SA 35
- Thread starter JoeHenry
- Start date
chicharrones
needs more ammo
Nice gun. Nice shootin'. 
UncleEd
Member
Riomouse911
Member
Great day and well shot, sir. That new SA-35 and your hands look to me like it was a match made in heaven. 
If you have issues locating spare 15 round magazines, Gun Mag Warehouse has nickel plated Mec Gar 13 rounders that work very well.
.)
Just last week the store called me 2x to let me know the SA was in, I declined the gun with a thank you.
It is a nice shooter, SA did a good job with their Hi Power tribute.
Stay safe.
If you have issues locating spare 15 round magazines, Gun Mag Warehouse has nickel plated Mec Gar 13 rounders that work very well.
I was on a waiting list for over a year before I finally got fed up and bought mine off GB in late November 2022 for less than I had seen it most anywhere. (The seller listed 6 that ended 3 days apart. The first few went waaay high to suck in the goofy bidders, the last two he sold went for much less
.) Just last week the store called me 2x to let me know the SA was in, I declined the gun with a thank you.
It is a nice shooter, SA did a good job with their Hi Power tribute.
Stay safe.
I have a bunch of 13 round magazines for my Browning/FN HiPower. I plan to check a few of them out with the Springfield before I invest in any more magazines.
For my planned use of the Springfield, 15 round magazines are not necessary.
OP
OP
JoeHenry
Member
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2019
- Messages
- 200
I have a bunch of 13 round Hi Power mags. Original Hi Power and Mecgar. Brand does not seem to make a difference. Half of them would not function. With slide open insert loaded mag, drop slide release. Slide moves forward about 2/10th of an inch and stops. Insert mag with slide in battery rack slide and mag drops out of gun. This happened with about half of my old 13 rounders. I ordered 2 15 round Mecgar mags from Midway. They work just fine. Springfield gets it’s 15 rounders from Mecgar anyway.
By the way, I have two Springfield SA 35’s and the mag problem is with both.
That is nice to know. I'll see how my existing magazines work before investing in new magazines.
NIGHTLORD40K
Member
Glad you got a good one, OP!
I have YET to see one in the flesh- and Ive been looking.
I have YET to see one in the flesh- and Ive been looking.
Picked up an SA-35 at LGS in late November 2022. Since then have put about 300 rounds through it, shooting side-by-side with my M&P 2.0c 9mm. I am shooting the SA-35 in this first 3 months about as well (maybe better) as the M&P that I have been shooting for 2+ years.
This is a beautiful gun, fun to use. Love that I got it after the production hiatus last year.
I have used only Springfield 15 round mags, with no problems at all.
However, when I need more will buy MecGar, less expensive and same manufacturer.
This is a beautiful gun, fun to use. Love that I got it after the production hiatus last year.
I have used only Springfield 15 round mags, with no problems at all.
However, when I need more will buy MecGar, less expensive and same manufacturer.
SwampWolf
Member
I was interested in the SA 35 mostly because it listed at $699.99. One hundred dollars more? Interest fading fast...
dfariswheel
Member
- Joined
- Dec 26, 2002
- Messages
- 6,605
As a good alternative to the new Springfield, you might take a look at the Sarsilmaz SAR 2000.
It's an all forged steel CNC machined gun from Turkey.
I bought one last Fall for $465 in stainless steel.
They also sell a black version the NRA says is made from a "near stainless" carbon steel.
The Springfield is apparently sourced as parts from Turkey and I was impressed by one my nephew bought recently.
The SAR is absolutely the smoothest finished gun INSIDE I've ever seen. I can see NO machine marks anywhere, inside or out.
I've worked on a number of Tanfoglio guns, both mine and customers, and recently I got a close look inside a couple of CZ's.
I was rather astounded at how rough the internal parts of the CZ's were for a higher end pistol.
Here's a review I did on another forum.........
https://www.coltforum.com/threads/t...t-for-the-cz-75-a-review.393863/#post-3407130
Since that review, I've fired over 200 rounds of Winchester steel case 9mm a nephew gave me, and 300 rounds of Winchester brass case FMJ.
All round fired and accuracy was very good.
I'm of the opinion that the SAR 2000 is very likely the Best Buy in an all steel 9mm service type pistol.
