SA-35 Meant To Be

[WVRJ]

I usually close the shop early on Fridays and make a trip across town to the gun store to see what they've gotten in during the week.Friday is payday and if it's been a good week I'll usually have a little cash accumulated to spend on something that's too good to pass up.I've been searching and hoping for a nice 9MM single or single/double action on a full size frame to carry and also to shoot quite a bit.I had an exceptionally good week and the cash envelope had 7 crisp c-notes in it which I was going to put in the safe when I got home.One of my best friends and mentor was pulling in the parking lot when I got there and we were having the usual chit chat at the used gun rack when I decided to take yet another look in the pistol display case to see if anything new had showed up.
I saw a now familiar shape under the glass.I've been wanting to get my hands on a Springfield SA-35 since it was introduced a few months ago,and I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw they finally had one.The store manager was talking to my buddy when I very impolitely interrupted their conversation and told him to "Gimme that Springfield and grab a form".The price was $699 and I was in love.Thankfully WV dropped the sales tax on firearms so the hard earned fun money from this past week was enough to get the pistol that I was wanting more than any other except a Sig P210,and one of those will take a lot more fun money,so I'm tickled pink.
It looks to be a well made pistol with a very smooth slide and a decent trigger that will get better after a few hundred rounds.I wanted to shoot it before dark but until I got some match type ammo loaded and disassembled and cleaned the pistol it was too dark to shoot.Tomorrow I'll find out if it's worth the wait and the money.

 

[Ed4032]

Sweet

 

[skfullen]

Great score!

 

[skfullen]

A range report is, of course, required!

 

[halfmoonclip]

Got one last week; didn't get that good a deal, but been jonesing for one for some time...would have taken one of the Turk ones, but they seem to have dried up.
Does anyone actually know the provenance of these guns? Are they entirely US made? The machine work on mine is excellent; the flats are dead flat, and the machining where it doesn't show is as nice as where it does. The grips are beautifully fit and fitted.
A little creep in the trigger is all I can complain about; it shoots straight, and works all the time.
For the OP, you'll enjoy the new catch!
Moon

 

[SwampWolf]

Looking forward to the range report.

 

[bannockburn]

WVRJ

Range report and photos if you would sir, please!

 

[ontarget]

I usually close the shop early on Fridays and make a trip across town to the gun store to see what they've gotten in during the week.Friday is payday and if it's been a good week I'll usually have a little cash accumulated to spend on something that's too good to pass up.I've been searching and hoping for a nice 9MM single or single/double action on a full size frame to carry and also to shoot quite a bit.I had an exceptionally good week and the cash envelope had 7 crisp c-notes in it which I was going to put in the safe when I got home.One of my best friends and mentor was pulling in the parking lot when I got there and we were having the usual chit chat at the used gun rack when I decided to take yet another look in the pistol display case to see if anything new had showed up.
I saw a now familiar shape under the glass.I've been wanting to get my hands on a Springfield SA-35 since it was introduced a few months ago,and I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw they finally had one.The store manager was talking to my buddy when I very impolitely interrupted their conversation and told him to "Gimme that Springfield and grab a form".The price was $699 and I was in love.Thankfully WV dropped the sales tax on firearms so the hard earned fun money from this past week was enough to get the pistol that I was wanting more than any other except a Sig P210,and one of those will take a lot more fun money,so I'm tickled pink.
It looks to be a well made pistol with a very smooth slide and a decent trigger that will get better after a few hundred rounds.I wanted to shoot it before dark but until I got some match type ammo loaded and disassembled and cleaned the pistol it was too dark to shoot.Tomorrow I'll find out if it's worth the wait and the money.

Of course you know...pics or it's a lie

 

[WVRJ]

It looks like the wind is finally going to lay some today.I'll probably get to shoot it later in the day.

 

[Nature Boy]

It looks like the wind is finally going to lay some today.I'll probably get to shoot it later in the day.

…..and post pics, right?

