Hi Power Clones

[Nathan]

I like the SA-35 enough to buy two.

Well, tell me about that….

I was liking the FN, but the reshaping of the exterior and leave me wondering.

The SA looks like a good choice, but I read about a lot of issues.

[bac1023]

Well, tell me about that….

I was liking the FN, but the reshaping of the exterior and leave me wondering.

The SA looks like a good choice, but I read about a lot of issues.

The new FN is a completely different pistol and way stronger and more accurate than the original. Just a better gun all around.

[Jim Watson]

Yeah but it seems most buyers for a 40 oz 9mm are getting 1911, 2011, or CZ.

[bac1023]

No doubt Jim. I’m one of them

[DT Guy]

One thing to make note of is the SA doesn't have the FPS of the Mk IV Brownings.

I believe Girsan-built clones do, if that's important to you (it would be to me.)

Larry

[rodfac]

7 to 8 inch groups? Is that typical for Hipowers?

Not in my experience, much closer to 3" in the half dozen I've had access to over the years...and the two .40 S&W's were outstanding, very close to 2" with 135 & 155 gr JHP's.

BTW, check out Stephen Camp's old site for add'l information. He's long gone now but his long study of one of the world's great pistols is worth seeing.

Here's my SA-35 with a pair of Hogue grips added. And, below it, my Practical, also in 9mm....a good piece but not as good as the SA-35. Below that, my .40 also with Hogue grips...the sights work ok, but are a bit cumbersome for a carry gun. The SA-35's sight, by comparison, are just right!

Best regards, Rod

[Nathan]

Well, I’m pretty close on the SA-35. What are folks doing with their front and back straps? Isn’t the extra grip needed?

[Skans]

I have a C-Series Belgian Hi-Power which looks minty. The slide rides on the frame as slick as if on tiny ball bearings. The trigger is the best of all of my 9mm pistols (except perhaps the X-Five). It's possible this pistol had some top-quality professional work done to it. But, when you said you didn't like the trigger, I was surprised. The trigger on mine is amazing.

[Seven High]

7 to 8 inch groups? Experimenting with different brands and weights of ammunition might produce smaller groups.

[Nathan]

Well, I’m pretty set on the Inglis or the SA-35. Something that is not a faithful reproduction of the BHP shape is probably out.

Inglis - Reliability is kind of an unknown. Good in videos,. Which leads me to think about warranty. Does SDS have a good handle on this? Sights look passable. Accuracy looks good from other’s experience on YouTube. Appearance of the nickel and Cerakote models looks good. I prefer the cerakote finish although some places list it as black chromate…huh?? Price seems to be $400-$500. All Turkish

SA P-35 - Reliability seems to have gone from bad to good as they’ve figured things out. Warranty is usually good from SA although I have a 1911 that was a disaster and was not fixed. Sights look perfect to my liking. I prefer the single sided safety. Accuracy and trigger seem better than average for a BHP. I think the matte blue can grow on me as I have no need to make a carry gun out of this. Price will be a bit higher at $600-$700. USA manufacturing.

These seem like both are good options….where is the smart money spent?

[gc70]

@Nathan

SA P-35 . . . USA manufacturing.

That might be like other SA pistols and mean "assembled in the USA."

[pete2]

I have the SA35. Not a perfect pistol by any means but it is interesting. Shoots every time. hits low on the target. a New shorter front sight is on the way from SA. Safety is very easy to engage or disengage. Safety would have to be corrected for real carry.
I like 1911s better but the SA35 is fun to mess with.

[Nathan]

How has reliability and accuracy been? Trigger weight ok?

[bac1023]

The SA-35 is assembled in the USA, so legally they can stamp in “made in USA”

The parts are Turkish manufactured.

[105kw]

SA35 parts are not made in Turkey, the raw forgings are.
Then they are finished in the Springfield factory. I've seen this repeatedly, so I called Springfield.
They only buy raw forgings, all other parts are made here.

[Aguila Blanca]

Many of the best-known 1911 makers buy raw frame and slide forgings from Korea.

[USMCGrunt]

I’ve got an original FN made in 1961 for an Argentinian police contract, an SA35, a standard and PI Girsan clone. While I love the history of the original FN, the trigger was horrible with the magazine safety that I removed and the stubby safety was replaced with a much more serviceable Cylinder & Slide extended safety. Yes, I kept the original parts if I ever want to restore it to original condition.

