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INGLIS HI-POWERS MK.1* 9MM LUGER (9x19 PARA)
Guns International #: 103225415 Seller's Inventory #: 555788
Category: Military Pistols - Non-US - 9mm Pistols
Seller's Information
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Seller: Guns Dot Com
Member Since: 9/8/21
State: Minnesota
Zip: 55337
Country: United States
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Description:
Guns Listing ID: 555788
1944 see the photos.
During World War II, the Canadian firm John Inglis & Co. manufactured approximately 150,000+ samples of the iconic FN Browning Hi-Power pistol. When the last batch in active service was declared to be surplus by the British military in the early 1990s, many of these fine pistols made their way to American shores. While most now reside in the safes of Hi-Power collectors, these excellent pistols do occasionally come up for sale and still represent a good value for the collector of WWII firearms.
A Brief History
The John Inglis Company was a former metal fabrication factory that had gone into receivership in 1936: a victim of both the Great Depression and the death of the two Inglis brothers who had run the company for many years. By 1938, the world was a powder keg, and the only thing missing was a spark. The allies were generally slow to acknowledge this reality, but they were begrudgingly making small some preparations.
One of Inglis’ abandoned factories was located on the western outskirts of Toronto. This factory drew the attention of an American-born businessman who had served in the Canadian military: Major James Hahn. He purchased the factory and the Inglis name, and quickly negotiated a contract to build 5,000 Mk 1 Stens for the British War office, as well as 7,000 for Canada.
With the contract came fresh capital for infrastructure. Inglis retooled the factory and started production of small arms in 1940. John Inglis & Co. became a major arms contractor, and included in its portfolio was the new state-of-the-art Browning Hi-Power. Even though Fabrique Nationale was in the hands of the Germans by 1940, FN’s chief designer, Dieudonné Saive, had managed to escape to England and was able to reproduce manufacturing drawings for the Hi-Power from a combination of his excellent memory and a few sample guns.
By 1943, Chiang Kai-Shek’s Nationalist Chinese Army was seeking to buy 180,000 Hi-Powers via the Mutual Aid Plan with Canada. The Chinese were familiar with the Mauser C96, and wanted their new Hi-Powers to be fitted with similar wooden stock/holsters and 500-meter Tangent sights. Inglis secured the contract, and production began in February of 1944. However, only 4,000 of these pistols were produced and delivered, and even that shipment initially only made it as far as India.
Apparently, most of these 4,000 pistols were eventually flown over the “hump" by American pilots and delivered to Chinese forces. Another 14,500 +/- Chinese contract pistols had been produced when the original contract was cancelled in September of 1944. All of these undelivered Chinese- contract pistols were accepted by the Canadian and British militaries, and were given a designation of “Pistol No 1 Mk 1" and “Pistol No 1 Mk 1*."
The sample gun photographed for this article is from this batch of Chinese Contract pistols that was accepted into the Canadian military.
Once it was clear that World War II was ending, the Allies granted a new contract to China, and delivered roughly 40,000 +/- Hi Powers to Chiang Kai-Shek’s Army. This contract was cancelled in the fall of 1945, once it became apparent that Mao’s Communist Forces were going to defeat the Nationalist Chinese Army.
All in all, Inglis produced a total of only 66,350 Chinese contract Hi Powers over an 18-month production span from February 1944 to October 1945. The most obvious way to identify these historically significant pistols is by the “CH" letters in the serial number.
Overview
Feature-wise, the Inglis Hi-Powers are remarkably similar to early FN-produced versions, but parts are often not interchangeable. They feature internal extractors and the half-moon scallop cut on the receiver. However, there are some variations amongst Inglis-produced models, most of which are beyond the scope of this article. For those seeking additional guidance on this topic, I highly recommend seeking out a copy of Clive M. Law’s excellent (but out of print) reference book “Inglis Diamond: The Canadian High Power."
The Chinese contract pistols feature the 500-meter tangent rear sight, as mentioned above. While probably not the most useful feature, these sights are unique and add to the collector interest of this firearm.
The front sight is set in a dovetail, and is heavily staked to prevent movement.
The Chinese contract pistols feature a lanyard ring, and the back of the grip on the frame has been slotted vertically to accept the wooden “Holster C, No. 1 Mk1." Also visible in the photo above is the unique look and texture of the hand grips.
No.1 MK I* production dates by serial number
Serial numbers on pistols for the Chinese contract used the letters ‘CH’, followed by a 4-digit number.
Feb. through May 1944 CH1 – CH1014
June 1944 CH1015 – CH8014
July 1944 CH8015 – 1CH0045
Aug. 1944 1CH0046 – 1CH6077
Sept. 1944 1CH6078 – 1CH6099
Oct. 1944 1CH6100 – 1CH6576
June 1945 1CH6589 – 1CH7588
July 1945 1CH7589 – 2CH3588
Aug. through Oct. 2CH3589 – 5CH9928
The serial number of this listing indicates manufacture in Aug- Oct of 1944. Note again that the first 4,000 Inglis Mk.1 No.1s are marked with Chinese characters. These rare pistols are worth more than double the price of pistols without the Chinese markings.
Price: $1,899.99
Curio/Relic: Yes
Manufacturer: INGLIS HI-POWERS
Model: MK.1*
Caliber Info: 9MM LUGER (9x19 PARA)
Condition: Used - Non-Certified
Barrels: 4.75" BARREL
Action: SEMI AUTOMATIC