 

[WVRJ]

I got enough time yesterday to run 20 rounds through it.Function was perfect,but accuracy was not as good as I hoped,but my seater die doesn't like the 115 grain hollow points I loaded for it.I worked on the die and loaded some more ammo,but the wind is going nuts here today.30 MPH gusts and in the mid 40's,so it looks like I'll have to wait another day to give it a fair shake.I put on the shoulder holster for it and am thrilled at how light and compact it is compared to my full size steel frame 1911.

 

[doubleh]

I have been keeping an eye out for one of these in our two local shops. No joy yet but eventually one should appear.

 

[Billy Shears]

I just picked mine up, which I had ordered months ago. I took it to the range yesterday, with 300 rounds of factory ammo. I got through three boxes without issue, and was quite pleased with the accuracy and reliability -- though I did have to put a piece of moleskin over the web of my shooting hand, which I did before I even started. The corners of the grip tang are fairly sharp, and I knew that 300 rounds would see a laceration in my hand if I didn't take steps to prevent it. These sharp edges will simply have to be rounded off at some point, which sadly will necessitate a refinish. Unfortunately, when I started the fourth box of ammo, things went wrong. Quite suddenly, the pistol became utterly incapable of firing through a single magazine without experiencing multiple malfunctions, mostly failures to extract, but a couple of stovepipes. Through three additional magazines, all fully loaded with 15 rounds, the pistol would fire the first five or six in the magazine without issue, and then every other round or every subsequent round was a stoppage. As I said, these were mostly failures to extract, with the case still fully seated in the chamber. I emailed Springfield Armory's warranty email address and they responded asking for my address and phone number. I haven't yet answered back.

BH Spring Solutions has a series of very informative videos on the SA35, and what they did with their example. The fifth video in this series, they encountered a very similar problem, and what turned out to be the problem was that the slide serrations appeared to have been cut after the extractor channel had been machined out, leading to something like a sawtooth edge in the channel binding on the extractor. They also found burrs inside the hole machined out for the extractor spring, and those burrs were catching the coils of the spring and preventing it from moving freely, and doing its job of properly tensioning the extractor.

I was thinking of sending my pistol to BH Spring Solutions anyway for their SFS upgrade, and the installation of their type 1 sear. I spoke with one of their people, and according to him they are seeing a lot of this type of malfunction. Part of the SFS upgrade package includes deburring the extractor channel anyway, and I am thinking that I may just send the gun off to them, since I was already planning to pay for the service, and I know about how long they will take to turn the gun around. I don't know how long SA will keep the gun, or how good their customer service is. It's a pity this gun has this problem, as I was thrilled to see Springfield reintroduce the Hi Power, with the magazine disconnect deleted no less, so there's no need to fret over possibly liability if you remove it and ever have to use the gun in self-defense. If the guy at BHSS is right, and they're seeing a lot of this type of problem with the SA-35, then Springfield had better get a handle on it, and quick, or they'll end up replicating Remington's failure with the R51.

 

[Coyote3855]

My LGS charged me $649.99 plus tax. They are good people to deal with, I would have paid MSRP of $699.99 and more. Some are on Gunbroker at $1K and up. I have 350 rounds through with no issues. Apparently the FTE issues show for other owners around 800 rounds. Sorry to see your problems occurred much sooner. My SA35 is SN 65XX. Sort of hoping Springfield Armory would have addressed the issues by now.

 

[Billy Shears]

My LGS charged me $649.99 plus tax. They are good people to deal with, I would have paid MSRP of $699.99 and more. Some are on Gunbroker at $1K and up. I have 350 rounds through with no issues. Apparently the FTE issues show for other owners around 800 rounds. Sorry to see your problems occurred much sooner. My SA35 is SN 65XX. Sort of hoping Springfield Armory would have addressed the issues by now.

I paid $569.00 for mine -- but the dealer I bought it from has an LEO price similar to Glock's "Blue Line" deal. I can't believe people who are paying double MSRP on Gunbroker. My serial number is 67XX. I was really hoping Springfield Armory had addressed these issues by now as well.

 

[Jim Watson]

Hellofa note when you can't buy a 50 year old design and expect it to Just Work.

 

[md7]

Great acquisition… but this thread needs more pics!

 

[SSN Vet]

Congrats... I've been waiting and waiting... with nothing showing up.

I think you're going to like it ... a LOT.

