Hi Points

2DaMtns · January 7, 2010, 10:46 PM

OK, I see a good number of threads on here about Hi points and there are of course two camps - one that loves them, and one that hates them. Everyone knows they're ugly, and anyone who has used them knows they're reliable. My challenge is for the haters WHO HAVE ACTUALLY OWNED ONE to post up and give some good, reputable reasons for hating them. In other words, it doesn't count to say that it's ugly or it's plastic or you think it's junk. Two of those things can easily be said about Glocks. So, let's hear the real reasons.

hillbillyshooter · January 8, 2010, 01:37 AM

I have never owned one, however, if it were between owning a HiPoint and not owning any handgun, I would take the HiPoint anyday. If that was all I could afford or what have you, I would carry one to protect my life as best I (or it) could. Not going to pass judgement.

raftman · January 8, 2010, 03:03 AM

Does it count iI've not owned one, but have fired one, and am somewhat familiar with them?

I don't actually hate them, I just think there are better, more practical choices for the money. Why? Because given their calibers and capacities, they're oversized and overweight. Makes them a poor choice for concealed carry.

And the field-stripping procedure is probably the worst of any handgun I've ever seen. People say it doesn't matter because the manual states you only clean them after maybe 1000 rounds. Doesn't matter, there are a number of guns that can easily go 1000 or more rounds between cleanings but they still take seconds to disassemble and it's doable without tools.

chris in va · January 8, 2010, 04:55 AM

I've had the carbine for a few years. Once the factory sorted everything out, it's been a really fun, cheap plinker for the range and sees a lot of my reloads.

My friend has a C9 and complains about the accuracy. I'll admit it wasn't very good. We were trying to hit a gallon jug on a mound at 25 yards, had a heck of a time doing it, between myself, a National Guardsman and the lady that owns it. For reference my CZ hit it first shot.

**Bud Helms** · January 8, 2010, 07:43 AM

Most of us suspect quality when we see a great price differential. It most definitely does not always tell the whole story, but it makes you go "Hmmmm."

Conversely, when any durable item is priced over other like items in the same market, we suspect some reason.

It turns out we are more resistant to the latter. That creates a downward price influence on high end items (in this case firearms), resulting in a best value impact at the high end. The market tends to pull the bottom end up and suppress the high end.

At the individual decision level, the question is "What do you need?" Not to be confused with "What do you want?" The question, "How much do you want to spend?" is something most of us could not answer. Life would be so much easier if everything could be quantified that way.

So, it is inexpensive and to many that translates to cheap, which signifies poor quality. Just an observation/perception.

There is also the fact that you can pick one out of a pile 30 feet away with your ugly radar. It looks like it was designed by a committee of 14 year old gamers. But that's just my personal opinion of its appearance and does not address function and utility. I have fired a High Point 9mm pistol and it shot fine. Too large, but I think Ruger autos are overly large. I have never owned one. [Ruger or High Point.

]

NRAhab · January 8, 2010, 03:54 PM

Hi, my name's Caleb, and I owned a Hi-Point. It was the worst, most awful thing I ever spent 80 bucks on, I kid you not. I bought because I wanted to see what the ruckus was all about, and boy was I ever rewarded. Several major issues with the Hi Point pistols:

1. Terrible, wretched, clunky ergonomics. It's like trying to hold a brick on the end of a pencil.
2. Felt recoil in the blowback 9mm version was significantly heavier than in my Commander sized 1911 in 9mm, which is also lighter.
3. Unreliable. With factory ammo, the slide would lock open on the 4th or 5th rounds out of every magazine, regardless of which magazine I tried.

I understand the appeal of cheap guns, I really do. And the Hi Point carbines aren't terrible guns, in fact if given a choice between a Hi Point carbine and a Kel-Tec, I'd take the Hi Point.

But Hi Point pistols really are as bad as people say.

Microgunner · January 8, 2010, 04:34 PM

I've owned many in the form of inventory and given them no respect. I have never fired one, have never recommended one, in fact, have bad mouthed them to prospective buyers. Nonetheless, I've sold every one I've ever purchased. Some folks buy strictly on price. Four things that should never be purchased based on least expensive available IMO: fire extinguishers, parachutes, auto brakes & defensive firearms. There are plenty of other places to cut corners in life.

PS the reason I order them is some people will buy only the cheapest, so if I don't sell them someone else will.

