Make: Fabrique Nationale, under German Occupation

Model: Hi Power, designated Pistole 640(b) by Germans

Serial Number: 2510b

Year of Manufacture: 1944

Caliber: 9mm Luger

Action Type: Single Action Semi-Auto fed by Detachable Magazine

Barrel Length: 4 5/8"

Sights / Optics: The front sight is a rounded blade fixed to the front of the slide. The rear sight is a "U"-notch dovetailed to the rear of the slide.

Stock Configuration & Condition: The grips are two-piece checkered walnut with smooth borders. The grips have even moderate handling wear with some dings and bruises. The checkering shows wear, but is well defined in some areas. There are no chips or cracks. Overall, the grips are in Good-Very Good condition.

Type of Finish: Blue

Finish Originality: Original, numbers match on slide, frame and barrel.

Bore Condition: The bore is gray with sharp rifling. There is light erosion and pitting scattered through the bore, mostly in the grooves. In this writer's opinion, the bore rates 5-6/10.

Overall Condition: This pistol retains about 75% of its metal finish. The finish is thinning at all edges. The grip areas show handling wear. There is a patch of finish wear on the right of the slide at the "Thumbprint". There are scattered spots of light surface oxidation. There are some scattered nicks, scuffs and scratches. The surfaces show the rougher finish consistent with late-war production. The action shows operational wear. The screw heads are tool marked with strong slots. The markings are clear. Overall, this pistol is in Good-Very Good condition.

Mechanics: The action functions correctly. We did not fire this handgun. As with all used firearms, a thorough cleaning may be necessary to meet your maintenance requirements.

Box, Paperwork & Accessories: This handgun comes with a single 13-round magazine.

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.

When Germany invaded Belgium, they took over the FN plant and continued making the Hi Power, but soon dropped the stock groove after stocks of pre-invasion parts were used-up. Guns made with tangent sights included WaA613, WaA103 and WaA140 inspection marks before the tangent sights were replaced with fixed sights to help speed production. This is a late war pistol, made in 1944, in the WaA140 inspection mark range after the tangent sights had been dropped in favor of fixed sights. The harsh blue finish is also a characteristic of late war production. The pistol has matching serial numbers on the barrel, slide, and frame. According to Anthony Vanderlinden in his book “FN Browning Pistols”, sabotage performed by the workers in the FN factory increased proportionally with the portion which was forced labor. This was most prevalent in the WaA140 inspection range and some pistols are not safe to fire due to having poor heat treat or being out of tolerance standards. In any case, this early b-suffix Hi Power made under German occupation is a great example of the variant, perfect for any collection. Please see our photos and good luck!