I have my first Girsan ordered up this morning. I’ve had an FN made 1961 Argentine Internal Security Division contract for years and love it. I did replace the factory safety with an extended Cylinder and Slide model as well as remove the magazine safety. Yes, I kept the original parts. Only thing is that the internal extractors are harder to come by and expensive when you do so it doesn’t see as much use now.
My current shooter is a Springfield SA35 and she’s a great successor to my original FN. It came with the better safety, the magazine safety is already removed, and the sights are far better than the skinny blade of the original. Not all is perfect though. The tang isn’t as rounded on the edges like the original. Not a big problem but you know it’s there. The other thing I didn’t like and changed out was the grips. The factory SA35 grips are not bad and provide a good grip but it’s just the aesthetics that bother me. They just don’t look quite right so I replaced them with a set of original French walnut grips.
This morning I ordered a Girsan MC P35PI for something a little different with the shorter barrel and slide. My Tisas 1911 pistols have been great so why not give another Turkish gunmaker a chance and see how they stack up to my FN and Springfield. I already know I’ll be removing that magazine safety too and I’ve never been a big fan of the MK III grips either so I’ll be swapping those out too.