Prof Young · January 10, 2010, 07:47 PM

Shooters:
A Hi-point 9mm is the only semi auto hand gun I own. And I only own it for the fun of shooting a semi auto hand gun. At ten yards without a rest I can shoot groups that are about four inches on a good day. It did jam atleast once on every mag so I sent it to hi - point, they fixed it free and sent it back with a free safely lock and a rear peep sight that I could install if I wanted. It hasn't jammed since. The bottom line is that . . . a hi point, is a hi point, is a hi point.

Live well be safe
Prof Young

5whiskey · January 10, 2010, 11:37 PM

I've shot several, never owned one but would if it's all I could afford. It is clunky and has terrible ergonomics. It suffers from a huge weight to capacity ratio (huge as in bad). And the blowback operation coupled with the huge mass of the slide moving every cycle makes for more felt recoil.

However, they seem to be reasonably accurate and go bang most every time. And Hi Point stands by them. I can give you one sure-fire solid reason for NOT owning one, though. It's called a Tokarev, with similar capacity, similar price, similar reliability, better ergonomics, better looks, and ammo that costs 100 bucks for a 1k round crate.

ljnowell · January 11, 2010, 03:00 AM

I owned one for about four hours one time. I traded a used chevy th350 for it and a box of federal ammo. I shot the ammo and gave the gun to my brother. The sights were small, but useable. The trigger sucked. Plain and simple. It was way to top heavy. Increadibly top heavy to me. I didnt care for the ergonomics either. When I stripped it was the surprise. Inside it looked like it was finished by a monkey with a die grinder. It was ugly and poor craftsmanship.

If its all you an afford, get one. I am glad that its not all that I could afford.

5whiskey · January 11, 2010, 08:59 AM

Quote:

If its all you an afford, get one.

Quote:

It's called a Tokarev

January 7, 2010, 10:46 PM	#1
2DaMtns Senior Member Join Date: December 9, 2008 Posts: 457	Hi Points OK, I see a good number of threads on here about Hi points and there are of course two camps - one that loves them, and one that hates them. Everyone knows they're ugly, and anyone who has used them knows they're reliable. My challenge is for the haters WHO HAVE ACTUALLY OWNED ONE to post up and give some good, reputable reasons for hating them. In other words, it doesn't count to say that it's ugly or it's plastic or you think it's junk. Two of those things can easily be said about Glocks. So, let's hear the real reasons.

January 8, 2010, 01:37 AM	#2
hillbillyshooter Senior Member Join Date: October 30, 2008 Location: Wild, Wonderful West Virginia Posts: 315	I have never owned one, however, if it were between owning a HiPoint and not owning any handgun, I would take the HiPoint anyday. If that was all I could afford or what have you, I would carry one to protect my life as best I (or it) could. Not going to pass judgement. __________________ The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government. -Thomas Jefferson

January 8, 2010, 03:03 AM	#3
raftman Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2009 Location: Oregon Posts: 1,890	Does it count iI've not owned one, but have fired one, and am somewhat familiar with them? I don't actually hate them, I just think there are better, more practical choices for the money. Why? Because given their calibers and capacities, they're oversized and overweight. Makes them a poor choice for concealed carry. And the field-stripping procedure is probably the worst of any handgun I've ever seen. People say it doesn't matter because the manual states you only clean them after maybe 1000 rounds. Doesn't matter, there are a number of guns that can easily go 1000 or more rounds between cleanings but they still take seconds to disassemble and it's doable without tools. __________________ "My momma, she done told me, there's heart and then there's hate If one of 'em's inside of you, the other one, it aint."

January 8, 2010, 03:54 PM	#6
NRAhab Senior Member Join Date: August 20, 2005 Location: Bellevue, WA Posts: 683	Hi, my name's Caleb, and I owned a Hi-Point. It was the worst, most awful thing I ever spent 80 bucks on, I kid you not. I bought because I wanted to see what the ruckus was all about, and boy was I ever rewarded. Several major issues with the Hi Point pistols: 1. Terrible, wretched, clunky ergonomics. It's like trying to hold a brick on the end of a pencil. 2. Felt recoil in the blowback 9mm version was significantly heavier than in my Commander sized 1911 in 9mm, which is also lighter. 3. Unreliable. With factory ammo, the slide would lock open on the 4th or 5th rounds out of every magazine, regardless of which magazine I tried. I understand the appeal of cheap guns, I really do. And the Hi Point carbines aren't terrible guns, in fact if given a choice between a Hi Point carbine and a Kel-Tec, I'd take the Hi Point. But Hi Point pistols really are as bad as people say. __________________ Join the community at GunUp!

