From: bobd@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu (Bob DeBula)
Newsgroups: rec.guns
Subject: Re: I have a few questions on Browning 9mm
Date: 14 Apr 92 14:31:30 GMT
Organization: The Ohio State University

In article <53025@mimsy.umd.edu> chan@seattleu.edu (Anthony K.B. Chan) writes:
#What are the differences between the Browning 9mm Hi-power, 9mm Hi-power
#Practical and the Hi-power mark II ? Which one of them is better ?
#

By "Browning High Power", presumably you mean the (G)P35 and its
derivatives. Many, many, many variations of the basic High Power
have been produced over the years. The High Power Practical has
a two tone slide & frame (I seem to remember the frame is light
colored presumably electroless nickel and the slide is black matte).
Additionally, I think the HP Practical has Pachenmeyer grips,
rather largish fixed sites (possibly with dots), and amibdextrous
safety. These are the things I seem to recall from glancing at one
in a shop a while back, perhaps someone else would like to add/correct?

The High Power Mark II is presumably the High Power Mark II NATO model.
I would suspect that this is really the High Power Mark III NATO of
which you speak (to my knowledge, I've never seen a Mark II, only
the follow-on Mark III). FN apparently originally introduced these as
some sort of NATO production overrun (this is what I was told the
first time I saw one) and later decided to make a variation of this
model part of their production series for marketing under Browning
in the US. Differences include (but are probably not limited to)
Pachenmeyer wrap-around grips, black matte finish, three white dot
fixed sights, ambidextrous extended safety. The original Belgian
models were also odd in that they are stamped "9mm Luger" on the
barrel rather than "9mm Para(bellum)" as were previous High Powers (this may
still be true as far as I know, I haven't had a chance to examine one
since they went "production" in Portugal).
This model is still produced and is now assembled in Portugal. Apparently,
according to what I've been told, very few Belgian Mark IIIs made it
into the US before the change over (they first came in on the
factory overrun just about the same time as FN moved assembly to
Portugal). Of those that made it in (supposedly 1,000 or fewer)
only about 250 or so were stamped "Browning" (you'll find that a lot
of the Competition model High Powers also lack the Browning stamp).

As a combat weapon, I would rate the NATO Mark III very highly
amongst High Powers in that it seems to have most every important
enhancement one could want in a combat variation of the High Power pistol.
I am basing this, of course, on a Belgian (i.e. virtually unobtainable)
Mark III, not one assembled in Portugal (although a lot of folks have 
reported satisfaction in this forum with the more recent models assembled
in Portugal). Incidently, the slide millings and the inards of the slide
look somewhat different to me on the Mark III than on previous models 
with which I am familiar. I do not know if these were functional changes,
or production simplification steps which FN took.

There are far, far too many variations of the High Power to go into
here. There is a good book on the subject, and were I at home, I could
list the title, etc. for you. Perhaps I'll follow up again tomorrow with
the additional information on the book if I remember to check this evening.
I hope this helps to answer your question(s).

-- 
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              Disclaimer: These are my views, not the U's