Hi Point Firearm

[tyusclan]

My son-in-law bought one in .45.

I've shot it several times and actually like it. Yes, it's big and bulky, but I have big hands anyway, so that's not a problem. I probably wouldn't want one for self-defense, but then again they're too big for CCW anyway.

If you want an inexpensive, fun to shoot gun with a great warranty you can't beat it.

 

[haggis]

And don't forget last generation's ugly plastic pistol.

These things are bringing upwards of $600 these days. New cost in the mid-80's was ~$170.

Times and tastes change.


Buck

 

[Zilmo]

Enough said.....

Is that a Glock?

 

[badam0112]

Very popular in the south side of chicago, Englewood, Pilsen, Back of the Yards, etc. I think the directions say you have to hold them sideways when shooting out of a car window, they make a special holster for carring the gun when wearing pants around your knees, also they come with a coupon for a free 40 0z.

LOL plus they make great paper weights.

 

[G-Mac]

A guy that I know has a Hi-Point Carbine in .40 S&W. I looked it over and the first thing that popped into my mind was "what a piece of crap".

This guy deserves to own it though...the guy that sold it to him told him that it shot ".40 caliber and .38 Special".

He believed that and got pissed off at me when I told him that wasn't possible.

 

[gregintenn]

I haven't fired one, but they have all the handling characteristics and looks of a cordless drill.

 

[Zilmo]

I haven't fired one, but they have all the handling characteristics and looks of a cordless drill.

Being pretty hard on cordless drills aren't you?

 

[GatorFarmer]

Aside from quasi racial prejudices that some seem to harbor about affordable guns for the poor and very poor alike - there actually are a few points to be aware of if considering purchasing a Hi Point.

Take down - the directions suggest not doing it. Swab it out with a bore snake and send it back when that isn't enough.

Warranty - no call tag service, you foot the bill. But they generally give you a free spare mag for your trouble.

Operation - all Hi Points are blowbacks in calibers not traditionally associated with such

Break in period - some people claim guns that work out of the box, others say 500 rounds or more are needed

Ergonomics - maybe not so good

Carrying with a round in the chamber - probably a bad idea

Shrug. Lots of people are satisfied. I don't have one. That Lorcin .25 that I traded a couple boxes of ammo for... that works fine with FMJs. Go figure. And it's generally considered several notches below a Hi Point.

If you want a pistol caliber carbine, the Hi Point isn't the worst choice. If you want a beater handgun, a Sigma is a better choice if you're at all able to afford the extra money.

 

[EdnAZ]

I wouldn't own one but I've seen a few people no longer on this earth partially because of them.

 

[Rock77]

Another thought on the High Point

Regarding the High Point here are my observations. Both my son and a good shooting buddy own High Points, two 9mm and one .45 caliber between them. I have shot all of the guns and have yet to observe any misfires or failures of any kind. They all seem to be able to group with combat accuracy and for this type of weapon that is good enough.

My son and my buddy bought them with the express purpose of having an inexpensive firearm that if in the worse case there was a need to protect themselves and would have a gun confiscated that if it never was returned would be a small loss. In California when any firearm that is used in a shooting regardless of how justified will likely result in the permanent loss of that weapon should probably encourage me to purchase one for myself.

My son has some very nice handguns but would sure hate to lose one due to confiscation so decided to try the High Point. It is interesting that my son bought a Sig .45 in early 2008 and has had to return the pistol to Sig twice due to issues with feeding and extraction, it seems to be working now but this is a good example of price not always being the determination of how reliable a weapon may be.

Before everybody jumps the Sig failed with factory ammo, not reloads. The remaining seventy rounds of that ammo fired through my son’s Colt Gold Cup and my S&W 645 without a hitch. And by the way, the Smith 645 I own is a very early model that one of my friends bought and sold to me due to issues with the size of the pistol not working with his small hands. I am for the most part a revolver guy but really like the 645 and would not trade it for any other .45 that I have ever shot and handled. It is my opinion that Smith just got it right with the 645; I have never had a stutter with a whole lot of different loads and bullets.

For someone that just wants a handgun for protection and does not want to spend a lot of money the High Point just may be the answer, it goes without saying there are a great many nicer guns out there but most of them start at the $600.00 dollar mark and go way up from there.

 

[Beaver]

Didn't Steve McNair get shot with one? I heard its the first time one shot five times w/o jamming.

 

[samIam]

High Point

I had a .45,I picked it up for my brother and nephews to shoot.I traded it off when brother got his own 1911 and nephews could buy their own.Not a single FTF with factory,or my reloads.
I thought it was a little muzzle heavy empty,but loaded it felt fine.Much more accurate than I expected.I guess you could call it butt ugly,but it shot better and fit ME better than the Glock I used to own.I say if this is what you can afford to own,go for it.

 

[cmort666]

There have been very few pure blowback handguns over .380acp, and with good reason. It requires a MASSIVE slide and a truck spring as a recoil spring.

The only ways to make a blowback 9x19mm (nevermind a .40 or .45) anything like handy or easy to use is to sidestep the monstrous recoil spring in the loading process. This has been done by either:

providing a means of decoupling the recoil spring from the slide/breech block as in the WWI German Dreyse 9x19mm service pistol.

ignoring the recoil spring in loading by having a tip up barrel for loading the first round as in the French Le Francais 9mm Browning Long pistol.

The Dreyse was not successful, the Le Francais only marginally more so.

As I said, full power blowback guns are rare, and for good reason.

