Springfield SA-35 (Kinda looks like a High-power)
- Thread starter Rob228
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44caliberkid
New member
Nostalgically, it is the first hi-cap 9mm. Mechanically, it is a single action semi auto, which I prefer, having carried them (SA’s) on duty and shot them in competition. When everyone was getting S&W Model 59’s and Beretta 92’s, I got a Taurus PT-99, and always carried it cocked and locked.Help the millennial in the room. Clearly there is a lot of interest. What's the appeal?
(not pointed like it sounds)
Then there’s the cool factor. The 1973 movie, Serpico, made me want a Hi-Power. He was an NYPD detective that carried one in the 60’s, when everyone else on the department was using 38 Special 158 gr. lead round nose bullets. I’m sure you can stream that film somewhere, it’s a classic.
Mike Irwin said:
Can anybody point to a Springfield Armory branded product built in the last 20 or so years that wasn’t built to an excellent level of quality at a decent price point? I myself certainly cannot. When FN / Browning was still producing the HP, they were selling right at a grand for a new MKIII HP example that arguably needed at least a better trigger and a better set of sights. I have a MKII and a MKIII, but I’m still sorry that I didn’t buy a brand new MKIII HP for a grand back when I had the chance.
So if this Springfield HP takes off, and I hope it does, will FN / Browning then put the High Power back into production at a better price point? Again, I hope they do!
Oh. My. God.
I was just browsing old Hungarian hi powers on GB, and lamenting the price/condition ratio, which has gotten crazy. I guess crazy enough that a light-bulb went on in someone's head.
No mag safety and 15 rounds. I hope the trigger is as good as a single-action should be.
Yes, it will be mine. My first SA. Probably in 2022. I just hope and pray there are no QC gaffes.
I was just browsing old Hungarian hi powers on GB, and lamenting the price/condition ratio, which has gotten crazy. I guess crazy enough that a light-bulb went on in someone's head.
No mag safety and 15 rounds. I hope the trigger is as good as a single-action should be.
Yes, it will be mine. My first SA. Probably in 2022. I just hope and pray there are no QC gaffes.
In the past, I have lamented the situation of all the handgun companies trying to copy each other (plastic frame + striker), leading to a situation where the entire wall of handguns at the local big box are completely interchangeable with one another. All plenty useful for basic self-defense but nothing outstanding about any of them.
That's really starting to change. I am enjoying my reasonably-priced P210A. I think the Trump years of less panic buying forced some companies to put interesting things in the pipeline -- things designed to stand out from the pack.
That's really starting to change. I am enjoying my reasonably-priced P210A. I think the Trump years of less panic buying forced some companies to put interesting things in the pipeline -- things designed to stand out from the pack.
wild cat mccane
New member
Well that went south fast. $1,400 is the only price online now.
You know the market has been starved when the first run sells out for double MSRP a few hours into the first day, before anyone has even gotten a chance to look at one.
I hope others are paying attention. And not just drawing the conclusion that "we need to offer a refreshed P35, pronto!" The principle at work here is far more general than that.
Adventurer 2
New member
I don't need another handgun -- but i sure do want a P35. If i ever see one in the wild, i'll buy it (not searching for it).
Mike Irwin
Staff
"I wouldn't buy a P35 or any other FN/Browning High Power as they are over-priced garbage compared to the SA-35. "
So, how many thousands of rounds have you fired through an actual Browning Hi Power?
And, given that barely are any available yet, and that they just came out, how many thousands of rounds have you fired through a Springfield Armory SA-35?
Given such strong sentiments, it must truly be based on a breadth and depth of experience that few, if any, have.
Please. Expand.
So, how many thousands of rounds have you fired through an actual Browning Hi Power?
And, given that barely are any available yet, and that they just came out, how many thousands of rounds have you fired through a Springfield Armory SA-35?
Given such strong sentiments, it must truly be based on a breadth and depth of experience that few, if any, have.
Please. Expand.
Eddie Murphy used a Hi-Power in 48 Hours.
The High Power has been a screwup for 80 fricking years. The design never evolved. Everybody who ever shot a nice 1911 wondered why manufacturers still made the same crappy High Power.
I don't care that moron militaries used the pistol. Ever wonder why nobody bought FN/Browning High Powers? Because they were very pretty, very expensive, garbage. So the design died. Whereas the 1911, which evolved, is alive and well.
