Deanimator said:
There actually were double action Hi-Powers back in the '90s. They never imported very many of them, and they weren't terribly popular. CDNN would import lots of them from time to time, but they're long gone.
You're right. FN They buillt a BDM/BPM/BRM (all basically the same gun), all DA/SA or DAO, as well as a Browning DA9 (which was not imported to the US). Most of the DA/SA Brownings I've seen for sale on the internet were the BDM-type guns and they were clearly NOT based on the BHP/P-35 design.
I'm not sure, but I don't think they were called Hi-Powers... Keep in mind, too, that Browning was primarily an import and marketing firm, and made relatively few of the guns it sold. FN owned Browning at that point.
The FN DA9 was DA/SA and most had a decocker, and held fewer rounds than the BHP... as did the PRO-9/PRO-40, which seemed to be a similar gun but with polymer frames. (The "Pro" models may be the predecessors of the current FNP and FNX guns.) I've never been able to find out much about those Brownings (which are like the ones pictured in your link). The BLUE BOOK OF GUN VALUES says they
were made by FN in the US, and sold in 2003-2006. I don't remember ever seeing them advertised or for sale.
As best I can tell, the main difference between the Browning and FN Hi-Powers ( which were available in Europe but much less common in the US), was that the Browning roll-marked guns guns were generally much better looking, with high gloss finishes and fancy grips, unlike the plain jane FN models. I think they were all made in the same factories.
Most of the DA/SA Brownings I've seen for sale on the internet were the BDM-type guns and they were clearly NOT based on the BHP/P-35 design. (They made a DAO version, too.)
FN later licensed the SIG P220 and sold it as the Browning BDA (in 9mm, .38 Super and .45), and it was DA/SA. A friend had one of those and it was almost identical to the SIG P220. The other BDAs that Browning sold were .380s, and based on a Beretta design. FN apparently gave up on DA/SA designs for a decade... They're new FN guns are all DA/SA, and now they're doing striker-fired versions.