Speaking of the Springfield Armory (Inc) in the United States, it is actually not related to the famous Springfield Arsenal, that is, the Springfield Armory in Massachusetts. Founded in 1974 by Robert Rees and headquartered in Genesio, Illinois, the "brand-name" company is a commercial gun manufacturer and importer that manufactures imitations of well-known rifles and pistols such as the M1 and M1911, as well as imported XD series and pistols of brands such as Hellcat. Although it was also a mixed bag before, the position in the minds of Gun Enthusiasts in the United States has always been similar to the "Shayi" shampoo and "Biliang" laundry detergent in the eyes of domestic consumers, although there is a specific fan group, but overall it is not very popular.
One of the most successful cottages was Robert Rees and the Springfield Armory Company he founded
However, the Springfield Armory has recently made a big deal, and they are preparing to produce and sell one of the most iconic weapons in history, the SA-35, an improved version of the M1935 high-power automatic pistol designed by John Browning. The original manufacturer of the M1935 series, the Belgian company FN, has stopped production of the series in 2018. The Move by the Springfield Armory will bring this classic back again, which not only meets the needs of users who prefer the appearance of "all-steel solid wood" and traditional pistols, but also through subtle upgrades, making it a more modern self-defense pistol, and inexpensive, so it is still quite popular with gunners and has won more popularity for the company.
Springfield Armory Company's newly introduced SA-35 automatic pistol
American gunners showed their joy after learning that the SA-35 pistol was launched
The M1935 high-power automatic pistol (GP35 or BHP) is a military pistol designed by FN in the early 1920s at the request of the French Army. At that time, John Browning was nearly seventy years old, but the old Man was still committed to the early design of the new gun with great energy. The gun was not only the master's last heirloom, but also designed in his studio in Ogden, Utah, USA, but it was finally put into production by FN. Browning died of a sudden heart attack in 1926, and the gun was perfected by his proud protégé Diordon Sever. But the French, for reasons of national sentiment, rejected the better-performing design, so in 1935 the Belgian Army became its first official user.
The standard M1935 military automatic pistol produced by FN in the early days, with an adjustable gauge
After the outbreak of World War II, due to the German occupation of Belgium, the Browning High Power Pistol was mainly manufactured in the Canadian Company of Inglis. After the war, the gun continued to be produced by FN. Since the British army took the lead in adopting the gun during World War II, the Netherlands, Denmark, South Africa and many other newly independent countries also purchased the gun to equip their own armies after the war. This allowed the Browning High Power pistol to gain widespread use around the world, making it truly a recognized and famous pistol. By the end of the 20th century, the armies or law enforcement organizations of 55 countries around the world had equipped the weapon, making the gun one of the most produced and influential pistols in the world, largely considered "The Europeans' own pistols" because European armies were more commonly equipped. After the 1980s, FN made a significant improvement to the standard M1935 (that is, the Type 1 pistol), introduced the Type 2 pistol, made it more modern, the Type 2 was produced until 1988, after which the product produced was called the Type 3 pistol. In the 1990s, considering the gradual mainstream of the double-action gun, FN improved the Browning BDA series with single/double-action optional launchers on the basis of the previous one, but until the final production was discontinued, the sales performance of various improved models was not as ideal as before.
FN later introduced a BDA automatic pistol with double-action mode
The Sa-35 at the Springfield Armory resembles the standard Browning high-power pistol produced in the 1960s, but has many differences from the original design. In particular, the SA-35 extends the performance of Browning's classic design by modernizing materials and production processes to improve the strength and durability of the product. SA-35 uses integrally forged steel to manufacture sleeves and socket holders, and all use CNC machine tools for processing, the barrel is manufactured by precision cold forging, and the metal materials are applied to modern heat treatment technology, and their strength and life are further improved. Drawing on the company's experience in producing imitations of the M1911, Springfield Armory Company has carefully adjusted and improved the manufacturing tolerances for the SA-35, and compared to the original design, the assembly of the main components is more precise, the tolerance consistency is smaller, and the overall performance of the gun is more perfect.
In terms of materials and processing, the SA-35 is certainly superior to the prototype
The SA-35 and the classic Browning High Power Pistol are highly similar in appearance, but if you look closely, you will soon find a difference in appearance. Most notably, the manual safety behind the SA-35 sleeve has changed greatly in shape and size compared to the original model, protruding outwards for easy pulling and more tightly combined with the grip patch. In addition, the gun's aiming device has also been improved, the "U" shaped notch is processed on the back side of the door with transverse patterns, preventing reflection, and paired with a flaky crosshair with fluorescent dots, it is conducive to focusing attention on the crosshairs, making it easier to capture the target, and making the aiming process easier, helping to improve shooting accuracy. This kind of door and sleeve combination is strong, and the front is designed at a right angle, in actual use, you can hang the front of the door card on the belt or other hard object, one-handed grip down, you can complete the loading action with one hand.
