-nosed bullets. FN eliminated the feeding issues by straightening the ramp, introducing the new ramp contour with the Hi Power Mk II in 1981.
A 9mm BHP barrel with the "humped feed ramp."
“HUMP AND BUMP SIGHTS” – This is a term used to describe the miniscule military style pistol sights used on the Hi Power for much of its service history – both as a military pistol and as a commercial offering. The same term is also frequently used to describe the sights of M1911 pattern pistols. This feature was updated with improved sights on the Hi Power Mark II in 1981, but continued in service on the Vigilante until 1989.
A beautiful older model of the BHP equipped with the "Hump and Bump" sights.
INTERNAL EXTRACTOR AND EXTERNAL EXTRACTOR – The original P-35 extractor from 1935 was fitted into a tunnel in the right rear of the slide, running fore and aft. In 1962, as part of a cost saving program, the original internal extractor was replaced by the “FN Visible Extractor,” the factory’s term for what we know as the external extractor. The external extractor is fitted into a short, narrow slot in the slide at the rear of the ejection port and remains the standard High Power extraction system in use today.
Internal extractor seen from the rear. It is the cylindrical part just to the right of the hammer.
The external extractor is the horizontal part extending from the rear of the ejection port.
LANYARD RING – The lanyard ring on military and police pistols is simply a swiveling steel ring intended to allow the user to retain possession of the pistol in the heat of battle by attaching a cord or strap to it. The lanyard ring on the High Power pistol conforms to the common military/police pattern and placement at the bottom rear of the grip frame on the pistol’s left side. It is seen throughout the High Power’s history, both as a military/police option on some models and as a standard feature on others.
A typical BHP lanyard ring.
MAGAZINE BUMPER - A magazine bumper is a rubber protector conforming to the shape of the baseplate of a magazine. The purpose of this device is to protect an ejected magazine’s feed lips by adding weight to the base, causing the magazine to land on its bottom, not its top. They are often attached by adhesives as an aftermarket alteration, although certain pistol designs are equipped with them by manufacturers. In the Browning High Power line, magazine bumpers were provided by the factory on the Practical model and on the Silver Chrome model.
The BHP "Practical" and the Silver Chrome models were the only BHP's to be factory-equipped with magazine bumpers.
“MAGAZINE SAFETY” “MAGAZINE DISCONNECTOR,” AND “MAGAZINE DISCONNECT SAFETY.” ALSO “MDS.” – While P-35 enthusiasts have argued heatedly for years as to whether or not the magazine disconnect function is actually a safety, the term “magazine safety” is the term used by the factory and is the most correct term where technical accuracy is important. Given the long-standing, widespread use of both “magazine safety” and “magazine disconnector” to describe the same assembly, the two terms are functionally synonymous unless the discussion calls for complete technical accuracy, in which case “magazine safety” is the more accurate term.
The magazine safety as it appears with the trigger out of the gun and the magazine safety removed from the trigger.
It is the paddle/plunger/spring mechanism at the rear of the trigger.
Another term used by Hi Power enthusiasts is “Magazine Disconnect Safety,” abbreviated “MDS”. This is not an official FN or Browning term, but finds a good body of usage among enthusiasts and is quite descriptive. There appears to be no harm in using it except where technical accuracy is essential, in which case, as above, the term “magazine safety” is the most accurate term.
“MOUSE TRAP” MAGAZINE – This refers to a Browning Hi Power magazine fitted with a small “squared U”-shaped wire ejection spring at the bottom rear of the magazine body that is intended to facilitate rapid ejection of the magazine from the gun. This is needed because the magazine safety doubles as a magazine brake and holds a conventional magazine in the gun until it is manually pulled out - an unpopular feature with many American shooters. The ejection spring in the “mouse trap magazine” is compressed when the magazine is inserted into the magazine well. When the magazine release is pressed, the compressed spring ejects the magazine from the pistol. This spring is alternatively known as a “butterfly spring” by at least one well known authority – R. Blake Stevens, in his book “The Browning High Power Automatic Pistol.”
A BHP factory magazine with the "mouse trap" spring.
All 9mm and .40 caliber Browning High Power pistols built since 1993 have left the factory equipped with magazines having this feature.
“PRE-MK II HI-POWER” – Many of the copies of the Browning High Power, both license-built and unauthorized, entered production prior to the introduction of the Mk. II BHP. Writers commonly refer to them as “pre-Mk II Hi Powers.” While this can mean any High Power dating all the way back to 1935, the term is usually used within in the context of the FN model that was in production at the time the Mk II was introduced. It is not an official term used by FN or Browning Arms.
”RED BACK“GRIPS – This refers to a red colored preservative finish applied to the back of Browning High Power wooden grips. Unfortunately, this finish has also been applied to the grips of clones, so it cannot be considered as proof that a set of grips is genuine FN.
These red back grips are factory BHP issue.
ROUND vs. SQUARE BOLT CAM LUG – The Browning High Power bolt cam lug, as originally designed, had a circular or rounded end that engaged the crossbolt. This rounded design was found to be subject to breakage, and was changed to the current squared-off lug after roughly four years of production. The date of this change is not recorded, but is said to have been made in the “final days of the peacetime thirties.” It was the last prewar modification of the design.
The barrel at the bottom has the older rounded cam lug. The upper barrel has the updated square cam lug.
For the historians among us, the dimensions of the lug were changed in 1950, but it remained squared off.
