Best of these three 9mm's?

[moewadle]

How about a "Like new in box."

I am offering an alternative idea based on your desire to stay within a certain dollar cost....One of the things I have done in buying cars and guns is to find one that was barely used but is technically used. Like tonight, I saw a CZ75 at alarge sporting goods chain store. I thought it was brand new but they had described it as LNIB, meaning Like New in Box. The sales person did not seem pushy but who knows. He said it appeared to have no marks indicating it was fired. They claimed it was a $499 gun they would sell for $410. I am looking for a 9mm and may buy it. I don't care if it is called used, it looks like new and has the box, etc. I would buy something like this before I would a questionable brand just because it is cheap. You have heard of "isms" haven't you? One ism (truism) is that you get what you pay for. I realize this is not perfectly true but it is true enough to use as a rule of thumb. Buy a quality brand item whether or not you are buying pancake mix, peanut butter, cars, or guns. You will be glad you did in the long run. And I think there are some deals out there in guns that have mostly laid in some person's gun safe until he/she decided to sell for whatever reason. Enjoy the search and the shooting. Moe

 

[SAG0282]

Some pretty crappy guns from which to choose......yikes. Out of them the Ruger is the best by a mile......they're robust guns, but far from refined in any way.

 

[Atticus]

http://www.gunsamerica.com/guns/976589901.htm

Of those three...the Ruger. For $400 you can do a lot better though.

 

[S&W620]

I don't think it is right to compare Ruger to Hi Point. I have shot a Hi Point and had no problems, but I WILL NOT trust my life to one. I would look at the Ruger, or even a CZ, XD, or Glock for the money you are talking about spending. The extra money you spend will be well worth it. Hi Points are great guns for shooting at the range and are certainly better than no gun at all, but for a bit more money you could purchase a higher quality firearm with a much more proven track record. Best of luck with whatever you choose.

 

[10-Ring]

Of your choices, go w/ the Ruger

 

[Gary G23]

Your list sucks. Save up another $20 and get a good gun like a CZ or XD. Trust me, you'll be glad you did.

 

[Kimber.45]

I have 1911's and a Mak and a Radom P-64.
Today I purchased 2 Hi Point C9's, one for myself and one for my son. I've heard good and bad so had to try one for myself. I took it to the range this afternoon and put 150 rounds of cheap Wolf ammo through it after oiling it just a bit.

Hi Point C9 Polymer, new out of the box, 150 rounds, 0 FTF, 0 FTE, shot everytime and the sights needed adjustment but other than that it was fine.

I never expected to have a $130.00 pistol perform this well, brand new out of the box.

I will post updates with more wear and different ammo but at this point I can recommend Hi Point.

 

[moewadle]

Much more use needed to prove this gun

Thank you for letting us know your experience. But, at the risk of sounding too blunt, 150 rounds does not prove very much. Give it some time and a few thousand rounds to see what happens. I still say, YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR! Moe

 

[Nail Shooter]

Of the ones that you list--obviously, Ruger. But, I'd recommend a used Glock over any that you mention.

NS

 

[Kimber.45]

Moe
I'll agree, 150 rounds is not a definitive test but it is a good start.
I have other guns but I am a fan of the 1911 and not a person to knock something without seeing it for myself. I'm going out again next weekend, another 100 at least then my son ordered me some ammo, 1000 rounds, I'll probably put 250 rounds through it in one session, that will be a total of 500 rounds in 3 sessions. If the Hi Point can go 500 rounds with no failures than I would consider that a very good starting point.

I plan on reporting fairly, no snobbery, no hype, my first impression though is that this gun is much maligned for no reason other than it's low cost.
I don't expect it to be a high dollar shooter with an infinite lifetime, I do expect it to be reasonably accurate and hope for exceptional reliability.

Follow up posts will occur at 250 then again at 500 rounds.

BTW- In my humble opinion, it really isn't as ugly as I've heard it described

 

[Srigs]

For $400, I would get the Hi Point 995 plus 50 bucks for extra mags and 200 for 1000 rounds to practice with. You will have a cheap reliable carbine that you will love IMHO. I like mine and recommend them to anyone.

 

[MikePGS]

I know someone else already mentioned this, and it isn't what your looking for, but really for home defense a shotgun is by far the way to go. They're reliable, easy to use and are absolutely capable of stopping someone with a single shot. If you insist on a pistol, a revolver is probably better to due to the inherent reliability of it.

 

[MidnightRambler]

I've owned Glocks, XDs, the CZ 75b, and the Ruger is just as good as any of these, and cheaper. It's just as reliable too.

 

[Craig M. Arnold]

Of your list, I would have to go with the Ruger. It is a solid and reliable pistol. However, I would really encourage you to consider a CZ75B. I was doing a safety check on a Ruger P89 for a friend. I took the following picture with one of my CZ75Bs. IMHO, the CZ is a much better pistol.

Best regards.

