[ARCHIVED THREAD] - Question about Hi-Point (Page 1 of 2)
Posted: 1/3/2010 4:56:45 AM EDT
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A co worker has been slightly bitten by the gun bug, and has been asking me about firearms and reloading lately. He has been perusing various sites, and is quite an outdoorsman and hunter. He catches hogs and breeds dogs for that purpose. Hell of a guy in general. About 45 or so. He mentioned yesterday that he was looking for a shooter pistol, nothing for defensive purposes, just for fun. He went to a gun shop, and the owner reccomended a Hi-point, as that was his preferred carry gun. He showed Robby the compact model that he carried for SD, and would sell him one in 9mm for $150 or so. I told him that I would ask around, as a gun shop owner should have a higher standard for his carry piece, and I wonder the motivation for pushing it so strongly. Having never owned one, I wonder if I am buying into the snobbery of always having top tier handguns. Are they as bad as folks say? He told me that the dealer's only complaint was that after a couple years or so, the mag spring took a set and wouldn't present the last round to the feed lips, and was not replaceable. It necessitated replacing the entire 'clip'. I told him that it was like buying a moped. If that is what you want, and you don't care about getting teased, then go for it. Just remember what it is. Thoughts? |
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If I were looking for a gun that would never be used as a defensive weapon and it was strictly for target plinking I'd get a .22 pistol.
If this is going to be the only gun this person owns I'd point them in the direction of a decent 9mm. If price is an issue, have him look at used guns...you wont find anything at $150 but in the $200-300 range you can find something. I dont have a hi-point, only have looked at them in the store. My opinion is based in economics. If they were decent, reliable weapons, they would be marketed at a price comparable to the competition. There is a reason they dont fetch the price that S&W, Glock, Springfield do. |
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If he is only slightly bitten then it would be best ot buy the hipoint...my thinking is that if he does not like it he might not take such a hit on his finances if he does not like shooting. You won't find a lot of Hi-Point love here, but for what they are (cheap, generally reliable, ugly as Rosie handguns), they're not bad. Your buddy would, IMO, be MUCH better served by picking up a used G17/19/22/23 for somewhere in the $350-400 range; if it turns out he doesn't like shooting he'll probably get back his purchase price. Nobody's going to buy that used Hi Point. |
| A local shop has a few NIB Kel-tec P11 9mm for $260 each. I would stay away from Hi-point as they are a cheap gun. Kel-tec builds a pretty good gun without the huge price an for a first gun it's a nice place to start. I do however agree that if its only for plinking a 9mm is a waste....buy a 22 and save lots of $$ on ammo. |
| I have never heard an honest complaint about their functioning and I have looked into them pretty extensively. On top of that they have a good warranty I believe. That being said. Most 45 year olds could afford a couple hundred extra to get something nice. Are those sig p225's still less than $300? |
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Quoted: A local shop has a few NIB Kel-tec P11 9mm for $260 each. I would stay away from Hi-point as they are a cheap gun. Kel-tec builds a pretty good gun without the huge price an for a first gun it's a nice place to start. I do however agree that if its only for plinking a 9mm is a waste....buy a 22 and save lots of $$ on ammo. I have several kel-tec's, but I would not recommend any compact such as the P-11 to a new shooter. Full sized auto or large frame revolver. No need to be fighting with a shitty grip when you are trying to learn. I've been known to give new shooters my Ruger MKII for a few months just so they can go shooting while they fuss about what they want. |
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Uncle has one...damn thing surprised me to say the least......
I bought one for trying out different reload combinations in. Its big, ugly, "cheap looking", heavy. But damn if it doesn't go bang every time and is pretty accurate. Someday I may even clean and lube it.  |
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The Hi Point pistol I had (.45) went bang every time and hit minute of torso at 25 yards.
