The Browning Hi-Power is a semi-automatic, single-action, 9 mm pistol. The pistol is based on ideas conceived and patented in 1922 by American firearms inventor and innovator John Browning, and later the pistol was patented by Fabrique Nationale d'Armes de Guerre (FN) of Herstal, Belgium.
Browning past away in 1926, before he had fully finished designing and developing a production version of the pistol. The design was fully realized and developed at FN by Belgian arms designer Dieudonne Saive.
The Hi-Power semi auto was named for its distinct 13-round magazine capacity, which at the time was almost twice that of contemporary peer designs for example the Luger or Mauser 1910. The Hi-Power also was a pioneer in that it was capable of holding 13 cartridges as well as a 14th loaded in the chamber and had the first fully functional double column magazine of 9 mm Parabellum rounds. Currently, flush-fit 15 round magazines are now available for consumer purchase, as well as some higher capacity magazines which protrude past the end of the butt as well.
This semi automatic pistol is often called an "HP" (for "Hi-Power" or "High-Power") or in France as a GP (for the French term, "Grande Puissance"). The term name P-35 is also utilized, because the pistol was introduced in 1935. An additional nickname for the pistol is the "King of Nines." However, the pistol is most often called the "Hi-Power", even in Belgium. Lastly, the pistol can commonly be referred to as the BAP or Browning Automatic Pistol.