I just purchased a new SA 35 yesterday. Been wanting one for a while but wasn't going to pay stupid money for it. I found this at a local GS at a good price and bought it. I compared it to my original HP bought new in 1969. Springfield did a pretty good job nailing down the similarities.

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I agree. I've had I don't know how many FN/Browning Hi Powers since the '60s, and I think SA has done a good job with their SA-35. Had mine for several months now, and have something over a thousand rounds through it. Thus far, no issues.

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NRA Life, COTEP 640

Owned both. Sold the Browning. The Springer was tighter, more accurate and had a better trigger.

I own both plus FEG and FM clones. The SA-35 is the original Hi-Power plus the most desired upgrades right outta the box. So its the better pistol.
But to be honest, my favorite is the FM Detective. I just love the size of it. I hope Springfield has plans to build a Detective version. I WILL buy one.

I have a mid 80s MK III High power that I really love but if I could get stupid money for it would probably sell it and get the Springfield. I've heard great things about them but I wish they would have put a more traditional looking rear sight on it.

Browning hi power is the gold standard..

I’ve always been a 1911 fan but while “Old Slabsides” is a very purposeful looking pistol…the High Power is simply pure elegance in form.

Perhaps it’s just the angle of the photos but the Springfield looks thicker through the grip frame.

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BCCI Life Member #2068

I got a kick out of a recent thread where I believe the Canadian military was replacing all it’s Hi-Powers with some problematic new polymer pistol. I thought, “this is an easy solution, stick with the Hi-Power! And if yours are worn out, order a bunch from Springfield.” Bet they would be glad to have the contract.

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No school like the old school.

Wish my pre ordered Springfield would arrive…only one I’ve actually seen was at the NRA show in Houston.

Yeah, that’s just the photo. The SA-35 is not thicker through the grip frame. I have both and I prefer the SA-35 for shooting, as opposed to collecting. Springfield solved all of the Hi Power’s old problems - sights, lousy trigger and tiny safety - right out of the box, and it’s a better gun. They’re finally getting into stores now too. I was in 4 gun shops yesterday and 3 of them had SA-35’s in stock, all priced at $679. I’m tempted to buy another.

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Everybody could shoot

I've seen a couple of the SA-35's, they look really nice but I've not shot one yet. I'd be very interested in one, but I don't care all that much for 9mm, I only own one pistol chambered for it and rarely shoot it (and it is a SA pistol). I like that SA kept to the original design and also decided to delete the magazine disconnect. Had it not been for the French, the original wouldn't have had one either.

I do have a BHP, though, a MkIII chambered in .40S&W and absolutely love it. I shoot it frequently, it's the most accurate semiauto I have. I removed the disconnect from mine.

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I've known a few British servicemen who would get a good laugh out of that statement.

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Release the Kraken

I heard that they have a few bugs, maybe feeding problems. I’m waiting to see if they come out with a stainless version or a shortened “detective “ version.

Or perhaps it was extraction problems.

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otis

Good bad or ugly the hi power is iconic.

First, my Hi Power was the first handgun I ever bought, back around 1976. So it would be my sentimental choice. Second, I don't like Springfield Armory, and don't plan to ever buy any of their products. Not a huge 9mm fan anyway. I only own the one.

I got my SA-35 back in April, have put close to a thousand rounds of ball and hollow point thru it since then. Never had a single jam so far, it’s accurate, I’m very pleased overall. Everyone who has shot it has been impressed with it. Several friends would buy one if they could find one, but availability seems to have gotten worse instead of better.

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Wheel guns are real guns.

I know quite a few US mil that aren't enthusiastic about the 1911. Whatever someone makes you carry isn't always your favorite.

Oh, so very, very true!!!!

I coveted a BHP after I saw the movie "Serpico" during my misspent youth. I finally obtained one a couple of years ago. And then, later, just for grins, I bought an Israeli Kareen replica of the BHP.

Just because..........



I bought new, wooden grips for the BHP and put its grips on the Kareen and got rid of the rubber.

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Come and take it!!

