Quote:
Originally Posted by 741512th
And the Prophet Browning did look upon his creation and sayeth unto himself, "How can I improve upon the 1911?" After much contemplation, he resolved to call upon a Higher Power for inspiration, and thus created the perfect handgun.
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Well, first - we agree upon the genius of Browning, so I am going to treat you as friend, as opposed to foe.
Browning design of the HP was advanced for the time, but it was cartridge based, not based on any flaws in the 1911 design.
For those that care of the history of one of the world's most prominent gun makers:
John Browning was working on a design request, from of all people, the French Military in 1921. Browning had already sold the rights to the 1911, to Colt, at the time of the contract to the French, so he was FORCED to work around all the Patents that already existed concerning the 1911 - otherwise, it is widely thought, the French would have gotten a double stack 9mm that fit their criteria, but on the 1911 frame.
The French contract was that the weapon must hold 10 or more rounds, have all similar parts to a 1911 ( external hammer, positive safety ) but it also must have a magazine disconnect - which the 1911 did not possess. They also pretty much wanted it in a bullet weight of 8 grams, or higher, and since the .45 hadn't yet gone large capacity, the 9mm was the un-official obvious choice.
Browning designed two versions before his death in 1926, but neither went into production until after his death. Upon the release of Colt Patents on the 1911, which took place in 1928, many of the same previously developed parts of the Browning Genius were incorporated into what BECAME the production unit of 1934 put out by FN.
The Browning Hi Power is a wonderful weapon. It came from a genius, a God among men at the time when weapons were becoming the most important part of combat, but it's considered King of the Nines - not the King of all Pistols.
Take apart an original 1911 and a 1935 production Hi Power and look at how many similarities exist.
Legal issues ( patents ) & the contract request from the customer, were what drove the design of Browning's OTHER wonderchild, not any flaws or problems with his Number 1 Son!
JD
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