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Make: Inglis, Canada
Model: Mk. I* (Hi Power)
Serial Number: P-61907 (see Our Assessment)
Year of Manufacture: 1940-1945
Caliber: 9mm Parabellum
Action Type: Single Action Semi-Auto with Detachable Magazine
Barrel Length: 4 5/8"
Sights / Optics: The front sight is a serrated, tapered blade dovetailed to a boss at the front of the slide; small grooves have been filed in each side of the blade to give it a beaded profile. The rear sight is a "V"-notch type 2 tangent sight in a base integral to the slide. The arm graduates from "50" to "500" meters.
Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are two-piece checkered black synthetic. The grips show light handling wear with some scattered minor nicks, scuffs and small scratches. The checkering is well defined. The left panel is relieved for the lanyard ring. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in Very Good-Fine condition. The back strap is slotted for a shoulder stock.
Type of Finish: Phosphate
Finish Originality: Original
Bore Condition: The bore is mostly bright and the rifling is sharp. There is no erosion in the bore, but there is some stubborn fouling. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates 8-9/10.
Overall Condition: This pistol retains about 85% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at all edges. There are some scattered light nicks and small scratches. The most notable finish loss is on the right receiver flat around the applied serial number (see Our Assessment). The action shows light operational wear. The screw heads range from sharp to tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this pistol is in Very Good condition.
Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We have not fired this pistol. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance standards.
Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This pistol comes with one 13-round magazine marked "JI" and with a hand-scribed C-broad arrow on the body.
Our Assessment: Originally developed as "Le Grand Rendement" (the High Efficiency), with some input from John Browning and most design evolution from Dieudonne Saive, Browning's assistant at FN, the "Grande Puissance" would be put into production in 1935, now known as the Hi Power. Referring not to the power of the cartridge, but rather to its capacity of 13 rounds in the magazine, this new model would carry nearly double the ammunition of its contemporary military sidearms. Hi Powers went on to see service with a number of nations, widespread commercial sales, and have a number of variations that make them attractive to collectors.
With the occupation of Belgium in 1940, key personnel from FN escaped to England where the Belgian Government-in-Exile was headquartered and Mr. Saive worked hard to reproduce drawings of the Hi Power from memory and from sample pre-war pistols furnished by the British government. It was during this time that the Chinese Nationalists contacted the FN employees in England insisting that they would purchase 200,000 pistols, suggesting manufacture by a firm in Canada, Inglis. Saive and his crew were whisked away to Toronto where they helped set up production with the pistols designated the Mk. I.
This example has all the hallmarks of a "lunch-box" gun, assembled from pieces by an employee at Inglis, with no inspection/acceptance marks and no serial markings on the slide or barrel. The frame has had a serial applied, but it appears to have been done sometime later, possibly by an owner who found themselves in a jurisdiction where a serial marking was required to register the pistol. The slide markings indicate a genuine Inglis slide and the C-broad arrow marking on the right of the frame behind the grip also confirms its production in Canada. The barrel is completely without markings, but is of the appropriate type to have been produced by Inglis. The result is an intriguing piece for the Hi Power collector. Please see our photos and good luck!