Inexpensive 9mm rifle?

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TFin04

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I'm becoming more and more interested in rifles that are calibered for handgun ammo.

As I'm looking for a new plinking rifle I figured the 9mm round would be perfect. I buy it in bulk as it is the round of my CCW gun and it would be nice to be able to feed both guns the same ammo.

I'm looking for something:

Inexpensive
Lightweight
A "backpackers" or "camp" rifle if you will.

Bolt action, lever action, magazine fed, whatever. I'm pretty open. I have no issues with buying a single shot rifle.

Any ideas? I'm having a hard time finding something to fit my needs.

Thanks!
 
I have read good things about the Hi-Point 9mm Carbine but have never had the chance to fire one. IMHO it is ugly looking but by all accounts reliable.
 
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There is only one gun which meets your requirements, and it meets them exactly: the 9mm Hi-Point Carbine.

Their pistols garner very mixed reviews, but there carbines are regarded quite well for such an inexpensive piece.

They run under $190 or so if you look around, possibly far lower.

The next cheapest items are the discontinued Marlin Camp 9 (far heavier, and $400+) and the Ruger PC9 ($450 and up). Then there's the Beretta Storm, around $500.

IIRC, when GunTests magazine tried all those rifles, they resoundingly declared the HP the best of the three overall, and a steal at 1/3 the cost of the others. I'm keeping an eye out for a deal on one myself.

-MV
 
Wow...that Hi-Point is ugly. :D

Any recommendations for a more traditional looking rifle? Wood stocks, bolt action, etc?

If the Hi-Point is as good as you guys say I'll def be looking into one, just curious if there are other options out there.
 
I haven't really wrung one out yet, beyond a few boxes of ammo, but I did go plinking with a friend who had one. That thing was bags of fun, and no failures with the ball ammo we were shooting.
 
Only bolt action I'm aware of is the Destroyer Carbine in 9mm Largo. From what I've heard, it is very bad practice to fire 9mm Luger/NATO/Parabellum in one of these, as it will be held in place only by the extractor.

No 9mm leverguns that I've ever heard of. I don't believe H&R/NEF ever made any single-shot 9mm rifles, though no reason they couldn't have. T/C Contender could do it, but that's looking at $500 or so.

9mm rifles aren't terribly common, and almost all of them cost 2-3 times what the HP does. On the bright side, you can happily paint, engrave, or slap bumper stickers on your HP carbine without worrying about it.

-MV
 
If you have a Glock 17 or 19 you can get a Mech Tech upper for it.

http://www.mechtechsys.com/

CCU-Glock650.jpg



Or you can get the hideous 9mm Hi Point and put an ATI stock on it.
http://www.atigunstocks.com/product-hipoint.html

HIP9000-MD.jpg


Then there's the Feather RAV-9mm. A cool looking choice.
http://www.featherusa.com/page3.html

img17.jpg


Kel-Tec makes probably the lightest model, the Sub2000 (but its almost as ugly as the HiPoint)
http://www.kel-tec.com/sub2000.html

sub2000_01.jpg


Oh and I forgot, The most expensive and hardest to find would be the Calico Liberty 100 but its got a 100 round mag!
http://www.calicolightweaponsystems.com/

900%20w-100rd%20mag%20&%20ammo.jpg

Ooh ... here's one for $899 with 2 100 round mags!
 
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On the bright side, you can happily paint, engrave, or slap bumper stickers on your HP carbine without worrying about it.
Click to expand...
Now there's an idea! :evil:

Looks like the Hi-Point is what I'm going to be searching for.

THR is awesome, I got all this info in a matter of 15 minutes. :)

How much do those Glock uppers cost? I'm looking at picking up a G19 sometime soon anyway, that may be a good option.
 
Consider the Kel-Tec Sub-2000 9mm (also comes in .40 S&W). We have two in the family as my wife and daughter both thought they were cute the way they folded up, etc. They are both in the break-in phase but ironing out ok and have real potential. They come with the 10 rd Glock mag but of course will take all Glock mags up to the big 32 rounder. Cleverly engineered little guns and they certainly travel well.
 
SUB 2000

Kel Tec makes a pistol caliber carbine called the sub 2000. 9 or 40 cal. It folds in half just ahead of the action. It is pricier than the hi point but cheaper than the rest. It looks OK to my eyes a sub gun sort of look. Some guys at my club use them and say they are decent shooters.

pete
 
Kel-Tec?! No one said Kel-Tec?! Not as inexpensive as a Hi-Point, to be sure, but it exceeds your other two requirements so that the extra $$ is worth considering spending. I recommend the Glock magazine version, less problems with magazine interchangability. It is also the only one available with differeing magazine formats, the other use only their own (or S&W in Marlin's case) format.

If you get the Hi-Point, there are aftermarket stocks available for it that make it look like the Beretta.
 
Ugly, yes. But Hi Points are good guns for the money. They hit what you aim them at and they go bang everytime you pull the trigger. The rear aperture/front ring are sights are very good. The trigger isn't great, but for $200 its a good value.

You can get a stock from ATI that makes it a little better looking.
 
I don't have any experience with them, but there is also the Ruger Carbine.
 
i would go , from lowest to best, hipoint, keltec, marlin, calico, then a mechtech conversion. Ther Marlin looks actually most like a rifle here.
 
I would avoid the Hi-Point. It is not that they are bad guns, because they aren't. However, some of them are wicked lemons. I have shot one that can't make it through a single mag, with virtually and brand of hardball withoput jamming. Also, the screw together construction needs to be tended to often (stock screws, and cocking handle). On the positive side, the Hi-Point is inexpensive, has a good warranty, is compact, and handles well. I even like the aesthetics.

However, for a little more money, the Ruger PC-9 is a much better rifle No jamming, no loose parts, great gun:)
 
I have a 9 and 40 version of the Hi Point carbine with no problems at all with either of them. 9mm mags are weak links but with some smoothing and deburing the mags make them work well.

Hi Point has great free customer service for life and no questions asked. They will take the gun in and recondition it for you also at no charge. Best 149 I have spent! :evil:
 
I just got a Hi Point and I'm impressed with it. Yes it is ugly but size wise it feels like a light Thompson. It fed everything I used fmj and a variety of hollow points. If the looks bother you that much rather than buy new stocks etc just get the Ruger, Beretta, or used Marlin. If you buy the Hi Point and spend for a stock you'll probably be close to spending what you would for one of the other three I mentioned.

Only down side to the Hi Point is the magazines load kind of funny. You push the round thru the front of the lips of the magazine. It's easier to use something to push down the back of the round in the magazine to load the next.
 
i stopped counting after 6000 rounds through my hi-point, but i still have not had a failure of any kind. i DO have an issue with the charging handle bolt becoming loose. it usually needs to be tightened every 200 rounds or so. i have not had an issue with any ofther hardware coming loose.
 
I have a 9mm HiPoint carbine and havent had any trouble with it yet.

Its is ugly as sin in its original form but the ATI stock makes a difference.

Image00013.gif
 
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