I'm posting about this gun because it almost flew under my radar, and it is now my best EDC gun to date.
Unlike the recent clones that stopped at removing the magazine disconnect and adding a few superficial features EAA finally fixed the 100-year-old design to make this the best Hi Power out there and a perfect EDC gun.
You get an all-metal gun finally in aluminum, so it weighs almost identical to the Sheild Plus I replaced but with +2 capacity and you don't have to do the pinky dance to reload an extended magazine on a shortened grip. Its Single Action Only (SAO), red dot ready (and what gun Amish guy still isn't running red dots on their pistols in 2023?), a Commander-like length which helps with both the weigh and carry, a flat trigger that doesn't pinch, and best of all with a factory full-sized beaver tail so no more hammer bite all for the price of a polymer pistol.
The stuff that isn't really a negative but more my observations are it comes with a fiber optic front sight, great when running irons but I prefer a night sight when running a red (well green in my case) dot so I don't have two bright dots when I bring the gun up. Also the ambi-safety is good and easy to flip off but you can't ride it like a 1911. It takes some effort to get it back on which is a good thing while shooting but just a note.
The not good, the forward slide stop that plagues all Hi Powers is still there but you can grind it flush so you are less likely to engage it with your support hand when not intending to, but this is all Hi Powers so not a ding on the very well made EAA gun.
I have been carrying this gun daily for about a month and it is barely noticeable with 15 rounds on hand and in common drills I have found I shoot it slightly faster/more accurately than my Sheild Plus. Reliability is outstanding, it ate every weird round I could find to load in it. It's not a 2011 but it's not meant to be an enormous 35+ ounce gun so that's an inappropriate comparison I see some people trying to make. Also, I went without a rail, while I prefer a weapon mounted light when shooting in low light I tend to sacrifice it on a carry gun for weight and will have to rely on the handheld light I already carry daily for other tasks.
If you have been considering a Hi Power but never could get over the original's many many flaws, this might just be your time!
Unlike the recent clones that stopped at removing the magazine disconnect and adding a few superficial features EAA finally fixed the 100-year-old design to make this the best Hi Power out there and a perfect EDC gun.
You get an all-metal gun finally in aluminum, so it weighs almost identical to the Sheild Plus I replaced but with +2 capacity and you don't have to do the pinky dance to reload an extended magazine on a shortened grip. Its Single Action Only (SAO), red dot ready (and what gun Amish guy still isn't running red dots on their pistols in 2023?), a Commander-like length which helps with both the weigh and carry, a flat trigger that doesn't pinch, and best of all with a factory full-sized beaver tail so no more hammer bite all for the price of a polymer pistol.
The stuff that isn't really a negative but more my observations are it comes with a fiber optic front sight, great when running irons but I prefer a night sight when running a red (well green in my case) dot so I don't have two bright dots when I bring the gun up. Also the ambi-safety is good and easy to flip off but you can't ride it like a 1911. It takes some effort to get it back on which is a good thing while shooting but just a note.
The not good, the forward slide stop that plagues all Hi Powers is still there but you can grind it flush so you are less likely to engage it with your support hand when not intending to, but this is all Hi Powers so not a ding on the very well made EAA gun.
I have been carrying this gun daily for about a month and it is barely noticeable with 15 rounds on hand and in common drills I have found I shoot it slightly faster/more accurately than my Sheild Plus. Reliability is outstanding, it ate every weird round I could find to load in it. It's not a 2011 but it's not meant to be an enormous 35+ ounce gun so that's an inappropriate comparison I see some people trying to make. Also, I went without a rail, while I prefer a weapon mounted light when shooting in low light I tend to sacrifice it on a carry gun for weight and will have to rely on the handheld light I already carry daily for other tasks.
If you have been considering a Hi Power but never could get over the original's many many flaws, this might just be your time!