It's an all forged steel CNC machined gun from Turkey.
I bought one last Fall for $465 in stainless steel.
They also sell a black version the NRA says is made from a "near stainless" carbon steel.
The Springfield is apparently sourced as parts from Turkey and I was impressed by one my nephew bought recently.
The SAR is absolutely the smoothest finished gun INSIDE I've ever seen. I can see NO machine marks anywhere, inside or out.
I've worked on a number of Tanfoglio guns, both mine and customers, and recently I got a close look inside a couple of CZ's.
I was rather astounded at how rough the internal parts of the CZ's were for a higher end pistol.
Here's a review I did on another forum.........
https://www.coltforum.com/threads/t...t-for-the-cz-75-a-review.393863/#post-3407130
Since that review, I've fired over 200 rounds of Winchester steel case 9mm a nephew gave me, and 300 rounds of Winchester brass case FMJ.
All round fired and accuracy was very good.
I'm of the opinion that the SAR 2000 is very likely the Best Buy in an all steel 9mm service type pistol.
Rock185
Member
Well I've had my SA-35 for a year now. I have a thousand rounds or so of different manufacturer's bullet weights, types, pressure levels, etc. through it, using factory, FN, and MecGar magazines. Like my FN/Browning guns, the SA-35 has just worked to this point.
RainDodger
Member
Hm on the magazine issue. I have 8 original Browning Hi-Power magazines (13 rounders of course), and 9 of the new Springfield/Mecgar 15 round magazines. All of them work fine in my SA-35. I rotate them, so I know they all work. My SA-35 is in the 12,000 serial number range so maybe something was fixed.
Billy Shears
Member
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2008
- Messages
- 1,016
I just got back from the range with mine a few minutes ago. This is the first time I have been able to enjoy a range session with it without any problems. Sadly, mine came with some serious extraction problems, for which it went back to Springfield Armory twice without the problem being completely solved. I sent it to Cylinder & Slide for some work I have wanted done to it anyway, and they seem to have completely cured the failures to extract. I had them put their extractor in it, as well as polish the chamber and polish and deburr all internals. Now it runs like a Swiss watch, which is how it should have come frankly, but at least it's running flawlessly now.
I also had them stipple the front strap and back strap, put a 14K gold bead in the front sight, radius all the external corners (the tang was rather sharp), and install a no-bite hammer. The factory hammer was supposed to be no-bite, but it really wasn't. Like the tang, the edges were rather sharp, and a range session would see me come home with two small parallel cuts on the web of my right hand, where the edges of the hammer spur would bite me.
It's a pity I had to spend the extra money to get the pistol just so, but I'm glad I did -- at least I got the LEO discount on the purchase price. The gun is extremely accurate and pleasant to shoot thanks to the Hi Power's superb ergonomics. And without that magazine safety mucking it up, the trigger is as good as it gets on a Hi Power (about 4.5 lbs, with a crisp break), plus I don't have to seek out those mousetrap spring magazines to accomplish a speed reload. Once I've fed a few hundred rounds of Speer Gold Dot through it, just to verify it's reliable with that ammo, it will be my new off-duty carry gun.
I also had them stipple the front strap and back strap, put a 14K gold bead in the front sight, radius all the external corners (the tang was rather sharp), and install a no-bite hammer. The factory hammer was supposed to be no-bite, but it really wasn't. Like the tang, the edges were rather sharp, and a range session would see me come home with two small parallel cuts on the web of my right hand, where the edges of the hammer spur would bite me.
It's a pity I had to spend the extra money to get the pistol just so, but I'm glad I did -- at least I got the LEO discount on the purchase price. The gun is extremely accurate and pleasant to shoot thanks to the Hi Power's superb ergonomics. And without that magazine safety mucking it up, the trigger is as good as it gets on a Hi Power (about 4.5 lbs, with a crisp break), plus I don't have to seek out those mousetrap spring magazines to accomplish a speed reload. Once I've fed a few hundred rounds of Speer Gold Dot through it, just to verify it's reliable with that ammo, it will be my new off-duty carry gun.
Attachments
Looks really nice— especially the stippling.
