Not the SA-35, but did end up with a new HP clone

[Rock185]

I have been a fan of the Hi Power since the '60s, and have owned my share. Most seem happy with the Girsan, and the price is certainly right.

For nearly a year now, I've been shooting an SA-35. I've got a thousand or so rounds through mine at this point. I've used the factory magazine, along with FN/Browning magazines and 13 and 15 round MecGars, with 9 different types of factory ammo, i.e., RN ball, FP ball, and JHP. It just works.

 

[Lt Choate]

I have been a fan of the Hi Power since the '60s, and have owned my share. Most seem happy with the Girsan, and the price is certainly right.

For nearly a year now, I've been shooting an SA-35. I've got a thousand or so rounds through mine at this point. I've used the factory magazine, along with FN/Browning magazines and 13 and 15 round MecGars, with 9 different types of factory ammo, i.e., RN ball, FP ball, and JHP. It just works.

I agree with your assessment. I am sure the Girsan and other clones are nice, but I feel the SA-35 is the closest to the original design, with a few improvements. Very pleased with mine, too.

 

[Mike J]

I got to shoot the Girsan at a friends recently. I liked it. Very nice. The owner plans on using it as a carry gun.

 

[trackerdan]

I actually mentioned somewhere on someone else's thread that I have had issues with soft internals on some of the Turkish guns I worked on in the past. One of the reasons I went ahead and got this HP is that I read a report on a comprehensive hardness test and these parts are as hard or harder than the same ones in the Springfield. There are also videos and blogs with 1,000 and 2,000 round reports on them, and they seem to be holding up okay.

Thankfully there are plenty of aftermarket parts available, so if I have to replace anything, I can get direct replacements or even enhanced goodies.

reworded what does that mean?

 

[KIR]

I also was waiting for a Springfield SA35 but decided to get a Girsan MC P35 instead. I was advised by an expert HP team to not even bother with the SA35. They felt the Girsan was a better gun. I paid over $600 for mine but I bought the first one I could find.

I plan on buying their MC P35 PI model when it becomes available. I always wanted the FM Detective model but could never find one.

I use the Browning spring eject magazines so the safety doesn't bother me. These original Browning magazines also have a coating that makes the trigger pull smoother.

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When I bought my NIB Browning HP, it had the spring mags and I bought more of them. I think they are great. I know others want to change the trigger pull, but to me, it is all a matter of getting used to it. I did change out the sear/hammer because, while I did not get hammer bite, it did irritate the web of my hand just handling it. The skeletonized hammer fixed that problem. My advice to all is save your money and instead of buying 2-3 guns, search the ends of the earth until you find a BHP or an original FN HP. Good luck to ya'll and Good safe shootin' too.

 

[harley08]

So I had asked about the Springfield Hi-Power clone a week or so ago. I went back to look it over again, and it had sold, so no way I was getting it. I did however find a different version at an LGS, and brought it home. It's a Girsan MC P35.

Not as refined as the SA-35, and lacking the upgrades, but $325 less. The Girsan is a clone of the old school Browning, meaning it has the original-style magazine disconnect safety, sights, and fairly heavy trigger. The stocks are contoured plastic as opposed to the SA's walnut, and it comes with one mag as opposed to the SA's two. An upside for some is that the Girsan has an ambidextrous safety, although the left-side lever isn't quite as pronounced as the "speed safety" on Springfield's offering.

For those who are disinclined to modify a firearm's internals in any way, the Girsan may be a poor choice. The design of the magazine disconnect safety in Hi-Powers mean the magazines don't drop free, and the trigger take-up is typically coarse, with a dragging sensation. I had the mag disconnector and spring out within fifteen minutes of getting home. Now the mag drops free (even empty) and all the "hitchiness" in the trigger take-up is gone. YUUUUGE improvement.

I planned on installing adjustable sights even on the Springfield, so that really doesn't change the cost, and honestly the factory Girsan sight isn't as bad as I thought it would be. Bold white bars show up fine for my not-so-great vision, and the long taper of the front sight means it shouldn't hang up on, or tear up a holster during draw.

I have ordered a quality spring kit which should reduce the pull weight considerably. I don't have a trigger gauge, so can't give an exact measurement, but best guess is just under eight pounds. Despite the weight, it is very crisp with little creep or overtravel. If it's still not to my liking after the springs go in, I'll order a Hi-Power jig for my Power Custom stoning fixture. Original Hi-Powers and this clone use very heavy mainsprings to reliably pop hard primers, since this was designed as a sidearm for militaries. Since modern mil-spec ammo is much easier to ignite than the stuff from 1935, the truck spring they use to drive the hammer forward is simply unneeded and results in a slide which is harder to retract than it should be.

The stocks are surprisingly comfortable, and the thumb rest is mirrored left to right, so even sinister shooters will be fine. If one is inclined to change out grips, there are a huge assortment of aftermarket styles and materials available. I will likely swap a set of Hogue G10s on if this proves to be accurate and reliable.

The mag is a 15 round Mec Gar, a company which makes many OEM ammunition feeding devices, so quality is good. New mags aren't terribly expensive or hard to find, and these clones run with the original 13 rounders or the "new" 15s shipped with other Hi-Powers. The difference between the 13s and 15s is simply a redesigned follower and longer spring.

We're having some uhhh wintery weather here right now, so I can't get to the range to test it, but I'll post up a range reportnnn once I get it out in case anyone on here is interested. I love my Rugers, but can't bring myself to limit my firearm experience to one brand, regardless of how good their product.

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Nice looking pistol! Good luck with it! Let us know how it shoots.
I have owner original Hi Powers - Great pistols, that's why the German and Canadian military used them.
I like my Rugers also, but I own and carry Glocks!