The new Springfield Armory 4″ SA-35 is here and multi-time world and national shooting champion Julie Golob delivers a full review of the gun. The compact handgun combines old-world elegance with modern amenities, all with a 15-round magazine. The company provided the gun to the author for review.
There’s just something about it. The way it makes you stop and stare. Like an old 1935 Ford Model 50 pickup that pulls up next to you on the first warm day of spring, it immediately grabs your attention. Beautifully restored, paint gleaming in the sunshine in a color with a luster you just don’t see anymore, the vehicle is delightfully analog with its svelte curves.
You can’t help but smile at the driver, an older gent who nods back. He knows how you feel and also how lucky he is to be behind the wheel of this classic beauty. You can’t help but want to take it for a spin, too.
I saw this same exact reaction time and time again at SHOT Show this year, as I watched numerous attendees handle Springfield Armory’s lineup of SA-35 pistols. Just like a kit car or restomod offers ways to access modern features in nostalgic designs, the SA-35 breathes life into a classic through a detailed set of well-considered and modern upgrades.
Now the SA-35 family has a new member, one with a 4” barrel and an interesting tie to the past.
Be sure to also read Rob Garrett’s review of the full-size SA-35.
My Connection to the SA-35
I am a huge fan of the SA-35 pistol and have a history with its inspiration. As a young girl very interested in practical shooting, my father knew that choosing the right pistol to begin the journey was critical. If it were a handgun with too much recoil, I wouldn’t enjoy shooting. On the other hand, if it were one with too large a grip for my small hands, I would struggle reaching the trigger and magazine release button. In an era before 1911’s in 9mm had really hit their stride, my father chose a P.35-pattern pistol for my initial foray into competition.
While my dad and his large hands struggled with the hammer pinching the web of his grip of this old pistol, I immediately fell in love with the pistol. Shooting soft 9mm loads out of the steel-framed model helped me focus on how to press the trigger without flinching. I didn’t have to stretch to reach the trigger and learned how to hit my first A’s on USPSA/IPSC targets. In addition, I could rack the slide, use the slide stop and hit the mag button consistently, building a foundation of safe gun handling skills. Though I only used it for a short time, the P.35 pistol became the catalyst for me to enjoy the shooting sports.
However, admittedly, those early guns did have some baggage. As noted, the design was known for “hammer bite” issues. In addition, it had a magazine disconnect safety that adversely affected the quality of its trigger pull. Combine that with often thick grip panels, small sights and in some cases the use of steels that did not lend themselves to a long service life for the pistol, and you had a frustrating yet simultaneously charming design.
Springfield Armory: A New Player
That was 35 years ago, and a lot has changed since then. Specifically, Springfield Armory has entered the arena. Springfield has a long track record of offering classic designs for modern shooters (just take a look at their extensive 1911 and M1A lines, and you’ll see exactly what I mean).
So, I was understandably excited when Springfield first offered their own version of the P.35 design in the SA-35 pistol. While at first glance it looks just like the original, it has a whole host of subtle but significant upgrades and modernizations of the classic platform.
For example, the hammer design has been recontoured with improved geometry to reduce the risk of “hammer bite”. Additionally, the pistol features no magazine disconnect (like all of Springfield’s other pistol offerings), which allows them to offer a much-improved trigger pull. Add to that an increased magazine capacity of 15 rounds (over the original’s 13), upgraded sights with a Tactical Rack serrated rear and white dot front, ergonomically contoured walnut grip panels, and forged steel construction (as well as a cold-hammer forged barrel), and you have a notably appealing take on the original design.
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Since its introduction in late 2021, Springfield has expanded the SA-35 line with numerous new variants. These include the original matte blue finish and walnut grips model, as well as Cerakote Tactical Gray and Coyote Brown models with G10 grips. Even more recently, the company added a polished blue version with walnut grips that really call back to the classic guns of the early days of the design. However, they all had one thing in common — they were all standard configuration models with a 4.7” barrel.
SA-35 4″ Specifications
| Chambering | 9mm |
| Barrel | 4″ |
| Weight | 29.8 oz. |
| Overall Length | 7.1″ |
| Sights | Tactical Rack serrated rear, white dot front |
| Grips | Checked walnut |
| Action | Single-action |
| Finish | Black |
| Capacity | 15+1 (one magazine included) |
| MSRP | $799 |
Taking on the Case
However, it’s this newest version that really has me excited. While the P.35’s format has been mostly unchanged in the nearly 100 years it has been around, there was one unique version available for a few years several decades back that was very interesting. Known as the “Detective” model, this P.35 variant featured a compact slide on a full-size frame and was very popular despite its limited numbers. The 4” SA-35 is very reminiscent of that interesting pistol.
If you are familiar with the original SA-35, you’ll know all the basics of this newest SA-35. Forged steel construction, cold-hammer forged barrel, improved ergonomics, 15-round capacity, and a beautiful combination of attractive checkered walnut grips and a matte blue finish.