The SA-35's manual safety changes greatly in shape and size compared to the prototype
The SA-35 features a more modern fixed-notched illumination gate and a crosshair with a fluorescent spot
The Springfield Armory attaches great importance to the exterior treatment of the SA-35. As a commercial pistol, its surface processing is more delicate than the prototype, the metal parts are coated with light blue matte coating, and equipped with walnut grip patches with fine checkered anti-slip patterns, which has a bit of the classical beauty of "all-steel solid wood". The Browning High Power pistol produced by FN after 1963 no longer uses wooden grip patches, but instead uses impact-resistant synthetic material patches. In addition, the shape of the rear and grip patches of the SA-35 socket has been improved to make it more ergonomic and enables better control of the gun during firing. In particular, the shape of the round hammer has been redesigned to avoid the occasional hammer striker problem with Browning's high-power pistol, regardless of the user's grip position or the size of the hand.
The exterior treatment of the SA-35 is more refined and beautiful
The SA-35's round hammer shape has been redesigned
Where it is not visible, the SA-35 makes more improvements. For example, in order to adapt to the use of empty-tip bullets, the gun improved the supply ramp at the end of the chamber to ensure reliable feeding. The new gun uses a factory-set improved trigger that makes the firing feel smoother. The team of R&D engineers also modified the exterior contours of the Barrel Locking Bulge designed by Browning to better integrate with the inside of the sleeve. On the other hand, the gun refers to the design habits of competition pistols, and adds chamfers around the magazine port at the bottom of the grip, making the process of reloading the magazine easier. Without changing the total length, the magazine itself improved the internal design to increase the magazine capacity to 15 rounds, two rounds more than the 13 rounds when browning's high-power pistol was finalized.
The addition of chamfers around the bottom of the grip is also one of the four main differences in the appearance of the SA-35 and the prototype
Only one thing, the SA-35's approach may be somewhat outrageous, eliminating the standard feature of browning's high-power pistols , the magazine safety feature. The principle of this function is that when the magazine is removed, the magazine safety will push the trigger connecting rod forward under the action of the magazine safety spring, so that the top of the trigger linkage is staggered with the head of the firing lever, so that even if there is a bullet in the chamber, it cannot be fired, which can prevent accidents due to negligence in the chamber after the magazine is removed. When the magazine safety function is removed, as long as the magazine is pressed, the magazine will automatically fall from the SA-35's grip, and the feel when the trigger is pulled will be smoother. For ordinary private users, this change may still be welcome.
Gunner circles have mixed reviews of the SA-35's removal of magazine insurance
In addition to the above changes, the SA-35 is similar in size and weight to a standard Browning high-power pistol, with a barrel length of 119 mm, a full gun length of 198 mm, a full gun height of 122 mm, and an empty magazine without a magazine weighing 893 grams. Made of all-steel, the SA-35 is obviously heavier than the now-popular polymer socket pistol, but it also makes the recoil and muzzle jump smaller. In actual shooting, the SA-35 pistol is said to perform very smoothly, especially when performing continuous rapid fire, after each shot, it can return to the aiming state more quickly, and then the next shot.
The SA-35 of solid steel weighs more and shoots more smoothly
Surprisingly, the suggested retail price of the SA-35 is only $699, which is about 4500 yuan. Considering its quality and performance, this price is clearly lower than the vast majority of people expect. You know, this is much higher than some Turkish imitation Browning high-power pistols, but it is only half the price of similar pistols of Belgian origin or Assembled with FN parts in Portugal, such as the M1935 produced by FN with a synthetic grip patch, with a suggested retail price of $1120, and it is still the price of 2017. However, it should be noted that the SA-35 standard configuration only includes 1 magazine, while the general pistol should be equipped with at least 2, but the unit price of the magazine is 34.95 US dollars, about 220 yuan, which is quite "affordable to buy a horse and can't afford to saddle".
Another advantage of the SA-35 is that the price is relatively affordable, which can be regarded as a good price
The SA-35 is a historical classic recreated with modern technology. While paying tribute to the Browning Masters, the Springfield Armory Company has indeed been carefully modified to meet the needs of today's users. Overall, the SA-35 is well-manufactured, reliable and cost-effective. If its market sales are promising, it is likely that more improved models will be introduced in the future. For both companies and users, it is clear that they are looking forward to seeing such results. At the same time, for a pistol designed in the United States, the re-production in the United States is perhaps the result that browning Sr. most wants to see.