The FN High Power is back

The FN Hi-Power is back, sort of. The Belgian arsenal has re-introduced its iconic service pistol, updating the name. Now it's called the High Power, and it's very similar to the original John Moses Browning blueprints. Officially, the original Hi Power ended production in 2018 (except for licensed and unlicensed copies made outside Belgium). Half a decade later, it's back, with key updates.

Mechanical heritage

FN is very keen to emphasize this pistol's direct bloodline (the website says "FN stays true to JMB’s final handgun design"). It's a single-action all-metal action and slide, and of course there's a double-stack magazine. Visually, it looks like the classic FN pistol. Could it be 1935 all over again?

No, because there are significant updates that make this pistol much more practical. Although the gun isn't a plastic fantastic, it's not made of old-school blued metal either, as it comes with a new PVD finish (with choice of black, stainless steel or flat dark earth colors). The magazine has been extended to 17+1 capacity, up from the original's 13+1. The original pistol's magazine safety is now gone. The controls are fully ambidextrous, including the knurled safety. The ergonomics are redesigned to prevent hammer bite, and the slide is easier to cock now. FN also says the slide now has an oversized ejection port, to handle "most factory loaded ammunition." The cold-hammer forged barrel is 4.7 inches long, target-crowned for accuracy with polished chamber and ramp.

Mark Charpes, FN America's President and CEO said “The High Power is such an iconic design, and synonymous with FN really. We recognized the gravity of reintroducing this newly redesigned pistol with such a storied history.

"Rather than introduce a clone of the original, we had to deliver much more than other brands, knowing the FN High Power would be held to a higher standard. FN pays homage to the prolific design, while modernizing the ergonomics, functionality and operation. We respect what this pistol has meant to generations of FN collectors and feel the new FN High Power dovetails perfectly with the rest of the FN pistol line, carrying a future-forward design to the next generation of shooting enthusiasts.”

Made in the USA

FN is manufacturing the new High Power in Columbia, South Carolina, although we certainly wouldn't be surprised if licensed or unlicensed production starts manufacturing the new pistol in other countries. Hey, maybe someone should contact Whirlpool Canada, to see if they'll reboot the Inglis production line? After all, we heard the Canadian Forces are looking for a new service pistol. The old Hi-Power lasted Canada for decades, after all. The new one doesn't meet the CF's procurement bill, but the federal government has already re-started the procurement process after complaints of unfairness.