Posted: 7/10/2009 4:25:56 PM EDT
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I purchased a well used Hi-Power in December with the intention of eventually carrying it. This was my first Hi-Power and I gained a lot of useful information from many on this site as well as others... Well, 6 months have passed and my goal of making this old Hi-Power worthy of carry has finally been achieved thanks to Novak's. I know many here would not have done what I have done to this 'classic' HP (hence the title of this thread), but I can say with all due respect that I am more than happy with my decision and the work done.
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After: 
Thanks. |
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Which package was that, how much did it cost, and what was the turnaround delivery time? Did you have to send in your BHP right away, or did Novak call for it when it was time to do the work? No specific package. I just put what I wanted done on the work order and sent it out. I've dealt with Novak's in the past (1911 work) and trust that they would get the work done in a reasonable time, which they did. In this case it took less than 2 weeks. All that was done was basically a reliability package, trigger job, sights, extended thumb safety and refinish (pretty much their HD package). The website has a list of prices. I am more than happy with the work done by Novak's. I opted for the least amount of work necessary to get it how I wanted it for carry, no bells and whistles here. |
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With the internal extractor, S/N of 424, and made by FN, that would appear to start as a 1930's FN High Power in great condition. Feel free to correct me, there are many that know a lot more than I do and it's hard to make everything out.
So what you had before was a really nice 75 year old pistol that survived WWII and no doubt other challenges over it's long life. May have belonged in the diplomatic corp since I suspect they were not a common commodity in say.. 1936. Someone that had an interest in, and respect for the history, of the High Power would have liked that in their collection. They would have researched it's history which might have been quite interesting. What you have now is a garden variety Novak that could have been made just as well, better actually, from a $600 Mk III. I'm surprised Novak agreed to ruin it. What a waste. |
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With the internal extractor, S/N of 424, and made by FN, that would appear to start as a 1930's FN High Power in great condition. Feel free to correct me, there are many that know a lot more than I do and it's hard to make everything out. So what you had before was a really nice 75 year old pistol that survived WWII and no doubt other challenges over it's long life. May have belonged in the diplomatic corp since I suspect they were not a common commodity in say.. 1936. Someone that had an interest in, and respect for the history, of the High Power would have liked that in their collection. They would have researched it's history which might have been quite interesting. What you have now is a garden variety Novak that could have been made just as well, better actually, from a $600 Mk III. I'm surprised Novak agreed to ruin it. What a waste. If you read the other thread, he was having problems with it. I'm sure it's a collectible, but he bought it to shoot it and enjoy it. He did what he needed to be able to shoot and enjoy it. Looks great OP, I'm considering sending mine off the for the Novak treatment (but I'm thinking of getting a new slide for it first  )
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I personally wouldnt call the outside of the gun "well used" , i can tell its been carried/used some. im not sure what the inside looked like since there were it would be more importatint.
to me, the gun as is has character and honest wear. i can see doing the work to make it function reliability and adding the sights and safety, but imo the finish didnt need any help, unless you wanted a NIB look. iac, i hope you like the work. |
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With the internal extractor, S/N of 424, and made by FN, that would appear to start as a 1930's FN High Power in great condition. Feel free to correct me, there are many that know a lot more than I do and it's hard to make everything out. So what you had before was a really nice 75 year old pistol that survived WWII and no doubt other challenges over it's long life. May have belonged in the diplomatic corp since I suspect they were not a common commodity in say.. 1936. Someone that had an interest in, and respect for the history, of the High Power would have liked that in their collection. They would have researched it's history which might have been quite interesting. What you have now is a garden variety Novak that could have been made just as well, better actually, from a $600 Mk III. I'm surprised Novak agreed to ruin it. What a waste. +1 It does surprise me that Novaks would do such a job on a HP with the old internal extractor. Those are getting pretty scarce. And the strength of the old forged frame supposedly isn't as strong as the newer cast frames on the MKIII's. I think any number of Hi Power fans would have traded a NIB MKIII for that prewar beauty. Heck, I might have given two HP's for it. 
