Springfield Armory Inc. making a HiPower clone

[Brad Johnson]

Want.

Brad

[Pb]

I always thought the HiPower was one of the classiest looking pistols ever made.   

[MechAg94]

5.7x28?
Why?
More expensive and far less powerful.

Now if your talking 5.7 Johnson, otherwise known as 22 Spitfire, it's has already been done by several M1C manufacturers and has over double the energy of 5.7x28 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/.22_Spitfire

The only advantage 5.7x28 has over either 30C or 5.7J is it only requires a straight blowback

There are a lot of things I would love to see, but I doubt they would be popular enough to justify the cost. 
I always thought a shrunk down M1 Garand using enbloc clips with 5.56 or something similar would be a neat gun and might sell in some ban states, but it wouldn't be cheap and other guns probably fit the market better and would be more useful.  Probably end up being too much like a Mini14. 

If you are going to design a new rifle, I don't see the point of using 30 carbine anymore. 

[HankB]

I'm a big fan of the BHP, and often carry one. A few thoughts come to mind from reading this story . . .

1. Good riddance to the magazine disconnect.
2. I wonder if the "tuned" trigger also has a shorter reset - the long reset is the one thing I'm really not fond of. Cylinder & Slide advertised trigger parts for a shorter reset - never tried one so modified myself.
3. Forged frame and slide. Hope they did a good job - Browning's later cast frames had a reputation for being stronger than the earlier forged frame. Alloy and heat treat made the difference.
4. Will it take original BHP magazines, or - since it uses 15 round mags - are they incompatible?
5. Hope the front sight is sturdier than the ramp sight Browning put on their adjustable sight pistols - the tall Browning ramp had a tendency to break off.

[WLJ]

If you are going to design a new rifle, I don't see the point of using 30 carbine anymore.

I would love to see something along the lines of a P90/PS90 in 30C. Of course it would have use a locked breech system instead of blowback so it would have to be a bit beefier. The magazines would be basically unchanged*. The result would a handy little bullpup carbine just a touch bigger than the current PS90 firing rounds with 3x the energy of 5.7x28.

*Think the 30C case has bit of a taper that may be an issue over a certain number of rounds though.

[WLJ]

And how about Beretta CX4 in 357sig? 357sig out of a 16" barrel is a smoking little round.
Or maybe even 10mm
Come on Beretta! Are you listening?

[K Frame]

"Configured without a magazine disconnect for a drop free magazine."

Now that is a nice touch.

Anyone know if it uses standard High Power mags?

Couple of people here at the office are talking about it; apparently it only comes with one magazine.

[K Frame]

Holy *expletive deleted*it, $700 MSRP?

I was figuring over $1,000 in that configuration.

Hopefully it's reliable; that's a great price. Obviously made overseas, though.

[MechAg94]

Holy *expletive deleted*it, $700 MSRP?

I was figuring over $1,000 in that configuration.

Hopefully it's reliable; that's a great price. Obviously made overseas, though.

The pictures I have seen show the slide and frame marked as made in Illinois.  Can they import rough forgings and still say that?

One link I saw said it could take older HiPower mags. 

[K Frame]

"The pictures I have seen show the slide and frame marked as made in Illinois.  Can they import rough forgings and still say that?"

Good question; I don't know the answer to that.

The only way I'd consider getting one is if they brought it out in .357 Sig or .40 S&W.

I've already got a High Power that I absolutely love.

[WLJ]

The only thing I ever got that was dad's is his HP. It's not going anywhere.

[HankB]

. . . The only way I'd consider getting one is if they brought it out in .357 Sig or .40 S&W . . .

Browning beefed up the design when they brought it out in .40 - among other things, I think they added an extra recoil lug to the barrel, so making this new BHP a .40 or .357 Sig would require more than a simple rechambering. In fact, for a while there was a cottage industry in converting the beefed up .40s to 9mm, since some of the practical shooting crowd was enamored of making "9mm Major" pistols for their shooting games, and the stock BHP was considered to be too weak for the required overloads of 9mm Major ammo.

In fact, earlier BHPs were rumored to be "weak" when it came to extensive use, but later BHPs - with cast frames - were said to be stronger. Some sources said the BHP should not be used with "+P" ammo, but there was an article in American Rifleman (Nov 1989) referencing an internal Browning report that a BHP digested 5000 rounds of Remington "+P+" ammo without issue.

[dogmush]

I've got two Belgian Hi-Powers so I'm not really in the market for this, but it's a nice design so if they make it work reliably and be as pretty as it is in the photos they should sell a few at this price point.  That's a good price for a new Hi-Power clone.

I don't see these making lots of inroads into the CCW lineup, but as a range gun that people take out and have fun with? Sure, it could do well at that.

[Hawkmoon]

Hopefully it's reliable; that's a great price. Obviously made overseas, though.

Springfield claims it's made in the USA.