“ROWEL HAMMER” OR “RING HAMMER” – The rowel hammer is said by some to have been named after the rowel on a cowboy’s spurs - a spiked revolving disk at the end of the spur. The rowel hammer has been known by a number of names – ring hammer, round hammer, burr hammer, skeletonized hammer, Commander hammer, and others. It was the standard hammer of the High Power pistol until replaced with the spur hammer in the Mark II pistol of 1981. FN later used the rowel hammer as a special feature of the MK III-based Practical and tangent-sighted Capitan models. Some say its purpose was originally to facilitate ease of cocking by mounted troops, while others say it is used on the High Power to minimize “hammer bite.” Still others say its purpose is to reduce snagging. Whatever its purpose, it enjoys an immense popularity in the Hi Power community.
A typical BHP rowel hammer.
A typical BHP rowel hammer.
SLOTTED BACKSTRAP – This term refers to a vertical slot machined into the backstrap of the pistol to facilitate the mounting of a shoulder stock, which also doubled as a holster in many cases. The detachable shoulder stock was used on a number of military pistols from the 1890’s through World War II and beyond as a means of extending the range and usefulness of service pistols by turning them into short carbines. In the Browning High Power line, the slotted backstrap and shoulder stock found use, both as an optional feature and a standard one, in a number of models over the years, beginning with the earliest factory offerings and extending to the Englis Pattern No. 1 “Chinese Contract” pistols, the “German Hi Power,” the prewar Lithuanian and Estonian contract pistols, and, of course, the Capitan model, among others.
The slotted backstrap used to attach a shoulder stock.
“SMALL FACTORY SAFETY” - This is a term used by High Power enthusiasts to describe the standard safety lever used on these pistols and copies from the time of the pistol’s inception in 1935 until it was replaced by the extended “factory ambidextrous safety” in 1981 in the Hi Power Mk. II. However, the ambidextrous safety did not totally replace the "small factory safety" until the Type 71/73 Vigilante/Sport production ended in 1989 and was replaced by the MK III pistols. Also, the "small factory safety" soldiered on a little longer on some military contract Hi Powers as an optional feature when requested by the buyer. Most of these are believed to have been ordered by the Israelis.
A veteran BHP sporting the "small factory safety."
TANGENT REAR SIGHT – A tangent sight is a rear sight that has graduations corresponding to the tangents of the angles of elevation, and which is usually graduated in yards. They are more frequently seen on rifles than pistols, but were used on Browning High Power pistols in a number of applications, including the Capitan model. In the case of those High Power models equipped with it, the tangent rear sight was usually adjustable out to a range of 500 yards by way of a sliding lock on the sight leaf, and was mounted so as to pivot at its front end while pinned to a raised pedestal machined into the top of the slide for the purpose. Some were built early in the High Power’s career that adjusted out to 1,000 yards. These sights are found on High Power pistols equipped to accommodate a shoulder stock, such as the early German High Powers and the Chinese Contract Englis High Powers.
A BHP tangent sight. This one is a classic BHP sight appearing on an older model HP with slotted backstrap and shoulder stock.
This photo does an excellent job of showing the proportions of the gun vs. the sight.
It is historically important in that it was one of two original sights used on the Browning High Power pistol at its introduction in 1935.
“TRIGGER PIN” OR “TRIGGER AXIS PIN” – The correct factory name for the pin that holds the trigger mechanism in the frame and allows it to pivot is the “Trigger Pin.” Somewhere along the line, the Hi Power community picked up an alternate name for this pin, the “Trigger Axis Pin.” Generally, the two terms are synonymous references to the same pin, but given that “Trigger Pin” is the name listed in the factory parts list, it is the preferred term in our discussions. The “Trigger Pin” appears in the photograph as the smaller diameter pin going through the frame immediately above the trigger.
The trigger pin seen from the right side of the pistol.
The same pin seen from the left side of the pistol
There are two other pins related to the Hi Power trigger assembly, the “Magazine Safety Pin” and the “Trigger Spring Pin.” These are two tiny pins that fulfill the function suggested by their names and have nothing to do with holding the trigger mechanism in the gun or allowing it to pivot. Both go through the trigger, not the frame.
TWO LUG vs THREE LUG BARRELS – All Browning High Power 9mm Parabellum pistols are equipped by the factory with barrels having two locking lugs. However, High Power pistols chambered for the .40 S&W cartridge were equipped by the factory with barrels having three locking lugs.
The barrel at the top of the photo is a three lug .40 S&W barrel, while the two below it are two lug barrels,
the middle one being a 9mm and the bottom one being a rare .30 Luger barrel.
Aftermarket three lug barrels are available for various conversions, but that is an issue for another time and place.
“TWO-PIECE” BARREL – From 1935 until 1962 the High Power barrel was a one piece unit, painstakingly bored, rifled, and machined from a forged billet. However, as part of a cost-saving program in 1962, the two-piece barrel was adopted. It was manufactured when, as R. Blake Stevens put it in “The Browning High Power Automatic pistol:“ a precisely-cut length of pre-rifled, hammer-forged tubing was solidly brazed to a prepared rear section, containing the barrel lug and locking cam slot.” As for the reason behind the adoption of the two-piece barrel, Mr. Steven’s text goes on to say that it “greatly enhanced the process of manufacture of the barrel.” That translates to greater ease of manufacture and therefore less expensive manufacture.
The photograph clearly shows the result of the brazing operation. The two assemblies were joined at the line shown by the arrow.
WAFFENAMT – Waffenamt was the German Army agency responsible for research, development, and production of weapons, ammunition, and other military equipment before and during World War II. Waffenamt inspectors were assigned to war production facilities with the responsibility of assuring that military equipment met government specifications. They then applied a Waffenamt acceptance code to each example. These codes are referred to simply as “Waffenamt” and commonly consist of a stamping of an abbreviated Teutonic eagle holding a circled swastika in its talons, usually accompanied by a number. They will be found on German High Power pistols, (also known by their German model number Pistole 640(b)) such as the one in the photograph.)
This Waffenamt appears on a German High Power owned by our Administrator, CXM.
End