If I DESPERATELY needed a handgun, I'd rather have a used S&W M&P revolver with bare metal showing like the one I got from Vivas a few years ago for less than $200.

 

[cmort666]

Didn't Steve McNair get shot with one? I heard its the first time one shot five times w/o jamming.

I keep hearing reports of how "reliable" these things are, but the last time I saw somebody bring a couple to the range, he didn't get more than a couple of consecutive shots off without a failure to feed of some sort.

 

[safearm]

I had a Constable bring one to firearms qualification during the course I taught at the academy. After inspecting it, both me and the firearms instructor refused to let it be fired on the range. I loaned the Constable a Beretta 9mm that he qualified with; then he strapped on his Hi-Point and went to work. As far as I know, he still has it, although I know he has never had to (or could) fire it on duty.

 

[Gutpile Charlie]

I think cmort666 is right on the money. I know some have used the guns with success, but if I were purchasing a firearm to protect my life, I wouldn't even think of going to the "junk" guns.

I would also buy the rattiest, most dogged out, beater S&W or Ruger for a modest price rather than spending good money on something that has the reputation of being junk, performs as junk much of the time, no body really has any faith in, and is marketed to the criminal element.

Yes, I know people that are extremely poor buy them, and if that's all they can afford, then power to them, but if you can afford better and know better, than I think that is a foolish mistake.

I could not defend something as blatantly bad as the High Point.

 

[ohiobuckeye]

If I recall correctly, these were marketed under another name before they became the Hi-point brand, but without going back into my sales records, I can't remember that name. I once thought they were junk until a bunch of fellows from my wifes workplace decided they all wanted to buy one. This was back in the days when wholesale on these things were around 60-70 bucks each and I think at the time, they were only available in 9mm. As already said, they were bulky, butt ugly, and probably the poorest ergonomics of anything you can imagine. When the first order came in, I ran a clipfull through each gun and they never missed a beat..not once. Accuracy wasn't bad either. They all shot to point of aim with 124 grain FMJ and grouped well onto the small paper plates I used for targets at 25 yards. The only thing I could complain about was how ugly they were. I sold about a dozen of them and not a single complaint. Most of them had quite a few rounds put through them with no problems from any of them. I ran a few clips through nearly every order that came in and never had a single malfunction. My first impression was that they were probably junk and I kept checking them and waiting for one of them to fall apart but it never happened.I never tried anything other than round nose FMJ ammo but a couple of the proud owners told me theirs would feed hollow points just as well as the FMJ....I never tried it.
I'm sure there are plenty of Hi-Points that have malfunctioned in front of other witnesses, but I have to say I have never seen one malfunction. I don't think there is a single brand of semi-auto pistol that has not suffered a malfunction at one time or another. If I condemned every single semi-auto just because I saw one or two malfunction on the firing line, nearly every semi-auto pistol I can think of would have to be listed in the "junk" column. Call them unreliable if you wish, but I don't want anyone shooting at me with a Hi-Point. That said, I would never buy a Hi-Point simply because they are butt ugly and I do not like them and cannot imagine anyone considering a Hi-Point as a CCW.

 

[zercool]

I will guarantee you that these are not purchased by sportsmen, hunters, collectors, or target shooters.

I guess I'm the exception, then. I shoot trap, hunt anything that NY allows, collect what interests, me, and shoot targets when I'm not hunting...

... and I own a HiPoint 995.

Yeah, it's ugly. Yeah, it's cheap ($225 out the door with a red dot). Yeah, it uses proprietary magazines.

It also feeds anything I've thrown at it (Wolf, WWB, FMJ, JHP, lead...) without a hiccup, and HiPoint guarantees it forever with no questions asked. I had a magazine fail and called them. They said, "send it in" - I had a new magazine the following week. Never jammed. Never failed to eject/extract. No double feeds. It's minute-of-steel plate as fast as I can pull the trigger.

I'd trust it with my life in a pinch, and wouldn't mind grabbing another as a truck gun. Not to mention... it's just plain fun to shoot.

 

[cmort666]

If I recall correctly, these were marketed under another name before they became the Hi-point brand, but without going back into my sales records, I can't remember that name.

Stallard. I used to see them at gunshows back in the day.

They're a stockless, semi-auto Sten gun without the elegant good looks.

No thanks.

 

[GatorFarmer]

I think cmort666 is right on the money. I know some have used the guns with success, but if I were purchasing a firearm to protect my life, I wouldn't even think of going to the "junk" guns.

I would also buy the rattiest, most dogged out, beater S&W or Ruger for a modest price rather than spending good money on something that has the reputation of being junk, performs as junk much of the time, no body really has any faith in, and is marketed to the criminal element.

Yes, I know people that are extremely poor buy them, and if that's all they can afford, then power to them, but if you can afford better and know better, than I think that is a foolish mistake.

I could not defend something as blatantly bad as the High Point.

I'd rather have a NIB Hi Point than a beat up looking revolver, and suspect that most poor purchasers would be even better served by a Hi Point. I know how to look for some - though by no means all, since I'm not a gunsmith - mechanical problems with a revolver. A poor person who can barely scrape together the price of a Hi Point probably won't. I'd expect a fair chance of problems on any name brand revolver selling for the same price as Hi Point.

I don't doubt the reports that most of them work and give good service - at least the current polymer frame ones. There's better choices for someone that can afford it, but eh... I'm still amused that my sub Hi Point quality Lorcin works fine.