Everytime I handle the SA35 in a gun store, I am amazed how small, light and natural it feels in my hand as well as it’s nice easy trigger pull. Springfield Armory makes a good gun
Don't compare the feel of it in your hand to the slimmer and slightly lighter T and C series High Powers from before FN porked up the High Power with the T and C series that these pistols are knockoff copies of. Will spoil the sensation you feel for this pistol. I have all three variants... my C series I bought in the early 1970's goes to the range and the later versions mostly sit in the gun safe collecting dust.
Bought this three months ago. It came down to this and the Girsan MCP-35. Got this despite $100 more because the MC-P35 still had the trigger magazine disconnect, which made the trigger mushy and hard to pull. The SA-35, and in a brilliant move by Springfield, has the disconnect removed, making the trigger a dream to pull. Have over 200 rds through it so far. It’s now broken in and is a dream to shoot. Couldn’t recommend it enough to anyone who wants a hi-power or just a good 9mm to shoot!
I just laid my money on the table to finally get mine ordered. Hope my 1911 holsters aren't too big as I have a beautiful brown leather IWB where my 1911s come right to the very end. Worried the fit will be too loose though.
I found one finally and purchased it. It's a later model number. I took it to the range and qualified with it straight away. I recently purchased a 13 round mag as well as another 15 rounder. I have to say this is by far one of my favorite guns that I ever bought. 👍
Hey, that's my 1911's little Brother! - Likely the only semi auto 9mm pistol I might buy. Nice to see the SA brand is making a comeback. Iconic through the years.
I bought one after a year wait. Bit heavy of a trigger wirh some creep but a trip to thr local gunsmith cleaned up the creep. Trigger lightened up after a few hundred rounds and countless dry firing. Ok, no checkering on the front and back strap so I bought some Talon Grip tape and cut some panels and applied it. I had tried skateboard tape but that was a bit too rough. I even cut two strips of Talon Grip tape to apply on the slide right where it tapers so I can get a good C Clamp to pull the slide back to check the chamber. Really good carry pistol and nightstand guardian. I prefer 124 grain +P JHP and have full confidence in them.
I put a set of Hogue finger groove grips on mine and have about 2000rds thru her since then. Over 2500 total. For defense I use 147gr subsonic FMJHP. Love this gun!
Love my SA-35 SN 8000’s and has been 100% reliable as EDC and Range weapon. 2000 rds of FMJ and defensive loads of many design, and runs very well. (Finish didn’t hold up much, but it’s alright)😂 I do hope Springfield produces a stainless model with checkering, and hopefully a rail.
Almost every (successful) modern pistol is internally a Browning Hi-Power wrapped in a plastic frame. If FN wasn't such a stodgy and traditional old company they would have done the upgrades you see in the SA version (removal of that damned mag safety, extended slide stop and thumb safety and 15 round mags) years ago. Instead, buyers had to buy the already overpriced FN version and pay for the upgrades out of pocket. Kudos to SA and Tisas for bringing the BHP into the 21st century!
Ever wonder why the British SAS, FBI HRT, and the police and militaries of the world didn't agree with you and "removed that damned mag safety"? Why they were okay with issue High Powers with 5 lb. trigger pulls with the magazine disconnect still there? It's not like the SAS and FBI HRT couldn't specify pretty much whatever they wanted in their handguns - the Brits kept it even when they upgraded their High Powers to add ambidextrous safeties and better sights. Curious to learn what you know that 22 SAS and the FBI and all the rest of those militaries and police forces didn't know. That, along with the specification that magazines WOULDN'T drop free of the magazine at a push of the magazine release button was an intended feature - not a flaw. And those 15 round magazines? They've been available from the manufacturer of FN's High Power magazines for decades, probably longer than you've been alive. Along with 20 and even 30 round magazines. I've been carrying my C series High Power with a flush fitting 15 round magazine for at least 30+ years. I really don't care what anybody thinks is best for their use - your gun, you should carry it for self defense set up however best works for you and gives you the most confidence. But the idea that all these militaries and law enforcement who specified and issued the original HP didn't know what they were doing by keeping the pistol exactly as specified... that's a bit rich.
