[WVSurveyor]

SA-35 Handguns - Springfield Armory (springfield-armory.com)

Been checking out some videos on Youtube regarding the new SA-35. Looks pretty sweet!
At this juncture the only thing I wish they might have done is made the front sight fiber optic.
Might have to add one to the collection sometime down the road.

 

[WVSurveyor]

It would also be good if they added a second mag to the package.

 

[Hennypenny]

Been waiting a long time for an updated Hi-Power. The improved sights and magazine safety delete are a plus and the suggested retail price seems reasonable. Could do without the online price gouging that's become common lately. Seems like it's quickly attracted a lot of interest. Hope it eventually becomes available in MA and maybe comes out in a stainless version..

 

[gc45]

i joined this forum in hopes of getting feedback on the new Hipower and how folks are liking it. Having read the NRA review the guy makes total possitives but the price suggests a mass production firearm. Anyone have one?

 

[unclebob]

It's on my bucket list.
I never buy a new model firearm until it has been out awhile in case of any issues.

 

[SJ 40]

I understand and read of extraction complaints and came across this recent video, looks as if he's figured it out, other than those type of complaints haven't heard much in the way of bad.

 

[DeckArtist]

I am going to wait until next year for mine. Rarely get anything the first year of production. Gen 2 is always an improvement.

 

[WVSurveyor]

See where FN is introducing a new Hi-Power. Looks like it has a lot of the same upgrades as the SA-35 but is heavier, has a 17 round mag for the freedom loving states and is pricier.

FN High Power™ Series | FN® (fnamerica.com)

 

[SJ 40]

See where FN is introducing a new Hi-Power. Looks like it has a lot of the same upgrades as the SA-35 but is heavier, has a 17 round mag for the freedom loving states and is pricier.

FN High Power™ Series | FN® (fnamerica.com)

Yeah I'll stick with the SA-35 over the FN version,I think S A did a fantastic job of bringing back something that shouldn't disappeared in the first place.
Perhaps this will also bring the price of the SA - 35 down to at least MSRP.

 

[RonC455]

I bit the bullet and bought one. The SA-35 feels good in my hand, just as good as a 1911. The trigger is nice and crisp. The 15 round magazine drops clean when the magazine release button is pressed. It shoots better than other 9 mms I've shot. They did a great job designing and making this pistol.

 

[Voltaire]

The Browning Hi Power is at best just a pistol. The Safety still slots in, and little else has changed. It is less expensive than some and nothing on the pistol is new, no matter who the manufacturer is. 15 or 17 rounds is normal, and yes a fiber front optic would have been 1 improvement. Makes a great paper weight. Serrations on the front of the slide would have been great. There are so many 9mm pistols in that price range and most are just pistols.

 

[MikeMyers]

I'm new to this forum, and new to this gun. I just ordered an SA-35 from one of the distributors, and they just received it the previous day, so I hope any improvements they've made will already be done to my gun. It was sent to my local gun shop, and I hope to pick it up Monday March 14, or the following day if it hasn't arrived.

I've watched all the videos I can find, and read most of the reviews, but to be honest, I wanted to buy one for years - but never acted on it. Now that it's newly released by Springfield, I feel really excited about it. I'm wondering if it will ever have adjustable rear sights, but I've already got those on my bullseye guns. It would also be nice if one could mount a red dot sight..... I was very impressed with the Hickok45 video on the new gun - he loved it.

I've read that the gun likes Wilson remanufactured ammo - I've got lots of that, and also a large amount of Magtech ammo that I bought from someone at my shooting club.

Hope to post a photo of it here by early next week, but you all know what it looks like anyway.

One question if anyone here knows - is it ready for shooting right out of the box, or does it have any protective lube that should be cleaned off first?

 

[Voltaire]

As a matter of interest ALL modern pistols have the availability to have a red dot mounted. Just remove the rear sight as it has a slot there and place a plate in the rear slot and fit a good red dot, Vortex or Delta etc. The rear sight from memory is not adjustable but i assume this may change with what dealers put on. All pistols in my experience should be/must be stripped when first unpacked, cleaned, oiled and rack the slide and engage the slide stop and work the safety, then put in empty mag to see if all is functioning. Good shooting.

 

[MikeMyers]

All pistols in my experience should be/must be stripped when first unpacked, cleaned, oiled and rack the slide and engage the slide stop and work the safety, then put in empty mag to see if all is functioning. Good shooting.

I haven't bought a "new" gun in as long as I can remember. So, I've never had an opportunity to even consider this. In the "old days" it made sense, but in what I called the. "old days" people buying guns were much more likely to understand this. It's now 2022, and I suspect buyers expect to purchase something, and immediately start using it.

As for me, I think the safest way to deal with this is exactly what you've written. Then there is no question.

