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I shot my SA35 for the first time today. I am not a stranger to the Hi-Power or its clones, so I feel like I have a good basis in which to make the following statements about the gun. To be up front, NONE of my issues with it are anything other than what my personal preferences are. This gun may be perfect for YOU.
First impression: It looks great. No gaudy roll marks or stamps. Just an all-business looking pistol. Very similar to the Range Officer line as far as finish. Nothing spectacular. I'd call it "spartan" in a way. I will say that I have serious doubts about the longevity of the finish. It's that Springfield Armory sorta-Parkerized finish that wears when you look at it too hard.
The sights are great. White dot front blade that was thinner than what you come to expect on service pistols. U-notch serrated rear with no dots. It's easy to get a good sight picture.
The safety feels great. Its more positive feeling than any of the other OEM Hi-Power safeties. I'm a righty, so I prefer a non-ambidextrous safety because I get paranoid about accidentally deactivating it from the other side.
Hammer sucks. There was all sorts of talk about a "contoured hammer that eliminates bite". That's a bunch of BS. It's as bad as my spur hammered Hi-Powers. Nothing beats a Cylinder & Slide hammer.
Trigger SUCKS. Heavy, creepy, gritty. It's worse than my MkIII when it had it's trigger safety. Sans trigger safety, my MkIII has a far superior trigger.
Range Day: I fired 200 rounds consisting of white box, American eagle, and Blazer. No malfunctions, ejection looked good. Groups weren't great compared to my other Hi-Powers, but on par with most striker fired guns I've owned. So, definitely serviceable. I think the crappy trigger and hammer slap didn't help things, but it's nothing I haven't dealt with before. Hitting clay pigeons at 35 yards wasn't too difficult.
I didn't know whether I was having a bad day or I just wasn't in the mood, or what. So, I pulled out my MkIII and enjoyed a clean trigger that shot little groups with no hammer slap. I could fit the same sights on my MkIII if I wanted. Same with the SA35 safety. Those two things would make my MkIII perfect.
So, I sold the SA35 to a buddy.
First impression: It looks great. No gaudy roll marks or stamps. Just an all-business looking pistol. Very similar to the Range Officer line as far as finish. Nothing spectacular. I'd call it "spartan" in a way. I will say that I have serious doubts about the longevity of the finish. It's that Springfield Armory sorta-Parkerized finish that wears when you look at it too hard.
The sights are great. White dot front blade that was thinner than what you come to expect on service pistols. U-notch serrated rear with no dots. It's easy to get a good sight picture.
The safety feels great. Its more positive feeling than any of the other OEM Hi-Power safeties. I'm a righty, so I prefer a non-ambidextrous safety because I get paranoid about accidentally deactivating it from the other side.
Hammer sucks. There was all sorts of talk about a "contoured hammer that eliminates bite". That's a bunch of BS. It's as bad as my spur hammered Hi-Powers. Nothing beats a Cylinder & Slide hammer.
Trigger SUCKS. Heavy, creepy, gritty. It's worse than my MkIII when it had it's trigger safety. Sans trigger safety, my MkIII has a far superior trigger.
Range Day: I fired 200 rounds consisting of white box, American eagle, and Blazer. No malfunctions, ejection looked good. Groups weren't great compared to my other Hi-Powers, but on par with most striker fired guns I've owned. So, definitely serviceable. I think the crappy trigger and hammer slap didn't help things, but it's nothing I haven't dealt with before. Hitting clay pigeons at 35 yards wasn't too difficult.
I didn't know whether I was having a bad day or I just wasn't in the mood, or what. So, I pulled out my MkIII and enjoyed a clean trigger that shot little groups with no hammer slap. I could fit the same sights on my MkIII if I wanted. Same with the SA35 safety. Those two things would make my MkIII perfect.
So, I sold the SA35 to a buddy.