Have owned a C series handgun since purchasing it new in the early 1970's. And none of the current knock-offs are a copy of the classic High Power - they're copies of the later MkII and MkIII HPs that were slightly larger and less pleasing in the hand. The easiest way to improve the trigger pull on original High Powers is to... wait for it... actually shoot and train with your handgun! It will take a long time for Safe Queens to have any difference in their trigger pull, whatever it was when they were purchased new. My C series High Power has a 5 lb. trigger pull; I don't know what it was when I bought it, but that's what it's been after use. I took a trigger gauge to work one day and tested the trigger pull on about a dozen of those original version military T series High Powers: imagine that - they also have 5 lb. trigger pulls. For those who think 5 lbs is too heavy for a handgun intended for use while fighting for your life, M16 variant military rifles right beside those military High Powers had 8 lb. trigger pulls. For owners who feel they have a better pistol by purchasing a knockoff without a magazine disconnect rather than purchasing a Gursan that is completely interchangeable and has the disconnect, that's a good option for them to do that. Also a good option for those who have more confidence in their gun by removing the magazine disconnect to do that. But you can get a good trigger pull on the vast majority of High Powers (and presumably their clones), simply by training and shooting the pistol.
Love the pistol…only problems I have is what I consider premature finish wear, and the grips keep coming loose even after getting warranty replacements and screws
I have one of these and it shoots fantastic. Very accurate pistol out to 25 yards. Mine has probably seen 300-400 rounds with not so much as a single failure. Although I am aware these guns get ejection issues witch is actually common with BHP's too especially the specific model this gun is copying, the MK3 BHP which is also known to have failures with its ejector. So it wasnt really a problem with quality, its a problem with the SA-35 being too true to the original it copied to be honest. There are plenty of extractor kits for these guns anyways. Given how good the gun shoots and how good the accuracy is replacing the extractor when/if it becomes an issue is not a problem to me. One of the most accurate pistols ive shot next to some mid-high end 1911's. The trigger on mine is pretty good. Ide say its somewhere around a 4.5 lbs break, its not like a 1911, its more like a beretta trigger in SA. Admittedly 1911triggers IMO are better but ide be willing to say my SA-35 has as good of a trigger as a berretta 92 when comparing SA triggers. The one place the SA-35 is worse is the reset. Long reset. There's also a false reset if you go slow enough. I haven't had any issues with it during firing though. It just kind of fucks with my head cause I know it has the potential to not reset if I try to go to fast. Haven't had an issue with it yet though. That's my report. I think its worth what I paid. My honest to god complaints about this gun is mostly just the fact its not a Glock. So if you want extra magazines or a good holster, you're not ever going to find shit for it at a store. Which is annoying. Everyone has 100 Glock magazines and holsters and accessories but not so much as a single BHP part in stock. Welcome to the world of classic pistols lol. Everything you need is only online. So you either pay exorbitant shipping prices or wait weeks to get your parts. SOME 1911 holster will work, but its a little bit of a stretch and its not worth wasting your money on a nice 1911 holster to try and make it work with a BHP type gun. Even though their so similar in shape. I have two 1911 holsters, my SA-35 fits in my leather bianchi holster, meant for a colt 1911 commander. But it wont fit my cross breed 1911 IWB holster. To get a quality IWB holster for my gun I basically have to shop online.
Pretty much all the complaints about "bad ergonomics, this gun bites me" are about High Powers with spur hammers, nor rowel hammers. You can certainly purchase a spur hammer (I'll sell you a brand new one in the little brown FN envelope) and swap out the rowel hammer. But that would require this pistol to be a true copy of FN High Power, including the hammer. I don't think that the SA HP is truly interchangeable with FN parts - but as far as I've tested so far, Girsan's copies of the High Power are. That aside, I also much prefer a truly good bluing job - the salt bluing job on my C series HP that I bought early in the 1970's was gorgeous. Still is after 50 years of being carried, competed with, and plain old fun on the range. A lot duller than it once was, but still looking far better than the modern finishes that are preferred today. If I wasn't willing to wait/spend a bit of extra money to find a High Power in VG condition made prior to the MkII/MkIII versions, I'd be willing to buy a Girsan and then drop some money into it to have it refinished and other basic work to make it pleasing to me. FN will have parts for High Power pistols and interchangeable knockoffs for a long time to come....
