By 1960, Browning Arms recognized the obvious void in its product line and began importing the High-Power rifle to compete with other U.S. companies. Box, Paperwork & Accessories: None Our Assessment: This is a Browning Safari Grade ‘High-Power’ rifle made in Belgium by Fabrique Nationale. Browning Bar High Power Rifle. Upon retrieving the target, all three bullets had passed through the same hole, with the group measuring a mere .216 inch, center to center, which was the same level of accuracy Keith reported many years ago. The Browning Hi-Power is unquestionably a fine weapon, much loved by connoisseurs of guns. 215 primers for 2,700 fps. Iron sights were standard, though many rifles were ordered without sights. The ’98 action remains popular with modern craftsmen. #181 – Product Evaluation – A Rifle Brake for 3gun Nation Competition Guidelines #182 – The Star Super B 9mm Pistol #183 – KelTec SU-16 5.56 Carbine #184 - Product Evaluation - Browning FN Hi Power Pistol #185 - The Zastava CZ999 Compact 9mm Pistol – Image Heavy #186 - Battleship Game with .22 Rifles - Lots of Pictures Make: Fabrique Nationale in Belgium for Browning. The trigger was changed to a single pull design without slack, and a sporter-style, hand-engraved, steel, hinged floorplate was installed and secured via a reliable quick-release latch housed in the front of the trigger guard. Upon receiving the Keith rifle, I took it to my 100-yard range with several handloads. Browning High-Power Olympian Grade rifles were factory custom rifles with master engraved game scenes on the receivers and hand-carved stocks. The floorplate and … 2 Hi-Power pistols for the Chinese and Commonwealth armies. The middle position allowed removal of a cartridge from the chamber while preventing the rifle from firing – a similar concept as found on the Winchester Model 70. Seller: Cabelas Glendale. It has been manufactured in countless countries, resulting in variances in quality, materials, etc. The reticle is a fine German post. The stock consisted of high-grade fancy walnut and was finished with hand-carved floral patterns and checkering. There were three grades; Safari, Medallion, and Olympian. Buy Browning FN High-Power: GunBroker is the largest seller of Semi Auto Rifles Rifles Guns & Firearms All: 895265600 The Browning semi-automatic centcrfire rifle was a spin-off of Fabrique National's (FN) development of military weapons. Various game scenes were common on the floorplate, like this .338 Winchester Magnum appropriately engraved with a grizzly bear. Make: Browning, Made by FN Belgium. The High-Power rifles were available in popular calibers from .243 Winchester to .458 Winchester Magnum; however, the majority were for .30-06-length (3.340 inches) and .375 H&H-length (3.600 inches) cartridges. The Browning High-Power rifle features a high-quality commercial FN Mauser 98-pattern action that was rugged and reliable. The FN action was not just a commercialized military version, as it featured a checkered bolt handle knob with the handle being swept back for more natural operation and improved appearance. Likewise, the military bolt handle has traditionally been replaced with a more palatable configuration when building a custom sporter rifle. Over the past 40 years I have owned, shot and hunted with perhaps three dozen High-Power rifles that have ranged from .222 Remington to .458 Winchester Magnum. The rifle has an “L” prefix, making it extremely difficult to nail down an exact date of manufacture; the date ranges from about 1959 to the early 1960’s. Blair McAnally, Jan 8, 2018. This sleek rifle is a Browning FN High Power Mauser, a bolt-acion, control feed, internal magazine fed rifle featuring a Mauser-claw extractor and hinged floorplate. Unfortunately, the "salt wood" process afflicted many Browning firearms during that infamous era (early 1960s through the late 70s especially but including a … A rifle that was the first long action Sako imported into the U.S. after WWII; the Sako High Power Mauser Sporting Rifle, with Fabrique Nationale action. Is the 6.5 Creedmoor The New King of Cartridges? Field & Stream may receive financial compensation for products purchased through this site. A Bonnier Corporation Company. In 1921, FN asked Browning to design a high capacity, 9mm Parabellum pistol for upcoming French army trials. I looked through the spotting scope after the second shot but could only see one hole, so a third shot was fired. This was a good design; however, purists and big-game hunters generally frowned on it. Genuine Browning Hi-Power P-35s were manufactured until 2017 by FN Herstal of Belgium and Portugal and under licence by Fabricaciones Militares (FM)of Argentina. Short action cartridges (.243 and .308 Winchester) were produced in limited quantities on the ’98 action. During the early 1980s, I owned a Safari Grade  .300 Winchester Magnum that often placed five shots into .25 to .5 inch at 100 yards with a variety of handloads and Federal’s Premium load containing the Sierra 200-grain bullet. Sold For: $2322. Some of the Model ’98’s significant design features include control-round feeding with a claw