Nearly five years ago, Springfield Armory introduced us to the SA-35 pistol, and it became an immediate “must have” for enthusiasts. It quickly established itself as the best-in-class modern production model of the legendary John Moses Browning P-35 pistol.
I was one of the fortunate writers to get an early copy of the gun and test it thoroughly. I purchased my test copy, and have purchased more of them since. Why? Because the SA-35 is much more than just a faithful recreation of a timeless sidearm design — it’s a viable everyday handgun capable of providing reliable and accurate protection that meets today’s expectations.
On the more subjective side of that, it is also wonderfully ergonomic and easy to operate — and a natural pointer. Long before the word “ergonomic” was batted about in every paragraph of every marketing campaign, John Moses Browning understood its meaning and its value to hand tools.
And at the end of the day, a handgun is just a hand tool. Simple controls that are intuitive and easily operated, combined with lines and curves that blend into the human hand naturally, means you have a design that works instinctively and naturally. You know, that instinctive “sights on target” angle that feels as natural as pointing your finger.
Oh, and did I mention accurate? Yeah — it’s “ragged hole group” accurate.
New Look in a Solid Line-Up
Last year, Springfield Armory introduced two new color variants to the line of SA-35 pistols, the Tactical Gray and Coyote Brown finishes. These new colors added a freshness to the lineup and something to consider in addition to “basic black”. I reviewed those here at The Armory Life and even purchased a Tactical Gray model for myself.
And here we are now, entering 2026, and Springfield Armory is poised to present yet another — and perhaps the most exciting — finish option for the SA-35. This pistol is the Polished Blued SA-35, and it features a highly burnished and reflective finish reminiscent of those wonderful blued handguns of decades past.
I don’t think anything quite embodies the nostalgia and history of gunmaking quite like a dark polished finish. It harkens to a time when heirlooms were crafted by artisans, thoughtfully purchased to be used as essential tools, and then handed down to future generations.
It can be said that the quality of a man’s tools will indicate his skill and dedication to his craft. I can remember watching my dad in his gunsmith shop, cleaning and caring for his hand tools with every bit as much attention as the firearms he used them on. This polished SA-35 takes me to that place.
Using the analogy again that a handgun is truly just a hand tool, this is a pistol made by toolmakers for people who appreciate nice tools.
History and Design
Not everyone is familiar with the history of the P-35 handgun or with its specs and designed function, so let’s get everyone up to speed.
As mentioned in the opening, this handgun was the brainchild of legendary firearms engineer and inventor John Moses Browning. It was essentially commissioned work, requested by the French military nearly a century ago.
Among the criteria laid out by the French, the pistol had to be compact in size for ease of carry by soldiers; needed a capacity of at least 10 rounds; and needed to have an external hammer, manual safety and magazine disconnect. It was also imperative that it be field-friendly, meaning that easy disassembly and reassembly for cleaning and basic maintenance was critical.
The French also insisted it be capable of lethal results at a minimum of 50 meters. The caliber was not specifically required to be 9mm, but was spec’d to require a minimum of 0.35” diameter and a velocity of at least 1,100 fps with a 120-gr. bullet. Well, if that doesn’t sound like the boilerplate for 9mm, I don’t know what does!
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And so, work on the design began but was not completed by John Moses Browning before his death. It was later completed by engineers based on his original specifications and designs.
The pistol was built using a tilting-barrel recoil-operated system, and featured a staggered magazine to accommodate 13-rounds of ammunition. The pistol is a single-action-only type with semi-automatic action. It was considered at the time to be one of the best-designed handguns ever made — and many people today still hold it that same high regard.
But That Shine!
While the original SA-35 featured an attractive matte-black finish, this new model takes a different — and even more classic — approach with its polished finish. If you’re not accustomed to high-polish finishes, you’ll amaze yourself at how differently it looks simply by turning the gun at an angle or rolling it over in your hand.
Even a change in light from room to room or going outdoors can make it appear altogether different. Pitch black and glossy one moment, then a look of shiny silver the next. And because the SA-35 has such nuanced lines and curves, you’ll often see a combination of these attributes simultaneously. It takes a confident gunmaker to apply this finish to his work because it will show every little blemish or imperfection to the substrate.
Another often misunderstood property of a high gloss finish is grip. For many, it is counterintuitive to think that something so smooth would offer a better grip to the hand than something with a more porous finish, but that is exactly the case.
Don’t believe me? Try this simple experiment. Extend you four fingers straight and lay them on the surface of your smartphone. Using just a mild downforce, try to slide your fingers across the surface. Even if you hold the phone in place, you’ll feel the grip you have. Now try that same thing on a surface that has a matte or textured finish. You’ll immediately learn that human skin does a great job of gripping smooth surfaces — the smoother the better.
While shooting the Polished Blued SA-35, this really became apparent to me in a way it hadn’t in the past. Most of the high-gloss handguns I have are revolvers with a completely different dynamic in the hand. But the smooth front- and backstraps of the SA-35 didn’t feel like they moved at all in my hand.
As for the practical aspects of this newest SA-35, it is in every way equal to the Springfield Armory quality to which I’m accustomed. The Tactical Rack sights (made up of a white dot front and a Tactical Rack rear unit with light diffusing serrations) are certainly an upgrade over the legacy design, and perhaps do more to modernize the pistol than any other element. And yet, they blend into and belong as part of the design perfectly. They also make a great sight picture and make the SA-35 easy to keep on target.
Combined with the 4.7” cold hammer forged barrel, the pistol is consistently accurate. Standing 13 yards from my target and shooting off-hand with Remington UMC 115-gr. ball ammo, I was able to put 18 out of 20 shots into about a 1 ½” ragged-hole group. The two exceptions were only about ¼” outside that hole. That’s shootability that I can embrace all day long
Conclusion
This new burnished finish version of Springfield’s popular SA-35 is bound to turn heads. But it is far from just another pretty face. It’s a shooter!
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