1) the SA-35's safety lever is interchangeable with original Hi Power pistols, so if you can find an ambi safety for one of those it'll fit the SA-35. 2) Yes
Contrary to Urban Legend that High Powers shouldn't be used with +P ammunition, they're just fine with +P ammunition. The original military Inglis WWII High Powers are still doing just fine 80 years after being manufactured - and they get fed nothing but a steady diet of military 9mm ammunition intended for submachine gun. That's right there at +P levels if you look at STANAG specifications for 9mm. However, those militaries do what many semiautomatic pistol owners don't: they replace recoil springs as required during annual First Line Maintenance inspections: "Check the main spring (2) to ensure it is free of kinks; has a minimum free length of 101.85 millimetres (4.10 inches), and that the first coil grips the main spring guide assembly." For civilian owners, recoil springs are cheap; just replace them once a year if you do a lot of shooting. As for whether SA is okay with +P; no idea. Also not aware of any real world increase in terminal ballistics performance that +P provides over standard pressure ammunition.
Not made in the USA...another guy below commented correctly. The gun is made in Turkey and is assembled in Geneseo, IL...Their 2011 Prodigy is made in South Korea by DASAN and is assembled at the SA facility. The made in the USA stamps are complete lies and are ignored by everyone, which is BS.
Springfield Armory has been caught - shall we say - bending the truth - a few times in the past. It is beneath them, and long-time customers deserve better.
@@Mk-uh4jo Yeah... we showed up and got our boots on the dirt of the battlefield in the last 30 something weeks of the four years of WWI. That means we saved them! Despite the fact Germany was already going under! Nothing like sitting on the sidelines for most of a four year long war, especially the most bloody parts, selling to both sides in the conflict, and then getting in at the end and and some claiming that we saved the French. All the rest of the countries that had been fighting beside the French all those years had absolutely nothing to do with that. Not the Belgians, the Brits, the Canadians, the Aussies, the Indians, etc... us finally showing up on the two way rifle range saved the day. And how many years did we drag our feet in WWII before Japan dragged us in to it? First boots on the ground was somewhere around June of 1942... just shy of three years after the war began with Hitler conquering France as his LAST European nation subjugated. Odd how nobody mentions France was the last to fall - and fell only after their last ditch efforts to hold off the Germans long enough for British troops to escape from Dunkirk, leaving just about everything they had behind to the Germans. Dunkirk... kind of reminds you of how we left Afghanistan and gave the hajjis enough military equipment to arm a small NATO country. I wonder if we can blame that stupidity on the French as well? But WWII... Germany was supposedly racing to victory when we finally got stuck in? Not stalled on all fronts and about to cut their own throats by attacking what was up until then their ally in the war, Russia? Perhaps more to the point: given that S&W not too long ago was making pistols for American police with magazine disconnects, can we also blame that supposed stupidity on the French as well? Rather than good ol' American stupidity? Bonus points question: ever wonder why 22 SAS, the FBI HRT, etc, and all the regular infantry and police forces who issued the High Power decided they would not have "the idiot, French mandated" magazine disconnect removed? Particularly when the final version that began with the French contract was long past and several versions after France had gone on to go with a different handgun?
same (WA) -- it does look like mec-gar makes 10-round magazines for it (blued MGBRHP10B and nickel MGBRHP10N) -- i'm not a fan of paying for a magazine i can't use though
If they looked at the Argentinian lightweight and shorter versions of the High Power, I believe they would have no problem whatsoever selling them just as fast or faster than this pistol. Those were/are excellent pistols: made under license on FN specification machinery with FN people there to ensure everything was being done right. I'm 'meh' on the optics capability, but I'd be interested in an Argentinian copy. If I think I need optics for carry, I'll go instead for Crimson Trace's laser grips.
@@Mk-uh4jo And this ISN'T a copy of the actual classic High Power pistol prior to the slightly fatter MkII/MkIII versions this is a knockoff copy of. Come to think of it, when you remove the magazine disconnect and add some other non-High Power issues... that isn't a High Power either..
"Made right here in the United States. Now, the magazines are made by MecGar in Italy,,," Stellar. Now maybe admit the guns are ASSEMBLED in The United States???
I'm a Springfield fan but I am disappointed in this gun. They said they removed the "bite" that was such a big deal on the Browning HP - they did. BUT they added a special bonus of rigid edges on the beaver tail that will lacerate your hand if you have a high grip. You could file and smooth it down but why bother? I hope to sell mine off pretty soon.
The Mec Gar magazine has 2 more cartridges than the original magazines by a redesigned follower and continuous straight side walls on the tube body instead of impressed indentations at the base to accommodate the longer length of the old followers. The late Texas Ranger Steve Camp noted that in magazines he tested at the time that the MecGar followers had follower stability issues. Before street carrying, test yours, the 2 more shots are useful but reliability wiith 2 less shots is more so.
I've been using the 15 round Mec-Gars for at least 20 years. I probably have 20 of them around the house for a variety of Hi-Powers, and have never had a single issue with any of them.
