Is the SA Highpower good yet?

[Chuck Whitlock]

Tiger McKee (RIP) posted some stuff on the Tactical Wire a while back, which included stuff with the extractor.

https://www.thetacticalwire.com/feat...0-76a85f80ccaf
https://www.thetacticalwire.com/feat...4-959931fd6dbc
https://www.thetacticalwire.com/feat...f-e15e0cc09a6c
https://www.thetacticalwire.com/feat...8-31d71aced0f8

[6ducks]

My SA-35 has been flawless I did have to change to a lower front sight it was shooting up to a foot low but SA sent the correct lower sight and it has been spot on up to 25 yards
.I have had ZERO malfunctions with just over 100 rounds threw it. I’m thinking of getting a second one.

[Tokarev]

Here's an inside look at MK3 Firearms:

[mmc45414]

Wonder if they preemptively installed their extractor. One close friend bought one and has been experiencing the failures to extract that are apparently problematic. My friend tried two extractors and no joy. I pointed him at the Apex, but am not sure if he has snagged one yet.

My friend ended up sending his back to SA and got it back and brought it out today. Though our normal day of timing each other through timed drills it ran great and extracted everything.

[LittleLebowski]

Maybe one of these?

https://www.americanrifleman.org/con...-mcp35-pi-ops/

I wish I could show that to Stephen Camp 😞

[Tokarev]

I wish I could show that to Stephen Camp 😞

He, John Moses and Dieudonné are probably talking about these guns right now.

[Joe Mac]

He, John Moses and Dieudonné are probably talking about these guns right now.

I sure hope so. He was a great one.

[LittleLebowski]

He, John Moses and Dieudonné are probably talking about these guns right now.

Absolutely! What a great image.

[SwampDweller]

I've always had a soft spot for the Hi Power and regret not buying the last blued Browning/FN one in the shop I work at in 2016. I've read Stephen Camp since I was a young teenager. I love the look and feel of the SA-35 but through reading this thread my general impression is that they are not as dependable as the Belgian-made/Portugal-assembled MKIII's from a few years ago. I had always thought of the MKIII Hi Power as the less finicky, 9mm younger brother of the 1911. Perhaps that is not the case, but with the MKIII's external extractor and updated barrel ramp, I'd always thought of it as the most modern all-metal hammer-fired 9mm combat-grade pistol behind the Beretta 92.

[Tokarev]

Here's something from Don Williams. He posted this on 1911 Forum:

I recently got in 2 of the clones mentioned here in the last few days (SA-35 and a Tisas), so took the opportunity to pull the sights and do some measuring and overall examination. Actually, the rear sight dovetails on both are identical at 10.75 MM wide and cut at 60 degrees. The fronts vary a bit: the Tisas front measured 7 MM wide at the bottom of the dovetail and the dovetail is 3.3 MM deep. The Springer is the same width, but the dovetail is 2.3 MM deep. The sight dovetails on both guns are in the same location both front and rear.


I also looked at and compared the slides and frames, and it may be that Springfield bought the frame and slide forgings from Tisas, but I believe that they have done the final machining here in the US. Comparing the quality of the machining on both, it's of good quality with no visible machining marks, but there are some differences in areas that lead me to believe this. For example, the slide on the Tisas back end is much more blunt and has less forward curve than the classic HP, and the SA35 follows the classic shape. Also, while the remainder of the slide seems identical there are some other differences on the frames between the two.


The back end of the frame where it curves down and back from the frame rails is very pointed on the Turkish gun, while the SA35 appears more classic in that the frame comes to a small radius before it curves down and forward as the classic FN/Browning guns, which on the Turkish gun would after some rounds downrange could become very uncomfortable and abrasive if not more like a razor. Around the trigger guard where it meets the frame on the bottom, the shape is subtly different in its machining. The SA35 is classic HP in shape around the area, whereas the Tisas is machined slightly different. The Turkish variant has left more metal on the "swell" on the front of the magwell where it meets the front of the frame and doesn't extend as far down as has been normal. I don't believe that the difference will cause any problems or discomfort, but it's just another difference that leads me to believe that Turkey was the source of the raw forgings that were used by Springfield Armory. Lastly, the SA's frame has a "relief" cut on the top of the frame on the right side behind the grip. I have no idea of its purpose, but it's there, perhaps for some reason integral to the machining operation.


I have some pics in my camera, but have forgotten how to post them.

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