I remember a long time ago, when I went into a gun store for the first time, with little knowledge about the many handguns available, nor much money to make a purchase with. I would have welcomed such a pistol to start with. I can't belittle someones' first choice facing limited resources, as it is good to see another person exercising their right to self defense, and to be able to do so with a firearm they can trust. We all had to start out somewhere. The new firearm owner needs encouragement and sometimes the wallet has the deciding vote in what firearm we choose. Would you do without any handgun until you could afford an expensive one?
Hi-Point Firearms - A different take
- Thread starter triplebike
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They give the "Made in USA" label a bad name.
islandphish
Member
agree with OP. apparently a lot of people in this thread don't understand being poor and wanting to be armed. Hi-Point is arming the masses. IMO that's a good thing.
Hawthorne2k
Member
Well, we'll soon find out one way or another.
The gauntlet has been thrown down, and the challenge has been accepted.
It'll be good to inject some real-world data into this debate.
The gauntlet has been thrown down, and the challenge has been accepted.
It'll be good to inject some real-world data into this debate.
herohog
Member
Thanks to the OP for the background on the company! I sold a barrel full of the C9's not long after they came out and never had a one come back. I am selling the one I have now simply because I need the money. I WILL replace it later when I am in better financial shape. I have owned more expensive pistols and I still bought a HiPoint because I could leave it in my car and not be worried about loosing an expensive gun should I be robbed. It was also a great "loaner" gun. Mine have always been surprisingly accurate and dependable to boot so why not?
crasen
Member
You do have to remember that most people will have to add $50 or so for shipping plus FFL transfer. Not saying it isn't worth it but it does almost double the price of a hipoint
wriggly
Member
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Geo Metros were not American made.. I owned a 96 Geo Metro 4cyl (Made In Japan) for 12 years and 280,000 miles. I sold it to an old retired guy, that could not afford a car, for 5 dollars, and he is still driving it today with 304,000 miles on it. I owned a 2004 Mustang Mach1 and a 2002 Corvette Specter Werks convertible at the same time as the Geo, and I guess I am a cheap bastid, because I enjoyed the Geo more than the other two cars. I worried about them all the time. The Geo never gave me any worries.
scythefwd
Member
I can buy a Geo Metro and it will get me from A to B but i would much rather be driving the Mustang or even better a Corvette. All American made but some are just better then others.
Jelyring - the metro was a rebranded suzuki. Sorry bout that.
Jelyring - the metro was a rebranded suzuki. Sorry bout that.
jleyring
Member
My bad on the whole Geo thing. Didnt really research it much. I used to drive one and most of the time I was thinkin If only i could afford a better car i wouldnt be driving a Geo. My point was to show that even though the company is an American company doesnt make it that great. I personally dont care for Hipoints. I dont care for Glocks either because I think they are ugly and plastic. They are reliable pistols but dont ever really want one. I really enjoy guns so i will work harder to get a great pistol that i will love. Not just one so I can say I have a pistol. But to make it all fair if you have a Hi-point and love it. To each his own. Ill stick to my Beretta's and Sig's.
scythefwd
Member
jleyring - you still made your point well. I would love to get a new 3 cyl metro. They got insane mpg and my commute fits the same adjective.
I am not a fan of polymer guns either, but it isn't due to any faults of the guns. I prefer a steel gun myself, and all of mine fit that description. Now if my wife wants one, she'll get one. She had a scare recently and now wants to keep a gun in the bedroom. Before she does that she WILL be proficient and able to work the gun, including fix stoppages, blind.
She'll also be able to identify me by my footsteps if I have anything to say. Last thing I need her doing is popping a round in me when I get home from work at 2 AM thinking she was shooting an intruder.
I am not a fan of polymer guns either, but it isn't due to any faults of the guns. I prefer a steel gun myself, and all of mine fit that description. Now if my wife wants one, she'll get one. She had a scare recently and now wants to keep a gun in the bedroom. Before she does that she WILL be proficient and able to work the gun, including fix stoppages, blind.
She'll also be able to identify me by my footsteps if I have anything to say. Last thing I need her doing is popping a round in me when I get home from work at 2 AM thinking she was shooting an intruder.
