Springfield’s SA35
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Wtf man, why does this happen when I’m broke..do I sell my old hipowers for the new. 
The new FN ‘ BHP’ is name only . Not the same BHP AOC yore.
New barrel design…. No lugs…. Locks up in ejection port…. ‘+’
New recoil assembly … a plus … gets rid of installing guide upside down… ‘++’
Takedown lever added…. ‘—‘
Mag safety removed…. ‘+’
17 round mags… ‘+’
Sights…. ‘+’
Now if they would just do an aluminum frame!
Is it worth 2x price of the SA35?
New barrel design…. No lugs…. Locks up in ejection port…. ‘+’
New recoil assembly … a plus … gets rid of installing guide upside down… ‘++’
Takedown lever added…. ‘—‘
Mag safety removed…. ‘+’
17 round mags… ‘+’
Sights…. ‘+’
Now if they would just do an aluminum frame!
Is it worth 2x price of the SA35?
Yeah, I think it has some big pluses on the new FN. I don't know if it's worth $600 more than the Springfield, but it's just a different gun altogether. I'd still probably opt for the FN if I were between the two.
I agree that an aluminum frame would be nice. I'd also love to see some different calibers. Maybe a long slide version in 10mm?
I agree that an aluminum frame would be nice. I'd also love to see some different calibers. Maybe a long slide version in 10mm?
A number of us old time industry guys have been exchanging emails about guns and accessories that are being displayed at SHOT. Not all of us could attend, so we have been getting daily updates from those that did. Below is one of the guys impression of the FNC P35.
Hi Guys,
I handled it yesterday, and again today. Honestly, I was disappointed, overall.
Good stuff:
The fit seems good, and the gun’s action is much smoother than the Turkish guns. It has a 17 round mag capacity, and the safety was positive and easy to disengage/engage. The hammer has been redesigned to reduce about 1/8” of rearward hammer thrust during cycling, and the tang has been carefully reshaped, to eliminate hammer bite.
However:
1. The cosmetics are just awful—ugly, matte colored, cerakote finishes, grips that look like they were made by LEGO, MIM parts have a dull, silver look that is unattractive. I asked if a polished blue model would be forthcoming, and they said they might consider it down the road, if the platform was successful, but not anytime soon;
2. The ambi controls may be appreciated by some, but I thought they cluttered things on the starboard side;
3. The right side, pivoting takedown lever is promoted as an advantage, but I think it’s fugly, and unnecessary. The original takedown system was fine. If the snowflake generation can’t figure out how to take a gun apart without a pivoting lever, then they probably shouldn’t be playing around under the hood with springs and things. The sample I tried almost seemed more difficult to takedown than the original, because it was awkward to have the pivoting lever on the starboard side, instead of the port side (as with Sig, Beretta, and just about everyone else), which is more convenient for right handers;
4. The rear sight sticks out like a rack of antlers. A snag waiting to happen. On the plus side, the dovetail is supposed to be compatible with other, aftermarket sights. The guy said “compatible with the 509” pistol, but I don’t know if the 509 dovetail is the same as some other industry standard (Glock or M&P?), or its own, unique cut?
5. MIM mold/gate marks visible on the sides of the hammer, other spots—unattractive;
6. Barrel lockup is Petterle/Sig system, of square shoulder on barrel mating to edge of hood, instead of dual lugs. This changes the slide profile a bit, to make it look more boxy in that area, which is less attractive;
7. Not compatible with legacy magazines. They tried to make it work, but had to change feed lip geometry and locking location to make the 17 round mags work, and the changes make old mags incompatible;
I didn’t get to shoot it on Monday, so I don’t know how it runs. The new tang might work, but it’s hard to say from just holding it, and we don’t know if it will be reliable, yet. Perhaps there’s a glitch waiting to be discovered, like the extraction issue with the new Springfield version? Time will tell.
Overall, I think it’s probably a smoother operating gun than the Turk models, but some of the Turk guns actually look nicer to my eye, because they follow the original pattern more closely. I haven’t seen the Springfield gun, because they didn’t show up this week, but from what I’ve seen in the magazines, it’s a much more attractive gun, and I’d guess the build quality is similar (but there’s that nagging issue about extraction problems they need to fix—perhaps a more powerful spring is required).
At this point, I’d lean towards the Springfield gun, first, if I was in the market. These guns are probably well built, but they just don’t seem to have any soul. Someone “Glockified” the P-35, and I don’t like it. This gun should be made of blue steel and walnut.
M
He later added:
Forgot to mention—
All stainless steel
No mag disconnect
Hi Guys,
I handled it yesterday, and again today. Honestly, I was disappointed, overall.
Good stuff:
The fit seems good, and the gun’s action is much smoother than the Turkish guns. It has a 17 round mag capacity, and the safety was positive and easy to disengage/engage. The hammer has been redesigned to reduce about 1/8” of rearward hammer thrust during cycling, and the tang has been carefully reshaped, to eliminate hammer bite.
