A few interesting facts about the High Power...
JMB developed the High Power per the French Military specifications, and had to work around the patents for the 1911, since he had sold those rights to Colt. So basically it was a clean sheet design while Browning was involved.
The name High-Power came from the French name for it, which referred to the 13 round magazine, not the power of the cartridge itself. Seems it lost something in the translation
One of the early prototypes was striker fired with a 16 round magazine. (guess that was way ahead of its time though) Another early prototype was a blowback design.
Browning died in 1926, and the 1911 patents expired in 1928. Although JMB himself could not incorporate any 1911 features, Dieudonné Saive of Fabrique Nationale in Belgium picked up the development and reworked the design to incorporate 1911 features.
France rejected the High Power in favor of a similar, but cheaper single stack pistol ("Model 1935"), and the High Power was adopted by Belgium instead (and 50 other countries as well)
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Jim
CBOB0497
"That rifle hanging on the wall of the working class flat or laborer's cottage is the symbol of democracy. It is our job to see that it stays there."
- George Orwell
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