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This thread made me register. I hate to see this company get slammed like some of you are doing. No, they will never be mistaken for a safe queen but neither will any of the other options at that price.
I bought my wife the High-Point 9mm because THAT'S WHAT SHE WANTED. I tried and tried to convince her that she wanted a different weapon but she wasn't having it. "You said you were buying me a gun and this is the one I want" I heard that many times before I conceded. I reluctantly purchased the Hi-Point and got a Fobus holster to go with it. We left the gun shop and went straight to the range. 100 rounds later, shooting it every way I could trying to make it malfunction, I was convinced....It's an inexpensive firearm not a "cheap" one. Over the last several years I have put hundreds of rounds through it and it has NEVER ONCE malfunctioned. REALLY, ISN'T THAT THE PURPOSE OF A WEAPON?
The "bad guy" is just as dead from the Hi-Point as he would be from the Colt. I doubt he cares that he just got shot with an ugly gun.
I bought my wife the High-Point 9mm because THAT'S WHAT SHE WANTED. I tried and tried to convince her that she wanted a different weapon but she wasn't having it. "You said you were buying me a gun and this is the one I want" I heard that many times before I conceded. I reluctantly purchased the Hi-Point and got a Fobus holster to go with it. We left the gun shop and went straight to the range. 100 rounds later, shooting it every way I could trying to make it malfunction, I was convinced....It's an inexpensive firearm not a "cheap" one. Over the last several years I have put hundreds of rounds through it and it has NEVER ONCE malfunctioned. REALLY, ISN'T THAT THE PURPOSE OF A WEAPON?
The "bad guy" is just as dead from the Hi-Point as he would be from the Colt. I doubt he cares that he just got shot with an ugly gun.
-If Makarovs were still $140 there would be no discussion. FYI, there is no debate; they (and most other milspec firearms) are superior in every aspect ranging from reliability, accuracy, durability, to metalurgy.
-The lowest-end firearms appeal to a ton of people who don't have the means ($$$) to obtain a "good" firearm. Sure, poor people deserve the right to protect themselves, just like anyone else. However, it has been my observation that the majority of people in the lowest strata of society are usually there for a reason. Sure, good folks fall on hard times, but I will gladly walk you through a few of the projects and you can form your own opinion.
Let's face it, when you've cranked out millions of $75 pistols, a ton of fools, crooks, an idiots will be armed with ease.
-The lowest-end firearms appeal to a ton of people who don't have the means ($$$) to obtain a "good" firearm. Sure, poor people deserve the right to protect themselves, just like anyone else. However, it has been my observation that the majority of people in the lowest strata of society are usually there for a reason. Sure, good folks fall on hard times, but I will gladly walk you through a few of the projects and you can form your own opinion.
Let's face it, when you've cranked out millions of $75 pistols, a ton of fools, crooks, an idiots will be armed with ease.
tooltech
Member
A friend has had a C9 for several years. I've never seen it fail, and I've always been able to hit what I shoot with it.
So, when a friend who is experiencing financial difficulties, or my son who just became a father, asked about a home defense / range gun, I made the same recommendation.
I know both of these people would prefer a nicer weapon, but isn't the first rule of a gunfight "have a gun"?
I feel it's better to have a High Point in the home, than a Kimber (or Glock) on lay-away.
So, when a friend who is experiencing financial difficulties, or my son who just became a father, asked about a home defense / range gun, I made the same recommendation.
I know both of these people would prefer a nicer weapon, but isn't the first rule of a gunfight "have a gun"?
I feel it's better to have a High Point in the home, than a Kimber (or Glock) on lay-away.
I do not like Hi- Point firearms and I never will. Guess that makes me a poor people hating gun snob. 
Hunterdad
Member
Why don't you like them?
dougw47
Member
hi-point carbine
Ex-son in law is a dope addict and ex-con that needs to be back in jail. We have a restraining order on him but the local sheriff will not help us. He came over and broke in to my house (daughter lives there with 4 kids) and she called 911...the deputies showed up 6 hours later. When seconds count, the police are only hours away...in her case!
I gave her a Tomcat .32, she shot it once with a bad grip and cut the heck out of her hand...she gave it back to me. So I had gotten a Carbine from a guy that need money, and had her shoot it. Now she keeps it in the bedroom.
