Source: ATF P 5300.11 · Curios or Relics List · Jan 1972 – Apr 20253,573 entries · 4 sections
The C&R RegisterA finding aid to the ATF Curios or Relics List, for Type 03 collectors
C&R · II · 050

Browning Hi Power, Classic Edition

Section II: curio or relic, still subject to the Gun Control Act

Official wording

ATF P 5300.11 · APRIL 2025 EDITION · SECTION II · VERBATIM · PDF P. 3 ↗

Browning Hi Power, Classic Edition, cal. 9mm pistol, having S/Ns 245BC0001 through 45BC5000.

ATF lists cal. 9mm; this is the 9mm Parabellum (9×19mm) cartridge.

What this entry requires

  • ATF REQUIRESYour firearm is this edition: “Classic Edition”
  • ATF REQUIRESYour serial number is one ATF listsATF: “having S/Ns 245BC0001 through 45BC5000”
  • INFOATF states no date; production was about 1984–1986.

Editorial facts · Our research

Country
Belgium
Manufacturer
Fabrique Nationale for Browning
Type
Pistol
Action
Semi-auto
Caliber
9mm Parabellum
Made
Listed serials only · c. 1984–1986production; ATF states no date¹
Service
Commercial
Search listings ↗Check a specific gunReport an error ↗

Source

Official wording
ATF P 5300.11, April 2025 edition · Section II · PDF p. 3 ↗ · ATF original ↗
Entries
1 line
Verbatim check
Checked against the PDF text before every release
Editorial facts
Confidence: Medium · Last revised 17 October 2026 (Data-trust review) · How we rate confidence
References
  1. cdn.rockislandauction.com ↗, years: RIA: Browning Gold Classic High-Power (same Classic series) manufactured 1984–1986
Fact tags
  • ATF the ATF wording states it.
  • REF ¹ an outside reference supports it; the number points to the list of references.
  • ESTIMATE an approximate or indirect reading, for example the production range of the base model.
  • NO CITATION we haven’t attached a reference for this fact; it’s our editorial reading, not ATF’s.
Source checked
20 October 2026: ATF’s page still lists the April 2025 edition
Corrections
2 changes · see below

Correction history

  1. Data-trust reviewEditorial confidence: Low → Medium. Re-rated after supporting references were added or re-checked.
  2. Data-trust reviewYears: 1985–1986 → 1984–1986. Classic series manufactured 1984–1986

All corrections · How corrections work

Historical context

Browning Hi-Power (base model shown for Browning Hi Power, Classic Edition)
Shown: the base Browning Hi Power, not the Classic Edition.

Image: Wikimedia Commons, “FN Hi Power.jpg” by U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Public domain. Retrieved October 2026.

Summary: Wikipedia, “Browning Hi-Power”. Text CC BY-SA 4.0.

FROM WIKIPEDIA

The Browning Hi-Power or 1935 Browning 9mm GP or Grand Puissance pistol is a single-action, semi-automatic pistol available in the 9×19mm Parabellum and .40 S&W calibers. It was based on a design by American firearms inventor John Browning, and completed by Dieudonné Saive at FN Herstal. Browning died in 1926, several years before the design was finalized. FN Herstal named it the "High Power" in allusion to the 13-round magazine capacity, almost twice that of other designs at the time, such as the Walther P38 or Colt M1911. The Hi-Power was the only 9mm semi-automatic pistol available with a double-stack detachable box magazine from 1935 until the introduction of the 15-round MAB PA-15 in 1966.