In this shorter configuration, the newest SA-35 prioritizes concealment and faster holster clearance, and not just from old-school shoulder rigs and pancake holsters, either. I distinctly remember the challenge of learning how to draw out my Yaqui-style slide holster with the 4.7” barrel in my early practical shooting competition years. This shorter version makes the draw that much smoother and faster out of the holster. The handling characteristics are also very nice, with it balancing well and pointing very quickly.
Range Time with the 4″ SA-35
As with the original SA-35, the sights also offer a modern upgrade with the serrated rear and white dot front sight. The rear sight’s wider, U-shaped notch is designed for speed, and I enjoyed pushing my times on steel. Even with the easy-to-read defensive design, I had no issue shooting sub-2” groups consistently with a variety of loads. As a brand ambassador for Federal Ammunition, I chose three American Eagle offerings in 115, 124 and 147 grains, using a bag rest at 15 yards. I also shot a group with Federal’s 124-gr. Hydra-Shok, coming in at 1.5”.
Shooting five shots out of each load over a Labradar Chronograph, the American Eagle loads all met the minimum power factor requirements for practical and defensive shooting sports in 9mm. The 115-gr. round nose was the softest shooting of the bunch, coming in at 131.47 power factor. Comparing the 124-gr. target ammo with defensive rounds, this time I used Federal’s HST, and it averaged 150 fps faster.
After spending time with the Echelon 4.0FC over the winter (which has a full-size grip frame combined with a compact slide), I noticed both similarities and differences between the Echelon and this SA-35. Both pistols with their 4” barrels offer faster-feeling recoil. The sights lift quickly, and just as quickly snap back on target. For the 4” SA-35, that’s aided by the full-length guide rod and tapered slide for a rapid cycle feel.
Both firearms also transition well in how the shorter barrels make them easy to drive from target to target. Where the Echelon is modern and purpose-built from steel and polymer with the kind of attention to detail resulting from decades of professional insight and experience, the 4” SA-35 represents a model designed for hard use from a different time, an era of steel and wood — albeit being equally as effective.
Hands-On
The SA-35’s checkered walnut wood grips provide texture to keep the hands from slipping under recoil. They complement the deep matte blue on the slide and frame, sweeping away for a contoured, almost custom look. The grip feels rounded and fills the hand in all the right places.
Just as I remembered, despite using a double-stack mag, the grip is still slim enough that the mag release button is easily accessible for me. I don’t have to significantly adjust my grip to hit the button. With its low-profile design for carry, the button’s delicate checkering keeps the thumb from slipping off during a mag change. As noted, the magazines have also been redesigned. Where the original P.35 mags held 13, Springfield has increased capacity by two, for a total of 15 rounds. The pistol can still accept original-pattern magazines, though.
I also noted the effects of the lack of a magazine disconnect safety. After five pulls on my digital trigger scale, the trigger averaged 4.34 lbs. With a curve not unlike the graceful fender on Ford’s Model 50, the SA-35 trigger hugs the finger. With a small amount of take-up at the front, the metal-on-metal hammer and sear movement feels extremely smooth. It has a delicate roll that I enjoyed during slow presses, but didn’t hinder my ability to shoot quickly.
Like its siblings, the SA-35’s loop hammer offers more clearance to avoid pinching the web of the hand compared to the original P.35. My grip has improved dramatically over these 35 years, and even with a high, thumbs-forward grip, shooting from a rested position, free-style, and one-handed, I had no issues with the dreaded hammer bite.
Metal-frame guns often weigh more than polymer options. Fully loaded with 15+1 of 147-gr. HST, the SA-35 weighs 38.4 ounces on my scale. Compared to the Echelon 4.0FC with two extra rounds in the 17-round mag at 33.8 ounces, the SA-5 weighs 4.6 ounces more. The balance is also slightly different. Where modern pistols boast a blocky look with sharp corners, the SA-35’s profile, with its rounder profile, is both classic and elegant. All in all, it holds its own against polymer quite well for being based on a nearly century-old design.
Shooting this pistol was a joy and brought back many fond memories. Perhaps my favorite functional upgrade from the predecessor is the redesigned thumb safety. It’s extremely smooth, and the larger paddle mimics that of a 1911. This makes it much easier to ride with a high grip, something I struggled with as a young shooter on the P.35. Manipulating the safety is no issue, and as a bonus, the wider paddle helped me to maintain a consistent, high grip.
Final Thoughts About the 4″ Springfield SA-35
At an MSRP of $799, the 4” SA-35 offers something very unique. It is a modern take on a classic design that combines the best of the modern with that of the traditional. In addition, its shorter barrel length gives today’s shooters a chance to own their own version of one of the rarer variants of the original design.
Combine that with its exceptional handling and shooting characteristics, and you have a pistol you can appreciate for its own special qualities, modern upgrades, as well as its allure from days gone by. Chances are, when you take one to the range, you’ll also feel like that gentleman behind the wheel of that classic pickup, and it will turn heads, too.
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