The bad: 1. Disassembly requires driving out a pin with a punch. 2. Trigger is squishy and strange. 3. Blowback action and zinc allow construction means super top heavy slide. 4. Safety sucked. 5. Heel clip type mag release sucked too. 6. Fixed sights (cast into the slide) were awful. |
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Hi Point makes a decent gun for a good price.
I have never ever heard of one that didn't go bang when it was supposed to. They are what they are....there are better guns out there. But none in the price range of Hi Point. If money is a big issue he could do much worse than one of them. If money is no issue than he could do much better. |
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Quoted: +1, I carry a pf-9, its a horrible range gun, but a perfect carry gun. Quoted: A local shop has a few NIB Kel-tec P11 9mm for $260 each. I would stay away from Hi-point as they are a cheap gun. Kel-tec builds a pretty good gun without the huge price an for a first gun it's a nice place to start. I do however agree that if its only for plinking a 9mm is a waste....buy a 22 and save lots of $$ on ammo. I have several kel-tec's, but I would not recommend any compact such as the P-11 to a new shooter. Full sized auto or large frame revolver. No need to be fighting with a shitty grip when you are trying to learn. I've been known to give new shooters my Ruger MKII for a few months just so they can go shooting while they fuss about what they want. stick with the 22 route, walther p22s can be had for decent prices. the gun and the inexpensive ammo will allow a lot of lead downrange to help get the beginning shooter master the basics. |
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I own a Hi-Point carbine for giggles...some days I wonder if I should just sell it and buy ammo for my other guns with the proceeds. I've got a perfect record of never selling a gun though, and I will admit that the Hi-Point has been nothing but reliable. I have had some fun plinking at steel plates with it out to about 50 yards. It's definitely the ugliest gun I own though. There's really not much out on the market in terms of cheap pistol caliber carbines, so it fills a niche. On the other hand, I would probably never buy a Hi-Point handgun unless I was absolutely desperate. I'm sure they're reliable, but they just don't appeal to me at all. There's much better options out there for only a couple hundred more. Ruger P-Series is about as cheap as I would go on pistols. |
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Originally Posted By ––bullseye––: I own a Hi-Point carbine for giggles...some days I wonder if I should just sell it and buy ammo for my other guns with the proceeds. I've got a perfect record of never selling a gun though, and I will admit that the Hi-Point has been nothing but reliable. I have had some fun plinking at steel plates with it out to about 50 yards. It's definitely the ugliest gun I own though. There's really not much out on the market in terms of cheap pistol caliber carbines, so it fills a niche. On the other hand, I would probably never buy a Hi-Point handgun unless I was absolutely desperate. I'm sure they're reliable, but they just don't appeal to me at all. There's much better options out there for only a couple hundred more. Ruger P-Series is about as cheap as I would go on pistols. you mean sell it and buy a box of ammo? |
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For just a little more he can get a quality weapon. The EAA Witness series or even some of the CZ's are really reasonably priced and they're miles better than the Hi-Point. And don't go back to that gun shop. Anyone whose preferred carry piece is a Hi-Point, is quite simply retarded. |
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with that slide set so far back im sure you wont get "glock bite" the only positive i can see besides price |
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Hi-points are the one gun that shoves me into "gun snob" territory. I simply cannot stand 'em.*
Instead of a gunsmith, they look like you need to take 'em to a muffler shop for repair. But they very rarely malfunction, and can generally land a bullet fairly close to where the gun is pointed. Think of it this way: If he gets a Hi-point, he can always use that to learn on and then step up to a more refined piece later on if he wants. *The handguns; the carbines are pretty decent. |
A friend of mine bought one a few months ago. He and I have been shooting pals for years, but he got on this gun buying kick, it was really unusual for him. In a really short amount of time he bought a mini14, a hi point 9mm, a mosin, and five-seven.  Its not like the guy is broke, I have no idea why he didnt settle on a glock. I shot the hi point, and it did nothing for me. Its really fucking heavy.
