So, I went out and got me one, it even came with a free box of bullets. I haven't fired it yet, but plan on it this weekend, so I'll let you know how it performs. Until then, I found this honest review at Bullshido.net: Posted on 10/08/2009 12:44:17 PM PDT by Notoriously Conservative
I decided a wanted a new gun, but I didn't have much money to spend. I did a little research, and came across the Hi-Point 9mm. I came across some mixed reviews. There were those that said it jammed, was super ugly, and way too heavy. But, then there were those that said it was more accurate than most of the guns they owned, couldn't be easier to clean and maintain, and best of all, it came with a lifetime warranty, not questions asked, and it's made in the good old USA. Wait, I lied, the best part is the price, $149.
So, I went out and got me one, it even came with a free box of bullets. I haven't fired it yet, but plan on it this weekend, so I'll let you know how it performs. Until then, I found this honest review at Bullshido.net:
ACTION TYPE: Blowback Semiauto CALIBER: 9mm CAPACITY: 8+1 BARREL LENGTH: 3.5" OVERALL LENGTH: 6.75" WEIGHT: 30 ounces FINISH: Matte Black SIGHTS: Adjustable, 3-Dot GRIPS: Black Plastic PRICE: $168My opinion? Glad you asked. I say, if you have been itching to get a gun, before all guns are banned, etc., and you don't have a lot of pocket change, you can't go wrong. This gun is super reliable, comes with a lifetime warranty, and is super cheap.THE GOOD-
Price-This gun is uber-inexpensive. For the price of 4 boxes of .357, you can have this weapon. It also shoots cheap, readily available 9mm luger. Consistency- Once you dial the adjustable sights in, this weapon will put a bullet in the same spot over and over again. I freely admit I never expected that from this piece. Even after several hundred rounds, this thing will shoot point of aim dead on at any distance. It has been such a treat to see a low-cost product perform this well.
Simplicity- This is a single-action-only, straight-blowback, striker-fired handgun. There are no complex mechanisms at all. It has about 8 moving parts and that’s it. Cleaning can be done without stripping; as a matter of fact, hi-point recommends you do NOT disassemble this weapon. Spray it out with cleaner, run a brush through the bore, and wipe down the feed ramp and you’re done. Seriously; it’s like having an automatic revolver.
No Worries- Warrantee is 100% no-questions-asked, fully transferable, and legendarily fast. If the weapon fails for any reason, send it back. They will fix it or give you a new one. According to anecdotes, they don’t even care how it broke. I have spoken with several owners of these, and turnaround time seems to be about 2 weeks.
THE BAD-
Picky Eater- Since the action is straight blowback, the breach does not tip back to align with the feed ramp, and the feed ramp suffers from poor polishing. The result is a weapon that will not feed non-jacketed ammo. So those super-cheap reloads that you got for $.03 a round? Don’t even try. It’s embarrassing. Even low-power jacketed ammo can be problematic. While straight-blowback is inherently simple, it necessitates a heavy slide and recoil spring, and if you have an anemic round, it may fail to throw the slide all the way back, and cause the weapon to feed the next round improperly. Half an hour with a Dremel tool will polish the feed ramp to the point that many of the feeding problems will disappear, and is not the sort of thing that requires a skilled gunsmith. That being said, both Federal and Remington 9mm Luger FMJ feed reliably and consistently right out of the box.
So shoot decent ammo! The weapon is +p rated, and using jacketed +p ammo completely eliminates this issue.
Weight- 9mm handguns should be thin and light. This one is not. Fully loaded, this beast weighs almost as much as my .357. It boasts unloaded weights of 30 oz., while competitors are fully 1/3 lighter with better ammo capacity. It has a polymer frame, but its design necessitates a big, heavy slide to operate reliably. You definitely have a BIG, HEAVY slide to deal with. The only plus to this is that with 9mm, the weight makes recoil non-existent, even with the hottest loads around.
No Staying Power- Stock single-stack magazines hold 8 rounds, and the big one holds 10. Springfield XD-9 has a 20-round stick and is lighter. Enough said.
THE UGLY-
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ] Not even professional photography can make this thing look cool.
This Gun!- This is the second-ugliest handgun ever produced (Glock wins the prize for me. Hideous weapons!). The giant slide is milled from a single chunk of metal, has the graceful curves and angles of a Ford Edsel, and the aesthetic appeal of grandma’s meatloaf after her second bottle of tawny port. Absolutely NO consideration went into this weapon’s appearance. Well…I ain’t exactly pretty myself, so I don’t give it too much consideration.
