Sometimes a good name is enough to impress me. We’ve all seen the relentless rise of the 2011. It went from a firearm that only a few companies could produce at extremely high prices to a democratized product that just about everyone can make at a range of price points.
If the 2011 is the natural evolution of a 1911 over a hundred-plus years, then what’s the century-long evolution of the Hi-Power? According to SDS Arms and Inglis, it’s the 2035.
The 2011 brought modern capacity to the 1911 platform, but the Hi-Power already arguably always had a fairly modern capacity that got better over the years. So what does the 2035 do differently? Especially when compared to other attempts to modernize the Hi-Power?
Well, to be honest, not a ton. The gun has a rail and an optics cut. I’ll give them credit for including suppressor-height sights to make it truly optics-ready. The gun gets rid of the iconic slide dips and curves of the venerable Hi-Power for a straight slide with lightening cuts.
Is the 2035 For You?
The rail is a single slot, but has a long cut throughout the frame to add a little flair to the design. The slide has very aggressive serrations. The hammer is more oblong than a perfect ring, and the trigger is now flat. Magazines drop free, and a slightly extended beavertail protects you from hammer bite.
The 2035 features a massive slide stop and large ambidextrous safeties as well. The trigger feels quite nice. It’s surprisingly crisp, and there’s thankfully no magazine disconnect.
On the frame, we get G10 grips with an aggressive texture. The front and backstraps are also aggressive and quite grippy in the hand. The grip has a pronounced palm swell that feels good and encourages that nice high grip on the gun. Magazine capacity is 15 rounds according to the mag in the gun.
There have been a lot of modern incarnations of the Hi-Power. Girsan has done a railed and optics model too. The big differences come down to the flat trigger, extended controls, and the slight redesign of the slide and frame. It’s certainly not for everyone, but call me at least 2035 curious.