Hi-Points In General

[CountryGent]

I just don't care for them ( the pistols or carbines ) , they both feel "cheap".
Cheap as in shoddy not cheap as in inexpensive.

+1. I know some like them, but they just aren't for me. Just ... meh. To each their own though.

 

[DeanMk]

Not wanting to hi-jack anyone else's thread thought Id start this one:
Im interested in the board's thoughts on Hi-Points in general and in the carbines they sell. Considering a 9mmP for The Old Woman, she's a bit weight, noise and recoil sensitive. The short AR's- too much noise/blast, the full size AR's, too heavy, AK's out of the question due to weight. Have also considered a plastic .22 auto but don't know of any under production at the moment. (Used to own a plastic Remington .22 but alas it is long gone).
So, Hi-Points- Aye or Nay?

Watch this...

 

[CamoDeafie]

I have a 995 Classic. It's going on past 20 years old last I checked, and I think none of the parts have ever been replaced to the best of my knowledge...and it's still shooting pretty good with the 1-4X scope. It does feel cheap, but honestly at the price point what do you really expect from 100% made in the USA in Ohio of all places?

Also, there is the rather unattractive (Donkey unmentionable is one term for it ) 20rd Redball magazines that's approved by Hi Point themselves (they sell it on their site!) for the 9mm...for the .45 ACP version, there's the ThingMeister 1911 magazine catch conversion that allows the 45 users to use 1911 drums in both the pistol and the carbine.... for 28 rounds, that is pretty good.

Show me a semiauto, 9mm carbine, that looks better, performs better, takes more ammo, and costs the same. You ain't gonna find one brand new. There are a good many more above $450 range, but that's also getting into AR range.

OP; one word of caution, the 995 with the scope is almost the same weight as the 16" AR carbine with standard M4 furniture and iron sights. It may feel heavier than needed for your wife.

With that said, I myself like the Hi Point carbines. My dad likes his .45 JHP Hi point pistol and his 4595 carbine.

The whole magazine issue... The designer/creator of the hi point carbines... he wanted to ensure that his carbine would be legal in ALL 50 States, with regards to the Clinton AWB, which passed in 1994, the design was released in 1995, hence the 9-95 designation.. It's interesting to note, prior to that, there was a line of pistols by the same designer I think, and it was a simple matter to go for the most of the same basic design operation of the Stallard/Maverick 9mm pistols and simply scale it up to carbine length barrel, redesigned slide/bolt assembly, and a new polymer stock....Of course, the magazine release on the various earlier pistols was on the heel, in the carbine, it got moved to its familiar location by the trigger frame.

Maverick/Stallard, Iberia,Haskell all were the companies making the metal framed guns that had the distinctive brick shaped slides, and sold through Beemiller Inc, and then these three companies came to become Hi Point in the late 90s.

TL-DR, the Maverick/Stallard JS-9 9mm handgun was where the majority of the design came from... single stack magazine, receiver with a tall magazine well, heavy Zamak slide/bolt, pinned and fixed barrel. Same recoil spring setup, same firing pin setup, same striker design...

 

[U8395279]

I wouldn't be giving my wife a firearm after calling her "the old woman."

I would be more concerned about how she would react to getting the cheapest carbine on the market.

But then again, if that is all that he can afford, then there really is no point in mentioning other more expensive options.

They do make a pink camo model now. Maybe his wife would go for it:

 

[Chaffee]

Pro: cheap, reliable.
Con: single stack, ugly as hell
Sold hundreds of them, never got one back

 

[MrMillspecer]

For a person that needs to defend themselves or family on a budget. It seems like Hi point delivers.

I owned the .45 pistol for a short time and did have some small issues. It might not of even had 200 rounds through it, and possibly wasn't broke in. But having a few 1911s at the time, it wasn't something I needed.

Close to the top of the budget firearms ? Possibly. Also made in America. And at the price point you shouldn't expect them to compare with firearms costing 3-5 times as much. For the price, not too bad.

 

[Boboclown]

Their carbines are okay. But not for me, and I'm not above cheap stuff (hell my mauser was cheaper), but it feels too cheap to me. I wouldn't look down on ya for owning one, but I just can't see myself owning one.

As for their pistols, I can't stand holding one. I'm sure they work, just don't like the ergonomics of it.

 

[Joe13]

You get what you pay for...

No hi points for me.

20ga shotgun with light loads out of the question?

Or get a Ruger 10/22 and 25 round mag and call it better then nothing.

 

[Rickenbacher39]

I will never buy a cheap gun.
My life might depend on it someday and they are cheap for a reason.
As for HiPoint I have no idea. Never held or shot one.
But man are they oogly....................

