Someone made mention of the designations "Hi-Power" and "High Power" for the good old P35. I seem to remember that both were used but not sure by whom or where. Does anyone else recall seeing these variations? IIRC, "Hi-Power" was written with the hyphen, whereas "High Power" was not.

Every manufacturer is an assembler of sorts. Who makes the MR223 parts for H&K in Georgia? Not H&K, it's Wilcox. Same OEM who makes most of the stuff for SigSauer in NH. Colt isn't doing things in-house, either whether it be a CR6920 or their "retro" line of Vietnam Series made by US Armament (who by the way, makes a nice rifle and also nice Colt 1903 pistols and lots of other Colt pattern things).

I bought a "Czech" waffle stock for my Bren 2 rifle to replace the one that came in my 922r kit from CZ USA. Where was the one made in my 922r kit? The parts came from a subcontracted OEM in Brazil. So, assembled in the US into a US component from small parts made wherever.

This is the way of modern, high volume CNC manufacturing. Long gone are the days where raw materials go in one door and highly skilled artisans hand-fit components into heirloom quality guns going out the other door on the far side of the building.

I'm not interested in getting this.

I know there is a lot of hate thrown at Springfield these days and I'm not saying that they didn't do some shitty things. But all gun companies do. Maybe not intentionally, but they do. Sig is my favorite company but they knew about the 320 issues and left them out there until they couldn't avoid it any more. And that's just one example. My Springfield Mil Spec from their Defender line is a first rate 1911. I don't care where they got the parts, it just runs like a clock. I'll give the HP35 a shot. Bet it works just fine.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: andronicus,

quote:

Originally posted by kaschi:
Someone made mention of the designations "Hi-Power" and "High Power" for the good old P35. I seem to remember that both were used but not sure by whom or where. Does anyone else recall seeing these variations? IIRC, "Hi-Power" was written with the hyphen, whereas "High Power" was not.

not sure myself, guessing would need to look for FN or Browning advertisements from the past,

either way the HP is a translation from Grande puissance or GP35

I haven't finished viewing it, but sootch00 has a review and 1K round test video up on the SA-35.

https://youtu.be/-c-Utwutb7A

ETA: Sootch also had extraction problems, as Para and others have noted other reviewers are experiencing. Disappointing, but I hope the "bugs" are ironed out soon. Maybe slow production down a bit, a little more polishing here and there, better extractor and springs...

This message has been edited. Last edited by: rat2306,

Failures to extract- that's the issue I'm seeing online about this pistol.

I don't know if High Power parts are still available in the US from FN or Browning, but if I were to purchase one of these pistols, the first thing I would do would be to change the extractor spring and possibly the extractor as well.

Also, I might be inclined to take some Simichrome or Flitz on a patch and proper-sized bore swab and ever so gently give the chamber a slight polish.

Factory BHP extractors and springs are available, at least for now.

quote:

Originally posted by rat2306:
I haven't finished viewing it, but sootch00 has a review and 1K round test video up on the SA-35.

https://youtu.be/-c-Utwutb7A

I like Sootch. I watch his videos even if I have no interest in the gun he's reviewing. I especially like when he includes the bloopers. It shows the effort he makes to produce high quality videos.

About this video, he experiences a few problems, dismisses them, and then expresses relief he didn't get a lot of problems.

quote:

Originally posted by Keystoner:
About this video, he experiences a few problems, dismisses them, and then expresses relief he didn't get a lot of problems.

Yes, that's my benchmark for a defensive pistol- "not a lot of problems."

I am getting the impression SA, Inc's version of this classic pistol is not quite up to the standards of the original. Some minor tweaking might get it to that point.

Yes. I want one of these. But I can certainly wait until the buying insanity dies down and they work out the inevitable bugs that come from a new introduction, no matter how old the design.

Any thoughts about this Springfield Armory SA-35 vs the recently announced FN High Power? Since I have waited too late on an original, these new offerings may be my introduction into this legendary firearm.

quote:

Originally posted by Minnow:
Any thoughts about this Springfield Armory SA-35 vs the recently announced FN High Power?

Yes. The new FNH-USA (not FN) High Power is not a High Power. It may tun out to be a fine pistol, but it is not a High Power.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum: Yes. The new FNH-USA (not FN) High Power is not a High Power. It may tun out to be a fine pistol, but it is not a High Power.