About the red dot, in the video review posted by Hickok45, we see that rear sight with a large set screw unscrewing from it, as if it's about to fall off. Hickok notices it, and screws it back in with his hands, and surprisingly never says anything about it. My assumption is that I can push the rear sight out of the dovetail, and someone will soon provide a replacement part, to which something like the Vortex Venom can be attached - and it's small enough, and light enough, that it should work great on the SA-35. This is all for future reference - the gun comes with "iron sights", and I expect to leave it like this for a long time. It's amazing to watch Hickok45 hit one thing after another, aiming so quickly. I pay attention to what he does, and he is very precise, and he holds the gun very steadily. I've been practicing this on a Les Baer Premiere II, with iron sights, and I can shoot well with them - but only very slowly.

I mostly will be using this gun to shoot at my local Bullseye range, and while there is no class for 9mm, I'll have no problem using it at my local club. It's not in any way being bought for "defense", nor do I have any need or desire for a holster. At my club, very few people shoot one handed, which is necessary to compete in a "real" Bullseye match. My club allows both - use any gun you want, with one or two hands, in the "club" group (at 15 and 25 yards), or use a bullseye-legal gun, held in one hand, in the "Bullseye" group (at 25 and 50 yards).

I read that it's a "heavy gun", but my 1911 with a rail and an Ultradot or Aimpoint sight mounted on top is almost certainly much heavier.

The gun will arrive at my local gun shop by 9pm Monday, meaning I'll most likely get it early Tuesday morning, 3 days from now.

 

[WVSurveyor]

One question if anyone here knows - is it ready for shooting right out of the box, or does it have any protective lube that should be cleaned off first?

If nothing more than to just gain familiarity and have a "get to know you session", I always field strip, clean and lube any new weapon before I shoot it.
Looking forward to your pictures and range report.

 

[MikeMyers]

Me too. .......thinking back on it, the closest I've come to buying a "new" gun was my Les Baer Premiere II, but technically it wasn't "new"; a fellow at my range damaged it, sent it back, where it was re-built as new, and I bought it from the guy before he had a chance to shoot it. I was the worst experience I've ever had, or could have imagined. The Les Baer guns are built so tight that I couldn't rack the slide, and only with great difficulty could I remove the barrel bushing. The Baer instructions are to do nothing - just shoot several hundred rounds, which supposedly would allow the gun to loosen up. The real number was several thousand rounds, maybe because I was shooting light Bullseye loads most of that time.

I suspect Browning learned a lot from the 1911, and with a clean piece of paper, had a chance to improve on the past. The SA-35 seems to come apart, and be re-assembled effortlessly. I'm not going to talk about the insane amount of time it took me to get the slide stop back into my Baer Premiere II, and apparently that's typical of most 1911's built to the tighter specs needed for bullseye.

I'll take photos, and do my own range report, but from the point of view of "precision shooting". At my range, the maximum number of rounds loaded into a magazine is only five, although with a revolver it's up to six. Having a 13 round or 15 round capacity doesn't do much for me. I guess I want to buy a second magazine anyway.

I'm surprised there aren't more people posting in this forum topic.

 

[MikeMyers]

I should get my new gun this coming Tuesday or Wednesday. I searched for a decent video on how to clean and lubricate, and found the following. It seems reasonable, but I think they use too much lube. Too much just attracts dirt, and can wear the gun more quickly:

clean and lube Browning Hi Power

 

[WVSurveyor]

There should be some cleaning instructions in your owner's manual and I'm sure there are numerous videos on the subject. Everyone does it a little different though. Grease is more of a dirt attractor than oil. I wouldn't worry about that if you clean your weapon regularly. Unless it's being used as a duty gun, especially as an infantry sidearm in field conditions, I doubt if exposure to the elements is going to be an issue.

 

[MikeMyers]

Well, I got the gun this morning - very nice. I felt "dry" as I took it apart, but apparently that's just because it is new. The parts have a fresh coat of oil on them, so it appears to be pre-lubed, and ready to go. I tried to contact Springfield to confirm what I should or should not do, but all I could reach is voicemail. Maybe I'll call again tomorrow - I'd rather know their recommendations before I start to shoot it.

As to the gun manual, it reads like every other gun manual, very simple basic instructions, and a note not to over-lubricate the gun.

Unless they tell me otherwise, I plan to re-assemble it, and shoot it the way they sent it to me.

I also want to ask them if this gun can be dry-fired.

 

[SJ 40]

Well, I got the gun this morning - very nice. I felt "dry" as I took it apart, but apparently that's just because it is new. The parts have a fresh coat of oil on them, so it appears to be pre-lubed, and ready to go. I tried to contact Springfield to confirm what I should or should not do, but all I could reach is voicemail. Maybe I'll call again tomorrow - I'd rather know their recommendations before I start to shoot it.

As to the gun manual, it reads like every other gun manual, very simple basic instructions, and a note not to over-lubricate the gun.

Unless they tell me otherwise, I plan to re-assemble it, and shoot it the way they sent it to me.

I also want to ask them if this gun can be dry-fired.

Congrats !