The Charles Daly Hi-Power is a modestly priced take on a classic Browning design. And it's an eminently "shootable" platform.

Only a handful of autos rate the description of "classic"--certainly the Luger, perhaps Walther's PPK and possibly the exotic SIG P210. Certainly, the1911 tops any ranking, but the model that I'd personally place right behind it is the great Hi-Power.

Developed at Fabrique Nationale in Belgium--initially by John Browning and then finished up by Dieudonne Saive--the Hi-Power has virtually been in continuous production since 1935 (next year will mark the pistol's 70th anniversary). Hi-Powers have come from plants in many locales, but to the best of my belief they have never been made in the United States. Until now.

There is now a brand-new Hi-Power, a product of Charles Daly of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Under ATF rules, the serialized receiver of a pistol is the portion that is the registered gun. This version of the timeless design is built from an American receiver onto which high-quality imported parts are installed. No matter the source, this strikes me as a well-made rendering of the Hi-Power, and it shoots in a manner consistent with its legendary reputation.

The Daly Hi-Power is attractively finished. All the original and familiar curves and lines are there, with most of them done up in a flat black. A bit of sharp-looking contrast comes from polished and blued slide flats, slide lock, thumb safety and hammer flats. The left slide flat bears the legend "Charles Daly HP" in crisp, lasered lettering. Daly also continues the basic tactical-black scheme with a pair of Spegel-designed molded rubber grips from Michaels of Oregon. They provide a sure grip and are properly shaped for good trigger control.

There are some out-of-the ordinary amenities that also deserve mention. As good as the Hi-Power design is, there's a flaw in the action of the thumb safety, particularly for those who carry in the "cocked and locked" mode. On original guns, the paddle is small and lacks a crisp release. On the new Daly, this problem has been corrected with a larger, extended contact surface that pops off with positive downward pressure. And when you consider that the Hi-Power was designed to be a fighting handgun, the sights used by the Charles Daly designers are particularly good. They are the plain Big Dot express sights from XS, a huge white front bead on a post mated to a shallow V rear. It's a very fast combination for a combat pistol.

Two problems remain. First, the combination of the shape of the grip tang and that of the large hammer are not good--this Hi-Power still bites the web of some hands. Second, the Daly pistol retains the magazine-safety feature, and the trigger pull is still only fair. Both of these factors, however, are endemic in the Hi-Power design. A good pistolsmith can clean up the trigger, and the magazine safety--which adversely impacts the trigger pull--can be removed.

Shooting went well. I tried some informal speed work on plain cardboard silhouettes. The XS sights are great for this kind of shooting, and I had no trouble rattling fast pairs out of the gun using the provided Mec-Gar magazine and several original Hi-Power mags. In accuracy work from a Ransom Rest, my best single group ran 3.18 inches for 10 shots at 25 yards using Pro Load 124-grain Tactical JHPs.

The shooter who's looking for a decent Hi-Power pistol gets a pretty good one for a modest price tag in the new Charles Daly.