 

[MountainBear]

I have owned both a Ruger 9mm pistol and a hi-point carbine in 9mm. I found both fairly reliable, but would take the Ruger every day of the week and twice on Sunday.
The Ruger shoots rings around damn near every other pitol I have including three glocks, two smith's, a couple of random others.
Its a solid design and will work forever...

 

[weregunner]

I own 2 P95s.No complaints. They have been used in IDPA and each is the decocker type. Both are 4 years old and have at least 3500 rounds thru them. Accuracy has been 2.5 inches at 25 yards and the P97 .45ACP shoots slightly tighter groups. Only problem is a magazine catch spring need replacing. That is my fault for slamming home magazines when not that much effort is needed to seat one in the gun.

 

[Trebor]

Of the three you listed, I'd go with the Ruger, and I'm NOT a fan of Ruger centfire autos. They are reliable, but I find them clunky and uncomfortable.

Spend a little more and you could get into a CZ-75B or XD-9. Spend more then that and you could look at a Glock 17 or 19 or Sig 229 or 239 or a Browning High Power. I'd go with the CZ-75 or Browing first, then the Sig, then XD 9, and then the Glock, but that's just personal preference.

 

[Walt Sherrill]

Among the choices offered, the Ruger, with the Hi-Point carbine close behind. For about the same money, you can pick up a number of surplus 9mm semi-autos, ranging from a police trade-in S&W to a pretty nice Glock. Or a used CZ.

(The Hi-Point carbine is NOT a Hi-Point pistol... The carbines have been well-reviewed and anyone I've talked to who has owned one or shot one really likes them. The Hi-Point pistols are functional and reliable, but just don't look right -- and that turns a bunch of folks off.)

I also like the Kel-Tec carbine. Had one for a while and had such a good offer on a trade I let it go. I'll probably get another, one of these days.

Someone above chose to avoid the Kel-Tec because of its "strange folding design." It doesn't have to be folded. You can never fold it. Then its still a relatively compact carbine that is very reliable and surprisingly accurate. If you want to fold it, it fits in an optional padded soft case that is remarkably small.

 

[kansas45]

Get the ruger P89. I can't think of one reason not to. I have 2000+ round's through mine. Although that is not a lot by my standard's it is enough to let me know if I like a particular gun or not. I did install a pair af Houge grip's & like how they fit & feel. I use my P89DC for my outdoor gun. It go's fishing, hiking to the farm & generally live's in a abusive enviorment. It even like's the to visit the range from time to time!

 

[rocketfish]

Get the MPA30 9mm! This is the best choice for:

a) High magazine capacity - 30 rds.

and more importantly for:

b) it is the most ominous, evil looking gun of the three and will piss off liberals.

 

[bakert]

I have an older Ruger P 85, the daddy of the P89. In way over 6000 rds it's never failed in any way with any kind of ammo I've used. Factory FMJ, hollow points, or lead reloads mixed or matched it doesn't seem to matter. Not a target pistol by any means but at the 7 to 10 yd combat ranges it's more than adequate. It's a good reliable self defence or house gun. Not fancy and maybe a bit bulky for some people but it works every time.

 

[Safety First]

Don't think I will want to trust my life to a hi point, the hi power is probably a good choice, that one is on my radar for a down the road purchase.

A good 1911 like S&W, SA XD, Sig ( most any Sig)...keep doing a little more research and thinking on it before you settle on the choices you have given so far. If it means saving a little more, then you owe it to your self and family to do so. accuracy and RELIABILITY are the most important factors (to me anyway) than price or hi capacity, even though both are important. The folks here will not steer you in the wrong direction, they have always been an invaluable resource for me, but in the end the final decision is yours....

 

[moewadle]

How about this solution?

How about this solution? It takes you $50 over $400 plus sales tax but gives you a good product. I just walked into Scheels Outfitters, a Midwest chain of 22 stores and they are selling Beretta 92FSs, 9mm, brand new, in box, with two 15 round magazines for $450 plus tax. I would go with this instead of your three choices. In fact I did. I put one on layaway. The have many of them and claim they have a slight blem but I think this is just the Beretta company clearing out for the new 90-TWO model. Moe

 

[DBR]

If $ is really tight, I would buy a factory refurb Glock 17. Try CDNN. You can get new hicap mags from Natchez for $17.00. Otherwise, just buy a new Glock 17. It will do all you want and more.

 

[Magnumite]

Getting past the blocky appearance, the Ruger is probably the strongest 9mm pistol out there. In my have experience they shoot very well with the addition of Hogue grips. The pistol exhibits a pleasant roll to it and believe it or not, points well, at least for me.

Accuracy wise, you are looking at 2.5 to 4.0 inch groups (hand held) at 25 yards with generic red, white, yellow or whatever box the ammo comes in. The thing will eat just about anything you put in it. If the trigger is a little gritty, just touch up the side of the draw bar and you have a nice action for a service grade pistol.

They are out there by the dozens, as the others have mentioned, for under $300. I shot a couple of the other brands, Taurus PT 92 and its Beretta cousin, the Sigs and CZ's. All work well, but for overall performance and most band for the buck, it doesn't get any better than that Ruger.