UncleEd
Member
Billy Shears,
I agree with some of your complaints.
But on the other hand (extraction problems aside)
the pistol is a "bargain" compared to what new
Hi Power prices were when the gun was
discontinued by FN.
What range of serial number is your gun? Supposedly
the extraction problem was confined to early production
and those of at least around 10,000 or higher
are fitted with better extraction springs.
I agree with some of your complaints.
But on the other hand (extraction problems aside)
the pistol is a "bargain" compared to what new
Hi Power prices were when the gun was
discontinued by FN.
What range of serial number is your gun? Supposedly
the extraction problem was confined to early production
and those of at least around 10,000 or higher
are fitted with better extraction springs.
Billy Shears
Member
- Joined
- Mar 16, 2008
- Messages
- 1,016
My gun is in the 6000 range. The pistol was priced well, but I think that may be part of the problem. Some of the edges were sharp, and the internals had to be deburred. I can't help but think that's because Springfield was trying to keep the cost down, which is admirable, but if it leaves the pistol needing extra work, the way mine did, that really doesn't result in a less expensive gun, since now you have to spend money with a gunsmith to get it to run right. Now some of the work I had done, like the stippling on the frame and the gold bead front sight, was extra I would have paid anyway. But I had to go beyond that for a new extractor and deburring and rounding off the sharp corners on the frame.
Don't get me wrong, I'm still happy with it, and I'd still spend money for the SA-35 over the Hi Power clone from Girsan, because Springfield got rid of that damnable magazine safety. Since I mean to carry this gun, I love having one that came from the factory without that stupid thing; I'd never remove a factory-installed safety device on a pistol I might have to use for self-defense. I hope Springfield has worked out the extraction issues and other problems, as I want very much for the gun to succeed in the marketplace. I've always loved Hi Powers, and I don't consider FN's new iteration to be one; it's an all new design that copies the aesthetics of the Hi Power. That might appeal to some, but I'm not really interested. If I want a more modern design, I'll take my Glock 19 or Walther PDP. People who love and shoot and want to carry the original Browning/Saive design now have a nicely priced version available, if Springfield can keep it in production at a decent level of quality.
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TRACON
Member
Very Nice! I just got mine last week and I put 600 rounds through it on a desert trip. No malfunctions. I have a high serial number (18xxx) and I think the extraction issue is fixed.
I also highly recommend 1791 gunleather holsters. I have the belt holster and it allows the gun to be carried cocked & locked, like all Hi-Powers should be carried.
SwampWolf
Member
That's a pretty big "aside" and an unacceptable defect in a pistol intended for self-defense. I hope Springfield has fixed this problem and has made good to purchasers of the pistol who might have experienced the same problem.
UncleEd
Member
Within the context of this thread, I certainly wasn't trying to minimize
any extraction problems which reportedly SA has fixed.
In the world of auto pistols, extraction is a problem always waiting to
happen.
When S&W first started selling the Model 39, it had a devil
of a time with extraction because of the variances of U.S. and
European made 9mm.
Broken extractors happen often enough even when the design
engineering is sound. Such is the nature of autos.
Autos also are dependent on many other factors, not the least
of which is the magazine.
For a host of reasons, some argue that the revolver remains the
most reliable handgun option. And no, I'm not saying revolvers
don't have any problems.
ArchAngelCD
Member.
It took me about 10 months to find an SA-35. The MSRP is $699 and I got mine for $725.
My SA-35 works fine with the Springfield mags and the 15 round MecGar mags too. The pistol also works flawlessly with the original 13 round mags from FN and MecGar. (A friend let me test his mags) Actually, his original HiPower shot fine with the new 15 round made too.
I'm very happy Springfield came out with the SA-35 because I didn't have the chance to buy the original when they were still in production and the used ones always demanded a premium. This copy is excellent IMO.
My SA-35 works fine with the Springfield mags and the 15 round MecGar mags too. The pistol also works flawlessly with the original 13 round mags from FN and MecGar. (A friend let me test his mags) Actually, his original HiPower shot fine with the new 15 round made too.
I'm very happy Springfield came out with the SA-35 because I didn't have the chance to buy the original when they were still in production and the used ones always demanded a premium. This copy is excellent IMO.