extractor and blade ejector, a clever safety lug and shooter protection from escaping gases in the unlikely event of a ruptured case or a severely overloaded cartridge with resultant catastrophic failure. The sliding safety is a three-position type, and the bolt handle is gracefully swept back. It should also be noted that post-World War II commercial ’98 actions feature most of the above changes. Elmer Keith’s rifle has a George Hoenig- style claw mount that allowed quick detachment of the Leupold M7 4x scope for iron sight use. As previously indicated, the rust bluing was beautifully colored, deep in appearance and durable. Many products featured on this site were editorially chosen. Thread starter DetroitRearView; Start date Jan 15, 2020; Forums. Example Walnut stock made for Browning FN Safari rifle. It features a standing brown bear with a mountainous background on the floorplate, a snarling mountain lion on the trigger guard bow, a bull elk bugling on the right receiver ring and a bull moose in a swamp on the left receiver ring. While the lock time is slow, this is not a legitimate criticism for most big-game hunting applications unless the rifle is built specifically for long-range work. The Sako is well known for its precise action and barrel specifications that offered smooth, flawless function and accuracy. The Browning High-Power rifle features a high-quality commercial FN Mauser 98-pattern action that was rugged and reliable. The Mauser Model 1898 is often referred to as the forebearer of modern two-lug, turn-bolt rifles, as most have incorporated select design features. Economics tragically began to take its toll on the High-Power rifle. SN L7168. The FN rifles … One Olympian Grade rifle I have had the pleasure of owning and shooting was purchased from the Elmer Keith collection. It was the same basic rifle as the Browning Safari Grade (right). In addition to modern high-tensile steels being used, the thumb slot – common on military actions and some pre-World War II commercial actions – that was necessary to reach and depress the follower to close the action was eliminated. The trigger guard and floorplate were lightly engraved and highlighted with gold. During World War II, the John Inglis Company of Toronto, Canada produced 143,000 No. The original pistol, … Fisherman Catches New Record Brown Trout with a 32-Plus-Pounder! The Hi-Power remains one of the most influential pistols in the history of small arms. Starting in 1969 Browning began the actual number using two digits for the date of manufacture, followed by an M. The number before M is the year. The Hi-Power nomenclature was introduced by Browning in the 1950s in order to avoid confusion with the Browning High-Power Rifle. This incredible and Rare piece of WWII history is the Fabrique Nationale High Power. Bolt Action Rifles . arrow_back Return To All Sold Items arrow_back Return To Sold Fine Modern Arms. At the very least, the ’98 is the rifle against which all others are compared. Introduced in 1959. Nonetheless, it holds the status of being a classic rifle that still appeals to discriminating shooters and hunters. The Olympian Grade was a factory-built, custom rifle that featured a coined satin receiver with multiple game scenes that were hand engraved by master engravers, and usually signed. This is an original WW2 production FN High Power pistol made during Nazi occupation of the FN factory. When FN introduced the .40 S&W Hi Power in 1993, FN introduced the cast frame for extra strength and standardized on the cast frame for both the .40 S&W and the 9mm Hi Power models. Its nearly unbreakable design has helped it become hugely popular among sportsman, big-game hunters, guides and professional hunters. The remainder of the receiver is engraved with relief scrolled acanthus on the sidewall and bridge, as well as two inches of the barrel. Tolerances were held to much tighter specifications than were military actions. The weapon was finalized by FN's Dieudonné Saive and did not appear until 1935, nearly a decade after Browning's death; it remained in production until 2017. M=BAR High Power Rifle. However, here's a brief summation: Simultaneous with the FN-action rifles, Browning built High Powers in the smaller calibers on Sako actions. It has a gas-operated mechanism with a rotating bolt head which engages shoulders in the rear of the barrel. I currently own several High-Power rifles in a variety of calibers, and with similar load development most will come close to duplicating the accuracy of that .300 Winchester Magnum. Hang the Perfect Treestand Now for Big Bucks Later. The left side of the receiver has a Lion over “PV” proof. According to records, it was the first Olympian Grade .338 Winchester Magnum produced in 1960. The scope had been removed upon shipping from James Julia Auction Company, but I had not noticed that one of the mounting screws had also been loosened. & Sako High Power Rifles. In spite of the Safari being the base rifle, it was a beauty with select walnut stock wood and hand-cut checkering. When this pistol was first offered by FN in 1935, it was sold as the “High Power”. The High-Power