But look at the bright side...........it makes every other prewar Hi Power just a little bit more valuable than they were yesterday.. |
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With the internal extractor, S/N of 424, and made by FN, that would appear to start as a 1930's FN High Power in great condition. Feel free to correct me, there are many that know a lot more than I do and it's hard to make everything out. So what you had before was a really nice 75 year old pistol that survived WWII and no doubt other challenges over it's long life. May have belonged in the diplomatic corp since I suspect they were not a common commodity in say.. 1936. Someone that had an interest in, and respect for the history, of the High Power would have liked that in their collection. They would have researched it's history which might have been quite interesting. What you have now is a garden variety Novak that could have been made just as well, better actually, from a $600 Mk III. I'm surprised Novak agreed to ruin it. What a waste. +1 It does surprise me that Novaks would do such a job on a HP with the old internal extractor. Those are getting pretty scarce. And the strength of the old forged frame supposedly isn't as strong as the newer cast frames on the MKIII's. I think any number of Hi Power fans would have traded a NIB MKIII for that prewar beauty. Heck, I might have given two HP's for it.
But look at the bright side...........it makes every other prewar Hi Power just a little bit more valuable than they were yesterday.. I appreciate your concerns, I really do, but this is a 1950's HP. If you took the time to read the original post, you would understand that. I realize that this may be considered a 'collectible' by many, but for me it is a functional carry pistol. The 424 does NOT mean it is the 424th HP ever assembled by FN. Again, if you had taken the time to read through the original post or had some knowledge about the history of these pistols, you would know that... I didn't, so I did my due diligence ahead of time and the result is what you see above. I can understand an individuals disdain for someone who 'butchers' a classic HP the way I did, but please do not jump to the conclusion that I defaced a 'pre-war' HP for shits and giggles. And, FWIW, I'm happy to have a 'garden variety Novak' that is functional for its intended purpose. Best. |
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If you read the other thread, he was having problems with it. I'm sure it's a collectible, but he bought it to shoot it and enjoy it. He did what he needed to be able to shoot and enjoy it. Looks great OP, I'm considering sending mine off the for the Novak treatment (but I'm thinking of getting a new slide for it first )God bless the man who takes the time to INFORM himself... 
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All that was done was basically a reliability package, trigger job, sights, extended thumb safety and refinish (pretty much their HD package). The website has a list of prices. That's pretty much all I want, and the 2 week turnaround sounds great! I've had 4 1911's and 2 BHP's done by Novak's previously (it was a long time ago, while Joe Bonar was still alive and Kurt Wickman was still there), and back then the delivery was a lot longer. |
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If you read the other thread, he was having problems with it. I'm sure it's a collectible, but he bought it to shoot it and enjoy it. He did what he needed to be able to shoot and enjoy it. Looks great OP, I'm considering sending mine off the for the Novak treatment (but I'm thinking of getting a new slide for it first )God bless the man who takes the time to INFORM himself... And you did? 
If you were truly informed you would have known of the collectability and value of these Austrian Police issued HP's. In the condition yours WAS in you could easily have traded for a NIB MKIII or a gently used MKIII + $$$. My typing "prewar" before I read the other thread was a mistake, yours was in defiling a beautiful 1950's Hi Power. I understand the "it's my gun I can do what I want" syndrome. "Blasphemy"? You said it yourself. Just don't tell us you just converted your 1963 Corvette Stingray to a 4 WD electric.
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If you read the other thread, he was having problems with it. I'm sure it's a collectible, but he bought it to shoot it and enjoy it. He did what he needed to be able to shoot and enjoy it. Looks great OP, I'm considering sending mine off the for the Novak treatment (but I'm thinking of getting a new slide for it first )God bless the man who takes the time to INFORM himself... And you did?
