Model 88 FNH High Power 9mm (Parkerized)

[setlovv]

I do need some advice. I fell in-love with a Standard Browning Hi-Power 9mm that I saw at a gun place but it was a much older model and since I'm not gun-savvy, I passed. Anyhow, I recently saw an FN High Power 9mm (Parkerized) Model 88 (comes with 1 10-rd mag/bore brush/manual/warranty card/original box/serial number confirmed) whose owner claims that he has never shot it. From the looks of the pistol, its difficult to argue against him.

Here's my dilemma: I want to purchase THAT gun but he is asking $850 for it. Should I pass that up or is that a fairly decent price for this gun???HELP!

 

[dewidmt]

Sounds a bit over-priced to me. I would be looking for a used HP or one of the Charles Daly HP's. I thought the new FN's were going for around $600-650. You oughta be able to find a nice one for around that price level.

 

[streakr]

Too much IMO. If it's not stamped Browning it should go for 500. A Browning maybe 650.

Look at gunbroker.com

s

 

[HorseSoldier]

The Browning name adds nothing to the value in my opinion -- if I had the choice, I'd only buy FN rollmarked pistols, but perhaps that's just me.

Anyway, the $850 price tag is high. A new Standard would run you less.

 

[setlovv]

For some reason, there are no NEW Browning Hi-Power Standards anywhere that I've looked. I won't consider the MK III. My first choice is a BHP 9mm Standard with the Blue Polish finish. I do realize that the price is steep, considering that even if the FHN is almost identical to the BHP, I am still settling. That's way too much $$$ to settle.

 

[HorseSoldier]

For some reason, there are no NEW Browning Hi-Power Standards anywhere that I've looked.

There's a thread over on The Firing Line about a similar quest for a new High Power. One of the replies noted that Browning only imports a single batch of High Powers each year, and when they're gone, they're gone until the next batch is brought in from Belgium/Portugal. It may be worth waiting on the next batch to come in, to save some money, unless you're really ready to pull the trigger on getting an HP.

I won't consider the MK III. My first choice is a BHP 9mm Standard with the Blue Polish finish.

The Standard is pretty easy on the eyes, though I'd say the Mark III is more a working pistol.

I do realize that the price is steep, considering that even if the FHN is almost identical to the BHP, I am still settling.

FN manufactures the pistols. Browning is simply their US distributor and have exactly nothing to do with the pistols besides putting a rollmark on pistols built by FN in Belgium/Portugal. An FN rollmarked pistol is not almost identical to a Browning rollmarked one, it is 100% identical except for about 40 letters stamped on the slide in eight point print.

Keep in mind that John Browning was under contract with FN when he did his design work on the High Power (though the prototypes while he was alive bear little resemblance to the finished product). Marketing the pistols in the US through Browning Firearms is just an advertising ploy (which seems to work -- Browning rollmark pistols apparently sell better than FN to the point that FN now only imports pistols to the US with the Browning rollmark).

 

[setlovv]

For $800+, yes I can wait for the new batch. Although, It'd be nice to know how long the wait is going to be. If that FN was in blue polish, I would have picked it up.

 

[BHPshooter]

The "Howco 88" is kind of an uncommonly-marked hi power, as they were imported through Howco rather than Browning (or at least that's the story I got).

IMO, that's WAY too much, though. They're identical other than markings.

Wes