I’ve been wanting a Browning Hi-Power for quite a long time. Admittingly it hasn’t been way up on my list, because the version I wanted just seemed a little hard to come by for some reason. Like so many pistols, Browning has gone with quicker to manufacture, lower cost options. I wanted a polished blued finish with checkered Walnut grips. For the last several years the only new versions of this handgun I’ve come across were either matte finished, or else had the even cheaper black Polycoat finish, which is nothing more than a high tech paint job. Most also had cheap, plastic grips instead of the much nicer checkered Walnut versions.
The other day I got an E-Mail from Davidson’s showing some of their “New Arrivals” they currently had in stock, and I came across these beautiful 75th Anniversary Edition Browning Hi-Powers. They offered them in a beautiful highly polished, rich blued finish with both Target Adjustable, as well as fixed sights. They also have the original select Walnut checkered grips. And as if that wasn’t enough, both versions were on sale until the end of this month! I promptly ordered 2. One with adjustable sights, and the other with fixed. My local shop called me yesterday morning to let me know they had arrived. I immediately drove over and picked them both up!
What I really liked about these 75th Anniversary Edition Models is the fact they not only retain the original bright blued finish with the Walnut grips, but they both have very tasteful roll engraving on the top of the slide stating “75th Anniversary - 1935-2010”. The roll marking is very sharp and clean looking. I’m glad they kept it subdued instead of going with an overpriced, fully pimped, “Barbecue Gun” to commemorate this Model’s 75th Anniversary. This gun costs no more than a similar, non commemorative Hi-Power, and can be shot without damaging any of it’s value if the shooter chooses to do so. Yet it still retains the roll marking which distinguishes it from the standard models.
What really impresses me about this gun is the fact it was one of the first of the double stack Hi-Cap 9 MM pistols, and today it’s still one of the best. In a modern age with everyone and their brother offering double stack, Hi-Cap nines, the Browning Hi-Power is still as graceful, well made, and solid as ever. These guns could go up against any of the newer Tupperware versions from Glock and H&K and still hold their own in the performance department. Not bad from a gun that first was designed in 1935. This was John Browning’s last design. In fact he died before a lot of the finishing touches were put on the gun. That alone makes it well worth owning. Bill T.
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