Range Report: Girsan MC P35 (Browning Hi-Power Clone)

[@thetexasgunvault]

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[@robinj.9329]

Hammer bite? I was trained way back in the late 60's. And, back then EVERYONE just wore leather shooting gloves! Problem solved! If you got to the range without your gloves? No problem; we just put a wide "band-aid" on the web of the hand. Again, ZERO issues with "Bite"! It amazes me that so many of today's younger shooters are constantly bitching and crying 😢 about getting bite by their gun. Guess back then, 40-50 years ago, we were just a lot tougher?

[@thetexasgunvault]

Lol, maybe you were.

[@TheRobman139]

I have one of these, got it a little over a year and a half ago. Had some problems with mine that required one trip to my local gunsmith and another trip to EAA’s service center in Florida. It seems to be in good working order now. Love the Hi-Power design; I personally consider it to be the best 9mm semiautomatic pistol design ever. Outside of a couple of dedicated match pistols I have, I shoot it more accurately than any other handgun I own. For me, the ergos on the Hi-Power are practically perfect. The trigger on my example isn’t perfect but it is better than the one on yours; I think you really got a bad one. I also have no problems with hammer bite on mine, but I guess that’s just me. The only real complaint I have about mine, now that the initial issues seem to have been resolved, is that it isn’t +P rated. Other than that I just love this pistol.

[@thetexasgunvault]

I am glad to hear they took care of you. That says a lot about them as a company when they have good customer service.

[@red9man2130]

Hey My Friend. AS an owner of a few Browning Hi-Powers I STRONGLY suggest removing the Mag safety AND installing some HOGUE finger groove grips! I too have VERY large hands and used to hold my Hi-Powers at the thickest part of the grip (lower hold like Yourself). Never the less I do NOT experience the lateral "stringing" and I suspect those are the reasons (for me at least) why. Great video by the way!

[@thetexasgunvault]

Thank you so much and thank you for the recommendations.

[@RTek1986]

I've got one of these and I think it's fantastic, although I'm not the most experienced firearms owner. I've got decent sized hands, but haven't had a problem with hammer bite. One thing I did was to change the grip to some old-school basic wooden grips - I found that the ergo ridges on the stock polymer grips weren't in a good spot for me.

[@thetexasgunvault]

Good grips on any hi-power I think is important. What you did was probably a great upgrade

[@ssn711]

Replacing the front sight & removing the MD improves the accuracy dramatically.

[@thetexasgunvault]

I am sure. Thank you for the advice. Good sights are always nice upgrades.

[@ssn711]

@@thetexasgunvault Ty. It’s the least costly of the alternatives for getting into the HP platform.

[@JeffParrent]

I own one and was very dissatisfied with the gritty trigger, I thought it was just mine but I’m glad that it’s not just my firearm. At least I know now what the problem likely is and what to do about it. Thanks man.

[@thetexasgunvault]

You are very welcome! I am glad I could help!

[@ElCineHefe]

Just remove the Magazine Safety and your mechanical problems are over.

[@andrewsteele7663]

Good morning, Jason, as your countrymen are fond of saying, "you can put lipstick on a hog, it's still a hog." I carried a "Browning" while wearing green camo uniform for a living. And I have owned a genuine one and a Turkish copy. And so, I feel I speak with some sense of knowledge, even on ONE coffee. That the Browning Hi Power in all its guises is rubbish. Sorry Saint John, and Jack. The only time I would want one, is when the Zombie horde is upon me. Even then I would consider a stick a better option. Cheers, love your channel, and thanks to Jack.

[@thetexasgunvault]

I respect your opinion on this. I know you have experience with this pistol. It is not as refined as the 1911.

[@rickyarias]

And what vintage is your 1911? Because I'm betting it isn't an old gi ww2 as issued configuration. Yes the 1911 has a good trigger. But its original format shared many of these issues. The high power in the US didn't have as many gunsmith shops building a business around fixing and customizing it... and Yet there was the FBI Novak HRT high power right there with your 1911. So I get your point while at the same time think your forgetting a lot of actual history.

[@4g63attack]

I wonder about these clone hi-power… and that would be the after market… what will fit and work.