With that said, would you consider the Springfield Armory SA-35 a reasonably similar design to the original? The prices on those older ones have grown past my budget, so a more modern option will have to be where I end up.

The SA-35 appears to be almost identical to the late High Powers, except that most of those pistols had a spur hammer, and most had either a blue finish or an enamel over phosphate finish. Also, beginning in 1993, the FN High Power was offered with a cast frame instead of a forged frame. The SA-35 has a forged frame. The cast frame High Powers were actually a bit tougher than the forged frame pistols. The reason FN changed to the cast frame because of the introduction of the .40 caliber version of the High Power, which, in my opinion, should never have been offered by FN.

During testing of the .40 caliber High Power, FN engineers found that the impact of of the slide on the forged frame actually began to distort the frame, to the point that the frame rails warped enough that the slide had to be pounded off the frame with a mallet. The cast frame remedied this deficiency. Aesthetically, though, you will find a sentimental desire among shooters for forged frames. All of this is moot with the 9x19 version of the High Power. The 9mm cartridge is not going to beat the daylights out of a forged frame High Power.

quote:

Originally posted by parabellum:
The SA-35 appears to be almost identical to the late High Powers, except that most of those pistols had a spur hammer, and most had either a blue finish or an enamel over phosphate finish. Also, beginning in 1993, the FN High Power was offered with a cast frame instead of a forged frame. The SA-35 has a forged frame. The cast frame High Powers were actually a bit tougher than the forged frame pistols. The reason FN changed to the cast frame because of the introduction os the .40 caliber version of the High Power, which, in my opinion, should never have been offered by FN.

During testing of the .40 caliber High Power, FN engineers found that the impact of of the slide on the forged frame actually began to distort the frame, to the point that the frame rails warped enough that the slide had to be pounded off the frame with a mallet. The cast frame remedied this deficiency. Aesthetically, though, you will find a sentimental desire among shooters for forged frames. All of this is moot with the 9x19 version of the High Power. The 9mm cartridge is not going to beat the daylights out of a forged frame High Power.

Maybe I dreamed this, maybe I read it, but a lot of 40 cal High Power owners got 9mm barrels/ conversions for their cast frames to shoot really hot 9mm loads in.

Well, they wouldn't have needed to do so, because in 1993, all High Power production- both 9mm and .40 caliber- began using cast frames.

How to tell if your High Power has a forged frame or cast

Here's another review:

February 24th, 2022
By Rob Garrett


https://www.thearmorylife.com/...ngfields-new-pistol/

"In this SA-35 review, the author pulls the pistol apart, thoroughly examines it and shoots hundreds of rounds through it in a range test."

"To evaluate the extractor and ejection pattern, I fired 15 rounds of 115-gr. ball. Each round was fired without having magazine in the gun. All rounds landed at three to four feet, between 3:30 and 5:00 from the pistol.

The final test consisted of an extended 20-round magazine dump to heat the gun up, followed by three 15-round magazines, shot rapidly. The three magazines contained a mixed selection of the loads tested for accuracy. These loads were all considered premium personal defensive loads."

"During this test, we had one failure. On the second magazine, one Super Vel 90 gr. +P JHP hung up on the feed ramp and failed to feed. It should be noted that the overall length of this round is extremely short as well as being loaded to +P velocities. This was the only malfunction we had in the entire test series.

We finished on the day popping plates and ringing steel, with leftover loads, and the total round count for the day was around 450 rounds. We did not clean or lube the pistol during this process."

"Wrap Up of the SA-35 Review
I consider the information that I gathered during this testing to be significant. With the exception of the aforementioned Super Vel load, the SA-35 was 100% reliable with all of the relevant personal defense loads. An examination of the frame, slide, and barrel, showed no excessive wear or peening. This was a pretty intensive test for one day of shooting, with an extremely broad range of bullet weights and loads.

The only negative comment anyone had during the test was that top edges of the backstrap were extremely sharp and somewhat uncomfortable during shooting. This is an easy fix for Springfield on future guns."

still going for crazy well-above MSRP from everything I've gathered on the internet

seems to be a hit

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My LGS finally got two in this week. Naturally, I don't have the expendable cash at the moment, but I did get to handle one. I kept it pretty minimal since the gun I already spoken for, but it felt awesome in the hand, and the fit and finish were great. I still really want one of these....gotta save my pennies for when they get the next batch in.