@@kodiakkeithWhen were15 rounders for the HiPower were introducd by MecGar ? My comment does not refer to 15 shot MecGar magazines for other pistols. MecGar's reputation of excellecnce is beyond dispute. My remark is in reference to the High Power magazines only. The renowned customizer of the Browning Hi Power, B&S Springs has a youtube channel and did an extensive comparison of the original 13 shot magazines and the MecGar 15 round ones. You should find it interesting.
@@richardkluesek4301Richard, you’re absolutely correct about the +2 Mec-Gar mag issue. About a year ago i read an article about this very same issue and it was from another gunsmith out of Nevada who specializes in Hi Power restorations and custom work. It’s why when i carry my SA-35 concealed once in a while, i just use the 13 round Mec-Gar magazines and keep the 15 rounders for steel out in the desert. I for one don’t get all hung up on 13 vs 15 round magazines while ccw-ing my EDC. …especially since i always carry a spare magazine or two.
@@richardkluesek4301 For starters, you are wrong to claim Stephen Camp was a Texas Ranger; it doesn't make one bit of difference but his service was with a municipal police force. If you're mistaken on that, anything else you post is open to question. As far as the Mec-Gar 15 round magazines, I've had and carried them so long I can't remember when I bought the first one. I haven't needed or wanted an additional magazine of any capacity for any of my High Powers for a long time now, so I don't know if Mec-Gar still makes any other capacity than that which they supply FN/Browning with. As far as Mec-Gar quality whether for 10, 13, 15, 20 round capacity, Mec-Gar has been making magazines of those capacities as FN's OEM manufacturer for their High Powers for longer than most reading this have probably been alive, and probably for Browning USA for close to the same time. They have been making FN's High Power magazines since at least sometime around 1980, including to fill military contracts for High Power magazines for assorted companies. They also make (or used to) the High Power magazines sold under Pachmyer's name. Mec-Gar's magazines made as OEM for FN have several style of followers depending on the time period and whether FN, Browning, or military contract. More to the point: there is no outcry on any of the online forums devoted to High Powers (including the one Stephen Camp moderated so well) that the 15 round magazines are unreliable. Nor of the KRD 15 and 17 round magazines, of which I had a couple before collectors offered me more than I was willing to turn down to sell them for. Just as reliable as the Mec-Gars, but heavy springs that made loading the last rounds annoying, just like with FN's OEM .40 S&W High Power magazines. As for magazine reliability, it doesn't matter if it's the one and only magazine of any capacity made for a firearm you carry for defense, you should run that magazine long enough to have certainty that it functions properly. I have had both Colt and Tripp magazines that are unreliable in my 1911, which is why you confirm a magazine is reliable before trusting it for carry - no matter what gun and no matter what magazine manufacturer and what the capacity of the magazine is. This is a non-issue... particularly if you do what you should do: confirm the reliability of any magazine you carry for self defense, including the ones that came with the pistol when you bought it new.
Everytime I handle the SA35 in a gun store, I am amazed how small, light and natural it feels in my hand as well as it’s nice easy trigger pull. Springfield Armory makes a good gun
Don't compare the feel of it in your hand to the slimmer and slightly lighter T and C series High Powers from before FN porked up the High Power with the T and C series that these pistols are knockoff copies of.
Will spoil the sensation you feel for this pistol. I have all three variants... my C series I bought in the early 1970's goes to the range and the later versions mostly sit in the gun safe collecting dust.
@@AirborneMOC031 are they double stack?
You mean SA makes a good copy of a great gun
Tisas manufactures these pistols in Turkey...... Springfield shines them up marks them up and rolls Springfield logos on them
@@ruststaractually Tisas does Springfield does not manufacture these
Bought this three months ago. It came down to this and the Girsan MCP-35. Got this despite $100 more because the MC-P35 still had the trigger magazine disconnect, which made the trigger mushy and hard to pull. The SA-35, and in a brilliant move by Springfield, has the disconnect removed, making the trigger a dream to pull. Have over 200 rds through it so far. It’s now broken in and is a dream to shoot. Couldn’t recommend it enough to anyone who wants a hi-power or just a good 9mm to shoot!
I think the sa35 is just the best one to get for its cold hammer forged barrel alone
Wow it looks fantastic! I'm looking forward to seeing one in the flesh.
When they offer it in polished blue, I'm in.
I have one after over a year of waiting for more to be produced. I absolutely love it.
