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Trigger job for Springfield AS35

From what I've read (several reviews), the SA-35 comes through with a crisp @5# trigger pull. Those of us who have been shooting P35s for years would have killed for such a trigger. I put a certain amount of work into getting mine down to the 5# neighborhood (down from about 12#). Personally, I consider a crisp 5# trigger to be just about ideal for a defensive 1911, P35, or other single-action automatic. Much lighter could be problematic in a couple different ways.
 
One of the idiodyncracies of the Browning Hi Power is it is a very difficult pistol to do a safe trigger job on due to the mechanical linkage required to transfer the trigger motion to the sear.

I highly recommend that you do not attempt to lighten the trigger pull unless you have a professional pistolsmith who really knows how to do a trigger job on a Browning Hi Power do it, which may include replacing the hammer, sear, and springs.

Note that a lot of aftermarket "drop in" hammer/sear kits will technically drop in, and may still give you a terrible trigger pull. They really do need to be fit by a skilled BHP gunsmith to be more than marginally useful. There are several aftermarket trigger kits that may be made to work better than others.

One critical issue is the original Factory BHP hammers & sears are investment cast. Both parts are basically just surface hardened and once you wear through that, it's time to replace. If an unskilled gunsmith files through the surface hardening then things go "south".

I don't recall SA disclosing how their internals are made either investment cast or forged. However, in the BHSS SA35 video evaluation series they tested the "hardness" of the whole gun, and discovered that the internals were softer than an original FN BHP.

That being said, make sure to NOT use a hardened hammer (aftermarket) with a softer sear. In the BHP design the sear and hammer work together, and a harder hammer will round out a softer sear.

For a carry BHP going below 4.5 lbs. is likely not a good idea.
 
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Snake45 said:
From what I've read (several reviews), the SA-35 comes through with a crisp @5# trigger pull. Those of us who have been shooting P35s for years would have killed for such a trigger. I put a certain amount of work into getting mine down to the 5# neighborhood (down from about 12#). Personally, I consider a crisp 5# trigger to be just about ideal for a defensive 1911, P35, or other single-action automatic. Much lighter could be problematic in a couple different ways.
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Thank you, I needed a second opinion on a 3 pound trigger
 
Talyn said:
One of the idiodyncracies of the Browning Hi Power is it is a very difficult pistol to do a safe trigger job on due to the mechanical linkage required to transfer the trigger motion to the sear.

I highly recommend that you do not attempt to lighten the trigger pull unless you have a professional pistolsmith who really knows how to do a trigger job on a Browning Hi Power do it, which may include replacing the hammer, sear, and springs.

For a carry BHP going below 4.5 lbs. is likely not a good idea.
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Thank you. By the way I am an experienced pistolsmith but are not sure of the specifics on the new Springfield.
 
slchristensen said:
Thank you. By the way I am an experienced pistolsmith but are not sure of the specifics on the new Springfield.
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If you work with the OEM trigger mechanism of the SA35, which seems to be a slight deviation from the original, I would look at what SA did vs. the orginal mechanism.

Also, I'd contact the folks at BHSpringSolutions.com for advice.
 
I had a gunsmith put a C&S BHP trigger kit into a Mk. II I had but he didn't know what he was doing.

When I relocated I found a gunsmith who had alot of experience with BHPs and he was able to improve the C&S kit to my satisfaction.

My current Mk. III (an Israeli contract gun) has a fantastic factory trigger so I won't mess with that.

BTW - pre-94 Mk.III BHPs weren't intended to be a high-round count pistol without regular TLC/parts replacement/rebuilds. Time will tell with the SA-35.

Modern designs are better for high round count use.

Stephen Camps' website is a good source of BHP info.

 
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Note: JMB had to basically circumvent all of his own/Colt's patents for the 1911 when designing the two prototypes (before he died) for FN.

He couldn't use any of the 1911 lockwork (sear, hammer, trigger). So his new FCG setup was a bit bizarre. It uses a bar in the slide to trip the sear to drop the hammer, which means if the slide/frame fit isn't fairly tight, a LOT of slop and play get into the trigger pull as the trigger tries to push up on the bar in the slide.

Note #2: Firing pin retaining plate is another idiodyncracy and tends to crack with high round use. BHSS found that SA made their same part "softer" to address that wear factor.
 
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this is quite an interesting thread.

at the range i go to, a young RSO who has been shooting since he was a kid, has like 8 Browning Hi Power, and his dad has like 10, and all of these are going back to if i recall what he said, the mid 1960's and earlier.. he shot my SA 35, and found the trigger to be very sweet, even BETTER that all the Hi Powers he and his dad own.

of course now he wants an SA 35, as soon as either the range can get hold of another one, or he goes to another LGS and buys one, albeit, with out his company discount.
 
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