Assessing damage to a Belgian-made Hi-Power

[pain20132017]

I have what I believe to be a 1969 manufacture (based on the serial number being 69CXXXXX) Browning/FN Hi-Power. It was inside a plastic foam lined carrying case in my vehicle when the vehicle caught fire. The slide gained some rust, most of which has come off along with the bluing, but the wood grip panels aren’t warped at all and have no charring or any evidence of having been in a fire. Has the heat damaged the metal parts to the point I can’t save this pistol, is what I’m asking. Thanks for any help at all.

 

[Ohen Cepel]

I would think it is OK given the condition of the wood grips. However, I'm not a metallurgist nor a gunsmith. I would look around and see if you can find a qualified gunsmith near you to examine it. Make sure they understand it is a question about fire damage as not all may be able to help you with that question.

 

[DR505]

Send it off to Turnbull Restoration. They can make it look brand new. They can also check it for damage.

 

[WYO]

but the wood grip panels aren’t warped at all and have no charring or any evidence of having been in a fire.

If the wood isn't damaged, I wouldn't worry about the integrity of the steel.

 

[Bacon buster]

Not likely to have hurt anything. I had a 30 30 that was in a house fire and it got burned pretty good. Stripped it apart cleaned and polished oiled it up and used it for years. Was very accurate

 

[American Finn]

To the OP, it looks like you just joined today and I couldn't tell which state you reside in. There is an excellent gunsmith in Clawson, MI that I know has done restoration work on fire damaged guns. The name of the company is D&D Gunsmiths; below is his website. I have used them in the past (not for fire damage or restoration but general repairs; their work is of the highest quality).

https://www.ddgunsmiths.com/

 

[Jim Watson]

The usual rule of thumb is the springs. If they are not annealed and collapsed, the structural steel is probably OK.

There used to be a shop here that did a lot of house fire salvage. They made some pretty rough guns look good. There was also a stack of junked guns they considered unsalvageable.

My guns were not exposed to flame after The Incident but had a lot of water damage and the guy that refinished them did a good job. Some look pretty good, some look as good as new, got a couple that look better than before.

 

[entropy]

Not likely to have hurt anything. I had a 30 30 that was in a house fire and it got burned pretty good. Stripped it apart cleaned and polished oiled it up and used it for years. Was very accurate

I worked in a gunshop that got a WiIn. 94 that had been in a fire; stocks were not on it. I bought it, replaced every spring in it, put stocks on it, and shot it for years before giving it to my son after years of him pestering me about it. He's taken several deer with it.

The Hi-power is fine to shoot as is, but a reblue would look great.

 

[DR505]

Here is the web site for Turnbull Restorations: https://www.turnbullrestoration.com

Nobody that I have seen does a better job. I had a 1911 slide reblued by these guys and the work is absolutely amazing.

 

[Jim Watson]

Turnbull does nice work but they sure are expensive.

 

[BigBlue 94]

Wood is good, so I would replace springs and fire away.

 

[Speedo66]

I wonder if the discoloration is a result of some sort of chemical reaction with hot foam rather than fire damage itself since the rest of the gun looks fine?

 

[swg1]

From the pattern, I would tend to agree with Speedo66. Also as I understand it after a fire, guns with smoke deposits all over them tend to rust as well if not cleaned promptly.

 

[Oldschool shooter]

To the OP, it looks like you just joined today and I couldn't tell which state you reside in. There is an excellent gunsmith in Clawson, MI that I know has done restoration work on fire damaged guns. The name of the company is D&D Gunsmiths; below is his website. I have used them in the past (not for fire damage or restoration but general repairs; their work is of the highest quality).

https://www.ddgunsmiths.com/

I second D&D. They do great work.

 

[AustinTX]

I have what I believe to be a 1969 manufacture (based on the serial number being 69CXXXXX) Browning/FN Hi-Power.

Yes, you have a 1969 C-series Hi-Power (exactly the same gun as a 1969 T-series, actually, apart from the difference in serial number format).

It was inside a plastic foam lined carrying case in my vehicle when the vehicle caught fire. The slide gained some rust, most of which has come off along with the bluing, but the wood grip panels aren’t warped at all and have no charring or any evidence of having been in a fire. Has the heat damaged the metal parts to the point I can’t save this pistol, is what I’m asking. Thanks for any help at all.

If the fire didn't cause even slight charring on your wood grips, then the gun wasn't exposed to a high enough temperature to alter the heat treatment of the steel (unless the muzzle were somehow exposed to a much higher temperature than the rear of the gun). Send it off to a reputable shop for restoration work, if you like, and then shoot it as much as you please.

 

[FL-NC]

If there is still blue and your grips are in such great condition, my $ says its OK. Its a shame your pistol got burned up like that, but it would be a great candidate for a custom job from somewhere like Novak's. Modern tactical finish, springs, extended safety, dovetailed sights- that sort of thing.

 

[KevininPa]

Mahovskys Metalife. Something to consider. The wood isn't damaged, so you probably don't have metallurgical issues. Change out springs to be on safe side. Ron Mahovsky is a licensed gunsmith. Just send the springs to him. He takes the gun apart for hard chroming anyway.

 

[marksman13]

Steel doesn’t anneal until it reaches 1250ish degrees. Woods ignites well before that. I’d check the springs in an abundance of caution, but your pistol is fine mechanically.

 

[stevekozak]

Nope. Totally destroyed and unsafe. Send to Stevekozak's Firearm Disposal Company for proper recycling. This service is free to you as a member here. Don't delay. Act now.

 

[jmorris]

If the heat didn’t hurt wood it’s not going to effect metal other than cosmetically.

 

[Waveski]

I would not hesitate to shoot that Hi Power. I would probably go at it with bronze wool and oil , beyond that I'd leave it as is and shoot it.
A true restoration would cost a lot of money. I'd put that money towards a pretty Hi Power and just shoot the one that now has a story attached to it.

 

[SwampWolf]

Minimally, as others have suggested, I'd replace all the springs. As an aside, what happened to your vehicle?

 

[Nature Boy]

Did your insurance cover the cost of your vehicle’s contents? If so, perhaps it could defray some of the restoration expenses

 

[gnappi]

Go to the local range, slip your arm around the wall that separates the booths and "choot it"