Don't freak out if you have any extraction issues crop up. They are an easy fix that you can do yourself if you're mechanically inclined (and have a file and are willing to pay $5 for a spring).

 

[Billy Shears]

Hellofa note when you can't buy a 50 year old design and expect it to Just Work.

Especially from a reputable manufacturer like Springfield Armory. I am going to go out on a limb and say that the problem is that in order to offer it at a price competitive with the relatively inexpensive polymer-framed guns everybody is used to today, they have skimped out a bit on the final machining -- getting rid of all those burrs and sharp edges that can abrade or even cut your hand and drag on each other, negatively effecting function. They probably should have added another $100 to the price and given it that more thorough polishing. After all, this is an old design, a legacy of an age when labor was cheaper, and which thus has more machining involved than more modern guns do. Cut corners on that labor, and it's bound to show up in the functioning.

 

[Nature Boy]

Great acquisition… but this thread needs more pics!

here, here!

 

[CNobbe]

Have had two SA-35s, ironically 1k apart from one another by serial. The first one I had put 400 rounds through without issue, FMJ, JHP, it didn't matter.

I'm too used to shooting 2011s, so the trigger reset was a problem. I have two older Hi Powers, never shoot them much as they're rather collectible (C series and Tangent sight model I got years ago). The SA-35 trigger is still a little too similar, though the trigger break is excellent. It still wasn't my cup of tea. The reset is still not very tactile, I'd think I'd had a malfunction but it reality I hadn't let the trigger reset. That kinda got to me, so I had my FFL find it a new home.

Well I acquired a second one, not that I wanted it, but the price was a raffle ticket. I got it home and tried to take it apart to clean. The slide stop lever was really difficult to remove. My first one I could pop out with a finger tip, same with my C and tangent sight HP. This one needed a tool to help get it started out. I also noticed that one of the grip panels wasn't sitting flush on the frame, there was a large gap that I hadn't noticed when I picked it up. Had two smiths at the same shop look it over and they agreed something wasn't right. I'd put 100 through it without an issue, but the grip just bugged me.

So, I registered it for warranty and emailed Springfield thinking it needed a new set of grips. They replied back, and I sent them a couple of photos. They wanted the pistol back to inspect, sent a return label. So, I shipped it back and am awaiting word from them if they're going to fix or replace it.

I'm not losing sleep over it, I'd rather shoot my 2011s more than anything else, but it is a neat pistol. Their warranty offers to fix or replace a defective pistol with a new one, so I think it's worth the effort to reply to them and let them handle it.

 

[Rock185]

I recently bought a SA-35, and probably have about 450s flawless rounds through it thus far. Very clean machine work and finish. I've not used any reloads, but have tested eight different factory loads without issue. I've used the factory and various other magazines without issue. Also installed a BarSto barrel in mine for some testing.

Obligatory picture:

 

[Nature Boy]

what turned out to be the problem was that the slide serrations appeared to have been cut after the extractor channel had been machined out, leading to something like a sawtooth edge in the channel binding on the extractor. They also found burrs inside the hole machined out for the extractor spring, and those burrs were catching the coils of the spring and preventing it from moving freely, and doing its job of properly tensioning the extractor.

Do you see any evidence of galling on the extractor due to interference with the cut out?

 

[Jim Watson]

If that is really the case, deburring would be simple even though it would add a few minute$ to a$$embly time.
If you furnished one as a sponsor for Team Mediocre, I would take it straight to FLG for preemptive cleanup of the extractor area.

Anecdote Alert:
After some use, my CZ75 "pre-B" started giving similar failures to extract. I contacted CZ USA. They would not warranty the extractor but they cheerfully sold me an extractor and spring for $13.
The story was that after a few such cases got discussed, everybody and his brother were claiming free extractors as spares even though theirs had not failed. So they quit giving them away.
I suspect a fresh strong spring would have been enough.

 

[Billy Shears]

Do you see any evidence of galling on the extractor due to interference with the cut out?

Nothing I can see without removing the extractor. It stands to reason it's a problem with either extractor itself, or the extractor spring (or perhaps both), as the cases are staying in the chamber.