Century Arms' High-Powered Centurion 14

Quick, what’s the best pistol ever designed by John Moses Browning? You’ll get a lot of answers for this, although most Americans will loudly shout for the 1911. But along with the classic GI-issued .45 and a lot of other genre-founding pistols (let’s not forget the 1903 pocket pistol, and the Woodsman plinker), the Browning Hi-Power stands as a timeless classic. And now Century Arms has a very affordable clone for sale.

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World War II weapon

Technically speaking, JMB didn’t completely design the Browning Hi-Power; he started work on the design before he died in the 1920s, and Dieudonné Saive finished the design for FN a few years later. Entering production in 1935, the Hi-Power was an instant favorite with Allied troops in World War II thanks to its 13-round magazine, significantly more than the Colt 1911, Walther P-38, Luger P-08 or just about any other handgun in regular use in that war. When World War II ended, many militaries continued to use the Hi-Power, and it’s still in military and police use today.

With production in Argentina, Canada and Europe, the Hi-Power design saw some tweaks over the decades, depending on who was building it and who was buying it. Variants exist in different calibers, but the most common by far is 9x19mm.

Century Arms’ new offering

The new Centurion 14 joins a growing field of Hi-Power clones, but unlike some manufacturers’ attempts to modernize the design, Century Arms is keeping it classic. As per their website:

“This handgun boasts classic, sleek lines, a double stack magazine, skeleton hammer and smooth shooting experience. Its all-steel construction provides durability and a feel that has been admired since 1935. Chambered in 9mm, the Centurion 14 offers a 15+1 capacity to give you plenty of firepower.”

Note the added magazine capacity, and it obviously doesn’t have wooden grips.

However, it looks a lot like something you’d see some paratrooper carrying during a Cold War conflict. It has a 4.66-inch barrel and weighs 25.6 ounces unloaded. The sights are a three-dot Novak-style setup, and of course, this is a single-action pistol with a manual thumb safety accompanying that ring hammer. Every one of these pistols ships with a hard case, one mag, a bore brush, a cleaning rod and a bore mop. MSRP is $409.99, supposedly the most affordable Hi-Power clone on the market. See more info here.