One look!?!? ONE LOOK!?!?!- (Zoolander reference, people!) There are no accessories out there for this gun. Don’t like the polymer grips? Tough. Want to get a different recoil spring? Too bad. Conversion kits? You must be joking.
You buy this gun, you get this gun. This is not a weapon for personal expression or match-modding. It just isn’t going to happen. A Hogue hand-all rubber slide on grip sized for Glocks will go a long way toward keeping this thing in your hands after things get sweaty. As a ten dollar investment, I highly recommend it.
Snobbery- People will give you a hard time for having this gun. They will cite feeding problems and tell (anecdotal) horror stories of catastrophic failures at critical moments. If this weapon jams or fails, the problem is almost ALWAYS cheap ammo or an old magazine. Unless they can prove that this weapon is more prone to failure under normal conditions than any other, tell them to shut up. At my last trip to the range I was perfectly happy to out shoot my antagonist and his custom 1911 with this little monster.
THE REALITY-
This gun will do the job. There are many advantages to a higher-priced weapon, but there is no over-arching reason to overlook this piece if you do not have a lot to spend. Simplicity, affordability, and customer service are the strengths of this particular weapon, and as such should be considered when looking at higher-priced models. With a little patience and some common sense, this is a reliable, accurate, and well-made weapon. I have carried it cocked and locked for self-defense, and have never worried about it. If you have a little money, a little common sense, and some patience, this weapon will give you many years of excellent service at the range or for self-protection.
Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
For more great content, visit NotoriouslyConservative.com
I have a 9mm Glock and a 45 Sig. They both are dead on nuts when I fire them.
mini-nines are good for pocket duty ... I have one, easy to drop in your jeans pocket to go see what is going on.
Get ready to get flamed by the gun grabbing FReepers...
Yup...
Any second now...
holsters are cheap too
http://www.westerntool.com/product.htm?pid=437041
Hope it works for you. They seem to be hit and miss (mostly miss) from what I’ve heard (no personal experience). Those with good ones got a bargain.
I didn’t even know they existed!!
I love my Beretta 92fs. Accurate, reliable, feeds anything, and IMO the sexiest 9mm ever made.
That gun is such a cheap model, you should only use it for self-defensive emergency events. Do not target practice with it. It’s a cheap gun and will soon malfunction.
Good luck with that.
My only suggestion is to try out different ammo until you can shoot 100 rounds without any failures. Until then don’t use the gun as if your life depends on it.
I’ve seen guys with those at the range cursing alot. They do work for the most part but I’ll stick to my H&Ks.
Have a good friend that is a CCW trainer and he said don’t buy one. He is a bit of a gun snob and can afford high priced weapons. If testing says it is reliable, who cares what it looks like if you can secure a target and put it on the ground. My wife has a Kimber .45 and a 92F 9 mm Beretta—much more expensive and she had to return the Kimber because of occasional jamming.
My normal is a Para-Ordanance P12.......
Yet recently I purchsed a brand new stainless steel Charter Arms .44 special Bulldog.....
I love this gun and with jacketed hollowpoints, is a defininite manstopper......
Made in the USA and has a lifetime warranty as well.....
Very light, easily concealable and stainless so when up against the body for long periods when concealed it doesn’t rust..... It sells for about $350.....
Word of caution, buy only the new version currently produced, some of the older ones when the factory was operated by a different management team had quality issues. The new ones have several improvements and appear to be high qualilty in their manufacture.
No way I would EVER buy a Hi-Point. If necessary, I would work two jobs until I saved the money to get a real gun. Self defence is like interviewing for a job.....”you only have one chance to make a first impression” :]
Here is another I picked up for a couple hundred new. Not sure what they go for now.
S&W Sigma 9ve. Accurate as hell. And will give you bulging muscles in your trigger finger ;-)
Are there gun-grabbing Freepers. I mean othar than like myself who wants to grab every fine firearm he sees.
Whatever firearm you have, get to know it better than you know yourself. Clearing jams and other unexpected events need to be second nature.
I have a Glock 19 and 23. Paid under $500 for each. Speer 124 grain +P 9mm ammo is a pretty good round for the 19, which has a 15 round magazine. All together, the loaded 9mm is around $510 or so. I figure my life is worth AT LEAST that.
You lost me when you said Glocks are the ugliest.
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