neat find: FN HiPower Buenos Aires 61

[kentucky_smith]

Picked this up at the local gun store without realizing a few things.
*internal extractor
*rowel hammer

I knew it was a mk1, no ambi safety, flush bushing, et al. I just love HP's and thought I would pick up another at a good price.

I've seen another of these that was refinished and badly pitted, but this one has such sharp markings I'm not sure. Serial numbers match for slide, frame, barrel and magazine. Markings are Policia Prov Bs Aires-61 on right side of frame and Div. Interna Sec. on left side. The stamp on top of slide is Argentine seal.

It's been raining so I haven't had time to fire for function and accuracy. Sights are miniscule to say the least. But this gun otherwise looks and feels like a brand new gun, not a 45 year old plus one.
Just needs some dried up old oil cleaned out of the crevices.
Anyone know anything else about it?

 

[BHPshooter]

I am SO jealous.

You'll have to let us know how it shoots.

Wes

 

[dogtown tom]

Congratulations!

I had one that was quite a bit uglier than yours. Yours looks to be about the nicest Argentine Police HP I've seen.

A number of these were imported several years back. This is a genuine Fabrique Nationale, manufactured in Belgium. They are not the Fabrica Militar licensed Hi Power that was made to FN specs on old HP equipment in Argentina. Later FM continued to produce HP's after their licensing contract expired. FM continues to produce an HP copy to this day.

I've seen guys at a gun show turn their noses up and say this is "only" an argentine copy- it is NOT, it is as genuine FN as any Browning.

All of the Argie FN HP's I've seen have the round hammer and internal extractor- both were standard until sometime in 1962 or '63. Supposedly the internal extractor was either weaker or more expensive to produce. Maybe both.

The grips are Uncle Mikes- and by themselves are worth $40-60 on Ebay. They are no longer manufactured and highly sought after.

 

[rellascout]

Nice Find. I ahve not seen one in that nice a condition in a long time. If you don't mind me asking what did it set you back?

 

[Redhat]

Gotta love the HP. Nice catch!

 

[kentucky_smith]

$400. I was wondering about the grips, they are in NEW condition. Feel good too.

 

[rellascout]

Nice pick up.

 

[islander]

A very nice piece you have there. Mine is almost like new inside, holster-worn outside. The legend in Spanish means Police of the Province of Buenos Aires - that is, the "state" police of the BA province, which includes the city of BA. The serial number on my pistol ends in 61, by coincidence. I thought they added the last numbers to match the serial, but yours indicates the "61" is something else. No police markings on the left side of mine - yours probably is "Division of Internal Security" - perhaps an internal affairs unit in the BA provincial police.

Grips on mine are a nice smooth walnut, or walnut-looking, wood put on either by the police or by some owner since importation. I got it from an individual seller at a gun show back in 1999, for $325, with extra mags.

Collector's note: the Argentine seal on the top rear of the slide on mine is reversed, with the top of the shield next to the rear sight. No idea which was "right."

Very accurate shooter, with a 17-round mag from S. Africa.

 

[dogtown tom]

The "61" means 1961. Not part of the serial number, but supposedly the year that pistol arrived in Argentina. I remember seeing a pic of a "62" somewhere.

 

[kentucky_smith]

Forgot to mention the pistol has a one piece barrel.

 

[jonnyc]

Very nice. Find yourself a set of the proper wood grips to complete the perfection.

 

[Dave Baird]

Hi fellas. You will like the HiPower. I picked this one up at NGD in Louisville last month and just love it. The maker is fabulous, the history is cool, and it will shoot like a dream. I hope you enjoy it. Dave

 

[telecaster1981]

Well I'm fired up!

I just put one of the Argentine Police FN Hi-Powers on layaway last week. I have been second guessing my decision for the last couple days since I couldn't seem to find much information on these as far as quality, value, etc.
Now I'm ready to sell my car and go collect my HP! Mine is slightly different than the HPs Dave Baird and Kentucky_Smith have, though. All the markings are the same, but the finish is more of a matte or parkerized type (not the cheesy paint looking stuff that I've seen on some of the FM HPs) and it's got what appears to be Pachmayr wraparound grips. The grips feel good, but I'll probably get something more traditional...or maybe not...we'll see! Oh, and I'm happy to say there's ZERO pitting on mine! There was another Argie Refurb HP at the shop but it looked like it had been worked over with an ugly stick so I opted for the nicer of the two and I'm still getting it out the door for under $400! Thanks for posting all the glowing comments guys! You've helped me to feel better about my purchase!

Ben

PS-I'll be posting pictures soon...hopefully!

 

[Vonderek]

Here's mine...also a "POLICIA PROV. BS. AIRES-61". All matching numbers. A great shooter. Got it for $299 back in 1999 or thereabouts. When I bought the gun it already had the nickel finish.

 

[telecaster1981]

Dang! That's sharp Vonderek!

I'm usually not a fan of nickel, stainless, or chrome finishes, but that looks just right!

So, I guess there's a huge amount of variance in these refurbished Hi-Powers, eh? At least in terms of finish and grips?

 

[Vonderek]

Tele,
I think the importer probably altered them as necessary to make them more attractive for resale...replacing worn grips or refinishing those with worn bluing. On a sidenote, the barrel on mine didn't look very pristine but it shoots very accurately. AFter many 100s of rounds the gun started to have failures to eject. Problem was solved by re-tensioning the extractor. I'm going to replace the extractor with a new one one of these days (if I can find one that is).

 

[telecaster1981]

Ah, I see...well, doesn't matter much to me as long as it shoots! But thanks for the info Vonderek!

Check out powercustom.com

They carry an early style internal extractor. Ron Power is a cousin of mine, so I'm planning on driving down there (he's only about 35 miles from where I live) and picking up a few parts, including the extractor, when I get my new HP.

 

[Master Blaster]

I have one that I paid $250 for about three years ago, the sights stink, but it shoots very accurately, these were carried a lot and shot a little. I always think of Evita when I hold mine. The Argentine secret police made a fair number of folks who disagreed with Perone disapear, and I suspect that some of these pistols have a checkered past

Mine has a CAI stamp on it inside the frame or slide, I forget which, its a very small stamp, but I dont think Century Arms did any work or refinishing on these, they just imported them and sold them.

 

[Dave Baird]

I really had to look for my import stamp as well. It is tiny, barely noticable on the bottom edge of the slide. If I wasn't looking for it, I wouldn't have seen it. I'm glad everyone seems happy with their HP's too.
Dave

 

[mbott]

Dogtown Tom:

I had one that was quite a bit uglier than yours. Yours looks to be about the nicest Argentine Police HP I've seen.

Absolutely! I ordered one from SOG when they thought they were C&R, then had to send it back. Didn't look anywhere near as nice as yours. I'm a confirmed CZ guy, but the HP can be just as nice.

--
Mike