| Inglis Hi-Power | |
|---|---|
Pistol No 2 Mk 1* Browning Hi-Power | |
| Type | Semi-automatic pistol |
| Place of origin | Canada |
| Production history | |
| Designer | John Browning[a] Dieudonné Saive[b] |
| Manufacturer | John Inglis and Company |
| Specifications | |
| Cartridge | 9×19mm Parabellum |
| Caliber | 9 mm |
| Action | Short recoil operated |
| Rate of fire | Semi-automatic |
| Effective firing range | 50 m (55 yd) |
| Maximum firing range | 200 m |
| Feed system | 13-round detachable box magazine |
| Sights | Iron sights |
The Inglis Hi-Power [1] is a semi-automatic pistol manufactured by John Inglis and Company.
History
[edit]Browning Hi-Power pistols were used during World War II by both Allied and Axis forces.[2]
High-Power pistols were produced in Canada for Allied use, by John Inglis and Company in Toronto. The plans were sent from the FN factory to the UK when it became clear the Belgian plant would fall into German hands, enabling the Inglis factory to be tooled up for Hi-Power production for Allied use.
Production began in late 1944 and they were on issue by the March 1945 Operation Varsity airborne crossing of the Rhine into Germany.
Design
[edit]Like the original Hi-Power, the Inglis variant is a recoil-operated, magazine-fed, self-loading, hammer-fired, semi-automatic pistol that uses 9×19mm Parabellum ammunition fitted in 13-round magazines.
Inglis produced two versions of the Hi-Power, one with an adjustable rear sight and detachable shoulder stock (primarily for a Nationalist Chinese contract) and one with a fixed rear sight.
Inglis High-Powers made for Commonwealth forces have the British designation 'Mk 1' or 'Mk 1*' and the manufacturer's details on the left of the slide. They were known in British and Commonwealth service as the 'Pistol No 2 Mk 1', or 'Pistol No 2 Mk 1*' where applicable. Serial numbers were 6 characters, the second being the letter 'T', e.g. 1T2345.
Serial numbers on pistols for the Chinese contract instead used the letters 'CH', but otherwise followed the same format. When the Chinese contract was cancelled, all undelivered Chinese-style pistols were accepted by the Canadian military with designations of 'Pistol No 1 Mk 1' and 'Pistol No 1 Mk 1*'.[3]
Hi-Powers made with a rear sight instead of a tangent sight with known as No. 2 while those with a tangent sight are known as No. 1[4].
Variants
[edit]Pistol, Browning FN 9mm, HP No. 2 MK.1/1 Canadian Lightweight Pattern
[edit]The Pistol, Browning FN 9mm, HP No. 2 MK.1/1 Canadian Lightweight Pattern was a series of experimental aluminum/aluminum alloy framed Browning Hi-Power pistols by the Canadian Inglis Company that reduced the weight by as much as 25% from 8.5 to 25.5 oz (240 to 720 g).[5]
Two scalloped cuts were made on both sides of the steel slide as well as in front of the rear sight. The reception to this was positive and so six prototype frames were machined from solid aluminum and two were sent to each of the Canadian, American, and British governments for testing. The Canadian and British governments concluded that sand and dirt caught between the steel slide and aluminum frame substantially increased wear. The steel locking block also wore the holes in its aluminum frame.

After testing, Inglis cast 29 frames, assembled 21 pistols, and tested them, which were met with various problems. The lightweight program ended in Canada in 1951. In 1952, a US Major General Kessels requested one and took it with him in the Korean War.[6]
Mark I Lightweight
[edit]The Mark I Lightweight is a very rare variant of the Mark I made with a lightweight alloy frame originally intended for paratroop use.
According to Massad Ayoob, these were introduced commercially in the 1950s but never caught on. The Lightweights are marked only with Fabrique Nationale's rollmarks, not Browning's.[4]
Pistol Auto 9mm 1A
[edit]Indian license produced variant.
MA-5 MKI
[edit]Brumese unlicensed copy.[7][8][9][10]
SDS Imports version
[edit]At SHOT Show in 2024, Tennessee-based company SDS Imports announced that they were reviving the John Inglis line of military-spec, parkerized Inglis Browning Hi-Power clones. SDS CEO Tim Mulverhill stated[11]:
The market demand has not been met for historically accurate Hi-Powers. We’re planning for the L9A1 to influence the Hi-Power market the way the Tisas US Army did in the 1911 market.
The new Inglis Hi-Powers are available in black chromate, black Cerakote, satin nickel and color case-hardened finishes.
The SDS Inglis line is essentially a more military accurate version of the now-discontinued Regent BR9, and it is a fully interchangeable Mark III design.