was offered in three grades, including Safari, Medallion and Olympian. There are many top-quality, modern trigger and safety assemblies (available from Brownells: www.brownells.com) that are easily installed, as well as hinged floorplates. Wolfe Publishing Company | 2180 Gulfstream Suite A | Prescott, AZ 86301. This is a Browning High Power bolt action rifle in .243 Winchester caliber. The bore is clean, and bright. I took in trade a Browning FN High Power Safari Grade 30-06, Ser # L53x, and was hoping to get some help in dating it, from what I can tell it seems to be a 1st year production, 1969? Built on an FN short-extractor action, this rifle features a finely figured checkered walnut stock with Monte Carlo cheekpiece, brown recoil pad, and swivel studs, a blued action with dual crossbolt recoil lugs, 24" barrel, and factory adjustable sights. What Deb Haaland’s Confirmation as Interior Secretary Means for Hunters and Anglers, Low Pressure and Prime Conditions Make 2021 The Best Year to Book a Bucket-List Fishing Trip, Fisherman Catches New Record Smallmouth Bass, 10 of the Biggest Whitetail Shed Antlers Ever Found, Including Three World Record-Size Deer, This Giant Gulf Sturgeon Could Be One of the Rarest Fish Ever Caught in the Surf, The Best Heated Jacket For Fishing, Hunting, and Working in Extreme Cold. In 1959 the standard Safari calibers were built on the large ring Mauser actions. It has a 22.5" barrel, blued finish, checkered walnut pistol grip stock, hinged floorplate, solid buttplate, sling studs, and manual safety. Mauser 98 type action barreled and stocked by Sako. An Olympian Grade rifle is shown with a hand-carved and checkered stock. This is a pre-owned FN made Browning High-Power Safari Olympian grade built in 1971 in .30-06 Springfield, an excellent example of fine craftsmanship that features a highly figured walnut stock that i ...Click for more info. Rifles in most calibers included a steel recoil lug, and the stock was fit by hand and bedded to a specific barreled action to maximize accuracy. The High-Power became a victim during an era when costs for traditional machining methods, labor and hand craftsmanship soared. But the undeniable fact is that it’s an antique, one that first entered military service in 1935. Originally patented by Paul Mauser in 1895 and adopted by German armed forces April 5, 1898, it has proven reliable in battle. The blue book 28th edition states this model came out in 1958, and only had a letter prefix for the first few years dependent on the grade of rifle. Even though sales remained strong, it was an expensive rifle to produce, and by 1974-1975 the last of the Browning High-Power rifles were imported to the U.S. (though they continued to be sold throughout Europe into the 1980s). Elmer Keith’s rifle has a George Hoenig- style claw mount that allowed quick detachment of the Leupold M7 4x scope for iron sight use. Rifle stock copied from Original Browning OEM pattern. These rifles featured actions with special “high tensile” steel to handle the pressures associated with modern cartridges and to increase durability. Copyright © 2021 Field & Stream. At the very least, the ’98 is the rifle against which all others are compared. Date of manufacture code … Stripers Forever Calls for 10-Year Ban on Harvesting Striped Bass, 6 Things Salt Water Fly Anglers Can Learn from Plug Fishermen. Elmer Keith’s Olympian Grade .338 Winchester Magnum was the first produced in this caliber. The front sight is a sourdough, while the folding rear sight is adjustable and housed in a base. The bolt offers controlled feeding with a strong claw extractor, making the action especially popular with big- and dangerous-game hunters. A low-numbered Leupold M7 4X scope is housed in George Hoening installed claw bases and rings, which can be quickly detached to access the iron sights. There have been several copies of the Browning FN high power over the years, but the original High Power is … These Rifles were referred to as: "The Finest Mass Production Sporting Rifles … Olympian Grade High-Power rifles featured French Gray receivers that were scroll engraved, and many of these rifles were signed by the engraver. This particular model is was assembled during WWII according to our research. The barrel is 24 inches long and measures .675 inch at the muzzle. Mauser Action, Sako Barrel, Made in Finland by SAKO, for Browning. Browning chose instead to offer these cartridges, as well as the .222 Remington, .222 Remington Magnum and .22-250 Remington, for Sako Finnish-built rifles that have a reputation for top-notch accuracy. Importation began in the early 1950s and most sources say it ended around 1957. The metal is all good no rust, the ser # is in the barrel channel of the stock and matches the gun ser #. Serial Number: 50676M8. It is beautifully engraved and signed by master engraver Marie Magis. It’s also likely that forged frame 9mm Hi Powers were produced … Area Code: 623. For example, a Hi Power made in 1973 would have a serial number starting "73C It will not fit the Sako Browning High Power Finland Rifles often confused with the original FN Safari.