I just laid my money on the table to finally get mine ordered. Hope my 1911 holsters aren't too big as I have a beautiful brown leather IWB where my 1911s come right to the very end. Worried the fit will be too loose though.
1911 holster may be to big
I found one finally and purchased it. It's a later model number. I took it to the range and qualified with it straight away. I recently purchased a 13 round mag as well as another 15 rounder. I have to say this is by far one of my favorite guns that I ever bought. 👍
Hey, that's my 1911's little Brother! - Likely the only semi auto 9mm pistol I might buy. Nice to see the SA brand is making a comeback. Iconic through the years.
I bought one after a year wait. Bit heavy of a trigger wirh some creep but a trip to thr local gunsmith cleaned up the creep. Trigger lightened up after a few hundred rounds and countless dry firing. Ok, no checkering on the front and back strap so I bought some Talon Grip tape and cut some panels and applied it. I had tried skateboard tape but that was a bit too rough. I even cut two strips of Talon Grip tape to apply on the slide right where it tapers so I can get a good C Clamp to pull the slide back to check the chamber.
Really good carry pistol and nightstand guardian. I prefer 124 grain +P JHP and have full confidence in them.
I put a set of Hogue finger groove grips on mine and have about 2000rds thru her since then. Over 2500 total. For defense I use 147gr subsonic FMJHP. Love this gun!
One of these days I'm getting one of these beautiful machines.
Love my SA-35 SN 8000’s and has been 100% reliable as EDC and Range weapon. 2000 rds of FMJ and defensive loads of many design, and runs very well. (Finish didn’t hold up much, but it’s alright)😂
I do hope Springfield produces a stainless model with checkering, and hopefully a rail.
I love stainless for practicality but there is nothing prettier than classic blue or mat blue, and I like the mil-speck look.
Almost every (successful) modern pistol is internally a Browning Hi-Power wrapped in a plastic frame. If FN wasn't such a stodgy and traditional old company they would have done the upgrades you see in the SA version (removal of that damned mag safety, extended slide stop and thumb safety and 15 round mags) years ago. Instead, buyers had to buy the already overpriced FN version and pay for the upgrades out of pocket. Kudos to SA and Tisas for bringing the BHP into the 21st century!
Ever wonder why the British SAS, FBI HRT, and the police and militaries of the world didn't agree with you and "removed that damned mag safety"? Why they were okay with issue High Powers with 5 lb. trigger pulls with the magazine disconnect still there?
It's not like the SAS and FBI HRT couldn't specify pretty much whatever they wanted in their handguns - the Brits kept it even when they upgraded their High Powers to add ambidextrous safeties and better sights. Curious to learn what you know that 22 SAS and the FBI and all the rest of those militaries and police forces didn't know.
That, along with the specification that magazines WOULDN'T drop free of the magazine at a push of the magazine release button was an intended feature - not a flaw.
And those 15 round magazines? They've been available from the manufacturer of FN's High Power magazines for decades, probably longer than you've been alive. Along with 20 and even 30 round magazines. I've been carrying my C series High Power with a flush fitting 15 round magazine for at least 30+ years.
I really don't care what anybody thinks is best for their use - your gun, you should carry it for self defense set up however best works for you and gives you the most confidence.
But the idea that all these militaries and law enforcement who specified and issued the original HP didn't know what they were doing by keeping the pistol exactly as specified... that's a bit rich.
I love my SA 35
Have owned a C series handgun since purchasing it new in the early 1970's. And none of the current knock-offs are a copy of the classic High Power - they're copies of the later MkII and MkIII HPs that were slightly larger and less pleasing in the hand.
The easiest way to improve the trigger pull on original High Powers is to... wait for it... actually shoot and train with your handgun! It will take a long time for Safe Queens to have any difference in their trigger pull, whatever it was when they were purchased new.
My C series High Power has a 5 lb. trigger pull; I don't know what it was when I bought it, but that's what it's been after use. I took a trigger gauge to work one day and tested the trigger pull on about a dozen of those original version military T series High Powers: imagine that - they also have 5 lb. trigger pulls. For those who think 5 lbs is too heavy for a handgun intended for use while fighting for your life, M16 variant military rifles right beside those military High Powers had 8 lb. trigger pulls.
For owners who feel they have a better pistol by purchasing a knockoff without a magazine disconnect rather than purchasing a Gursan that is completely interchangeable and has the disconnect, that's a good option for them to do that. Also a good option for those who have more confidence in their gun by removing the magazine disconnect to do that.
