There is a local auction coming up, has a Browning MK 1 on it, the seriel no. starts with a 2CH which I think is on the last run of the Chinese contract pistols, is this true, it has a big, folding rear sight, What would be a good price on this pistol, I know condition means everything. terry
Browning MK 1 Questions
- Thread starter tsillik
- Start date
Never heard of a "Browning MK 1" before. I think you mean a Canadian Inglis Hi-Power Mk1. The "2CH" does designate a China contract, but without any condition/matching info, it's worth between $300 and $1500. Is there a stock included......an original stock? Inglis mags......how many?
I'm not sure about the description of the gun. If this is an original Hi-Power made for a Chinese contract it would be a pre-WWII gun. It would not be marked Browning but rather FN or marking appropriate for a gun made for the Chinese market.
If the above it would have a slotted stock rear grip for attachment of a butt stock.
If made during the war in Canada as an Inglis version of the BHP, intended for China, It will have Mk 1 markings on it along with Inglis markings.
If you can get a pic of the gun post it here.
tipoc
Personally I don't know for sure.
But you can poke into this as much as I can. So look at the 9 min point in the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPy_BdEDtzk
https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/obscure-object-desire-chinese-contract-inglis-hi-power/
https://www.tactical-life.com/firearms/handguns/inglis-hi-power-pistols/
tipoc
But you can poke into this as much as I can. So look at the 9 min point in the video below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPy_BdEDtzk
https://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/obscure-object-desire-chinese-contract-inglis-hi-power/
https://www.tactical-life.com/firearms/handguns/inglis-hi-power-pistols/
tipoc
Last edited:
dogtown tom
New member
"2CH" is an Inglis serial# prefix.
FN/Browning never used "2CH" as a serial# prefix.
FN/Browning never used "2CH" as a serial# prefix.
dogtown tom
New member
But has..?
That's exactly the type of rear sight an Inglis MkI is supposed to have.
Bartholomew Roberts
Moderator
Exactly. The folding sight is so you can whip out your stock/holster and start dropping 9mm on guys at 500yds. I’m sure it seemed brilliant at the time.
Tsillik,
Look at the links I supplied you earlier in this thread.
Those are links. You click on them and they take you to the answers to your questions. Click on this one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPy_BdEDtzk
The above provides you with some history of the guns. Info on their serial numbers and good close up pics of the gun. Use that info or not, up to you.
You could have googled this stuff yourself. When folks give you the answers to your questions you can maybe do a bit of the work yourself.
You have provided no pics of the gun you are interested in so folks can't tell you about that.But folks can and have shown you what the gun you think it is should look like. So...
tipoc
Look at the links I supplied you earlier in this thread.
Those are links. You click on them and they take you to the answers to your questions. Click on this one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPy_BdEDtzk
The above provides you with some history of the guns. Info on their serial numbers and good close up pics of the gun. Use that info or not, up to you.
You could have googled this stuff yourself. When folks give you the answers to your questions you can maybe do a bit of the work yourself.
You have provided no pics of the gun you are interested in so folks can't tell you about that.But folks can and have shown you what the gun you think it is should look like. So...
tipoc
"...The Inglis pistol was a reverse engineered..." Nope. Made by Inglis using the original drawings provided by FN engineers who escaped from Europe with said drawings.
"...that big folding rear sight..." The tangent sight was peculiar to the Chinese contract Inglis BHP. The one in Ibmikey's picture is the way the CF(only made in 1944 and '45. Still in use after 75 + years. Mine was made in 1944. Those integral rear sights and triangle front suck.), Brits and other users of Inglis BHPs.
The story about the Chinese contract(all of which had the S/N prefix of "CH") is here below the second set of pictures.
The 2CH prefix means the thing was made between July and October of 1945. "Last Run" isn't inaccurate.
https://www.ai4fr.com/main/page_militaria__collectibles_canada_inglis.html
As to price, condition is everything(just like everything else), but they start at around $2500US on Gunbroker.
"...between $300 and..." You couldn't buy any BHP for $300 unless it's stolen. $300 was an average 35 years ago.
"...that big folding rear sight..." The tangent sight was peculiar to the Chinese contract Inglis BHP. The one in Ibmikey's picture is the way the CF(only made in 1944 and '45. Still in use after 75 + years. Mine was made in 1944. Those integral rear sights and triangle front suck.), Brits and other users of Inglis BHPs.
The story about the Chinese contract(all of which had the S/N prefix of "CH") is here below the second set of pictures.
The 2CH prefix means the thing was made between July and October of 1945. "Last Run" isn't inaccurate.
https://www.ai4fr.com/main/page_militaria__collectibles_canada_inglis.html
As to price, condition is everything(just like everything else), but they start at around $2500US on Gunbroker.
"...between $300 and..." You couldn't buy any BHP for $300 unless it's stolen. $300 was an average 35 years ago.
Sounds like you are confusing an FN made gun with an Inglis. Look at the pics provided by folks of the Inglis. The Inglis has stamps on it that say FN but is not an FN made gun. The difference is quite clear. If you read the articles and watch the vids folks have provided your confusion (even about the nomenclature) should drop. It will at any rate allow you to look at the gun you may want with a more discerning eye.
No FN made guns had a 2CH serial number prefix. The Inglis did have that serial number prefix.
tipoc
Ok tipoc I see, I thought when it said FN on it that was the maker, this one today said Inglis Canada on it, was in pretty rough shape, had the slot in the grip but no stock/ holster for it, one correct magazine, sold for 600.00 dollars, did I make a mistake not bidding higher? Sorry for being so thick headed! terry
A poor condition Tangent sight Chinese contract pistol should not sell over about $600 but without seeing any photos of the firearm in question it is hard to place $ numbers on an unknown.
FN employees escaped with a set of metric drawings for the Hi Power and one pistol was located in Britain, the drawings were changed to inch pattern using the pistol to aid in all measurements. It was not an easy task to change the measurement systems and many difficulties were found with early manufactured pistols. The photo of the Inglis I posted is a Canadian issue with a 0T prefix serial number ( the first run of pistols used 0T, second run 1T etc.).
FN employees escaped with a set of metric drawings for the Hi Power and one pistol was located in Britain, the drawings were changed to inch pattern using the pistol to aid in all measurements. It was not an easy task to change the measurement systems and many difficulties were found with early manufactured pistols. The photo of the Inglis I posted is a Canadian issue with a 0T prefix serial number ( the first run of pistols used 0T, second run 1T etc.).
dogtown tom
New member
I said nothing of the sort.
In fact, I wrote:
"2CH" is an Inglis serial# prefix.
FN/Browning never used "2CH" as a serial# prefix.
You gun was not manufactured by FN nor Browning, but by Inglis in Canada during WWII. Whether it has "Browning" in the slide doesn't change that. Browning Arms has never manufactured a single firearm and are a marketing/import company only.