In one of my previous articles I mentioned that I made a very big mistake some years ago. I was in a bad financial need and I had to sell
two of my handguns: a Springfield Armory 1911, .45ACP (top picture) and a Browning Hi Power Mark 3 9mm (bottom picture). I regreted that sale for many years! The 1911 and Hi-Power was modified at Novak’s with special sights and reliability work that made them shoot great and they were completely reliable. I really hated to sell those two handguns, they were sweet! That taught me that it is not a good idea to sell your firearms because you never get a price that they are really worth to you.
But a few years ago
I was able to replace my Springfield Armory 1911 that I sold with a new Springfield Armory Ronin 1911 which made me very happy. They were both .45 ACP, which is a caliber that I really like. It had a little shorter barrel so it will work better as a concealed carry handgun. It had a lot of the same upgrades from the factory that I had done at Novak’s, so it was a good deal for me.
The prices on the Browning Hi-Powers have gotten so high that I have not been able to justify buying one, which was difficult for me to realize, and then came the Springfield Armory SA-35. It is a Hi-Power clone made by Springfield Armory, one of my favorite gun manufactures. I was able to trade my Glock 26, 9 mm for this pistol, at this point I did not want three 9mm pistols, so it seemed like a good deal to me. Let’s talk about the SA-35.
Why Has The Browning Hi Power Been So Popular?
- Exceptional Ergonomics:The Hi-Power’s grip angle and overall design make it a very comfortable and natural-feeling handgun for many shooters, contributing to better recoil control and faster sight acquisition.
- Aesthetic Appeal and Quality:The pistol is often praised for its beautiful, delicate blue finish and overall aesthetic, making it a desirable firearm for collectors and those who appreciate classic designs.
- Influential Design and Legacy:As John Browning’s final design and a 1935 creation, it was a groundbreaking firearm, introducing features that influenced many modern handguns and earning it a place as an archetype of the modern pistol.
- Reliability and Durability:The Hi-Power was designed as a military and police workhorse, known for its ruggedness and reliability, leading to its widespread adoption by over 50 countries’ armed forces.
- Historical Significance:Its extensive military service history, including its use by special forces like the British SAS and during World War II, adds to its legendary status.
- Concealability:Despite being a full-sized pistol, its slender slide and frame make it surprisingly concealable for everyday carry.
- Updated Models and Clones:Even after its discontinuation in 2018, the introduction of new versions by FN Herstal and the development of various clones and copies by other manufacturers have kept the Hi-Power platform in the spotlight and accessible to a new generation of shooters.
What Is A SA-35?
The Springfield Armory SA-35
is a modern, American-made 9mm handgun that is a modernized take on the classic John Moses Browning P-35 (Browning Hi-Power) pistol design. Key upgrades to the SA-35 include a higher 15-round capacity magazine, improved modern sights, an improved trigger, a beveled magazine well for faster reloads, and the removal of the original magazine disconnect safety, all built on rugged forged and cold hammer-forged steel components for durability.
- Classic Design with Modern Enhancements:
It retains the classic lines and ergonomics of the original Browning design but incorporates several significant improvements.
- Enhanced Capacity and Trigger:
The SA-35 features a 15-round magazine and lacks the original magazine disconnect safety, which results in a crisper, lighter, and smoother trigger pull.
- Durable Construction:
The pistol uses modern, rugged components like forged steel parts for the frame and slide, and a cold hammer-forged barrel, ensuring strength and durability.
- Improved Ergonomics and Controls:
Enhancements include a recontoured hammer to prevent “hammer bite,” a modern, extended thumb safety, and improved grips.
- Modern Sights:
The SA-35 is equipped with a white-dot front sight and a black, serrated, rear U-notch sight for an improved sight picture.
- Beveled Magwell:
The pistol features a beveled magazine well for faster and smoother magazine insertions during reloads.
- Aesthetically Pleasing:The classic matte blued finish with attractive walnut grips provides a “wood and steel” look reminiscent of classic firearms.
How Does The Springfield Armory SA-35 Compare To The Browning Hi Power?
The SA-35 is Springfield Armory’s modern interpretation of the classic Browning Hi-Power, retaining the original’s classic aesthetic while incorporating updated features like a lighter single-action trigger, a 15-round magazine capacity, a modern sighting system, a ring hammer, and a drop-safe design. The SA-35 is generally a more budget-friendly option and offers a slightly different shooting experience with its enhanced ergonomics and trigger compared to the original FN High Power.
- Classic Design: Both pistols share the iconic look and overall dimensions of the original Hi-Power.
- All-Steel Construction: Both are full-size, all-steel-frame handguns with matte blued finishes.
- Single-Action Trigger: Both feature a single-action trigger mechanism.
- Barrel Length: They have nearly identical barrel lengths of approximately 4.7 inches.
- Magazine Compatibility: SA-35 magazines are compatible with the original Hi-Power.
- Classic Design: Both pistols share the iconic look and overall dimensions of the original Hi-Power.
- Trigger:
The SA-35 has a significantly lighter and smoother single-action trigger pull, according to multiple sources.
- Magazine Capacity:
The SA-35 includes a 15-round magazine, an increase from the original 10-round Hi-Power magazine.
- Sights:
The SA-35 features a modern front white-dot sight and a rear sight with a shelf for tactical reloads, which is an improvement over the original sights.
- Hammer:
The SA-35 uses an iconic ring hammer, while early models of the original Browning Hi-Power had a spur hammer.
- Magazine Disconnect:
Springfield removed the magazine disconnect, allowing the pistol to fire without a magazine inserted.