But you can get a good trigger pull on the vast majority of High Powers (and presumably their clones), simply by training and shooting the pistol.
Bought one and love it. Two cons though. Needs to have an ambidextrous thumb safety and come with 3 magazines instead of one.
Love the pistol…only problems I have is what I consider premature finish wear, and the grips keep coming loose even after getting warranty replacements and screws
I put a small dot of blue locktite. No issues after that.
I have one of these and it shoots fantastic. Very accurate pistol out to 25 yards. Mine has probably seen 300-400 rounds with not so much as a single failure. Although I am aware these guns get ejection issues witch is actually common with BHP's too especially the specific model this gun is copying, the MK3 BHP which is also known to have failures with its ejector. So it wasnt really a problem with quality, its a problem with the SA-35 being too true to the original it copied to be honest. There are plenty of extractor kits for these guns anyways. Given how good the gun shoots and how good the accuracy is replacing the extractor when/if it becomes an issue is not a problem to me. One of the most accurate pistols ive shot next to some mid-high end 1911's.
The trigger on mine is pretty good. Ide say its somewhere around a 4.5 lbs break, its not like a 1911, its more like a beretta trigger in SA. Admittedly 1911triggers IMO are better but ide be willing to say my SA-35 has as good of a trigger as a berretta 92 when comparing SA triggers. The one place the SA-35 is worse is the reset. Long reset. There's also a false reset if you go slow enough. I haven't had any issues with it during firing though. It just kind of fucks with my head cause I know it has the potential to not reset if I try to go to fast. Haven't had an issue with it yet though. That's my report. I think its worth what I paid.
My honest to god complaints about this gun is mostly just the fact its not a Glock. So if you want extra magazines or a good holster, you're not ever going to find shit for it at a store. Which is annoying. Everyone has 100 Glock magazines and holsters and accessories but not so much as a single BHP part in stock. Welcome to the world of classic pistols lol. Everything you need is only online. So you either pay exorbitant shipping prices or wait weeks to get your parts. SOME 1911 holster will work, but its a little bit of a stretch and its not worth wasting your money on a nice 1911 holster to try and make it work with a BHP type gun. Even though their so similar in shape. I have two 1911 holsters, my SA-35 fits in my leather bianchi holster, meant for a colt 1911 commander. But it wont fit my cross breed 1911 IWB holster. To get a quality IWB holster for my gun I basically have to shop online.
DeSantis Speed Draw. Designed for the HP and works great!
I've been shootin one for a few month now really like it . The extractor broke replaced it. Mine has a real mushy safety don't care for thst
Good video.
I’d prefer a ‘spur’ hammer for better ergonomics! Also, a royal blue finish and front slide serrations!
Pretty much all the complaints about "bad ergonomics, this gun bites me" are about High Powers with spur hammers, nor rowel hammers.
You can certainly purchase a spur hammer (I'll sell you a brand new one in the little brown FN envelope) and swap out the rowel hammer. But that would require this pistol to be a true copy of FN High Power, including the hammer. I don't think that the SA HP is truly interchangeable with FN parts - but as far as I've tested so far, Girsan's copies of the High Power are.
That aside, I also much prefer a truly good bluing job - the salt bluing job on my C series HP that I bought early in the 1970's was gorgeous. Still is after 50 years of being carried, competed with, and plain old fun on the range. A lot duller than it once was, but still looking far better than the modern finishes that are preferred today.
If I wasn't willing to wait/spend a bit of extra money to find a High Power in VG condition made prior to the MkII/MkIII versions, I'd be willing to buy a Girsan and then drop some money into it to have it refinished and other basic work to make it pleasing to me. FN will have parts for High Power pistols and interchangeable knockoffs for a long time to come....
How easy is it to source an ambidextrous safety for this pistol?
Is this pistol rated for +P ammunition?
1) the SA-35's safety lever is interchangeable with original Hi Power pistols, so if you can find an ambi safety for one of those it'll fit the SA-35.
2) Yes
Contrary to Urban Legend that High Powers shouldn't be used with +P ammunition, they're just fine with +P ammunition. The original military Inglis WWII High Powers are still doing just fine 80 years after being manufactured - and they get fed nothing but a steady diet of military 9mm ammunition intended for submachine gun. That's right there at +P levels if you look at STANAG specifications for 9mm.
However, those militaries do what many semiautomatic pistol owners don't: they replace recoil springs as required during annual First Line Maintenance inspections: "Check the main spring (2) to ensure it is free of kinks; has a minimum free length of 101.85 millimetres (4.10 inches), and that the first coil grips the main spring guide assembly."
