SA-35!

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CNobbe

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Was quite surprised to find two that were available at a local store and priced reasonably.

Picked out this one, the other had a wee bit of slide overhang from the back of the frame - sort of a Springfield trademark on their 1911s.

Anyway, I got it home and apart to clean/lube for it's first range trip and found the workmanship to be excellent. No slide to frame play like my real BHP, nice and smooth with some Mobil1 on the rails.

The enlarged safety is a godsend, it's easy to swipe up/down and has a positive click. Trigger is good, way better than a HP w/ mag disconnect, but my only real complaint is the reset is a bit faint, not very tactile. Also, the mags drop free which my real HP has issues with.

Now to the range, I put 100 rounds of 115 Blazer brass down the pipe with no malfunctions. Not sure it needs any break in, but I wanted to clean and re-lube after that number, and look it over. Nothing out of the ordinary was noticed, good to go.

The only thing I see adding is a fiber optic front sight. The little white dot is a bit hard to see indoors, but I'm just used to bright front sights.

At it's MSRP I think it's absolutely worth the money. I'm not really into collectible guns anymore, but this is a nice way to enjoy a HP design. I'll probably update as the round count gets higher, but I'll probably feel a little better when it's had 1k through it.

sa-35.jpg
 
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I really like mine I got mine less than 2 weeks after they were announced, and I got it at $20 less than MSRP. I haven't shot mine much, but it seems nicely made and is "nice and tight"
 
I'm on the list at my LGS, supposed be in by the end of the month. How is the front sight attached, how easy to put an FO on it?
 
I'm on the list at my LGS, supposed be in by the end of the month. How is the front sight attached, how easy to put an FO on it?
It's a dovetailed front sight, just a matter of pushing it out. Gotta find something that fits though.
 
Please keep us informed as to the reliability as the pistol approaches 1k rounds.
 
This is the first handgun I have wanted to buy in a long time. I have been looking for months and none available around here yet. I will get one even though I'm mainly a revolver guy. I have a 9mm RIA 1911 I'm going to sell to partially fund the buy. My 45ACP 1911 isn't ever going away lol.
 
Please keep us informed as to the reliability as the pistol approaches 1k rounds.

Might be a while, I don't shoot as much as I used and when I do, it's usually my competition or carry guns. But, I'll try to keep track. Springfield has an awesome service department, so I don't really care if it starts having problems.
 
How long has the M1911 been in production, nobody calls that "obsolete". The recoil dampening qualities of a steel frame pistol make for greater shooting pleasure.
 
I'm on the list at my LGS, supposed be in by the end of the month. How is the front sight attached, how easy to put an FO on it?

It's a dovetailed front sight, just a matter of pushing it out. Gotta find something that fits though.

This is where you are going to run into a problem. The front dovetail does not match any other existing sights. The dimensions are larger than Novak’s. The rear is worse than the front. It is similar to the Tisas which also won’t accept aftermarket sights.

Let us know if you find something that works
 
I took it out again today, didn't seem to have the front sight issue I did the first time. Maybe the lane was lit a little better, or maybe shooting my Glock w/ red dot helped focus my eyes better, but the thing is a tack driver. It was good with factory 115, excellent with 147gr handloads.

It's not gonna replace my Staccato in fun factor, but I think I can safely say that those who love the Hi Power will really like this.
 
Who wants an 87 year old design in a steel gun?

It turns out that lots of people do. It is a shame that FN couldn't find a way to keep the Hi-Power in production and still make a profit.

@CNobbe Good luck with the SA-35. It appears that you got a pretty one. :)

FN reintroduced the Hi-Power at shot show, both classic and modernized.
 
This is the first handgun I have wanted to buy in a long time. I have been looking for months and none available around here yet. I will get one even though I'm mainly a revolver guy. I have a 9mm RIA 1911 I'm going to sell to partially fund the buy. My 45ACP 1911 isn't ever going away lol.
SAME! I’m completely (got $300) gun broke right now. I’m going to vegas for a convention and hopefully turn that $300 into $3,000 at the poker tables!
 
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