- Drop Safety:
The SA-35 is engineered to be drop-safe, unlike some earlier versions of the Browning Hi-Power.
- Grips:
The SA-35 features traditional checkered walnut grips, providing a classic feel.
- Price Point:The SA-35 serves as a more budget-friendly option compared to the original, often higher-priced, Browning Hi-Power pistols.
What Do I Like About The Springfield Armory SA-35?
First and foremost the Browning Hi-Power 9mm handguns has to be the best looking handgun ever made, in my opinion and Springfield Armory did a great job making this new pistol and replicating the Hi-Power. Also this Hi-Power clone is made in the USA, instead of going overseas where things are much cheaper to manufacture. Next it is one of the smoothest shooting handguns on the market today. The grip angle and overall design works really well for me and the accuracy is the best I have used right out of the box.
What Do I Dislike About The Springfield Armory SA-35?
I can’t say I dislike much about this handgun, because it’s a great full sized 9mm handgun that really works well. But there are a couple of things that I am disappointed about: 1) The handgun only comes with one magazine! Come on Springfield Armory, most every handgun on the market today comes with 2 or 3 magazines. One magazine is not enough for me, I need at least two so I have one extra magazine as a backup. So I will need to buy at least one more, and they are about $30 each, for a good one. 2) I am a left-handed shooter and this handgun only has a safety on the left side for right-handed shooters – bummer! Since this is a single-action handgun, the best way to carry this firearm effectively is “cocked and locked”. That means a bullet in the chamber, the hammer is cocked and the safety in on. Then to shoot the firearm you just release the safety and pull the trigger. So I will need to contact a gunsmith and have them put in a ambidextrous-safety so that I can operate the safety using my left thumb. This is something that all of us “left-handed” shooters face.
What Modifications Will I Do To My Springfield Armory SA-35?
As I mentioned above there are a couple of things that I need to do to make this pistol 100% in my book. 1) I need to find an Ambidextrous Safety that I like so that I can use the safety quickly and easily when needed as a left-handed shooter. There are a few ambi-safeties on the market and I need to decide which one I should buy? The one that was recommended to me by a gunsmith was made by Cylinder & Slide and they are very nice, but the levers are very long and I am not sure if that will work for me. There is another one made by BH Spring Solutions that is much shorter but I am not sure if the quality matches with the Cylinder & Slide safety. So I need to do some more research and talk to a few more people to help me make up my mind. 2) The second thing that I need to do is buy 1-2 Extra Magazines. I do not mean cheaper aftermarket magazines but ones made by Springfield Armory. These are sold anywhere from $54 to $29 each. I found them at Midway USA for $28.99 each, so that is a good price for a Springfield Armory magazine. Other than those two things that will be the end of my modifications, unless something comes up at a later date.
What Holster Will I Carry My Springfield Armory SA-35 In?
I used to only wear IWB holster’s from Comp-Tac, that was my go-to holster for all my handguns. But now as I get older, I am enjoying OWB holsters, they are more comfortable and with some selective cover garments, they conceal just a well, providing you pick the right OWB holster. My favorite OWB holster is the Belt Aholster made by the Aholster Company in Telford Tennessee. These holsters are great, and they really conceal very well. They snap on to your belt in a way that is extremely secure. no threading your belt through the loops, they are a very nice little holster. My other choice is the Ronin Holster made by Gunfighters, Inc. in Rathdrum, Idaho. I have 3 of there other holsters: (2) Kenai Chest Holsters for my Glock 20 & 30 and (1) Spectre Shoulder Holster for my Glock 19 and they are an excellent holster company. The Ronin is an OWB holster which I am very interested in trying for my SA-35. I have not ever used one of these holsters but they seem to be a good holster. It is designed to be used as a concealable OWB holster and that is exactly what I am looking for. So I will think about it a while longer and make my mind up soon.
Another option that I already utilize are my sling bags, these are used when a holster just won’t work. 1) In the summer when a tee-shirt just does not conceal a handgun, I wear the DBTAC Tactical Sling Bag. It is small, light and easy to conceal a handgun. 2) I am not allowed to carry concealed at work so I use the Maxpedition Sitka Gearslinger Pack as my EDC pack on a daily basis. It carrys everything that I want with me, including my handgun. This mode of carry is not the best but off-body sling bags are better than not carrying at all.
How Will I Use The SA-35?
Right now I am just excited to have the Springfield Armory SA-35 back in my gun collection. Even though it is not a Browning Hi-Power, I feel it is even a better handgun and more accurate too. Once I put some rounds through it and feel confident of its reliability, it will probably become one of my concealed carry handguns. I need to shoot at least 500 rounds through it without any malfunctions before I will feel confident of its use. But until that time it will make a great range gun.
Final Comments
The Springfield Armory SA-35 Hi-Power is an awesome 9mm handgun. When it was first produced it had some issues that needed to be tweaked but the folks at Springfield Armory went to work to correct these issues and now
they are a good shooting handgun. I love the fact that these handguns are made in the USA and that this company took the time to make such a close copy and then make the improvements to this gun that the original Browning Hi-Power was lacking. All in all it is a great 9mm handgun, it feels really good in my hand and shoots very good also. The one thing I did not mention was that this handgun is an all steel handgun and therefore will be a fair bit heavier then many of the polymer handguns on the market today. So that means it will be heavier to carry but the extra weight will help to make it more accurate because you will not feel the recoil as much so it will help to stay on target on follow-up shots. This is a great handgun and I am glad to have it back in my gun safe.
If you have any questions about this post or anything related to Everyday Carry (EDC), feel free to leave a comment below and I will be happy to get back to you.
All the best,
Larry
Founder of EDC Essentials