For civilian owners, recoil springs are cheap; just replace them once a year if you do a lot of shooting.
As for whether SA is okay with +P; no idea. Also not aware of any real world increase in terminal ballistics performance that +P provides over standard pressure ammunition.
Not made in the USA...another guy below commented correctly. The gun is made in Turkey and is assembled in Geneseo, IL...Their 2011 Prodigy is made in South Korea by DASAN and is assembled at the SA facility. The made in the USA stamps are complete lies and are ignored by everyone, which is BS.
Springfield Armory has been caught - shall we say - bending the truth - a few times in the past. It is beneath them, and long-time customers deserve better.
Basically a nice presentation
However
Is money not a concern?
Do all SA-35s have mushy safeties?
they got rid of the idiot, French mandated, mag safety. That alone makes this hi-power the one to buy if you want to carry it.
You can expect that stupidity out of the French! Haven't they had to have their rears saved ever time they get in a conflict?
@@Mk-uh4jo Yeah... we showed up and got our boots on the dirt of the battlefield in the last 30 something weeks of the four years of WWI. That means we saved them! Despite the fact Germany was already going under!
Nothing like sitting on the sidelines for most of a four year long war, especially the most bloody parts, selling to both sides in the conflict, and then getting in at the end and and some claiming that we saved the French. All the rest of the countries that had been fighting beside the French all those years had absolutely nothing to do with that. Not the Belgians, the Brits, the Canadians, the Aussies, the Indians, etc... us finally showing up on the two way rifle range saved the day.
And how many years did we drag our feet in WWII before Japan dragged us in to it? First boots on the ground was somewhere around June of 1942... just shy of three years after the war began with Hitler conquering France as his LAST European nation subjugated. Odd how nobody mentions France was the last to fall - and fell only after their last ditch efforts to hold off the Germans long enough for British troops to escape from Dunkirk, leaving just about everything they had behind to the Germans. Dunkirk... kind of reminds you of how we left Afghanistan and gave the hajjis enough military equipment to arm a small NATO country. I wonder if we can blame that stupidity on the French as well?
But WWII... Germany was supposedly racing to victory when we finally got stuck in? Not stalled on all fronts and about to cut their own throats by attacking what was up until then their ally in the war, Russia?
Perhaps more to the point: given that S&W not too long ago was making pistols for American police with magazine disconnects, can we also blame that supposed stupidity on the French as well? Rather than good ol' American stupidity?
Bonus points question: ever wonder why 22 SAS, the FBI HRT, etc, and all the regular infantry and police forces who issued the High Power decided they would not have "the idiot, French mandated" magazine disconnect removed?
Particularly when the final version that began with the French contract was long past and several versions after France had gone on to go with a different handgun?
If only they would make a 10 round magazine for it and get it state compliant….some of us don’t live in free states 😅
same (WA) -- it does look like mec-gar makes 10-round magazines for it (blued MGBRHP10B and nickel MGBRHP10N) -- i'm not a fan of paying for a magazine i can't use though
Quit voting for a holes that pass that kind of legislation.
Move or I guess you don't need one because it's so safe where your at and only bad guys have guns but they obay the laws to
I’d like to see an alloy frame version and maybe optics capability.
That would NOT be a Hi-Power!
If they looked at the Argentinian lightweight and shorter versions of the High Power, I believe they would have no problem whatsoever selling them just as fast or faster than this pistol. Those were/are excellent pistols: made under license on FN specification machinery with FN people there to ensure everything was being done right.
I'm 'meh' on the optics capability, but I'd be interested in an Argentinian copy. If I think I need optics for carry, I'll go instead for Crimson Trace's laser grips.
@@Mk-uh4jo And this ISN'T a copy of the actual classic High Power pistol prior to the slightly fatter MkII/MkIII versions this is a knockoff copy of.
Come to think of it, when you remove the magazine disconnect and add some other non-High Power issues... that isn't a High Power either..
"Made right here in the United States. Now, the magazines are made by MecGar in Italy,,," Stellar. Now maybe admit the guns are ASSEMBLED in The United States???
You kids always complain
Well, he's right, they are made in Turkey
@@jeffthompson4836Wrong gun. Theses are made in the USA.
Mine very accurate out of the box. It will out shoot me. Safety is easier compared to the hiPower
I'm a Springfield fan but I am disappointed in this gun. They said they removed the "bite" that was such a big deal on the Browning HP - they did. BUT they added a special bonus of rigid edges on the beaver tail that will lacerate your hand if you have a high grip. You could file and smooth it down but why bother?