However:
1. The cosmetics are just awful—ugly, matte colored, cerakote finishes, grips that look like they were made by LEGO, MIM parts have a dull, silver look that is unattractive. I asked if a polished blue model would be forthcoming, and they said they might consider it down the road, if the platform was successful, but not anytime soon;
2. The ambi controls may be appreciated by some, but I thought they cluttered things on the starboard side;
3. The right side, pivoting takedown lever is promoted as an advantage, but I think it’s fugly, and unnecessary. The original takedown system was fine. If the snowflake generation can’t figure out how to take a gun apart without a pivoting lever, then they probably shouldn’t be playing around under the hood with springs and things. The sample I tried almost seemed more difficult to takedown than the original, because it was awkward to have the pivoting lever on the starboard side, instead of the port side (as with Sig, Beretta, and just about everyone else), which is more convenient for right handers;
4. The rear sight sticks out like a rack of antlers. A snag waiting to happen. On the plus side, the dovetail is supposed to be compatible with other, aftermarket sights. The guy said “compatible with the 509” pistol, but I don’t know if the 509 dovetail is the same as some other industry standard (Glock or M&P?), or its own, unique cut?
5. MIM mold/gate marks visible on the sides of the hammer, other spots—unattractive;
6. Barrel lockup is Petterle/Sig system, of square shoulder on barrel mating to edge of hood, instead of dual lugs. This changes the slide profile a bit, to make it look more boxy in that area, which is less attractive;
7. Not compatible with legacy magazines. They tried to make it work, but had to change feed lip geometry and locking location to make the 17 round mags work, and the changes make old mags incompatible;
I didn’t get to shoot it on Monday, so I don’t know how it runs. The new tang might work, but it’s hard to say from just holding it, and we don’t know if it will be reliable, yet. Perhaps there’s a glitch waiting to be discovered, like the extraction issue with the new Springfield version? Time will tell.
Overall, I think it’s probably a smoother operating gun than the Turk models, but some of the Turk guns actually look nicer to my eye, because they follow the original pattern more closely. I haven’t seen the Springfield gun, because they didn’t show up this week, but from what I’ve seen in the magazines, it’s a much more attractive gun, and I’d guess the build quality is similar (but there’s that nagging issue about extraction problems they need to fix—perhaps a more powerful spring is required).
At this point, I’d lean towards the Springfield gun, first, if I was in the market. These guns are probably well built, but they just don’t seem to have any soul. Someone “Glockified” the P-35, and I don’t like it. This gun should be made of blue steel and walnut.
M
He later added:
Forgot to mention—
All stainless steel
No mag disconnect
I’ve pointed out a number of these differences on another forum and caught flack from a few outspoken people, but for the most part it seems the general shooting community agrees. This may be a fine pistol by it’s own merits, but a P35/Hi-Power it is not. It’s a new gun that merely has a passing outward resemblance to the Hi-Power, and that is all. I’m also hearing reports that it’s larger around the grip, negating one of the main attractions of the P35: that svelte, thin grip.
I’m interested in trying one of these at some point, but whether I buy one or not, it won’t serve as a replacement for a true Hi-Power in my safe. I’ll be trying to track down a good condition MKII or maybe MKIII for a future build.
I’m interested in trying one of these at some point, but whether I buy one or not, it won’t serve as a replacement for a true Hi-Power in my safe. I’ll be trying to track down a good condition MKII or maybe MKIII for a future build.
Basher said:
Wow.. sorry to hear you caught some flack. What I posted above, was just one (well regarded) persons' feedback. He is not bad mouthing the FNC gun, just giving a comparison of the new vs the old, in terms that we can relate to. Some folks have their opinions and so set into those opinions, if you even bump up against those opinions they go sideways.
delta6 said:
Eh, I have thick skin, LOL.
The most outspoken kept parroting that “if FN calls it a High Power, then it is. They make it, so they get to decide.”
Well, sure. But in name only.
I also hold the view that this new pistol may, indeed, be a fine firearm. Time will tell. But even if it’s the bee’s knees, it’s still not a Hi-Power. It’s a completely new gun that semi-looks like a Hi-Power. The two are not the same, LOL.
Despite that, I am interested, but I’m VERY rarely an early adopter. I’ll let others play beta tester with their $1300 or so first.
As I write this, it is February 14th, and so far none of the major retailers seem to have the SA-35 in stock yet. Does anyone here have inside information on widespread availability yet? I'm willing to wait instead of paying inflated GB prices, but I've been waiting since before Thanksgiving, and I really want one. Take my money already.
I bought one last month, they got it in that morning, and I bought it two hours later for msrp. So far, I put about 200 factory rounds through it and about 300 of my handloads. HP or RN it shot everything I fed it, no problems yet. I did read about some failures in the early SA35's but when I called and talked to a factory rep. (he said he was an engineer, what do I know) anyway they say it was fixed. So far so good.