The last High Power I had experience with was 1979. I was unimpressed then, and I've owned plenty of better firearms since.
Now I'm still not interested in another high bore axis pistol, but if I had the itch for an evolved High Power the SA-35 is it.
From what I can tell, the Browning Hi Power was more successful internationally than the 1911, both in terms of military adoption and widespread commercial use outside of the US. While the US market itself is huge as is the US military, besides the FN produced models there were a number of essentially clones or modified versions of the Hi Power. There was a reason FN kept producing it despite having a number of other pistol designs since the Hi Power (comparatively speaking the Hi Power is more costly to produce than other designs and without the demand most companies don’t willingly take a loss). The 1911 didn’t exactly evolve either, absent the inclusion of a firing pin block (which the Hi Power also got) and some other changes for what I would argue are ergonomic reasons. It’s not as if the 1911 of today is a radical departure of the original design, at least in many cases (and it doesn’t seem to me that the bore axis is dramatically lower on the 1911 either). Calling the Hi Power “garbage” based on my own experience and the experience of many others seems like a stretch.
I think Mike’s main point, and I’d echo it myself, is saying the FN Hi Powers are overpriced garbage next to a pistol that just barely got to market seems like jumping the gun, pun intended. As I myself said above, I’ve had good luck with SA products. But if recent years should have taught us anything it’s that just because something seems like it should be better on paper doesn’t mean the reality will match. Will the QC here be what people expect? Will there be any issues with the initial production pistols? How will these pistols hold up after years and thousands of rounds of shooting? Those are valid questions. I say all of this despite personally liking other pistols much more than the Hi Power. I have no special love for FN and I want SA to do well, but guarded optimism seems the best approach.
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If more people thought like this, I could have bought more NIB silverchrome MKIII’s at the price that I bought mine years ago.
I would say that the design evolved sufficiently for the people who own & value the guns. The demand for the gun wasn’t sufficient for FN / Browning to keep it in production at the price point that the guns were going for.
I happen to like my STI Trojan 9mm 1911, but a lot of people will tell you that a 1911 isn’t a 1911 unless it’s a .45 ACP, 10mm, or a .38 Super. These folks might tell you that a comparison between a BHP and a 1911 is moot because of the caliber advantage (or disadvantage).
Tell that one to a British Royal Marine who served before they switched over from the BHP to the Glock 17. Tell the same soldier if you don’t like Glocks.
I can’t speak for anybody else but myself, but I didn’t buy a BHP that I looked at for a grand that (I felt) needed better sights and trigger, and a nicer set of grips
The BHP I had a chance to shoot in 1977 during my USAF days was the first centerfire semiautomatic pistol I’d ever shot. It had a worked trigger and I think it had aftermarket sights. That gun was fabulous!
Fair enough, it’s your prerogative to like or dislike any firearm that you have an informed opinion about.
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I've worked with a few different foreign militaries that carried Brownings and none of them fall into the "moron" category. Those pistols saw hard use in the Indonesian rainforest and still shot pretty well. First time I've ever seen a guy shoot one handed bent over between his legs while smoking a cigarette (knocking down 3" plates at about 30 yards). Came to find out he was on the Brunei olympic pistol team when he wasn't hunting poachers.
If the High Power was so good, why did nobody buy it? I doubt there's much difference in manufacturing cost between a 1911 and a High Power.
High Power faithful are stuck trying to figure out why their beloved pistol design fell into the trash bin of history while the 1911 is alive and well.
Just the facts ma'am.
High Power faithful are stuck trying to figure out why their beloved pistol design fell into the trash bin of history while the 1911 is alive and well.
Just the facts ma'am.
Where do you get that no one bought them? You can go on Gunbroker right now and see surplus import Hi Powers in rough shape selling for as much or more than the price of the SA-35 at Brownells. If it is such a dead pistol why then would SA bother to release this product?
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https://youtu.be/NaPqhzRvzXM
Decent video on this Springfield SA-35. I’m wondering if this guy will be sending back the T&E gun to Springfield Armory? My guess is he will send back a check.
Decent video on this Springfield SA-35. I’m wondering if this guy will be sending back the T&E gun to Springfield Armory? My guess is he will send back a check.