I hope to sell mine off pretty soon.
1:20 Someone hurt their finger loading magazines. A Maglula Uplula is a great thing to have.
It’s manufactured here or assembled here?
The Mec Gar magazine has 2 more cartridges than the original magazines by a redesigned follower and continuous straight side walls on the tube body instead of impressed indentations at the base to accommodate the longer length of the old followers. The late Texas Ranger Steve Camp noted that in magazines he tested at the time that the MecGar followers had follower stability issues. Before street carrying, test yours, the 2 more shots are useful but reliability wiith 2 less shots is more so.
I've been using the 15 round Mec-Gars for at least 20 years. I probably have 20 of them around the house for a variety of Hi-Powers, and have never had a single issue with any of them.
@@kodiakkeithWhen were15 rounders for the HiPower were introducd by MecGar ? My comment does not refer to 15 shot MecGar magazines for other pistols. MecGar's reputation of excellecnce is beyond dispute. My remark is in reference to the High Power magazines only. The renowned customizer of the Browning Hi Power, B&S Springs has a youtube channel and did an extensive comparison of the original 13 shot magazines and the MecGar 15 round ones. You should find it interesting.
@@richardkluesek4301Richard, you’re absolutely correct about the +2 Mec-Gar mag issue. About a year ago i read an article about this very same issue and it was from another gunsmith out of Nevada who specializes in Hi Power restorations and custom work. It’s why when i carry my SA-35 concealed once in a while, i just use the 13 round Mec-Gar magazines and keep the 15 rounders for steel out in the desert. I for one don’t get all hung up on 13 vs 15 round magazines while ccw-ing my EDC. …especially since i always carry a spare magazine or two.
I believe many tests of the gun have shown the magazines very reliable, if you need more get a revolver. Respectfully submitted.
@@richardkluesek4301 For starters, you are wrong to claim Stephen Camp was a Texas Ranger; it doesn't make one bit of difference but his service was with a municipal police force. If you're mistaken on that, anything else you post is open to question.
As far as the Mec-Gar 15 round magazines, I've had and carried them so long I can't remember when I bought the first one. I haven't needed or wanted an additional magazine of any capacity for any of my High Powers for a long time now, so I don't know if Mec-Gar still makes any other capacity than that which they supply FN/Browning with.
As far as Mec-Gar quality whether for 10, 13, 15, 20 round capacity, Mec-Gar has been making magazines of those capacities as FN's OEM manufacturer for their High Powers for longer than most reading this have probably been alive, and probably for Browning USA for close to the same time. They have been making FN's High Power magazines since at least sometime around 1980, including to fill military contracts for High Power magazines for assorted companies. They also make (or used to) the High Power magazines sold under Pachmyer's name. Mec-Gar's magazines made as OEM for FN have several style of followers depending on the time period and whether FN, Browning, or military contract.
More to the point: there is no outcry on any of the online forums devoted to High Powers (including the one Stephen Camp moderated so well) that the 15 round magazines are unreliable.
Nor of the KRD 15 and 17 round magazines, of which I had a couple before collectors offered me more than I was willing to turn down to sell them for. Just as reliable as the Mec-Gars, but heavy springs that made loading the last rounds annoying, just like with FN's OEM .40 S&W High Power magazines.
As for magazine reliability, it doesn't matter if it's the one and only magazine of any capacity made for a firearm you carry for defense, you should run that magazine long enough to have certainty that it functions properly. I have had both Colt and Tripp magazines that are unreliable in my 1911, which is why you confirm a magazine is reliable before trusting it for carry - no matter what gun and no matter what magazine manufacturer and what the capacity of the magazine is.
This is a non-issue... particularly if you do what you should do: confirm the reliability of any magazine you carry for self defense, including the ones that came with the pistol when you bought it new.
Wish they would make one in 30 luger
Please keep the curved trigger
I want one or two..... dozen.
I'm sorry, did you say Italian mags? ooooh
Nothing new about the Italians making magazines for High Powers - same company has been making the High Power magazines for decades.
Mec-gar makes a vast majority of factory mags for most all the major gun companies, even Sig factory mags are all Mec-gar. They are top of the line!
This gun is a jammer. The one I have is a high number still jammer if you buy it don't thing it will save your life. Because it could jam at anytime
Extraction issues?
Was there a recall, better check.