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I bought one as a throwdown piece  . Well, actually, just to keep in my vehicle as a backup-backup-backup gun...It's ugly as hell. It feels like it was made out of melted-down tonka trucks. It's heavy as hell. It's huge. It goes bang every time, and feeds reliably with hollow-points. Fails to feed with FMJs though. It serves its purpose. I'd feel better with it than a rock. But I'd rather have any of my Glocks or 1911s if my life depended on it. (My Kel-Tec was actually considerably less reliable than the hi-point, ironically... I've seen plenty of kel-tecs that were reliable... Just not the one I had for some reason). |
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A lot of the talk downing the Hi-Points from people that have never even held one (let alone fired one) is pretty much gun snobbery. The are not pretty guns. But they do work. I've got the 9mm Carbine and I've fired 4 of the handguns. There are definitely much better firearms on the mark as far as feel and appearance. However, every one of their firearms I've shot has been very reliable. They went bang every time the trigger was pulled. I've personally seen one Glock Ka-Boom, and I've seen several pictures on the internet. I have not seen a Hi-Point Ka-Boom. That's not to say its not possible, just that I've never seen one. Hi-Point has excellent customer service. The guy that convinced me to buy my carbine broke a screw on his by over tightening it after taking it apart for cleaning. He called the company and told the the truth about what happened. They sent him 2 replacement screws free of charge. If they were truly the flaming pieces of manure that some would lead you to believe, then I couldn't imagine the company standing behind them as they do. I would have no issues with using one of their pistols for home defense, but I wouldn't use one for concealed carry. The fire reliably, but are too heavy and bulky to want to use as a carry gun. It is not a gun that would would enter a shooting match with and expect to compete, but it is more that adequate for popping empty soda cans on a Sunday afternoon . |
This is just my personal opinion. They are junk. I had a 40, it was my first pistol. Put about 550 rounds through it, and the dang thing pretty much fell apart on me. Maybe I "got a bad one", but I quickly went the next weekend and picked up my current Sig, which I have put 3000+ rounds through with not one malfunction. 
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Quoted: I bought one for trying out different reload combinations in. Its big, ugly, "cheap looking", heavy. But damn if it doesn't go bang every time and is pretty accurate. Yep. I only personally own a Hi-Point carbine... That said, I know people with various handguns and aside from aesthetics and ergonomics, they've got a good rep amongst owners. You can wear them out, but you send it back, and they send you a new one. For $150 (or less) how the fuck can you beat that? Theres some good stuff out there in surplus land too, but I can't recall seeing anything cheap as a Hi-Point lately. Then you also get into less common calibers, like 9x18mm with Makarovs. I'd rather stick with 9x19mm because it's cheap and very common. Even more so than .380 What good is a gun without an ammo stash and practice time at the range? Hi-Point will get you started and do it cheaply. The bug will bite and firearm acquisition disorder will do the rest. |
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Quoted: Quality costs less in the long run. _MaH How many firearms do you own? What makes you think that he wouldn't start collecting? We all start somewhere. Also, with Hi-Point theres no issue of monetary cost. The cost of entry is $100 and from there, it's all free, for life, no matter what. No questions asked lifetime guarantee. So it's not like he's flushing the money... he'll have a fully functional firearm for as long as he wants. Can't say that about a Lorcin or Jennings, ya know? |
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Quoted: This is just my personal opinion. They are junk. I had a 40, it was my first pistol. Put about 550 rounds through it, and the dang thing pretty much fell apart on me. Maybe I "got a bad one", but I quickly went the next weekend and picked up my current Sig, which I have put 3000+ rounds through with not one malfunction. 1: Hi-Points have a lifetime warranty... If it fails, send it back and have it fixed (basically replaced). Then if you want to trade up, sell the now-NIB Hi-Point and get something else. 2: The Hi-Point is not intended for a high round count. It's intended to work for 300ish rounds reliably... That's it. I've seen dozens that were used as CHL qualification weapons (remember that bit about the lifetime warranty?)... They would all work for about 1000 rounds and then start cracking... But guess what? For 300 rounds you were guaranteed a weapon that went bang... What the hell else do you need for that price? 3: I have probably 40,000 rounds through one of my training Glocks, which is now retired. I have probably 10,000 through my current trainer... My carry 19 has probably 2,000 through it and my backup 26 has maybe 1,000... On the principal of trying to induce a failure, I never cleaned or added lubricant to the training guns, and even dunked the old one in the mud a few times... Never a single failure, shooting the most bizarre, cheap, dirty or weird ammo out there. Of course the carry guns are babied, but that's a grand total of over 60,000 rounds (probably more actually, I'm being conservative) over the course of five years... Wake me up your you SiG is out of its teenage years, it isn't even broken in yet. When you add in the rifle ammo for carbine training (the Glock training is cheap by comparison), I have spent a metric shittonne on ammo. |
