From a golden Uzi to a Smith & Wesson .44 Magnum featuring his golden initials emblazoned on the frame, Frank Sinatra’s choice in firearms fit the Rat Pack leader’s famously decadent lifestyle. His Browning Hi-Power, which is about to hit the block at Rock Island Auction Company, follows suit.
It’s the latest in RIAC’s seemingly endless catalog of celebrity-wielded weapons, including Steve McQueen’s Winchester 1892 “Mare’s Leg” rifle of Wanted: Dead or Alive fame, Elvis Presley’s Smith & Wesson Model 53 revolver, Theodore Roosevelt’s White House “nightstand gun.” But unlike those lots, Sinatra’s Hi-Power could conceivably be had for a four-figure bid.
Designed by 20th-century firearms designer and godfather John Moses Browning, the Hi-Power hasn’t reached the public consciousness-penetrating level of fame of Browning’s famed 1911—but it probably should. There are several similarities between the two, including the hammers, slides, and single-action triggers.
The Hi-Power’s locking system, arguably the most fundamental part of the pistol’s design, is itself a refinement of the 1911’s, but with one crucial difference. In a 1911, the barrel is tilted by a pinned pivoting arm that pulls it rearward after firing. The Hi-Power’s system is much simpler: a cam lug rides over a pin in the frame to tilt the barrel down. According to Shooting Illustrated, the improvement was completed by Dieudonne Saive at Fabrique Nationale (better known as FN) after Browning’s death in 1926—Saive had been working on the design with Browning since shortly after the end of WWI. Saive is also responsible for the feature that most differentiates the Hi-Power from the 1911—its double-stack 9 mm magazine, which Saive had begun designing for the French military before the pistol. The very name Hi-Power actually tied directly to the 13+1 capacity, which was mandated by the French military’s “grande puissance” (high power) requirement.
The influence of Saive’s innovations cannot be overstated—Glocks, SIGs, Berettas, and several other semi-automatic pistols employ versions of Browning’s tilting-barrel locking mechanism as upgraded by Saive and double-stack mags.
It’s hard to know if Sinatra fully appreciated the Hi-Power’s significance in relation to handgun history, but given his penchant for ornamented guns, Ol’ Blue Eyes definitely appreciated the extensive factory “Renaissance” engraving—featuring near full-coverage floral and vine scrollwork on a matted background—and the smooth pearlescent grips. Technically, Sinatra gifted the gun to Henry “Hank” Cattaneo, who was co-producer of Sinatra’s final three albums. Cattaneo described the gifting process in a letter included with the sale:
“Frank was always uncomfortable about presenting gifts himself; he almost always had someone do it on his behalf… Frank toured exclusively by private jet, and was often accompanied by his longtime housekeeper, Ms. Vine Jourber… On arrival at one of the theatrical venues in the Metro area, Frank said: “Vine needs you.” It was Vine who presented me with a box and said: “Frank wants you to have this.” Inside the carton was the engraved Browning Hi-Power.”
Expect the Sinatra-gifted Browning Hi-Power to sell for $9,000 to $14,000 at RIAC’s May Premiere Firearms Auction in Bedford on May 9.