Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
Springfield Armory’s new SA‑35 Polished Blued brings a traditional, high‑luster finish to its modernized take on the legendary Browning Hi‑Power.
A Polished Take on a Familiar Platform
Springfield Armory built the SA‑35 as an updated interpretation of the P‑35, retaining the original pistol’s feel while addressing long‑standing shortcomings. This new Polished Blued variant leans into the wood‑and‑steel aesthetic with a deep, reflective hot‑salt blue finish.
Unlike the original matte‑blue SA‑35, Springfield applies a dedicated polishing process before bluing. That extra step creates a finish closer to early postwar Hi‑Powers, offering a more traditional look without changing the underlying pistol.
Upgrades Over the Original Hi‑Power
While the appearance nods to the past, the SA‑35 is built with several functional upgrades over the original FN/Browning Hi‑Power.
Springfield machines the frame and slide from forged carbon steel, improving strength and long‑term durability compared to many legacy guns. The pistol also uses a cold hammer forged 4.7‑inch barrel, enhancing consistency and service life.
The SA‑35 eliminates the magazine disconnect, allowing magazines to drop free and giving the pistol a cleaner trigger feel. Springfield also recontoured the hammer geometry to reduce the risk of hammer bite, a common complaint with older Hi‑Powers.
Controls see thoughtful updates as well. An extended thumb safety improves accessibility, and the sights move to a modern setup with a white‑dot front and serrated Tactical Rack rear, replacing the small, low‑contrast sights of earlier designs.
Capacity receives a quiet improvement. The included flush‑fit magazine holds 15 rounds, up from the original’s typical 13‑round standard.
Handling and Practical Use
The SA‑35 keeps the slim grip profile that made the Hi‑Power famous, aided here by checkered walnut grips that complement the polished blue finish. At 31.5 ounces, the all‑steel pistol balances naturally and manages recoil well during sustained range sessions.
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The beveled magwell subtly eases reloads without altering the external profile. Combined with improved feed‑ramp geometry, the pistol is better suited for modern defensive ammunition than many vintage examples.
A Practical Revival, Not a Museum Piece
Springfield positions the SA‑35 Polished Blued as more than a cosmetic update. It preserves the Hi‑Power’s ergonomics and trigger system while modernizing reliability, sights, and durability.
For shooters who want a visually classic 9mm that’s built for regular use, the Polished Blued SA‑35 offers a balanced middle ground between nostalgic design and modern expectations.
Springfield Armory SA‑35 Polished Blued – Specifications
- Manufacturer: Springfield Armory
- Model: SA‑35 Polished Blued
- Caliber: 9mm Luger
- Action: Single‑action, semi‑automatic
- Frame: Forged carbon steel
- Slide: Forged carbon steel
- Finish: Polished blued
- Barrel Length: 4.7 in
- Barrel: Cold hammer forged, 1:10 twist
- Capacity: 15 rounds
- Sights: White‑dot front, Tactical Rack rear
- Grips: Checkered walnut
- Weight: 31.5 oz
- MSRP: $799 [springfiel…armory.com]
Learn more HERE.
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Levi is an avid hunter, and an increasingly avid shooter. He strives to make delicious and simple recipes from the game he kills. He makes a living as a professional photographer and writer. Check out his work.
Did they fix the the trigger? I was going to buy one until I tried the trigger. For what there charging it should have a better trigger.
From the pictures provided. I see nothing impressive. Maybe the print, but you would think they would have used a better print.
The new SA-35 is made with a forged frame and slide, but Browning has been making theirs with a cast frame since 1993. Doe’s anybody know if their is an advantage to making a Hi Power with a cast frame vs forged?
In a word, strength.
I had one of the original Browning Hi-Powers from back in the ’70s. I really liked it, but the hammer bite had the web of my hand bleeding all over the backstrap before I could finish a single 13-round magazine. Sadly, I traded it off.
Then I read about the SA-35. I bought one about 2 years ago. Really like the pistol with the upgraded 15 round mag, and….no more hammer bite!
Not as pretty as the one the article is about, but rugged and functional – put about 350 rounds through it and not one jam.
Read my extensive post further down the list.
As far as castings after 1993 it was done to speed up production and save wear and tear on machinery as the cast frame required less machining operations as well as no heat treatment. Also, it was done because when FN decided to re-engineer the High Power for the ill-fated .40 S&W cartridge the forged frame had either to be double heat treated which would have caused excess wear on production machinery or made fatter, harder, and cheaper with a cast frame. Naturally they went with the cheaper and porous cast frame. Fatter was because of the porous nature of a casting and the casting was made much harder. Castings also are cheaper to make because they are not “heat treated” because they are as hard as they can get after casting thereby saving even more money in production.
