A Shorty Hi-Power Micro 9?
Florida-based European American Armory has a new optics-ready BHP style pistol on the market with a lightweight alloy frame that gives the current micro-compact 9mm game a new darkhorse competitor. The Girsan MCP35 PI LW Match was among a series of new pistols introduced in the first week of October and I got an early look at the gun (they sent me SN 6!) to run it through its paces.
To cut through the background and get to the good stuff, Turkish gunmaker Girsan, working directly with EAA, has developed the MCP35 line over the past couple of years. Essentially starting with direct clones of the post-1980 Browning Mark II/III models (complete with the dreaded magazine-disconnect safety and hammer-bite prone beavertail), they started making more optimized Ops-series rail guns, improved Match guns, and shortened Commander-length PI models– giving the BHP-loving public new things to cheer about.
All ship with Mec-Gar’s excellent 15-round flush-fit BHP mags.
Now, EAA has shifted gears with the MCP35PILW series, an acronym that just rolls off the tongue. Breaking it down, the “PI” references the fact that the new guns have a shorter 3.88-inch barrel and corresponding top end, while the “LW” means it uses a lightweight alloy frame. The weight savings are about a half-pound off the standard-length MCP35 and a quarter pound less than the standard steel-framed PI. It will be available in both an Ops (railed frame) and Match model, offered in either an all-black or two-tone black and tungsten finish.
Length on the MCP35PILW Match is 7.25 inches overall (with almost an inch of that being the beavertail), and we found ours to hit the scales at 23.2 ounces, unloaded. Carry weight, with 15+1 rounds of Federal 124-grain Punch, is 32 ounces flat. Add a second mag for really bad days, and you got a serious carry with some class.
In terms of comparison, the MCP35PILW Match is a very close match to the Springfield Armory Hellcat Pro in terms of length, height, width, weight, and flush-fit magazine capacity. Note the extra length on the shorty Hi-Power is in the beavertail.
Plus, did I mention that it is optics-ready?
More in my column at Guns.com.