I've owned a couple of FEG's and an FM over the years, but never an actual Browning (or FN). I haven't seen a Springfield yet, but I did buy a Girsan a few months ago. It's not as pretty but seems to shoot well, and was priced right, at just over $500.00 out the door.



The only "problem" I've had is I had to take a sight pusher and move the front sight over. It was clocked to the left, but it's in a dovetail, so correcting it wasn't a problem. It scratches my itch for a HP type pistol.

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John 3:16 .

Here is mine that I bought in 1971 new and OTD for 94.00. A safe queen, it has fired maybe 150 rounds, and been in the safe for 45 years or so. It has Spegel rosewood grips.#1 son wants it bad

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Pete
I ain't no fortunate son

I have two MkIII Brownings

Got my SA-35 about 6 weeks ago at a LGS for $669,only the second one they'd seen this year.

put about 200-300 trigger pulls on it with a laser bullet......points as well as any other gun I own!

Got it to the range yesterday; 50 rounds at 10 yds;shooting semi fast from the low ready on a USPSA target.
41 rounds in a group I could cover with my med size hand all As
9 rounds to the head
One flyer a C at 6 O'clock. My third shot after I had missed the whole target with my 2nd shot.. turns out that 2nd shot was dead center on the 1" orange dot I was using as a sighting point; didn't even break the 1/2" center circle.

Nice trigger and nice sights.

Overall I'm

The 1911s I saw in service just before they were replaced by the M9 were worn out. At that time they were all at least 40 years old, had seen service in 3 major wars and had all been rebuilt at least once.

Slide to frame fit just wasn’t what it was when they were new.

Similarly, the first two M16A1s I was issued in training units were badly worn and lived down to their reputation. But I eventually received one in excellent condition and it was accurate and reliable (provided you kept grit out of the bolt carrier and interior of the upper receiver).

The US Military needed new rifles because most of them were badly worn, which is what resulted in the A2 variant (which they unfortunately compromised with a plethora of committee developed changes and misguided and conflicting performance requirements).

Based on the Hi Powers I’ve seen in pictures of commonwealth troops in the sand box, it’s apparent the same was true for their long serving Hi Powers.

Buying new Hi Powers would have certainly been a viable option, and FN would have been the gold standard. However, FN was no longer in the Hi Power business, and going with a different vendor would have raised all kinds of issues about quality, production capacity, and country of origin issues that would have had to have been assessed and addressed.

FEG made great Hi Power pistols as well and sold tens of thousands of them under contract to various militaries including the Israelis, but they were out of business.

FM made licensed Hi Powers until 1990, but quality suffered afterwards.

The SA-35 is advertised as American made, but I strongly suspect, given Springfield Armory’s history with Brazilian gun manufacturers that the parts are forged and manufactured in Brazil and then finished and assembled in the US, so it can be called “American made”.

The Browning/FN HP (or one of its clones) is a handgun I have never possessed, although I have fired several of them. I would like to have one, but as I already own too many good 9mms that I seldom shoot, I believe I will save my money and pass on buying another.

I've been looking for a SA 35 to handle and probably buy; no luck yet. In the past, I owned a 70's vintage HP that shot really well after I had the bottom end hard chromed as well as the barrel. Built up tolerances in a good way. Also owned a '95 Mk III Practical by Browning that I bought new. Lousy job of hard chrome work on it from the factory with sharp edges everywhere. This was the era where Browning went to cast slides and frames. After several thousand rounds of modest handloads I was seeing peening of the slide so the Mk III was traded away.

If they only made a DA/SA version of it!!!!

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otis

To each his own

But for me there are no clones,
it's the real deal or not at all.

Last of the Browning's with a
trip to Cylinder & Slide for a
three ib. trigger.

It's an amazing shooter.

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Irb1200 you said it perfectly! Sorta like my cornflakes---you go to all these big box stores and they all have their own brands but none are even close to Kellogs!

Likewise. I've been told that Springfield stopped shipping them with no restart scheduled. Anyone else hear that?

Glad to hear that Springfield did a good job.

They did although it was somewhat different..Search Browning double action 9mm pistol.

