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Field Ethos
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By Mike Schoby
“Who knew three-quarters of inch would make such a difference” I said after picking up the new pistol from my FFL. I knew it was the perfect setup for a “that’s what she said” joke, but nonetheless, I was impressed with the new Springfield Armory SA-35 4”. Jokes aside, the 4-inch barrel versus the standard 4.7-inch completely changes everything about this gun.
I was sad when Browning discontinued the Hi-Power in 2018 after 82 years of continuous production—it was an end-of-an-era moment. I was overjoyed when Springfield brought it back as the SA-35 in 2021, so I immediately bought one. It is a great-shooting pistol and so fun on the range, but it is a bit large. Just like I don’t carry a full-size 1911 much anymore, I found I didn’t carry the SA-35 much—unless it was winter and I could conceal it in a shoulder rig, but for daily carry inside the waist it wasn’t my go-to.
When I put my hands on the 4”, I suspected it might be perfect for daily carry. It retains the full-size grip (with a 15-round magazine) of the original SA-35, but the shorter barrel and slim profile slides easily into a Milt Sparks Summer Special holster and fit comfortably behind the hip.
All the great features of the original SA-35 carry over—excellent checkered walnut stocks, factory tuned single-action trigger, forged slide and frame, modern U-notch rear sight and easy-to-see blade front with white dot. I love the no magazine disconnect, matte black finish and the made-in-the-USA heritage.
Soon after getting the SA-35 4”, I had a chance to take it to the annual Field Ethos Range Day (it is where we get together and fuck off for a couple of days with guns and call it work) where the whole team got to put it through the paces. Being a steel frame and slide and weighing in around 29 ounces the recoil is negligible with any 9mm load, but with the Fiocchi 100-grain Range Dynamics Frangible load it was almost non-existent. There is a bit more muzzle flip than the full-size, but it takes shooting them side by side to notice. The full-size SA-35 makes any pistol shooter look good; it is that easy to hit with. The lack of .7 inches of sight radius on the 4” made you focus on your sights and trigger squeeze to hit the small plates as well as the full size, but for self-defense applications it would be meaningless.
If you are looking for a fun range queen, go for the full size. If you want something that not only is fun at the range, but is a solid, classic carry choice take a serious look at the SA-35 4”.
Price: $799.
Pros: the 4-inch barrel changes this gun completely and for the better.
Con: Not a con as much as a suggestion, but it might be interesting to make an alloy frame version to bring the weight down for daily carry.
The post That’s What She Said… appeared first on Field Ethos.
Continue reading...
“Who knew three-quarters of inch would make such a difference” I said after picking up the new pistol from my FFL. I knew it was the perfect setup for a “that’s what she said” joke, but nonetheless, I was impressed with the new Springfield Armory SA-35 4”. Jokes aside, the 4-inch barrel versus the standard 4.7-inch completely changes everything about this gun.
I was sad when Browning discontinued the Hi-Power in 2018 after 82 years of continuous production—it was an end-of-an-era moment. I was overjoyed when Springfield brought it back as the SA-35 in 2021, so I immediately bought one. It is a great-shooting pistol and so fun on the range, but it is a bit large. Just like I don’t carry a full-size 1911 much anymore, I found I didn’t carry the SA-35 much—unless it was winter and I could conceal it in a shoulder rig, but for daily carry inside the waist it wasn’t my go-to.
Springfield Armory SA-35 4″ Details
When I put my hands on the 4”, I suspected it might be perfect for daily carry. It retains the full-size grip (with a 15-round magazine) of the original SA-35, but the shorter barrel and slim profile slides easily into a Milt Sparks Summer Special holster and fit comfortably behind the hip.
All the great features of the original SA-35 carry over—excellent checkered walnut stocks, factory tuned single-action trigger, forged slide and frame, modern U-notch rear sight and easy-to-see blade front with white dot. I love the no magazine disconnect, matte black finish and the made-in-the-USA heritage.
Party Time
Soon after getting the SA-35 4”, I had a chance to take it to the annual Field Ethos Range Day (it is where we get together and fuck off for a couple of days with guns and call it work) where the whole team got to put it through the paces. Being a steel frame and slide and weighing in around 29 ounces the recoil is negligible with any 9mm load, but with the Fiocchi 100-grain Range Dynamics Frangible load it was almost non-existent. There is a bit more muzzle flip than the full-size, but it takes shooting them side by side to notice. The full-size SA-35 makes any pistol shooter look good; it is that easy to hit with. The lack of .7 inches of sight radius on the 4” made you focus on your sights and trigger squeeze to hit the small plates as well as the full size, but for self-defense applications it would be meaningless.
If you are looking for a fun range queen, go for the full size. If you want something that not only is fun at the range, but is a solid, classic carry choice take a serious look at the SA-35 4”.
Price: $799.
Pros: the 4-inch barrel changes this gun completely and for the better.
Con: Not a con as much as a suggestion, but it might be interesting to make an alloy frame version to bring the weight down for daily carry.
The post That’s What She Said… appeared first on Field Ethos.
Continue reading...
