Since FN made the decision to cease production of the Hi Power in 2019, citing lagging sales, the floodgates appeared to open on new clones of the venerable combat pistol. New to the scene, SDS/Military Armaments Corp (now, that sounds sinister) decided to throw their offering in with a clone of something different, the actual vintage L9A1 sidearm of the British Royal Army and about a dozen more nations who used the type.
According to their presentation at SHOT Show, it’s based on the MkIII Hi Power, it has identical dovetails, but crucially, it has two significant differences from other clones currently on the market: it has a lanyard loop and the magazine disconnect is conspicuously absent.
First glance, it looks like something you’d see pulled from the rocks and mud of the Falklands, the sands of Aden, or the deserts of Israel. You know those 1911s that are repros of WW2 and Korean War-era guns? Same aesthetic. This is targeted at people who want that aesthetic, but they don’t want to sell a kidney for something they’re too scared to pull out of their gun safe.
In other words, somebody like me.
Now, admittedly, my experiences with Hi Power clones recently hasn’t been good. I was never happier to be rid of a gun than the day I sold my Girsan MCP35. It was quite possibly one of the worst experiences I’ve ever had with a pistol.
This experience has been different. Out of the box you get more for less. The pistol comes with the standard ugly black plastic grips that the British were so oddly fond of, a a cleaning brush, and not one, but two Mec-Gar 15-round magazines.
The finish of the pistol is nitride, not Cerakoted, thank Heaven. It has the same finish as an OEM Glock slide, which is much more eye-pleasing to me. Magazines drop completely free thanks to the lack of a disconnect, and the safety is a bit mushy, but it does its job and stays put. My MCP35 jingled like a set of car keys out of the box, but the L9A1 has good, tight lockup of the slide and frame with very little ‘G.I. rattle’. It feels like better quality manufacturing, at least until the lanyard ring popped out while I was swapping out the ugly black plastic for wood grips. The sights are typically mediocre BHP sights, so those will be replaced at some point with Meprolight Tru-Dots.
On to the range experience. I picked it up from my FFL and went straight to the firing line. I didn’t clean it, I didn’t lube it. It had the shipping oil still on it and simply wiped the outside down and loaded it up.
Much, MUCH more consistent than the Girsan ever thought about being. Granted both the L9A1 and the MCP35 were rock solid reliable, the Inglis clone was much more consistent about shot placement. It was every bit as accurate as my Gen 5 G19, and with a much better trigger that averaged between 4.5-5 pounds. Essentially, the G19 is just simply an evolution of a combat sidearm like the L9A1. Sure the G19 is lighter and I’m marginally more accurate with it than I was with the Inglis, but does it have the same look? Is it as sexy? Not even sort of.
The Inglis L9A1 clone just oozes charm and eye appeal. It is fun to shoot, accurate, and I think it makes a great addition to a home defense plan. It’s light enough to carry, honestly, but I don’t know if I plan to do that.
I really wound up liking it and I think I’ve finally found a BHP that is fun, affordable, and I can run the tar out of it without worrying about it losing resale value since it doesn’t really have any. I recommend picking one of these up if you can get your hands on it.
