New Inglis P-35 CCH vs FN Browning Hi Power

44caliberkid

New member
If you are a Browning Hi Power fan you have likely heard of the Inglis Hi Power pistols. They were made in Canada, under license from FN, from 1944 - 46. A short read, detailed history of the pistols produced by John Inglis & Co. can be found here: https://athlonoutdoors.com/article/inglis-hi-power-pistols/
This year the Inglis name was bought and resurrected by SDS Imports.
https://sdsimports.com/
They are importers of Tisas and other Turkish made pistols, rifles and shotguns. The Turks have been making a P-35 Hi Power clone for a year or so, and SDS appropriated the Inglis name for those pistols. In March I was at the Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, PA. and saw their Hi Power clone at their booth. They had one in full color case hardened finish and it was a beauty, I fell in love. I checked them out again at the NRA Conventiion, this time they had two in CCH finish, still gorgeous. Initially it was going to be a limited production item, but the response was overwhelming. 50% of the customers expressing an interest in buying one wanted the CCH finish.
I put my local GS on the trail to get me one ASAP. It took a couple months but my dealer found one. Price was $650. And the production version is as nice as the show pieces.
Turkish guns like Canik and Tisas tend to come in very nice cases, hard plastic, dense foam with cut outs for the pistol and accessories and lots of extra goodies like magazines, cleaning rod and bore brush and any tools you might need. The new Inglis P-35 came with two Mecgar 15 round magazines.
For testing I decided to do a side by side comparison with my 1966 FN Browning Hi Power, which has been worked over by that famous Hi Power gunsmith located in the Midwest. It had their function package, mag safety removed, and high visibility aftermarket sights installed. I have one original FN Browning 13 round mag and 3 more Mecgar magazines.
I tested trigger pull with a Lyman spring loaded trigger pull gauge. The new Inglis broke at 6 lbs. Surprisingly, the Browning pulled 6.5 lbs. Both feel somewhat lighter in use, I guess the point being they are nearly identical. The Inglis had crunchy, metallic take up before hammer fall. The Browning has no take up, just press and bang. After 100 rounds the Inglis was more of a two stage trigger, take up slack till it makes a click, then press to fire. Both pistols have a long reset, just inherent in the design I guess.
I used a bunch of different factory ammo and one handload for testing. Federal red box 115 gr. , Winchester NATO 124 gr., Blazer Brass 124 gr., Blazer Brass 115 gr., and Fiocchi cheap 115 grain. My handload was an unknown 124 gr. JHP over Power Pistol powder.
All shooting was done rested on the bench, at 25 yards. I fired 10 shot groups. Both pistols performed equally but favored different ammo. Neither gun liked the Federal, spraying them in no particular pattern all over and around the 8 inch circle. The Inglis favored Winchester NATO, keeping all shots within the circle with some nice tight clusters of four or five holes with 2 inches of each other. The original Browning liked Blazer Brass 124 grain. The Fiocchi ammo performed terribly, point of impact was high, clear out of the 8 inch circle and scattered left to right. My handload duplicated the best of the factory ammo.
I wish I could say both guns were flawless, but there was a couple minor problems. The Inglis pistol had the slide lock engage 4 times in the first 100 rounds. It wasn’t fully engaged in the slot, just enough to catch the slide and a quick poke on the release had it back in action. To be fair, my worked over Browning has that company’s extended slide release, and it also would engage during shooting for about 200 rounds or so after I got it back. Could be that it fixes itself with some break in. After accuracy testing I fired two 15 round mags as fast as I could aim and pull the trigger, then repeated that. There were no FTF or FTE’s in the Inglis pistol throughout testing. Oddly, the last two mags I fired in the Browning failed to eject the last shot empty, leaving it laying in the chamber on top of the magazine follower.
In conclusion, I love the case hardened finish on the Inglis pistol. The rep from SDS said it was real CCH, not a treatment or coating, but who knows if he really knows. The Turkish walnut grips are beautiful too. Performance wise, it is the equal to my real FN Browning. I’m very happy with the new pistol.
 

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The P35 is a great design and was the gun John Browning was working on when he passed away. I have more than a few of them and one of my favorite shooters is a Yost Custom practical High Power I obtained years ago. For $650 it appears to be a great gun and good bargain.
 
While the finish is striking, it will not hold up well at all.
That was a concern of mine. It won’t see holster carry so will spend most of its time in the box except for shooting. I asked the factory rep about that and he said if something happens to it, send it back and they’ll fix it. The CCH finish on my Cimarrons does see holster wear as well as lots of black powder cartridge shooting and it is still looking good. Even old guns with real CCH fade in time, just the nature of the beast. I’ll be dead before it’s too far gone.
 
Very nice looking finish on that. Every Turkish copy of the BHP I have looked at has appeared to have great build quality but working the slide they feel under sprung to me relative to a BHP or SA gun.

Maybe it's just me...
 
Good write-up...are you saying that with most ammunition tried, you were getting ~5-8" groups, rested at 25 yds? Rod
 
Yes, for 10 shot groups, however I did say that I was getting 4 - 5 holes within 2 inches, but always had other fliers. I pointed out the Browning wasn’t doing any better. I was somewhat disappointed, especially when I read a review of the SA-35 and that author claimed 2 inch groups at 25 with 15 shots. Although I can’t imagine that wouldn’t be just one ragged hole. My Canik, Taurus PT99, and two Helwan Brigadier’s all shoot honest 2 1/2 inch groups. I’ll give it another try next week and see if I can do better. I was doing a few things different than I usually do, using a new Caldwell pistol rest instead of a bag, and sighting with my left eye, because I see the sights clearer with that one. I’ll go back to my usual method.
 
n I read a review of the SA-35 and that author claimed 2 inch groups at 25 with 15 shots. Although I can’t imagine that wouldn’t be just one ragged hole.

Was there a picture of that wonderful group? Or just a written claim?

15 shots of 9mm in a 2 inch group would almost have to be one ragged hole, with possibly a single outlier or two.

5 shots of .45 acp in one ragged hole can be 2-2.5". I've DONE that, personally.

I've examined an SA-35, very well done, ought to shoot very well, but 15 shots in 2 inches at 25 yds seem a bit much, even from a rest. Not saying it is impossible, only that I don't think most people could do it.
 
That author must be one great shot. From a rest, on a good day with my SA-35 I've been able to do 5 shots in 2" at 15 yards. With a BarSto barrel installed, groups tightened up a bit. But 15 shots in 2" at 25 is still way beyond my ability. I realize some are much better shots though. When I was younger, I could do 5 shots in 2" at 25. But that is a rare feat for me now days. In my case, it is definitely the Indian, not the arrow;)
 
That has a really attractive finish. John Browning was working on the P35 before he passed away, and it's a fantastic design.
 
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