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S&W Accumulator

I bought mine in 1972. It was my first centerfire pistol. I LOVED Super-Vel ammunition of that era. Paid $114.00 for it. Only change is I added Millet adjustable sights. In those days I killed deer/coons/cars/cement blocks and a plethoria of other things. Still have it. Have shown it before. It still sleeps in it's original Browning zippered case with owner's manual.

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S&W Accumulator

Of all the pistols I've owned over the years, the BHP was one that never did anything for me.

JMHO YMMV.

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BTDT, Got The T-Shirt

I have two Browning High Powers. The youngest was one of the last made in 0.40 S&W so is "beefed up a little". The other is an Inglis Mk II that I am a trifle careful about due to the internal extractor (though I do have a spare). Their intermediate "brothers" (from ~1985) are two Browning BDMs that are SA/DA complete with their 15 round mags and a number of 10 round ones. The Clinton ban on >10 rounds put paid to these particular pistols even though they are possibly the thinnest 15 round pistols that you can find. Simply rotate a screw head using a tongue on the regular mags and you go from SA/DA to DA. All fun to use and the BDMs often have the question "what is that pistol?" when I "excercize them on the range". They were designed as successors to the BHP but as mentioned, above the High Cap mag ban killed them. Dave_n

As long as California's ridiculous "micro-stamping" law is on the books, we'll never see the SA-35 out here, so I guess I'll have to make do with this.

Best regards,

I am huge follower of all things JMB, but the BHP has never piqued my interest.

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213th FBINA

First time I wrapped my hand around a Hi Power I knew they were right for me.

Never having even held one I bought a FEG Hungarian BHP clone just to see what all the fuss was about. Everything I've read says the FEG is a faithful reproduction of the original, and I like it just fine. Not my favorite of all time or anything, but still a decent sidearm.

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Send lawyers, guns & money...

I may have to stop by the SA booth at SHOT next month and wrap my hand around one.

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213th FBINA

A Smith M59, bought new decades ago, solved that problem.
Has never missed a beat with ball.
My boy's groups went from 4", with the Smith at 25yds offhand, to 2" with the old BHP.
Old Colt GM shoots nice but his groups were cut in half the first time he fired the Colt GC.

He learned the most important thing about firearms.....
replace the old man's ammo promptly. LOL.

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Have Fun/Stay Safe

I have a C-series from the mid-70s. Having read all the negative things about BHPs over the years, I have found that, at least in my hands and with my sample of one, my High Power is good enough to make it not worth going out and getting another.

Trigger: Six pounds and very crisp. It was never designed as a target gun, and I seriously doubt that any soldier carrying one would feel there is much difference between it and an issued 1911A1. I get the impression that late FN production triggers were a lot worse.

Safety: Yep, it's small. If you take the time to learn it, you have a lever that is extremely hard to have rub off by accident and (for me at least), works just fine.

The sights: I was resigned to being a point-shooter anyway, but cataract surgery has given me my old master-eye back and the sights are just fine now. In the unlikely event that I was to carry it, I would still just do an old-fashioned draw and point, because that just works really well for my particular situation. Sights and Weaver (with my cheek tucked into my arm like a rifle stock), are fun for longer ranges.

Magazine disconnect: I kept thinking I'd remove it eventually, but now I won't bother. As long as I use either the original magazine or the newer "mousetrap" mags, it doesn't affect the pull much. The bright blue Mec-Gars do drag on the disconnect lever. The "mousetrap" mags feed the rounds at a slightly higher angle and may be better for hollowpoints in an older BHP. I've only got two magazines full of hollowpoints through mine (no issues), so can't really definitively say.

Grips: Just fine as is, for my hand. If you like blue steel and walnut, this is a good 'un.

If you want a modern BHP, it sounds like an SA or a Girsan will do just fine. Since I have an older FN model (that isn't a collectible "don't shoot it" example), I'm good with mine. I feel like the High Power is the equivalent of a S&W K-frame .38 Special in terms of handling. I DO think its day as an issued weapon for large armed military and police forces is over, but so is the K-frame's. That doesn't mean both the BHP and the K-frame .38 Special can't serve individuals just fine.

I have no problem with those who customize their High Powers. I'm just more interested in learning the weapon as it was, whether it's a 1911, HP, S&W revolver, or whatever.