[@thetexasgunvault]

I agree.

[@imthatguy1878]

I haven't handled the girsan but I do have the sa35 Springfield hi power that's been great so far, I'm waiting for the extraction goblin to show up and ruin the fun. My 1968 T series Browning has been flawless since day one

[@thetexasgunvault]

They just do not make them like they used to.

[@dondineen110]

I have owned one for a day. I haven't shot it. I intend to remove the magazine disconnect. That is supposed to improve the trigger pull a great deal. The gun looks fine. The finish is good, but it is Cera coat, so I expect it to show wear with little use.

[@thetexasgunvault]

I hear it does really help the trigger a lot too.

[@danparker6150]

It will also help with the magazine release.

[@ElCineHefe]

Like the 1911, the Hi-Power isn't for everyone. It was designed for men a hundred years ago.

[@thetexasgunvault]

Their shooting style and technique was very different. The 1911 was designed for people riding horses in calvary.

[@ElCineHefe]

@thetexasgunvault One handed shooting. You can do that on a horse or a motorcycle, or just standing.

[@chrisbonnett6783]

Yeah. that plastic sucks. I bought wood grips before the gun got here AND had my gunsmith remove that mag safety. The mag safety is what doesn't allow the mag to drop. It also adds about 1.5 lbs to the trigger pull. You should end up with about a 3.25 trigger after removal.

[@thetexasgunvault]

Good advice! Thank you!

[@fernandomena9413]

Verdaderamente. Es. Una. Joya 💍. Fransesa. De. Bélgica 🇧🇪. Bruselas.

[@thetexasgunvault]

Thank you so much!

[@HSmith-uk9hl]

I have two of the Girsan MC P35 pistols; a two-tone like yours and the Ops. Neither are accurate enough to write home about. The fixed sight model, like yours, shot very low and I filed down the front sight to bring POI to POA at 25 yards. I also removed the mag disconnect and worked on the trigger to give it a nice 4 pound crisp let off. The Ops, OTOH, had different issues including a rear sight blade that rubbed on the slide cutout, preventing it from adjusting properly and a very heavy trigger. Once I addressed the issues, the accuracy just isn't as good as it should be. At 25 yards I can average 3 hits for 5 shots on an 8 inch disk and that's not good. With other pistols I'm 90% or better. The Girsan MC P35 pistols seem to be made of good materials but the tolerances seem looser than they should be for best accuracy. They are better suited for up close targets IMO.

[@thetexasgunvault]

I think your assessment of these are spot on.

[@ziggy71963]

Agreed except I probably would be a little more generous on the rating at the price I paid. This by far the cheapest of the High Power Clones. My trigger isn't nearly that gritty either although it is still bad and the accuracy is kind of perplexing at times. Toying with the idea of making it a project to clean up the trigger and dress it up slightly. Everything is much better done on the Springfield SA35, but it should be at the price point.

[@thetexasgunvault]

I agree

[@123karismith]

5 minute mag disconnect removal and my Girsan MCP35 drops the mags like a race gun. Cost? Nothing.

[@thetexasgunvault]

I am glad you could do that.

[@bernardconeghen]

if you want the mag to come out fast get rid of the mag disconnect did it on a bm 9mm big difference

[@thetexasgunvault]

I agree and I think the owner of this one did after the review.

[@billwhite7015]

The hammer is easily modified to eliminate the bite, and the magazine disconnect is removed in 5 minutes... but of course, I would never recommend that...

[@thetexasgunvault]

That is a lot of work for a gun I want to be able to have those things right out of the box. But you are right.

[@billwhite7015]

It depends on what you call "a lot". I did both jobs on mine in about 20 minutes. And some folks won't need the hammer mod at all.

[@ericsmith5919]

@@thetexasgunvault If you want those things right out of the box, you can always spend $1400 on FN's new high power. $500 + 5 minutes of work is still a hell of a bargain in my book.

[@christianlibrul]

Every Hi Power came with the ring hammer from 1935 until the Mk III came out with the spur hammer in the '80s.

[@thetexasgunvault]

Thanks for the information!