I have a Hi-Point 40 and it has never malfunctioned on me. Like has already been mentioned it is ugly and heavy, but it goes bang when I pull the trigger and my shot groups are good. I got it for $120 and have a lifetime warranty. I really cant beat that with a stick.
It was my first handgun buy. It will not be my last, but I think I want something pretty now. |
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2: The Hi-Point is not intended for a high round count. It's intended to work for 300ish rounds reliably... That's it. I've seen dozens that were used as CHL qualification weapons (remember that bit about the lifetime warranty?)... They would all work for about 1000 rounds and then start cracking... But guess what? For 300 rounds you were guaranteed a weapon that went bang... What the hell else do you need for that price? I'm just going to pull this paragraph out. 300 rounds. Personally, anyone who 'gets into' shooting is going to break the thing in short order. Yeah, they'll replace it. But if you put, say, a box a month through the thing, you're looking at a 6 month gun. There isn't a whole lot, currently, in the $150 range, but for a pretty reasonable sum you can get a S&W police trade wheelgun, a Makarov, a Tokarev, a Surplus CZ (52, 82, 83...) Hell, Sig P6's and Beretta 92's are ~$300. While none of those have a lifetime warranty... None of them will need it, either. And they'll all resell well, if he decides he doesn't like it. Personally, I'd push him to spend a little more, and get something that will last him for the rest of his life if he wants it to, and retain value if he doesn't. As an experiment, call up the local shop and ask what they'd give you in trade for a Hi-Point, and then ask what they'd give you in trade for a S&W 67. The S&W is a $230 gun right now. (Hell, I just looked, and you can find S&W 38's under $200 right now...) |
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I've got one of their carbines. It would not shoot three rounds without jamming when I got it. An internet search didn't help as there were very few complaints on line. I sent it back to the factory and in less than a week after it arrived I had it back. They even threw in a couple of extra mags "for my trouble". It's been 100% reliable since coming back and it gets cleaned about every 1K rounds.
I've never owned one of their handguns, but reports from people that actually owned one have been favorable. |
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2: The Hi-Point is not intended for a high round count. It's intended to work for 300ish rounds reliably... That's it. I've seen dozens that were used as CHL qualification weapons (remember that bit about the lifetime warranty?)... They would all work for about 1000 rounds and then start cracking... But guess what? For 300 rounds you were guaranteed a weapon that went bang... What the hell else do you need for that price? I'm just going to pull this paragraph out. 300 rounds. Personally, anyone who 'gets into' shooting is going to break the thing in short order. Yeah, they'll replace it. But if you put, say, a box a month through the thing, you're looking at a 6 month gun. There isn't a whole lot, currently, in the $150 range, but for a pretty reasonable sum you can get a S&W police trade wheelgun, a Makarov, a Tokarev, a Surplus CZ (52, 82, 83...) Hell, Sig P6's and Beretta 92's are ~$300. While none of those have a lifetime warranty... None of them will need it, either. And they'll all resell well, if he decides he doesn't like it. Personally, I'd push him to spend a little more, and get something that will last him for the rest of his life if he wants it to, and retain value if he doesn't. As an experiment, call up the local shop and ask what they'd give you in trade for a Hi-Point, and then ask what they'd give you in trade for a S&W 67. The S&W is a $230 gun right now. (Hell, I just looked, and you can find S&W 38's under $200 right now...) I usually fire between 100 and 200 pistol rounds per session - and that's when I have to squeeze the time in. 300 rounds is only one or two range sessions! My Hi Point (actually it was MKS Supply - PRE Hi Point) fired somewhere north of 500 rounds without giving me any issues at all. That was pre-100 round value packs and when I was too poor to buy much ammo, back in the early 90s. |
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i have shot a few and they do go bang every time.
