My test and evaluation pistol has a very nice 3.9-pound trigger pull. Springfield Armory wisely chose to exclude this “feature” from the SA-35. Originally designed to prevent a negligent discharge from the errant troop who removed the magazine but did not clear the chamber, this safety added pull weight and creep to the gun’s trigger pull. Part of this was due to the gun’s magazine safety. Hi-Powers also had a reputation for possessing atrocious trigger pulls. It can be easily engaged and disengaged without compromising the shooting grip. Springfield solved this issue by developing an extended manual thumb safety. Browning’s manual safety was too small to easily manipulate. Like the 1911, the Hi-Power is a single-action semi-automatic, and its condition of readiness is cocked and locked, or condition one. Springfield Armory cured this problem by outfitting the SA-35 with a rowel hammer. Hammer bite is one of the more-common Hi-Power problems, and it occurs when the shooter’s flesh pushes up over the frame’s tang and is pinched between the hammer spur and frame. Springfield’s engineers went completely through the gun studying it, developing ways to manufacture its parts more efficiently and also developing solutions to common Hi-Power maladies. Made completely in the USA, all of its major components machined from steel forgings, its parts will interchange with commercial Browning Hi-Powers.

That’s a shame because the Hi-Power earned a place in history and is still a viable fighting handgun! For those who wanted to own this classic gun things looked dim, until now! Springfield Armory has just introduced the SA-35, a faithful reproduction of the Browning Hi-Power but, in many ways, a better pistol. With the trend going towards even higher capacity guns using lightweight polymer frames and striker-fired actions, FN and Browning let the old P-35 quietly slip away. The pistol’s capacity made it popular with military and law enforcement groups alike. FN’s Diedonne Saive, responsible for the gun’s 13-round staggered column magazine, refined it. The legendary John Moses Browning designed the Hi-Power. End of an Era: Browning Hi-Power No Longer in Production Springfield Armory SA-35

Browning hi power