Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Handguns New Hi Powers -- New FN vs Springfield SA35

I love my current Hi Power -- fixed up by Cylinder & Slide but am interested in the new FN and Springfields.

Does anyone have experience with these new ones? Thoughts? The FN looks to be twice as much -- worth it?

Some folks here have purchased the Springfield version, and liked it. Do a search.

As for me, I'm quite happy with my Browning.

The new FN is a Hi Power in name only, its not parts interchangeable with any other Hi Powers. So it all depends on what you want out of a Hi Power. All of the Hi Powers being made these days are good guns, including the Turkish guns. Some have features that some may like, or dislike, but they're all good guns that work well and shoot straight. Go with the gun that lights your fire.

It could be the problems have been corrected, but in the early years after introduction to the US, the Turkish Hi Powers were getting lots of reported issues with parts breakage and unreliability.

Haven't heard that. I have shot 3 of them thus far, and all 3 worked perfectly and shot very straight. All 3 and pretty lousy triggers, I didn't care for the sights, didn't care for the safety. But it has good bones...You could build a very nice custom from the frame, slide, & barrel, all 3 of which are made right. The Springfield looks like they just hit the ball out of the park and gave the public what it was wanting in a Hi Power. If I were shopping Hi Powers, the Springfield would be the one I'd be interested in.

The new FN looks like it will be a good pistol. Seen one, held it, but didn't get to shoot it. FN is a world class manufacturer, so its likely to be a very good pistol.

At it's original MSRP of $699, the Springfield SA-35 is the ONLY Hi Power I find remotely interesting.

In my well thought out and highly exalted opinion, FN seems to be trying to capitalize on the name but with their design it looks like they want to compete head to head with some of the latest tacticool pistols, a strategic mistake and especially at their price point. I'm sure they will sell some but most likely to folks who know the name but are not invested in the legend.

Those who really want "The Hi Power" will find an original or be drawn to the SA model since it is a very close copy of the original down to interchangeability of parts, with design changes only made to correct or upgrade the original's minor (perceived) shortcomings.

Reading through the materials the FN claims something like "we fixed the ergonomics so more hammer bite". Sounds like both new ones (not the Hungarian) have done away with the magazine safety. Hoping that the trigger is great though it seems to be heavy for the SA35 from what I have read here.

Really my questions are how are the triggers? Is the FN really that improved in respect to ergos? Is it better? One of the reasons I love my Hi Power is how is so natural in my hand and don't want them to mess that up.

When the price of the SA35 stabilized I will likely get one to see. If the FN is SO MUCH better I might wait ....

Turk guns trigger sucks, FN not bad at all, Springfield no clue.

Went into the LGS yesterday in hopes of ordering the Springfield SA-35.........They have a waiting list of 30 names and thus far they have received a grand total of 1.........they want 50% down plus tax or $380 to get on the list........I passed.

Now that's the ONLY acceptable 9mm in my book ! Or a Luger of course...

The only 9mm I own these days (although I do have a 9mm barrel for my .38 Super).

1917 DWM with reproduction stock/holster.

Very nice. They are cool collectors pieces, even if they were crappy combat weapons, practically speaking.

For their day, the Artillery Luger was pretty bad-azz
In WW1, an Artillery Luger with a snail drum magazine was a pretty awesome weapon inside a trench. So awesome it was banned for future production under the armistice "agreement". Stormtroopers were issued the LP08 and 5 snail drums for trench raids. That's a pretty awesome amount of firepower in WW1. The PDW / shoulder stocked pistol concept was much less popular after the invention of the SMG.
As a service pistol, the P08 was damn good for a first-generation semi-auto pistol. Keep in mind, that’s 1898! IIRC up to WWII, the Luger out-sold just about everything else. Lugers are far more reliable than their reputation here in the US would have you believe. If your Luger has a fresh magazine spring, you can pretty much count on it working.