January 8, 2010, 04:34 PM	#7
Microgunner Senior Member Join Date: March 6, 2006 Location: Central Florida Posts: 3,324	I've owned many in the form of inventory and given them no respect. I have never fired one, have never recommended one, in fact, have bad mouthed them to prospective buyers. Nonetheless, I've sold every one I've ever purchased. Some folks buy strictly on price. Four things that should never be purchased based on least expensive available IMO: fire extinguishers, parachutes, auto brakes & defensive firearms. There are plenty of other places to cut corners in life. PS the reason I order them is some people will buy only the cheapest, so if I don't sell them someone else will. __________________ *Proud NRA Benefactor Member*

January 8, 2010, 04:55 AM	#4
chris in va Senior Member Join Date: December 26, 2004 Location: Louisville KY Posts: 13,806	I've had the carbine for a few years. Once the factory sorted everything out, it's been a really fun, cheap plinker for the range and sees a lot of my reloads. My friend has a C9 and complains about the accuracy. I'll admit it wasn't very good. We were trying to hit a gallon jug on a mound at 25 yards, had a heck of a time doing it, between myself, a National Guardsman and the lady that owns it. For reference my CZ hit it first shot.

January 8, 2010, 07:43 AM	#5
Bud Helms Senior Member Join Date: December 31, 1999 Location: Middle Georgia, USA Posts: 13,198	Most of us suspect quality when we see a great price differential. It most definitely does not always tell the whole story, but it makes you go "Hmmmm." Conversely, when any durable item is priced over other like items in the same market, we suspect some reason. It turns out we are more resistant to the latter. That creates a downward price influence on high end items (in this case firearms), resulting in a best value impact at the high end. The market tends to pull the bottom end up and suppress the high end. At the individual decision level, the question is "What do you need?" Not to be confused with "What do you want?" The question, "How much do you want to spend?" is something most of us could not answer. Life would be so much easier if everything could be quantified that way. So, it is inexpensive and to many that translates to cheap, which signifies poor quality. Just an observation/perception. There is also the fact that you can pick one out of a pile 30 feet away with your ugly radar. It looks like it was designed by a committee of 14 year old gamers. But that's just my personal opinion of its appearance and does not address function and utility. I have fired a High Point 9mm pistol and it shot fine. Too large, but I think Ruger autos are overly large. I have never owned one. [Ruger or High Point. ]

January 10, 2010, 07:47 PM	#8
Prof Young Senior Member Join Date: August 21, 2007 Location: Illinois - down state Posts: 2,404	It's a fun gun Shooters: A Hi-point 9mm is the only semi auto hand gun I own. And I only own it for the fun of shooting a semi auto hand gun. At ten yards without a rest I can shoot groups that are about four inches on a good day. It did jam atleast once on every mag so I sent it to hi - point, they fixed it free and sent it back with a free safely lock and a rear peep sight that I could install if I wanted. It hasn't jammed since. The bottom line is that . . . a hi point, is a hi point, is a hi point. Live well be safe Prof Young

January 10, 2010, 11:37 PM	#9
5whiskey Senior Member Join Date: October 23, 2005 Location: US Posts: 3,657	I've shot several, never owned one but would if it's all I could afford. It is clunky and has terrible ergonomics. It suffers from a huge weight to capacity ratio (huge as in bad). And the blowback operation coupled with the huge mass of the slide moving every cycle makes for more felt recoil. However, they seem to be reasonably accurate and go bang most every time. And Hi Point stands by them. I can give you one sure-fire solid reason for NOT owning one, though. It's called a Tokarev, with similar capacity, similar price, similar reliability, better ergonomics, better looks, and ammo that costs 100 bucks for a 1k round crate.

January 11, 2010, 03:00 AM	#10
ljnowell Senior Member Join Date: January 5, 2009 Posts: 274	I owned one for about four hours one time. I traded a used chevy th350 for it and a box of federal ammo. I shot the ammo and gave the gun to my brother. The sights were small, but useable. The trigger sucked. Plain and simple. It was way to top heavy. Increadibly top heavy to me. I didnt care for the ergonomics either. When I stripped it was the surprise. Inside it looked like it was finished by a monkey with a die grinder. It was ugly and poor craftsmanship. If its all you an afford, get one. I am glad that its not all that I could afford.