Just did my monthly 5 minute scan of the American Rifleman and see where SDS acquired Inglis and will be offering Hi Powers, or more accurately an L9A1 and what they are calling a GP-35 - case hardened frame and slide with smooth walnut grips.
I cannot comment on the Inglis manufacture but the Tisas guns I have gotten through SDS have been incredible... Not sure I would like the case colored one but plain model I might have to get
The worst thing ever to happen to cops is the personal video recorder... Now people can see the truth
No, after doing some searching I found that they're made in Turkey. The ownership/producer list reads like a drug cartel's shell companies. SDS bought Inglis, the guns are roll marked Knoxville, TN, but an NRA announcement says they're made by Military Armament Corporation (whoever that is), and in the video below the SDS rep specifically mentions a location in Turkey.
These are MkIII designs. I'm not a Hi Power expert by any means but some commenter on Reddit says it's not a historically accurate WWII Canadian Inglis made Hi Power, but it's not supposed to be, it's the L9A1 made after WWII. I guess SDS saw the popularity of the Springfield and Girsan pistols and decided to get into the act at a price point beating both of those.
The SDS/Tisas 1911's have been well received, especially the GI clone that I know you have, so figured I'd mention this for those who might be interested in a new shooter.
Info is still so sketchy that when I googled "SDS Inglis Hi Power", this post was the 8th listing that popped up.
Anyway, here's the best info I've found, he mentions the location in Turkey starting around 3:14.
Gunnery, gunnery, gunnery. Hit the target, all else is twaddle!
Sooo...That's far from an Inglis, and Inglis never made L9's that looked anything like that...Yet, I kinda want one. It would look SOOOO good sitting next to my Sterling MK6
The original L9's that were procured from Canada were re-worked pistols, some of which received new frames. The VAST majority of Inglis Hi Powers were manufactured with tangent sights. The ones that were sold to the Brits as L9's were guns that had the tangent sight milled off, a new section silver soldered in that held a raised dovetail that worked with the original front sight. The very last of the Inglis guns were assembled using WW2 slides that were post-Tangent design, with the raised dovetail just milled into the slide, on newly manufactured frames. Most were made up from parts bins.
By the time you got to an L9A1 that looked anything like this new one, Inglis had been out of the gun business for about 30 years. So the L9A1's in that configurations were typically made by FN, and even then, much of the parts were outsourced to Argentina.
Regardless, the L9A1 marking looks good, the overall configuration is right, and it very much looks like a late style Brit Hi Power...that's just cool. Not sure if they under, cut their front sight dovetail, or they accepted a batch of front sights that should have been rejected, but that front sight looks like arse.
Perhaps they will have current improvements as the SA to utilize the latest JHP ammo and perhaps mag disconnect.
Browning left a void when they stopped production.
At the request of Browning, FN re-designed the Hi Power feed-ramp to the "flat style" around 1980. Most any post-1980 FN Hi Power's you'll find are not too picky about ammo at all. In fact, they tend to be dead nutz reliable.
Metallurgically however, newly manufactured Hi Power's have some steels, and manufacturing processes available to them today that were not available in 1935. So while I tell people to steer away from NATO pressure, or +P in an FN Hi Power (or copies from the same era), I tell people to blast away all you want with these new ones.
So yeah, they thought of that and addressed it.
On the subject of the magazine safety, the Turks opted in on the magazine safety. Keep in mind, there are still a LOT of military customers out there who would like to be able to buy parts for their old Hi Powers, so they stuck to a design that is parts interchangeable with the later style Hi Powers. Springfield chooses not to include a magazine safety in theirs, but they seem to be the only ones doing that at present.
I suspect the Turks are even getting orders for new Hi Powers from military customer in the Middle East and Africa, where the Hi Power has a bit of a cult following.
Perhaps they will have current improvements as the SA to utilize the latest JHP ammo and perhaps mag disconnect.
Browning left a void when they stopped production.
At the request of Browning, FN re-designed the Hi Power feed-ramp to the "flat style" around 1980. Most any post-1980 FN Hi Power's you'll find are not too picky about ammo at all. In fact, they tend to be dead nutz reliable.
Metallurgically however, newly manufactured Hi Power's have some steels, and manufacturing processes available to them today that were not available in 1935. So while I tell people to steer away from NATO pressure, or +P in an FN Hi Power (or copies from the same era), I tell people to blast away all you want with these new ones.
So yeah, they thought of that and addressed it.
On the subject of the magazine safety, the Turks opted in on the magazine safety. Keep in mind, there are still a LOT of military customers out there who would like to be able to buy parts for their old Hi Powers, so they stuck to a design that is parts interchangeable with the later style Hi Powers. Springfield chooses not to include a magazine safety in theirs, but they seem to be the only ones doing that at present.
I suspect the Turks are even getting orders for new Hi Powers from military customer in the Middle East and Africa, where the Hi Power has a bit of a cult following.
Nope, several of Girsan's Hi Powers do not have magazine disconnects. I own one that is free of that device.
You can roll a turd in peanuts, dip it in chocolate, and it still ain't no damn Baby Ruth.
Nope, several of Girsan's Hi Powers do not have magazine disconnects. I own one that is free of that device.
Oh that's just cool. Every Turkish HP I have seen thus far has had the magazine disconnect. SOOOO glad to see those are beginning to disappear. Damn, I just learned a thing...now I kinda want one ever more.