NRA AR: The Browning High Power Story

This episode of American Rifleman TV first aired in October 2020.

After World War I, the French military recognized the deficiencies it had with handgun supply and effectiveness during the war and sought to adopt a new, more-modern design. In 1921, it created a list of requirements for the Grande Puissance, or “High Power,” service pistol. These requirements included compactness, effective accuracy and lethality out to 50 meters, a magazine capacity of at least 10 rounds and a magazine-disconnect device. One of the companies to take up the task of developing a design around these parameters was FN Herstal, with engineer Dieudonné Saive at the head of the project. Saive worked with John M. Browning, who had designed the successful M1911 U.S. service pistol and had previously worked extensively with FN, to develop a new semi-automatic pistol to fit the requirements.