Adoption
[edit]The Inglis Hi-Power was popular with the British airborne forces as well as covert operations and commando groups such as the Special Operations Executive (SOE), the U.S. Office of Strategic Services (OSS), and the British Special Air Service (SAS) Regiment.
The Inglis Hi-Power was used in British and Commonwealth forces alongside the L9A1 until its retirement.
The Inglis Hi-Power was used by Canadian Forces as their former primary service pistol.[12][13][9][14] The Hi-Power was fully replaced by the SIG Sauer P320 (C22) in March 2024.[15] Originally slated to be destroyed, the remaining stock in reserve is to be donated to Ukraine with some pistols retained for military museums.[16]
-
Canadian soldiers inspect a Hi-Power pistol during a training exercise in April 2009.
-
A Uruguayan marine armed with a Canadian made Hi-Power during a training exercise in April 2009
Users
[edit]
Republic of China[12]
- At least one locally made copy derived from a pre-WWII Belgian production[17]
Greece[12]
North Korea[18]
Ukraine
Former users
[edit]Non-State Actors
[edit]
Front de libération du Québec
- Stolen from Canadian armories[23]
Viet Cong
- Reportedly used Inglis Hi-Powers supplied by China[24]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Thompson (2020), p. 70.
- ^ Thompson (2020), p. 33.
- ^ Law, Clive M. (2001). Inglis Diamond - The Canadian High Power Pistol. Collector Grade Publications. ISBN 978-0889352650.
- ^ a b Thompson (2020), p. 36.
- ^ F, Nathaniel (19 December 2016). "The Hi Power of the Future (in 1948): Canada's Lightweight Aluminum-Framed Browning -". The Firearm Blog. Archived from the original on 17 December 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
- ^ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine: McCollum, Ian (3 May 2017). "Experimental Lightweight Browning High Power". Youtube. Forgotten Weapons. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
- ^ F, Nathaniel (19 December 2016). "The Hi Power of the Future (in 1948): Canada's Lightweight Aluminum-Framed Browning -". The Firearm Blog. Archived from the original on 17 December 2018. Retrieved 17 December 2018.
- ^ "MA5 MK II: The Burmese Tatmadaw's Production Glock Handgun -". 2018-07-20. Archived from the original on 2018-08-03. Retrieved 2018-08-03.
- ^ a b c Jones, Richard D. Jane's Infantry Weapons 2009/2010. Jane's Information Group; 35 edition(January 27, 2009). ISBN 978-0-7106-2869-5.
- ^ https://cat-uxo.com/explosive-hazards/salw/ma-5-mk-1-pistol
- ^ "INGLIS REBORN, TO MARKET PERIOD CORRECT HI-POWERS". 8 January 2024.
- ^ a b c d Arnold, David W. "Classic Handguns of the 20th Century: The Browning HI-Power". handgunsmag.com. Archived from the original on 2010-01-07. Retrieved 2010-01-19.
- ^ a b Valpolini, Paolo (June 2009). "There are Two Types of Men in this World..." (PDF). Armada International (Online). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-02-14. Retrieved 2010-02-13.
- ^ "Browning 9mm Pistol". Canadian Forces. 2009-05-13. Archived from the original on 2009-08-02. Retrieved 2009-06-27.
- ^ Pugliese, David (24 April 2024). "Canadian military to destroy 11,000 Second World War-era pistols". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
- ^ a b Pugliese, David (13 September 2024). "Canadian military Second World War pistols slated for destruction will instead be sent to Ukraine". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
- ^ McCollum, Ian (2021). "Other Chinese Copies". Pistols of the Warlords: Chinese Domestic Handguns, 1911 - 1949. Headstamp Publishing. pp. 518–519. ISBN 9781733424639.
- ^ "유용원의 군사세계". Archived from the original on 2015-05-24. Retrieved 2017-08-10.
- ^ TAB (2025-11-30). "Vintage Weapons in a Modern War: Browning Hi-Power In Ukraine". The Armourers Bench. Retrieved 2025-12-06.
- ^ Pugliese, David (24 April 2024). "Canadian military to destroy 11,000 Second World War-era pistols". Ottawa Citizen. Retrieved 14 September 2024.
- ^ "Browning 9mm Pistol". Canadian Forces. 2009-05-13. Archived from the original on 2009-08-02. Retrieved 2009-06-27.
- ^ Meyr, Eitan (January 6, 1999). "Special Weapons for Counter-terrorist Units". Jane's —Law Enforcement. Archived from the original on 1 March 2008. Retrieved 26 Sep 2009.
- ^ "Les Fusiliers Mont-Royal accueillent le Général David Petraeus pages 10 à 15" (PDF). lesfusiliersmont-royal.com.
- ^ Thompson (2020), p. 57.
Bibliography
[edit]- Thompson, Leroy (2020). The Browning High-Power Pistol. Oxford: Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1472838094.