[K Frame]

Browning beefed up the design when they brought it out in .40 - among other things, I think they added an extra recoil lug to the barrel, so making this new BHP a .40 or .357 Sig would require more than a simple rechambering. In fact, for a while there was a cottage industry in converting the beefed up .40s to 9mm, since some of the practical shooting crowd was enamored of making "9mm Major" pistols for their shooting games, and the stock BHP was considered to be too weak for the required overloads of 9mm Major ammo.

In fact, earlier BHPs were rumored to be "weak" when it came to extensive use, but later BHPs - with cast frames - were said to be stronger. Some sources said the BHP should not be used with "+P" ammo, but there was an article in American Rifleman (Nov 1989) referencing an internal Browning report that a BHP digested 5000 rounds of Remington "+P+" ammo without issue.

Oh, I know. I was on staff at Rifleman when they announced the .40 version and I got to take a good hard look at one of the first ones in the country.

It wasn't long after they introduced it that they had to do a recall of the first several thousand because of either a design or manufacturing error that resulted in a bunch of problems.

[K Frame]

Springfield claims it's made in the USA.

Yeah, we were discussing that. I can't see them being able to forge a High Power copy and be able to keep the unit price that low.

Someone mentioned that they might be importing rough forgings from overseas and finishing them here.

[lee n. field]

I'm a big fan of the BHP, and often carry one. A few thoughts come to mind from reading this story . . .

1. Good riddance to the magazine disconnect.
2. I wonder if the "tuned" trigger also has a shorter reset - the long reset is the one thing I'm really not fond of. Cylinder & Slide advertised trigger parts for a shorter reset - never tried one so modified myself.
3. Forged frame and slide. Hope they did a good job - Browning's later cast frames had a reputation for being stronger than the earlier forged frame. Alloy and heat treat made the difference.
4. Will it take original BHP magazines, or - since it uses 15 round mags - are they incompatible?

TFB-TV vid on it said yes, will take original mags.

5. Hope the front sight is sturdier than the ramp sight Browning put on their adjustable sight pistols - the tall Browning ramp had a tendency to break off.

Dovetailed.  Do what you want with the sight.

How long before we see "optics ready!" versions?

[lee n. field]

The pictures I have seen show the slide and frame marked as made in Illinois.  Can they import rough forgings and still say that?

One link I saw said it could take older HiPower mags.

I'm not that far from Geneseco.

One of my customers* runs a CNC place, and told me once "you wouldn't believe how much gun work there is around here."    I know I have seen gun parts in the raw at several other customer's I've been in over the years.

it is conceivable.  (But at the price?)


*(Same guy also now owns a gun related company that some of you would recognize, but never mind that now.)

[Lennyjoe]

I had a Belgium Hi-Pwer back in the early 2000’s and like a dumb*ss I traded it towards a Ruger SRH in .44 Mag……

[Ben]

Someone mentioned that they might be importing rough forgings from overseas and finishing them here.

IIRC, that's how they build the Springfield TRPs. I have one and I'm pretty sure the frame was forged in Brazil and then everything else was completed here. I think they even did/do that with the TRP Pro. My TRP is circa 1998. Not sure what current production does.

[Ron]

IIRC, that's how they build the Springfield TRPs. I have one and I'm pretty sure the frame was forged in Brazil and then everything else was completed here. I think they even did/do that with the TRP Pro. My TRP is circa 1998. Not sure what current production does.

Pretty sure my TRP was forged in Brazil also.

[K Frame]

I have an SA 1911-A1 Mil Spec that I picked up in the mid 1990s. Not sure how it's marked, but I think even back then SA was forging their frames OCONUS and finishing them here.


My High Power I picked up around the same time from a neighbor who was moving. He bought it, shot it once, and that was it. It had a $499 sticker on the box; I think I gave him $300 for it.

The only change I made to it was to remove the wood stocks and replace them with a Hogue rubber wrap around. Made ALL the difference in the world as to how it fit my hand.

Right now it's in my living room as my house gun.

[TechMan]

For some reason my brain thought this said a "Hi Point" clone.  Then I pulled up the link and "Oh, wow, a Hi Power clone!".   

Looks interesting.  I have never owned a Hi Power, but always thought about getting one.  The FN guns were always just a bit more than I wanted to pay.  I have been eyeing the Turkish copies when I see them.  I bet this is a modified Turkish gun with SA's name on it.  $700 MSRP might end up in the affordable range.

You were not alone in this.

[MechAg94]

Pretty sure my TRP was forged in Brazil also.

I saw an SA 1911-A1 at a pawn shop at lunch.  It said Illinois on one part of the frame, but said F1 Brazil (or something like that) in a spot toward the muzzle end.  I didn't notice that on the SA-35 photos unless they left off that marking or moved it. 

[Ben]

I saw an SA 1911-A1 at a pawn shop at lunch.  It said Illinois on one part of the frame, but said F1 Brazil (or something like that) in a spot toward the muzzle end.  I didn't notice that on the SA-35 photos unless they left off that marking or moved it.

I just grabbed my TRP. It only says "Genesco" on it. At least on the outside. I didn't take it apart to see if there is something inside the frame.