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I have seen the pre-war Hi-Powers with WaA 613 & WaA 140 markings. In fact I have one with the WaA 140 proofs. These do not have the eagle proof.
I have not seen any with just the eagle proof. Ther Germans accepted the Belgian proofing system so there was no need to have any of the pistols re-inspected and german proofed.
I do have difficulty in seeing how the pistol came before the inspector who would have applied the eagle proof. If any one has any ideas on this, they would be appreciated.
I have not seen any with just the eagle proof. Ther Germans accepted the Belgian proofing system so there was no need to have any of the pistols re-inspected and german proofed.
I do have difficulty in seeing how the pistol came before the inspector who would have applied the eagle proof. If any one has any ideas on this, they would be appreciated.
You pistol was out of the factory (perhaps barely) when the Germans came. Looking at the images of your Hi-Power, it has "all" of the Belgian proofs and Beligan military acceptance marks.
(You are correct about the barrel in that someons put a few rounds through it and then did not clean it. This was not nice of them as they should have been more considerate for the collectors of the future. But you can feel safe in the fact that the barrel has not be replaced.)
I have A Hi-Power that is missing the crown over AC & the crown over GC. The procedure was not complete on this one so it was still in the factory/military receiving are when he Germans came. My is serial No. 44639. As can be noted your Hi-Power and my Hi-Power is not that far apart.
My pistol No. 44639 does not have any WaA markings on it.
(You are correct about the barrel in that someons put a few rounds through it and then did not clean it. This was not nice of them as they should have been more considerate for the collectors of the future. But you can feel safe in the fact that the barrel has not be replaced.)
I have A Hi-Power that is missing the crown over AC & the crown over GC. The procedure was not complete on this one so it was still in the factory/military receiving are when he Germans came. My is serial No. 44639. As can be noted your Hi-Power and my Hi-Power is not that far apart.
My pistol No. 44639 does not have any WaA markings on it.
By chane are you aware of the type of finish that was on the pistol?
As a general rule, pre-war Hi-Powers had tangent sights & stock slot. Post war Hi-Powers were primarily fixed sights. As I mentioned this is the general rule.
Looking at the picture you posted and the serial number given, at first blush, I would be inclined to think that it is a post-war Hi-Power because of the fixed sights. The finish you indicated could be either pre-war or post war.
The pre-war Hi-Powers started at serial no. 1. But, when FN re-started production after the was, they also started at serial no. 1. (This does not include the contracts, of which many started at serial no. 1.) Consequently, it is possible to have two Hi-Powers with the same serial number, one is pre-war and the other is post-war.
But any general rule has its exceptions. There were fixed sight Hi-Powers manufactured before 1940. Not very many I would assume since production was geared to the Belgian military and the various foreign contracts. Argentina and Peru did receive contracts of Hi-Powers with fixed sights (which had special markings). Also, there were a few made for the commercial market. I have one that is numbered as serial no. 11202 (fixed sights but with a stock slot). There are a few other known examples, most in the 10/11 k serial number range. For referencfe. the serial numbers of the known commercial Hi-Powers have been recorded in Anthony's book.
So it is possible that the one you posted was pre-war.
Looking at the picture you posted and the serial number given, at first blush, I would be inclined to think that it is a post-war Hi-Power because of the fixed sights. The finish you indicated could be either pre-war or post war.
The pre-war Hi-Powers started at serial no. 1. But, when FN re-started production after the was, they also started at serial no. 1. (This does not include the contracts, of which many started at serial no. 1.) Consequently, it is possible to have two Hi-Powers with the same serial number, one is pre-war and the other is post-war.
But any general rule has its exceptions. There were fixed sight Hi-Powers manufactured before 1940. Not very many I would assume since production was geared to the Belgian military and the various foreign contracts. Argentina and Peru did receive contracts of Hi-Powers with fixed sights (which had special markings). Also, there were a few made for the commercial market. I have one that is numbered as serial no. 11202 (fixed sights but with a stock slot). There are a few other known examples, most in the 10/11 k serial number range. For referencfe. the serial numbers of the known commercial Hi-Powers have been recorded in Anthony's book.
So it is possible that the one you posted was pre-war.
I thought that I would keep this portion in a separete message.
The serial number of the one you posted is close to the serial number range of the post-war Danish police contract. I though I would mention this as a guide to dating i nthe event it was a post war model.
The serial number of the one you posted is close to the serial number range of the post-war Danish police contract. I though I would mention this as a guide to dating i nthe event it was a post war model.
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