Welcome to today’s Photo of the Day! Here we have Cylinder & Slide’s answer to compact 9mm carry: the Pathfinder, a radically modified Browning High Power introduced around 2001. The Nebraska custom shop chopped half an inch in height and over three-quarters inch in length, dropping nearly three ounces from the original military sidearm.
The real innovation is the “Safety Fast Shooting” (SFS) system on the bobbed hammer. Instead of traditional cocked-and-locked carry with an exposed hammer spur, the SFS pushes the hammer forward from full cock to a safety notch where it automatically engages. Hit the safety lever and the hammer snaps back to full cock – giving you cocked-and-locked benefits without a protruding hammer catching on clothing.
Cylinder & Slide disabled the magazine safety, installed Novak three-dot sights, and added extensive custom touches – serrated slide top and rear, textured gripstraps, flared magazine well, and the winged torch Pathfinder emblem etched on the slide. The Belgian barrel was shortened to match, and even the 10-round Mec-Gar magazine got its baseplate trimmed flush with the grip.
The Pathfinder arrived during the compact carry boom of the early 2000s when Glock and other polymer guns dominated. Cylinder & Slide bet some shooters still wanted a steel-frame single action in a carry package. Dimensionally it competed with compact Glocks – slightly wider and heavier but similar enough. High-end custom work applied to a classic design for modern carry needs. It’s what happens when gunsmiths decide the High Power deserves compact treatment beyond just cutting the barrel.
Most of our POTDs utilize images from our friends at Rock Island Auction Company, the premier firearms auction in the United States. Take some time to browse their current auctions – who knows, maybe you’ll find a piece of history to take home!
“Cylinder & Slide Incorporated Pathfinder Pistol.” Rock Island Auction, www.rockislandauction.com/detail/4095/569/cylinder-slide-incorporated-pathfinder-pistol. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
Writer | TheFirearmBlog
Writer | AllOutdoor.com Instagram | sfsgunsmith Old soul, certified gunsmith, published author, avid firearm history learner, and appreciator of old and unique guns.
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