The SA35 has to be my top pick here. The sights are far better than the original, it comes without that miserable magazine safety and has the best safety of the lot. True, the Girsans have an ambidextrous MkIII safety if you’re a lefty but I find the safety levers are harder to turn back on as they blend into the grips more. Another advantage if you are susceptible to the Hi-Power hammer bite (I’m lucky in that this has never been a problem for me) is that the SA35 has a recontured hammer design that is supposed to help prevent this problem. Only thing I wasn’t thrilled about was the shape of the grips. They just lacked the classic Hi-Power grip designs but I got a replacement set off eBay and now it looks like a Hi-Power should.

The Girsans were the lowest priced options. I first got the shorter PI version then got a good deal from CDNN on a grey framed standard version. Both came with the 3-dot sights rather than the 3-bar sights that earlier versions had which I like but both also had the same crappy due to the magazine safety of the original design. Like my FN, those got pulled out right away for a much improved trigger pull. The shorter slide and barrel of the PI does lend a different feel that’s not at all unpleasant in my hand and I like carrying it in my rotation. What I didn’t like was the plastic MkIII grips with the thumb rest that gets in the way of the magazine release. Classic Hi-Power grips won’t work here due to the MKIII safety levers but I still had that set of wood grips I had pulled off my SA35 and they fit just fine on my PI and look great as well. The recoil guide rod and spring are different on the PI version though so if I ever have to replace the guide rod, there may be a problem getting replacement parts but it’s also a part I have never replaced on a handgun.

The standard size Girsan has remained stock and serves as more of my knock-around pistol out here on the farm. Like I said, the trigger got a lot better after pulling out the magazine safety but mine still retains the MkIII grips that I’m kind of meh on. One other difference of the Girsan pistols is that they both have the later MkIII firing pin block. While this makes them drop-safe unlike the FN or SA35, there is that spring in the slide that doesn’t leave the trigger as nice as the SA35.

All of these examples have been reliable and combat accurate. You’ll never get a tuned match grade 1911 trigger out of a Hi-Power no matter who makes it and if you’re a short trigger reset with a tactile and audible reset lover, you’re not going to care for that in the design either. Magazines on my FN are number matched to the gun but are of the old 13-round design whereas the Springfield and Girsan clones come with 15-round Mec-Gar magazines that are of good quality.

All-in-all, I would rate the SA35 as the best of the lot but the FN has the pedigree and history. If you’re strapped for cash or just want to see if you’ll like the Hi-Power, the Girsans are a low-cost entry offering that are still well constructed and function as well as the higher priced offerings. Speaking of price, I forget what I got my old FN for way back in the day but it wasn’t over $500 or so if I remember right. The SA35 was the highest price around $700 or so and the Girsans I want to say were in the high $300 range like $350 to maybe $400.

[Nathan]

Well, I ended up picking up a Springfield for a decent price. Wish me luck!

[44 AMP]

The SA looks like a good choice, but I read about a lot of issues.

I don't know what you read, but I never saw anything bad about the SA35 in print.

What I did see was a MORON on U Tube, who "tested" the SA 35, by REPLACING nearly half the factory parts with "his" favorite parts, before shooting the gun at all, then bad mouthing it for having problems.

Problems HE CAUSED, and naturally, didn't own up to.

What are folks doing with their front and back straps? Isn’t the extra grip needed?

Admittedly I don't do national polls but I would think most people don't find front and back checkering for "extra grip" to be needed, or useful. On the other hand, I don't have tiny, sweaty weak hands or play speed games with my pistols, but I suppose some people might find gripping a cheese grater a useful thing. It's a freakkin 9mm, with what I find to be a very comfortable and secure grip out of the box.

Everyone has different preferences, you do you, I'll do me, ok?

[trophyrider]

I don't know what you read, but I never saw anything bad about the SA35 in print.

I remember there were a few reports on different forums when the SA-35 first came out that there was some issues with extraction. A quick use of your favorite search engine brings it up. I have read nothing but praises for it since then.

[RickB]

"I don’t even look at Brownings unless Belgian produced."
All Browning HPs were made in Belgium. Only HPs imported by Browning were marked "Assembled in Portugal", leaving the impression that only those pistols had been, but after '82(?), all were assembled there.

[totaldla]

Originally Posted by KyJim

I like the SA-35 enough to buy two.

I'm not a big fan of the Hipower, mainly because of the problems that the SA-35 corrected.
The SA-35 is the ONLY Hipower I would even consider, and it comes with questionable sights (should've gone with Novak low-profile rear with ramped front and center-hold setup - no dots).

[Drm50]

Try a CZ, for money they are equal or better than the P35 clones. If I had to buy a new full size 9mm this would be it. About same money as Colt 1911/ 9mm. Only double stack and double action. Very nice triggers.