I feel a lot better...that she at least has a chance now. Best $100 I ever spent and we have put several hundred rounds though it, no malfunctions. I hope she never has to shoot him (though I have considered it) but, even poor people deserve to have protection.
Ex-son in law is a dope addict and ex-con that needs to be back in jail. We have a restraining order on him but the local sheriff will not help us. He came over and broke in to my house (daughter lives there with 4 kids) and she called 911...the deputies showed up 6 hours later. When seconds count, the police are only hours away...in her case!
I gave her a Tomcat .32, she shot it once with a bad grip and cut the heck out of her hand...she gave it back to me. So I had gotten a Carbine from a guy that need money, and had her shoot it. Now she keeps it in the bedroom.
I feel a lot better...that she at least has a chance now. Best $100 I ever spent and we have put several hundred rounds though it, no malfunctions. I hope she never has to shoot him (though I have considered it) but, even poor people deserve to have protection.
OP
OP
triplebike
Member
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- 549
So what your saying is that if there was no such gun as a Hi-Point then the bold above would not have any weapons at all???? Maybe in fairy tale land, but in the real world they would figure out a way to attain a weapon. I'm sure a lot of crooks just walked in to their local gun shop, had the proper background check & walked out with a legal firearm. Not buying that, sorry.
Ok you asked. Now let me make one thing crystal clear. If all you can afford is a Hi- Point then by all means buy one and learn to use it, as something is better than nothing. Being able to defend yourself and your family is very important.
Now, I find them to be overly heavy, poorly built, terribly balanced hunks of pot metal. They a straight blow back system with no lock up, which works fine for 380 and less but is not such a good idea on 9, 40, and 45 calibers. The fit and finish is terrible. The slide is made of a zinc alloy that seems to be more lead than zinc. I am not saying they do not go bang every time you pull the trigger or that they are not accurate enough to stop a threat.
I am saying that for my money I want more and I am will to save up to buy a better pistol. For the record the only pistol I own is the one my father left me when he died. I am poor, I just sold my favorite rifle to make ends meet this month. But I would only use a Hi- Point if that was all I could afford or find. If I have another choice I will take it. And if this is an example of American made, thank God it is not the only example, then I will continue to buy from China or anywhere else that makes a better product at a competitive price.
Onward Allusion
Member
While this may be true, a lot of stores do not carry Maks, Toks, PA-63's, or CZ-82's. I know the big boxes don't. Many of the big boxes don't even carry 9x18 cartridges. 7.62x25 - good luck.
I grew up in and around Chicago and closest gun shops never carried those types of weapons. The occassional one that did certainly did not have them for under $200. Under $300 maybe.
It wasn't until I moved to the far Western Suburbs of Chicago and then finally over here that I started seeing commie bloc firearms on the shelves. Even then, they were on the average 50% higher than a Hi-Point.
I grew up in and around Chicago and closest gun shops never carried those types of weapons. The occassional one that did certainly did not have them for under $200. Under $300 maybe.
It wasn't until I moved to the far Western Suburbs of Chicago and then finally over here that I started seeing commie bloc firearms on the shelves. Even then, they were on the average 50% higher than a Hi-Point.
CoRoMo
Member
- I have a C9. I rarely shoot it at all anymore.
- It was priced at $80. I sometimes wish I hadn't bought it on impulse.
- I think it looks ugly. I wish it had a double stack magazine capacity.
- It'll easily stop up when the wife doesn't keep her wrists locked.
- It has never failed when I'm behind its trigger.
- It is what it is.
I do not like Hi- Point firearms and I never will. Guess that makes me a poor people hating gun snob.
It's not about whether you like Hi-Point firearms personally, but whether and why you would fault others for buying them, especially if these guns are all they can afford.
Did you not read post #46?
http://www.thehighroad.org/showpost.php?p=6610660&postcount=46
IF A HI POINT IS ALL YOU CAN AFFORD, BUY IT AND LEARN TO USE IT.
I will never slight anyone for wanting to defend their life or their family. I will, however, point out the short comings of a system that is vastly over rated. It is my opinion and my opinion only. You do not have to agree with it or like it. And as they say YMMV.
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