If you were truly informed you would have known of the collectability and value of these Austrian Police issued HP's. In the condition yours WAS in you could easily have traded for a NIB MKIII or a gently used MKIII + $$$. My typing "prewar" before I read the other thread was a mistake, yours was in defiling a beautiful 1950's Hi Power. I understand the "it's my gun I can do what I want" syndrome. "Blasphemy"? You said it yourself. Just don't tell us you just converted your 1963 Corvette Stingray to a 4 WD electric. Yes I did, and thanks for your opinion. |
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WWII would have been 5 digit.. 1950's US 70,xxx.. and no, I never thought it was the 424th one, however I thought that postwar production FN guns, including Europe, had an 'A' before a 4 digit serial number. Suppose there are special runs out there and I'll take your word for it. But if you knew what it was you must have known it was worth more than a Mark III so .. why?
It's a shame that you turned an interesting pistol into a commodity. And yes, we can hack old guitars and cars and guns as we please, but expect some of us to find that crass and tasteless. |
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With the internal extractor, S/N of 424, and made by FN, that would appear to start as a 1930's FN High Power in great condition. Feel free to correct me, there are many that know a lot more than I do and it's hard to make everything out. So what you had before was a really nice 75 year old pistol that survived WWII and no doubt other challenges over it's long life. May have belonged in the diplomatic corp since I suspect they were not a common commodity in say.. 1936. Someone that had an interest in, and respect for the history, of the High Power would have liked that in their collection. They would have researched it's history which might have been quite interesting. What you have now is a garden variety Novak that could have been made just as well, better actually, from a $600 Mk III. I'm surprised Novak agreed to ruin it. What a waste. If you read the other thread, he was having problems with it. I'm sure it's a collectible, but he bought it to shoot it and enjoy it. He did what he needed to be able to shoot and enjoy it. Looks great OP, I'm considering sending mine off the for the Novak treatment (but I'm thinking of getting a new slide for it first )You have a very nice T series Mr. Grievear. While these are certainly more plentiful than the pistol in question, why not sell it to someone who really likes High Powers and get yourself a Mark III to have modified? They are a better starting point and you can save $150 on reliability work. That and if you get a Practical model you can even get it checkered instead of stippled. BTW, there are other good BHP gunsmiths. The work on mine is being done by Don Williams and I haven't gotten the gun yet but I'm very pleased with the personal attention I'm getting from the smaller shop. Triador (on this forum) has a beautiful HP done by Heirloom Precision. After seeing what Novak did here, I think I'm going to be mad at them for awhile. |
| The only thing I might have done different if it were my project would have been a set of Heinie's on your Hi-Power. Blasphemy ??? I hardly think so, if anything you have modernized a piece of history and turned it into a weapon of taste. The Mark III's, excuse me....yawn... cookie cutter production pieces. Fine Job !! |
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With the internal extractor, S/N of 424, and made by FN, that would appear to start as a 1930's FN High Power in great condition. Feel free to correct me, there are many that know a lot more than I do and it's hard to make everything out. So what you had before was a really nice 75 year old pistol that survived WWII and no doubt other challenges over it's long life. May have belonged in the diplomatic corp since I suspect they were not a common commodity in say.. 1936. Someone that had an interest in, and respect for the history, of the High Power would have liked that in their collection. They would have researched it's history which might have been quite interesting. What you have now is a garden variety Novak that could have been made just as well, better actually, from a $600 Mk III. I'm surprised Novak agreed to ruin it. What a waste. If you read the other thread, he was having problems with it. I'm sure it's a collectible, but he bought it to shoot it and enjoy it. He did what he needed to be able to shoot and enjoy it. Looks great OP, I'm considering sending mine off the for the Novak treatment (but I'm thinking of getting a new slide for it first )You have a very nice T series Mr. Grievear. While these are certainly more plentiful than the pistol in question, why not sell it to someone who really likes High Powers and get yourself a Mark III to have modified? They are a better starting point and you can save $150 on reliability work. That and if you get a Practical model you can even get it checkered instead of stippled. BTW, there are other good BHP gunsmiths. The work on mine is being done by Don Williams and I haven't gotten the gun yet but I'm very pleased with the personal attention I'm getting from the smaller shop. Triador (on this forum) has a beautiful HP done by Heirloom Precision. After seeing what Novak did here, I think I'm going to be mad at them for awhile. Or in typical arfcom tradition I could just get a MK3 and send it to novaks and keep the T series too. 
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