CODE – 01-020-944

NAME – Browning High Power Inglis No 2 Mk I*

COMMON NAMES – Browning High Power, Inglis Browning

TYPE – Semiautomatic pistol

COUNTRY OF ORIGIN – Canada (Belgium)

DATE OF MANUFACTURE – 1944 (1935)

CALIBER – 9x19mm

OVERALL LENGTH – 20.2 cm (7.95 in)

LENGTH WITH STOCK – 54 cm (21.26 in)

BARREL LENGTH – 12.3 cm (4.84 in)

STOCK LENGTH – 35.5 cm (13.98 in)

RIFLING (TYPE & TWIST) – 6 Groove, Right hand twist, 1 turn in 25.4 cm (10 in)

BULLET DIAMETER – 9.02mm (0.355 in)

BULLET WEIGHT – 7.45 g (115 grains)

MUZZLE VELOCITY – 352 m/s (1155 fps)

MUZZLE ENERGY – 462 j (341 ft/lb)

WEIGHT (EMPTY) – 0.87 kg (1 lb 14.7 oz)

WEIGHT (LOADED) – 1.10 kg (2 lb 6.8 oz)

WEIGHT (LOADED WITH STOCK) – 1.60 kg (3 lb 8.4 oz) with 13 rounds and stock

STOCK WEIGHT – 0.50 kg (1 lb 1.6 oz)

SIGHTS – Fixed open, iron, Front sight – Inverted V-blade, Rear sight – Square notch

EFFECTIVE RANGE – 30 m (33 yards), 100 m (109 yards) with stock

OPERATION – Short recoil, Single action

TYPE OF FIRE – Semiautomatic

RATE OF FIRE – 39 rpm

FEED DEVICE – 13 round removable box magazine, double column, single feed

FEED DEVICE WEIGHT (EMPTY) – 0.08 kg

FEED DEVICE WEIGHT (LOADED) – 0.23 kg (8.1 oz)

BASIC AMMUNITION LOAD – Three 13-round magazines (39 rounds)

LOAD WEIGHT – 0.69kg (1 lb 8.3 oz)

MANUFACTURER – John Inglis and Company, Toronto, Canada

STATUS – Obsolescent

SERVICE – China, Great Britain, Australian and Canadian forces, Variation issued by German military (Pistole 640 (b))

      The Browning Hi-Power was the last design of John H. Browning. After Browning died in 1926, his last pistol design was completed by his colleague, Dieudonné Saive, at FN in Belgium. The final design was intended by Browning to be an improvement on his famous M1911. Chambered the new pistol in 9x19mm allowed for a high-capacity (13 rounds) magazine to be used while still allowing for a grip that was not too wide for general use. The final design was put into production at FN in 1935.

     The breakout of World War II resulted in the Belgian FN plant falling into the hands of the Germans. Production of the Hi-Power was continued and the weapon adopted by the German military as a substitute-standard weapon under the designation 9mm Pistole 640(b). A number of Allied countries, notably England, desired the Hi-Power design. Belgian engineers from FN escaped to England and brought their expertise to produce the weapon for the Allies. The Chinese military under Chiang Kai-shek approached Canada about producing the Hi-Power in 1943. Chiang Kai-shek himself left his personal Browning with the officers of the John Inglis Company in Toronto, Canada so the weapon could be copied and put into production. With additional valuable input from the FN engineers who had come over to Canada from England, the design was completed, production drawings reproduced, and the weapon put into production.

     The Inglis Pistol No 2 Mk I* is one of the more prolific weapons to be manufactured by Inglis. The weapon has a fixed rear sight on a raised platform so that the pistol can be comfortable used with an attached shoulder stock. Production was sent to China as well as later being adopted by the Canadian military. In Canada, the Inglis Browning has remained in Military service for decades, well into the 21st Century. Only within the last few years has the Browning been replaced in Canadian service, simply due to a lack of spare parts and maintenance.