FN America on Tuesday announced they are returning to the Hi-Power market in force with a new generation of 9mm pistols in three different variants.
FN was the initial maker of the classic last handgun design conceived by John Moses Browning and realized by Dieudonné Saive, the latter being the father of the FN 1949 and FN FAL. The company ended the line in 2017, and others have gone on to clone the iconic 9mm.
To set the record straight, FN has returned the Hi-Power/High Power to production in an updated format with improved internals, a modern barrel lockup, a 17+1 flush-fit magazine capacity, and the ability to run hollow points. Featuring ambidextrous controls and the elimination of the oft-detested magazine disconnect, the new High Power is available in stainless, FDE, and black finishes, retaining a single-action trigger that breaks crisply and cleanly.
“The High Power is such an iconic design, and synonymous with FN really,” said Mark Cherpes, president and CEO for FN America. "We recognized the gravity of reintroducing this newly redesigned pistol with such a storied history."
Chepes explained that rather than introduce a simple 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."
A modern High Power, with classic lines
John Ryan, FN's director of product management, said the company held a thorough historical design study into the much-loved handgun to see what truly makes Browning's original pistol what it is, identifying 10 signature features that made the High Power the High Power. These include the famed "keyhole" muzzle, the long arm slide release, the elegant taper of the dust cover, and John Browning’s overall influence.
"These features set the design apart from other metal pistols in the market and were extremely important for us to include in the modern evolution of the new FN High Power so as to pay respect to the significance of Browning’s original design," said Ryan.
Not content to rest on its 80-year-old laurels, FN new High Power is intended to be more robust, with numerous improvements for modern users ranging from a better trigger pull (did we mention the magazine safety is removed?!) and ergonomics to a 17+1 magazine capacity, four additional rounds than the original and two more than the recent clones offer.
Besides the frame texturing – a feature the old gun never had – it also has driftable steel sights that use the modern FN 509 dovetail pattern, an extended beavertail, and a raised hammer fitment.
Now the price.
MSRP on the new FDE and black variants of the FN High Power is $1,269, which is actually about what the company was asking for the "old" Mk III Hi-Power a few years ago. The new FN High Power in stainless steel runs $1,369.