these are problems i have seen over the last few years.... BAD triggers slides cracked frames locked up due to no lube/maint. seriously damaged the frame.... HP replaced no questions asked bad springs. these issues were all with guns that had been shot a good bit and in every case HP stepped up and fixed/replaced them quickly even when it was obvious it was customer abuse. the repaired my carbine even after an unofficial torture test even when i offered to pay. their guns are clunky, ugly and cheap but generally do work. they are not what i would consider robust or made for high round counts. |
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Quoted: LIFETIME WARRANTY + GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE. Aren't these two of the most bitched about things in GD?? Now a gun company provides it yet because the gun is ugly (It is really fucking ugly) it's a POS. For the record I don't want a Hi Point. What other company will service and return a gun in under a week? I will never own one but from what I hear their customer service is the best. |
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The Hi Point is all the above posters have said- ugly, heavy, cheap, etc.
They are primarily intended for folks who can't afford anything better. They fill an important spot in the market-the lower income individual or family that needs home protection and really can't afford anything else. They are a quantum step up from a jennings/bryco/jimenez/skyy or whatever, in that they are actually somewhat accurate and can be reasonably relied on to get through a magazine with jamming. |
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I own two HP carbines (9mm and 40 S&W) and have had bunches of thier pistols over teh years. for some reason i just can tkeep them in the weapons locker. i get too many people asking me for cheap handgun to throw in teh bedside table or in the glovebox. for a basic no frills weapon, they serve the purpose. would i CCW one? heck no. to me they are range guns for the most part. id rather have a newbie drop my 150$ hi point int eh gravel and ding the shit out of it than my 600$ glock.
the round count arguements are rather facetious as well. HP has no defined round count that a gun should last. my own experience is about 5000 rounds is reasonable life expectancy for them. ive had several go that far and slightly farther before i sent them in for various problems. i laways got back a gun in brand new condition, for no charge and free mags to boot. theres lots of "ive heard" and "ive been told" "my buddy said this" comments, all from peopel who never handled, fired or owned one. eletists are everywhere in our sport. Do HPs have a higher failure rate than Glock SIG or HK? probably. but get any of those comapnies to warranty your gun for its entire life and send you free shit when it fails. ive seen HPs that were "accidentally" run over by construction equipment. totally destroyed. HP sent them a brand new gun free of charge. it all boils down to this: all other points aside, you are buying a firearm that goes bang, puts the bullets where you aim with reasonalbe accuracy and is reapired/replaced free of charge FOREVER for less than 200$. plus it 100% AMERICAN MADE by american workers using american materials. it may be ugly as sin, but ill support a 100% american company any day of teh week. SW |
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I bought one for trying out different reload combinations in. Its big, ugly, "cheap looking", heavy. But damn if it doesn't go bang every time and is pretty accurate. Someday I may even clean and lube it. Very much agree with this. I bought one as my first pistol jsut to see how I would like getting into pistols. It goes bang everytime. The only issue I ever had out of it was when I was out in Colorado and I bought some reloaded crap that had all different brands of cases mixed together and it had ejection/feeding issues. |