Pretty crappy looking in my opinion. The matte blue and other colors look much better. If you tell me you have this fabulous polished blue, I am expecting something like you get with an old Smith & Wesson.
No truer words were ever spoken, or the Colt Royal Blue finish.
My thoughts on the Browning High Power.
As a kid back in the 1950’s I found my Dad’s FN Nazi High-power in the closet complete with original holster and two matching mags. To say I was astonished was an understatement.
So began my love affair with the FN High Power. but no pistol is perfect and the main gripe I have always had is that the trigger reset is way too long. I have personally seen (including myself) this happen when in a panic situation and you rapidly “attempt”, I say “attempt” to fire it too rapidly and then the pistol will suddenly stop working. “You read that right” it stops working.
So is there something wrong with this pistol design? The answer is both yes and no.
The long trigger reset will disable the pistol if you do not “consciously” let the trigger move far enough forward after the first shot so that the disconnector “resets”. This is “very” likely to happen in a gun fight. This has always been the main complaint against the High Power.
So can anything be done about it? Well yes and I am not going to tell you how because that is a job left to a topnotch gunsmith as you can ruin the part that needs modified faster than a cat can jump off of a hot tin roof.
In the old days when the FN was still being made, I just ordered a spare part and experimented on the spare part by “shortening it”. I got lucky and stopped before I took too much off and the “reset” was vastly improved, but it did make the initial “take up” or slack in the trigger increase substantially. This did not bother me then or now. Nevertheless I only ever did this to one of my many FN High-Powers because I quit carrying a High Power decades ago because it’s just too big and heavy a pistol to carry concealed and way too heavy to carry comfortably.
There is at least two off brand companies making a shortened High Power that has a shorter slide, but the grip remains the same. The plethora of low budget and very small lightweight “platicky” pistols has pretty much rendered the “old boy” obsolete and long in the tooth unless we are speaking of a home defense gun.
The FN High-power, (like the 1911) also has the “old fashioned” steep feed ramp so care must be taken to ensure expanding ammo will feed reliably. The newer plasticky pistols were designed to feed expanding ammo and most have a very short inline feed cycle.
The magazine safety also adds about 1 lb of weight and a lot of creep to the trigger pull. Of course, it can be removed but some people like it because all you have to do is remove the magazine and then an unauthorized person cannot accidentally shoot himself with it, especially if a child got ahold of the pistol.
Except for the Luger with the snail drum magazine the FN High-power was the first of the high capacity 9mm wonder 9’s and it was much sought-after during WWII both in the European Theater and the Asian Theater of operations. As a matter of fact, when WWII ended the Chinese Army bribed with the gift of an Englis High-Power a high-ranking Japanese Air Force Officer to “stay on” in China after the war was over and train the Chinese Air Force. He said yes.
My own Father carried A Nazi High-power in WWII when serving with Pattons Army, he put it in a 1911 shoulder holster as he was with the 7th Armored Division. He preferred it over the 1911 and so did a lot of other soldiers including not only the Americans but the Canadians and British and the Germans.
I am also an FN “purist”. I detest the changes that were made when they installed the passive firing pin safety which weakened the slide and often led to the slide cracking at the rear. Also I do not like the later “cast steel” frame model that added circumference to the already large grip circumference. If I remember correctly the passive firing pin safety came in around 1989 and the cast frame in 1994. I do not recommend you ever dry fire a High-Power that has the passive firing pin safety.
I might add the cast frame only came into being because when FN wanted to chamber the High-Power for the .40 S&W cartridge they did not want to have to heat treat the original frame to a much harder surface as that would have worn out their machinery far too quickly, hence the cost cutting and thicker cast steel frame which required far less machining operations.
Also, when you “take down” a High-power do not ever just flip off the safety when it is in the slide hold open notch, (take down position) as you will end up rounding out the hold open notch in the slide. I have seen quite a few High-power slides ruined this way. Pull back the slide slightly and then gently lower the safety out of its takedown notch.
The FN High-power like the 1911 and the iconic Luger, the P38, Mauser Broom-handle, and Polish Radom are all classic war pistols that remind one of ferocious battles and desperate men in historic wars. I guess that fact alone makes owning genuine WWII pistols worthwhile even though most are now as obsolete as the Model T Ford. The only problem is that most of the “original” military war pistols have now become so valuable that the mere thought of actually shooting them or carrying them would be pure blasphemy.
Excellent comment, thanks. I have one I bought in college (my first firearm purchase) back in 1982. Still my favorite pistol.