Girsan MC P35 Ops at 2030 rounds

I pushed a little on 3 separate range days to get the last 1500 rounds done. I have 4 of the Mec-Gar 15 round magazines, so I would shoot 60 rounds, then load 60 while the gun cooled. I shot mostly steel targets from 15 to 100 yards with a focus on whether or not it would be a gun worthy of carrying.

A couple of times per year I go to classes where we might shoot as many as 500 rounds in a day for 2-3 days in a row. If the gun won’t stand up to that then I cannot dedicate myself to carrying it.

The GHP is certainly reliable enough. I had zero stoppages in that 2030 rounds. I changed only the recoil and firing pin springs at 1000 rounds, primarily due to the 220 rounds of +P Winchester 124 Bonded loads I put through it. Most of those were mixed with random 115 ball and some 147 Winchester T Series.

Ten of the last fifteen rounds were fired at 25 yards. Two rounds in 5 seconds from the ready x 5 repetitions. I took credit for those two high left shots.

The last 5 rounds were Winchester 115gr FMJ at 25 yards. That was a tough group to shoot at the end of a 500 round day.

The screws would have moved during the last range session. They may have caused those two high left shots on the 2 shots 5 times string but I tend to think it was me. In any case they held steady for the last 5 round group.

You can see the side of the optic screw, painted with blue Loc-Tite. This is properly mounted and shows just how thin the Hi Power slide is. This is a micro red dot and I do not know of a smaller footprint. As much as I dislike plates, that may be the right answer for the Hi Power.

It is dirty but nothing is broken. I never cleaned or lubed it after the initial wipe off and lube when taken from the box. It hurt me, too.

You can see slight wear on the front barrel lug recess in the slide and on the slide stop pin where the barrel lug contacts it.

The question for me is, “Would I carry it?” If I wanted to carry a Hi Power, then I would look seriously at one of the Girsan MC P35 Match Ops. That version has iron sights. If I wanted a red dot on it, I would find a company to mill the gun for a plate to accommodate the optic I chose.

The beavertail makes the Hi Power usable for me. The reliability of the gun at a budget price makes it a reasonable choice for a Hi Power lover. Had I a Novak, Karl Sokol, of other beavertail gun on the wall of the safe, then running one of these Girsan’s would be my jam.

If you don’t need the beavertail, then using one of the more classic looking Girsan’s as a beater paired with a carry Springfield SA 35 might be just the ticket. Check out Apex Tactical for trigger group parts for both brands of guns.

For me this gun was a trip down memory lane. I shot some of Steve’s guns and spent some quality time with what would have been close to my answer on all those times when Steve asked me what the perfect carry gun would be.

I usually answered with, “A Mk III Hi Power with a short beavertail, stippling, carry bevel, beveled rear of the left thumb safety, a slight magwell, and a .125 wide front night sight with the factory rear. Of course the mag disconnect would need to go away and have the trigger cleaned up by a competent smith.”

I think Steve would have been happy to see me spend some time with a clone of his beloved Hi Power. He would have still thought it ugly as sin, though!

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