 

[pokobt]

My experience with my Hi Point carbine- 1st I don't really say outloud that I bought a hi point... I mean man they are cheap and ugly and the shame in the looks you get. Now- I have multiple rifles, carbines, etc. huge fan of short style brush guns. This 9mm hi point I bought last summer on a whim for $287, NIB, at a favorite gun shop- this thing is Amazing! All 3 of my boys were arguing to carry it on our 2wk camping adventure- had to put them on a rotation schedule, slapped a vortex red dot on it, shooting cheap 115gr, even my youngest was popping chipmunks at 60yards off hand- he's a skinny little thing- never jammed... flawless function, comfortable to shoulder and carry, accurate, low noise and virtually no recoil, several hundred rounds through it and dirty as can be in the desert dust over 2 weeks and never a hicup.
Cons- it is a bit heavy- but is balanced well so I don't mind at all
-bubblegum to take apart and clean
-single stack mags sort of suck
I say for under $300 you can't go wrong with this thing.. hell I have had $1200 fancy rifles that shot like bubblegum
Happy hunting!!

 

[CamoDeafie]

Cheap does not mean unreliable. Honestly though, how much do you think it cost China to produce any of their guns? Or for Turkey, or any of the foreign nations to make their arms? In the United States, it is significantly more money to use specific materials, for the labor, and for the quality control..... However, the Hi Point is a proven design, and they have not changed anything except the stock and some magazine details in the 25+ years of making the pistols, and in the 20+ years of the carbines. All the R&D is done, the tooling is paid for, and they're selling them in droves, whatever it originally cost to develop them, has been made back, and is practically nothing but profits and overhead for materials and replacement parts.
This is also why the AR market seems to be going cheaper and cheaper and companies folding soon; the R&D is done, the tooling is everywhere or so it seems, and its nothing but profits and replacement parts for the AR companies.

Hi Point makes a lot of money from their sales, and their lifetime warranty is pretty much uncommon in the gun industry.
They could lower the costs of the carbines and handguns, and still be profitable, but not by much;

It's the same sort of thing where a Sten gun cost $4.something in 1940s money to produce, but it works and is reliable, even if its ugly. Nowadays a semiauto Sten is in the hundreds of dollars, but it still is low cost to produce, its just the profits and overheads going to the manufacturer to ensure a market.

You could say the same for the Mac-11 series, they didn't cost a lot to make, but they're making more money than they should, because either production ended, or people are more willing to pay for perceived quality.

I would make a wager that the cost to mass produce an AR type is nowhere near $600, and yet, people say they feel cheap at below $600 but its basically the same commercial specs. Economy of scale. A small gun shop producing a Hi Point type carbine would not be able to sell them at $250 each, because of labor costs and tooling, but Hi Point as a company can afford it because they churn them out by the hundreds per day.
EDIT: The best deals on Hi Points are in the used marketplace. It is possible to have a like new Hi Point for the cost of shipping, thanks to the factory's no-question asked lifetime warranty that doesn't care about who bought it when. Like I alluded to, they are rebuilding/replacing a 995 classic that cost the new owner $30 cash plus $40something shipping, and he's gonna get what is basically a brand new 995 for under $100..... can't really beat that kind of factory support!

I paid $200 for my Classic, and it's been pretty much dead reliable. I do like the ugliness of it, it is functional, not a beauty queen I have yet to find something as reliable, and as economical in terms of a PCC for that price point. Lots of other things not PCC at $450+. lots of other PCCs at $600+

 

[Larrytpdx]

I have 2 Hi-Points. An old original 995 9mm Carbine with cheap Ultralux 4x25 scope on it and a Hi-Point C9. I paid $75 for each one. The C9 is my beater gun in my beater Quest van and the carbine is in my bedroom closet as a backup weapon. I've never had a misfire, misfeed or other problem with either of them and would have no reason to not rely on them. The C9 is a real pain to disassemble tho, so, I don't. And, they are made right here in the "Getting Greater Every Day Thanks To President Donald J Trump" USofA!

 

[billdeserthills]

No
If you feel the need to buy a junky gun, just get a Taurus

The Hi Point owners manual says not to chamber a round until ready to fire the gun

 

[Nick Burkhardt]

Name brand AR prices are coming down.

RUGER AR-556 5.56 NATO M4 AUTOLOADING RIFLE

 

[ZacharyKhan]

Name brand AR prices are coming down.

RUGER AR-556 5.56 NATO M4 AUTOLOADING RIFLE

Trying my best not to be impulsive right now..

 

[U8395279]

Name brand AR prices are coming down.

RUGER AR-556 5.56 NATO M4 AUTOLOADING RIFLE

Well, but the OP explained way back at the start of this thread why he was not considering either an AR or AK for his wife.

.

 

[Alexx1401]

I will never buy a cheap gun.
My life might depend on it someday and they are cheap for a reason.
As for HiPoint I have no idea. Never held or shot one.
But man are they oogly....................

That's great. So when someone can't afford the "not cheap gun" they can feel great with no gun and call 911. Problem solved.

 

[Alexx1401]

No
If you feel the need to buy a junky gun, just get a Taurus

The Hi Point owners manual says not to chamber a round until ready to fire the gun

I take it you seldom read a gun manual?

 

[billdeserthills]

I take it you seldom read a gun manual?

I'm pretty sure the Hi Point owners manual said not to chamber or load their gun until you are ready to shoot the gun.

 

[Alexx1401]

I'm pretty sure the Hi Point owners manual said not to chamber or load their gun until you are ready to shoot the gun.

I have little doubt it does. What I meant is anyone who thinks this is a HP thing must never read the manual that comes with any guns they buy.