New Renditions of the Iconic Browning Hi-Power Arrive
Thanksgiving is just over the horizon (next Thursday!) and something handgunners have to be thankful for this year is one of John Moses Browning’s most iconic handgun designs enjoying a double resurrection. Both EAA and Springfield Armory have a new rendition.
Browning didn’t live long enough to see this pistol in production — he passed in 1926 and the pistol appeared in 1935. The design was completed by Dieudonne Saive of Fabrique Nationale in Belgium, but I imagine Browning would have been proud of the finished product.
I’ve known several guys who have owned P35 pistols in 9mm. Every one of them loves this handgun, with its double-stack magazine, decent sights, ring-type hammer and guaranteed firepower. Models I’ve fired have been accurate and reliable. Beyond that, everything else is frosting on the proverbial cake.
Springfield Armory’s entry is the SA-35. According to company literature, “subtle but significant upgrades” make it a winner. It’s fitted with a white dot front sight and Tactical Rack rear sight, dovetailed into the slide. Springfield added finely checkered walnut grip panels, which contrast nicely with the pistol’s matte blue finish. Barrel length is 4.7” cut with a 1:10-inch rifling twist. Weight is 31.5 ounces and overall length is 7.8″.
The SA-35 has forged steel parts, an improved feed ramp design, 15-round magazine capacity and does not have a magazine disconnect. Springfield says a magwell “has been machined into the frame” for better reloads.
Could anybody walk down one of those dark alleys confidently with this pistol? No doubt.
That’s not the whole story. Enter the Girsan MC P35 from European American Armory, another ready-for-action sidearm “with serious respect for the original Browning® Hi-Power™ pistol design,” according to the company’s website.
The EAA version has synthetic checkered grips, an ambidextrous thumb safety, slim trigger, dovetail front and rear sights, steel frame, blue/black finish, 4.87″ barrel, 15-round magazine and weight (empty) of 1.8 pounds.
Overall length of the Girsan MC P35 is 7.75″, so the dimensional differences between the two pistols are negligible.
Is this a sign of a retro revolution? I doubt it. It is an acknowledgement Browning was a man far ahead of his time and a genius when it came to designing handguns with staying power. The P35 design is one of those “standards” against which all other duty-sized 9mm pistols are frequently compared. The reason is simple: It works!
One thing I discovered some years ago is a couple of guys for whom I built holsters to fit their Model 1911 pistols would switch over to their P35s on occasion, carried in the same leather. While not precise, the fit was good enough to preclude the purchase of a separate holster.
Mossberg Adds MC2sc
Looks like a 9mm dominated autumn is underway. Mossberg recently announced a 9mm compact pistol for folks who don’t want a full-size semi-auto.
Mossberg’s MC2sc micro-compact is pure eye candy for handgunners wanting a concealable pistol with punch. According to Mossberg, this new model sports an “optics-ready slide” to which may be mounted micro red-dot sights.
There are two distinct versions: one model has a frame featuring a standard safety while the other has a cross-bolt safety. Both versions come with an 11-round magazine with a flush floorplate and a 14-round magazine with extended body and synthetic wraparound base to marry up with the grip frame.
The MC2sc has a 416 stainless steel slide, 3.4″ stainless barrel with 1:16″ cut-broached rifling, and black DLC finish on the slide. Angled cocking serrations are positioned front and rear. Sights are low-profile 3-dot type dovetailed front and rear.
The trigger guard is oversized, which makes this gun a good choice in the northern tier states for winter pocket carry in a heavy parka or overcoat while wearing gloves.
According to Mossberg, the trigger pull weight is about 5.5 pounds, and it offers a short, tactile reset. Mossberg stresses that owners of this pistol do not have to press the trigger to disassemble the gun for cleaning.
Frames are made from high-tensile strength glass-reinforced polymer with what Mossberg says is an aggressive texturing for a firm hold, even when it’s wet. It’s got an 18-degree grip angle, added palm swell on the grip surface, reversible magazine release and—on selected models—a reversible crossbolt safety.
Bianchi Leather's New Website
The name Bianchi has a sterling reputation among gun-toters (I have a couple of Bianchi leather rigs from decades past), so it got my attention when the Safariland Group—to which Bianchi now belongs—announced Bianchi has its own website. You will find this brand at www.bianchileather.com.
A press release noted, “The new site will be the hub for Bianchi customer service, social connection, and will showcase stories from a diverse group of people highlighting the ways Bianchi products support their lifestyle, from firearms experts, outdoorsmen and women, and allied brand partners.”
Bianchi has been a reliable name in leather for decades. The company was founded in 1958, and holsters wearing this name have been serving law enforcement and armed private citizens across the continent for decades.
He Picked the Wrong House
At last report, an Atlanta man is recovering from two gunshot wounds he suffered when breaking into the house of an armed homeowner.
According to Fox News, this was no run-of-the-mill home invasion. The unidentified intruder grabbed a couple of kitchen knives upon entry, and reportedly launched an attack on a resident of the home who is confined to a wheelchair. The homeowner grabbed a gun and opened fire, shooting the intruder in the midsection and arm.
The man was rushed to a hospital. He was reportedly in stable condition.
Like other U.S. cities, Atlanta had a violent 2020, with a 62 percent increase in homicides over 2019.
