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Posted

The world’s best handgun…

The handgun designed to fit the human hand…

The handgun carried by the coolest people…

The glorious, celebrated, loved, and admired Browning HiPower…

Is back.  
 

But not from FN/Browning.   

Springfield Armory is making them right here in the USA.   Or so they say here:

https://www.springfield-armory.com/sa-35-series-handguns/sa-35-handguns/
 

I swear I have ranted on here before that SA or Kimber should start making them, with the small changes it begs for (sights and thumb safety), maybe in stainless and a lightweight alum frame option, and actually TRY to sell them unlike Browning… but I can’t find it now.

My dream might be here.

Please, SA, don’t screw this up.  I won’t even comment that they didn’t extend the frame tang and used the most bite-prone hammer design because I’m so appreciative of this gift to the world.


I read rumblings of this a week or two ago but didn’t believe it.  Well, boy howdy doo, there it is.  

Shipping now, they say.   The local gun shop is closed today, but I pestered the owner’s son and found they don’t have any yet. He is going to start checking tomorrow.  I had another gun purchase in mind, but I might hold off on that one.

 

I do have to wonder about SA’s claim to making them in the US.  This could have changed, but they didn’t used to actually make any guns, at least not the way most people think of it.   The 1911s had the frames and slides made in Brazil by Imbel.   Entry level guns were more or less rebranded Imbels.  At the other end of the scale, the Custom Shop guns were made up from not-quite-finished frames and slides, machined and finished by SA.   The rest fell somewhere in between.   The XDs are made in Croatia and rebranded.  At least some rifles had their receivers made in Australia by ADI. 
So I have to wonder what the situation is with their HiPower.   I seriously doubt they invested in a total manufacturing process for them.  As much as I like the design, it’s not going to be the biggest seller.

 

But welcome back, wherever you’re from!

 

 

 

Posted

I’ve heard that Brownell’s shows it in stock at $679.99.  I was hoping for better than MSRP minus $20, but I’ll see what I can shake out.  
 

Want to make that $680 from Brownell’s sound better?  
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/914387224

It started at one penny.  After 3.5 hours, it’s at $930.  Only six days, 20 and one half hours to go!

Ah, the first of a new gun to hit Gunbroker.  Always fun.  

OK, what I SHOULD wait for is an optics-ready model.  If it ever happens.   In stainless.  

Posted

I've seen a couple reports of the firing stop being loosely fitted on these.  One claimed it dropped out when hand cycling the gun.  That would be a tricky thing to accomplish, but I suppose not impossible.

I've also seen one photo of the rear end of the slide that was poorly finished, with circular tool marks visible. I'm not too picky about wanting a gun's finish to be absolutely flawless, but I sure would not have accepted what I saw.

 

Being very early production guns, I am not a bit surprised to learn of issues like these. 

Also, being early production guns, I am not a bit put off from the SA-35 by it.  Things like this will happen.  I'd be more surprised if such a project went perfect from the start.  

 

The good news is maybe the selling price on these will now plummet to around $2,200.

Posted
23 hours ago, BarryinIN said:

The good news is maybe the selling price on these will now plummet to around $2,200.

LOL!

I'll not be in the bidding for one at these prices.  Hopefully, the early production bugs will be out of them when I'm serious about buying at a realistic price.

Posted

I genuinely want one of the SAs.  But they sold out so quickly that I am going to have to wait (Mrs. Astro was looking for Christmas present ideas, and this fit into her budget/plans).  Once G&A put it on the cover, we all knew it would be gone in minutes...

  • 2 months later...
Posted

I think it will depend on what the buyer wants.
 If you want a classic HiPower with some improvements that make it easier to use- the SA.

I’m not sure who the FN will please.  I’m sure it could be a great functioning, good shooting gun.  It might, and should, have a great trigger. But it’s going to be chunkier feeling and heavier than an HP or most other guns in its class.  

  • 8 months later...
  • 3 months later...
  • 2 years later...
Posted

They are now getting reasonable enough that today I bid on one on Gunbroker.  I didn’t win, but I’m getting close.  

I still want an Optics Ready model. Yes, I can get one milled, and that’s what I’ll probably do.  Its a lock that as soon as I buy one, the OR model will show up.

 

  • 2 weeks later...
Posted

The SA-35 Optics Ready models should be introduced any day now.  
 

I have no inside information saying that, but I did give in and buy ann SA-35 off Gunbroker last night.  I have entered talks with a local gun plumber on getting it milled for a red dot.  
 

Therefore, I expect ready-made ones to be shown in about seven to ten days. 

Posted

My SA-35 arrived today.  Some initial thoughts and observations:

The HiPower as it came from Browing always needed some things.

 -The sights needed to be larger. They got better in later years but not quite good enough  

-The thumb safety also needed to be larger.   Like the sights, this got better, but not good enough  

-The trigger needed some cleaning up.
 
- The magazine disconnect needed to go, which would often help the trigger.  

The Springfield has all of these things. The sights are better.  The rear has a good sized blade with a round-bottomed U-notch opening.  The front is a tall blade with a white dot, which could go IMO.  I’m told the dovetails are non-standard, if that matters. 
 

The thumb safety is left side (RH shooter) only, but has a large bent paddle. I think it could be tapered some at the base of the paddle, but it’s better to have that problem than needing more metal.  
 

The trigger is grit-free, and while I haven’t weighed it yet, seems satisfactory for pull weight.   

Mercifully, the magazine disconnect is not present nor is there an opening in the trigger for one.  No, I won’t call it a “magazine safety” because it’s not a safety.  Now I can call it “gone”.  

To the possible negative, SA used a ring type hammer instead of the spur type   Yes, they look better to most people, but it looks intimidating to me. That hammer type on the HiPower always chewed up my hand.  I will see how this one is when I shoot it.

More on everything after I shoot it. 

My plans for this gun is to have it milled for a red dot sight.   There isn’t a lot of room for that on a HiPower slide, so we will see how that goes. 

Posted

I shot shot it the day after I got it. Only 75 rounds total, but enough to get the idea: 30 rounds of Winchester White Box 115 FMJ, 35 rounds of my handload using a 140 grain SWC cast bullet and Herco, and 10 rounds of Winchester Ranger 127 grain +P+ (1270 FPS from this gun).  
 

It shot like a HiPower.  In quick “up and shoot” from low ready, I shot an almost identical sized group as the red dot-equipped Sig P320 I carry.  I’ve been carrying and shooting the P320 for three (?) years but have a lot more rounds through HiPowers.  I don’t know if that makes it even.  
 

At any rate, I am declaring “proceed” on the HiPower red dot project.  I’m now searching for the best deal on a Trijicon RMRcc. 

Posted

I am now committed to the Red Dot Sighted HiPower Project (The RDSHPP?).  After talking to the gunsmith, I have ordered a Trijicon RMRcc and auxiliary rear sight.  
 

This is the beginning of something wonderful, or a huge mistake.  

  • 3 weeks later...

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