Thoughts on the Girsan and Springfield Hi power clones?

[Metal Wonder Nine Guy]

I've heard mixed things about these new hi power clones coming out lately. The Springfield SA35 had some major extraction issues in videos by youtubers like Garand thumb. An American rifleman article I read said the Girsan Hi power clone had a very heavy trigger due to the magazine disconnect. Anyone here have experience with either of these pistols yet?

[bubbas4570]

Just was able to play with the Girsan clone on Friday in one of my LGS.....not impressed at all with the trigger.  Fit and feel overall was good/decent. 

Trigger was heavy and gritty in both SA and DA.....so much so that any off the shelf CZ pistol was way better, and my B6 series are WAY better than both in my estimation.

This was the compact version, in case you were wondering.

[M1A4ME]

Many years ago, one of the mods suggested for Hipowers was to remove the magazine safety as it was one step of improving the trigger pull/feel.

[tomboyjr]

Just was able to play with the Girsan clone on Friday in one of my LGS.....not impressed at all with the trigger.  Fit and feel overall was good/decent. 

Trigger was heavy and gritty in both SA and DA.....so much so that any off the shelf CZ pistol was way better, and my B6 series are WAY better than both in my estimation.

This was the compact version, in case you were wondering.

The Girsan version is DA/SA? Guess I thought they would all be SA like the original.

[crosstimbers]

Do they (or anyone else) offer a clone of the "detective"?

[crc4]

I've held both guns. They're OK, but they aren't Browning HPs. I wouldn't call them clones as much as a re-interpretation of the BHP. In that sense, I was disappointed.

I prefer my FEG BHP clone to the re-interpreted renditions.

[bubbas4570]

Do they (or anyone else) offer a clone of the "detective"?

The one I played with was the "detective" I believe, as it was short barrel/short grip frame as compared to a full size.

[steves2]

For anyone with a Girsan or FN Hi Power that thinks the trigger is "heavy and gritty" with the magazine safety in...just remove it. It is easy to do.

[mrcabinet]

I have the Girsan PI and, so far, have been very pleased with it. The first thing to do to any Hi Power is yank the mag safety. Out of the box the trigger wasn't bad. After a full fluff 'n buff on the internals and a couple spring swaps, it's at a clean 4 1/2 lb.s. That's about all you're going to get out of a Hi Power. I have yet to find an oroginal FN part that won't fit it.

I enjoy shooting it just as much as my FN. It is more accurate than I am and has been trouble free for approximately 600 rounds. Wish I could say the same about the FM and FEG that I owned! The only other mods I've done was swap the sights (for my old eyes) and made a set of grips for it.

[Wobbly]

^^ Nice looking gun !

[mrcabinet]

Thanks Wobbly! I should add that since I've been so pleased with the PI, their full size Match/OPS is on my radar.

[Metal Wonder Nine Guy]

I have the Girsan PI and, so far, have been very pleased with it. The first thing to do to any Hi Power is yank the mag safety. Out of the box the trigger wasn't bad. After a full fluff 'n buff on the internals and a couple spring swaps, it's at a clean 4 1/2 lb.s. That's about all you're going to get out of a Hi Power. I have yet to find an oroginal FN part that won't fit it.

I enjoy shooting it just as much as my FN. It is more accurate than I am and has been trouble free for approximately 600 rounds. Wish I could say the same about the FM and FEG that I owned! The only other mods I've done was swap the sights (for my old eyes) and made a set of grips for it.

Thanks Wobbly! I should add that since I've been so pleased with the PI, their full size Match/OPS is on my radar.

Your HP grips look great! I think the Girsan MCP35 is a clone of the Mark III Hi power, so that's probably why the FN BHP parts fit fine. As far as the trigger pull weight goes, 4.5 lbs for a hi power is plenty fine for the trigger.

Do the original 3 white post sights work well as a sight picture? I'm so used to three dot sights.

[mrcabinet]

Yes, the 3 dot sights are quite serviceable. Unless it's a carry gun, I tend to put adjustables on. I wanted to install a factory Match/Ops rear sight, but that would require slide milling. And yes, the Girsans are about as close to a Mk. III as you can get.

[Hillbilly357]

I got my SA 35 2 weeks ago. Fit and finish are very good, and the trigger is very smooth. We have fired it less than 100 rounds, so still early.. I hope that the earlier extractor problems have been remedied..

[Metal Wonder Nine Guy]

I got my SA 35 2 weeks ago. Fit and finish are very good, and the trigger is very smooth. We have fired it less than 100 rounds, so still early.. I hope that the earlier extractor problems have been remedied..

Yeah, that was one of the reasons why I asked about the SA35 in this thread. Those early extractor issues seemed really bad.