Just my opinion.

I seem to like mine OK.....

FN tried a few different updates on the Hi Power.

The pistol at the top is the BDM (Browning Dual Mode) which has a rotary switch with a “P” and an “R” that allows either traditional DA/SA “Pistol” operation or a DA only “Revolver” mode. It was developed as a candidate for one of the FBI pistol trials. It’s clearly intended for concealed carry use and has the thinnest profile I have never seen on a duty sized 9mm.

The pistol in the middle is the FN HP-DA, a DA/SA evolution of the Hi Power. It was introduced and failed, then reintroduced several years later in the US as the Browning BDA, and again was discontinued. FN/Browning felt that Hi Power fans would be thrilled with a DA version, but they were wrong.

The pistol at the bottom is the SFS Hi Power. It’s a Mk III high power with the Safety Fast Shooting system installed. It’s a drop in modification and you can get original FN parts for the conversion from Cylinder and Slide. They are a great idea in terms of allowing condition 1 carry with the hammer appearing to be “down” where it doesn’t freak out the general public when carried in a duty holster, and it also works really well for concealed carry. But it didn’t sell well and FN ended up selling off their SFS Hi Powers cheap through various distributors when they discontinued the pistol.





BDM width compared to the HP-DA.

The FEG Hi Power pistols vary a bit.

The FEG P9 is a faithful pre Mk II Hi power clone with 100% parts compatibility.

The 1st generation P9M is a P9 with an extended safety, 3 dot sights, and a 1911 style slide stop in place of the Hi Power’s half moon shaped slide stop. Other than the slide stop and the slide with the smaller cut for the 1911 style stop, all the other parts are interchangeable with a Hi Power.

The 2nd Gen P9M used a S&W locking system and has a lot less parts commonality with a Hi Power.

Unfortunately when KBI imported them, they called them all the PJK-9HP.

FEG made Hi Powers to whatever specification the customer wanted, using round or spur hammers, wood or plastic grips, polished blue or parkerized finish, and P9, 1rst Gen or 2nd gen configuration - or a hybrid.

Again KBI was shooting for low cost so they’d take them with whatever parts FEG had on the shelf, and pistols like this one were common - a P9 with the 3 dot sights and extended safety lever of the 1rst Gen P9M. In polished and blued commercial form like this one, they are very nice pistols.



KBI also marketed a high end Hi Power designed to compete with Browning in the form of the Charles Daly Hi Power, which used FEG parts that were assembled in the US. I passed on one back when the were being produced as it wasn’t a “real” Hi Power, but that was a mistake made in ignorance.

At the other extreme you have the well worn and often abused military surplus FEG Hi Powers, most recently from Israel, where they sourced them as captures from other militaries, as pistols purchased directly from FEG in both FEG marked and counterfeit Browning marked form, and as parts kits assembled in Israel as the “Kareen” pistol.

I have heard they stopped production to fix a few quality issues, but as far as I have heard they plan to restart production when they get the teething pains worked out.

First, my Hi Power was the first handgun I ever bought, back around 1976. So it would be my sentimental choice. Second, I don't like Springfield Armory, and don't plan to ever buy any of their products. Not a huge 9mm fan anyway. I only own the one.

My 1974 vintage HP is my first handgun also. About 1985 or so, I had it worked on by the late Trapper Alexiu who was the armorer for several local PDs. He grafted S&W revolver sights on it, slicked up the action, and matted the top of he slide to reduce glare. And of course removed the magazine safety. Made a pleasant to shoot gun a whole lot better.

I've and shot a few High Powers, and carried a MkIII in 40 from 1993 or 1994 to retirement. The most reliable modification to improve the trigger in each was to carefully remove the mag safety.

I took the mag safety out of my rattlebox FEG once.

The improvement in the trigger was marginal, and I started having issues with trigger reset, so the mag safety went back in.

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Release the Kraken

I've never seen an FEG in person.

Owned two over the years...nice guns... wish I'd kept them as "truck"guns. Both bought used around $200-250 in the 90s.

But traded them off.... the second when I got a Browning MkIII.

Like I said above only 50rds through my SA35 but it's got a nice trigger!!!