M1 carbine or Hi-Point carbine : Which one?
- Thread starter JustKen
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Well, 9mm ammo is a heck of lot cheaper than .30 carbine ammo. The Hi-Point is a cheap POS gun but has a good reputation for reliability and accuracy and are fun to shoot. Commercial .30 carbines are crap, GI ones are expensive.
if all I wanted was something to fool around with I would get the Hi-Point, or probably an SKS since it shoots cheap rifle ammo.
if all I wanted was something to fool around with I would get the Hi-Point, or probably an SKS since it shoots cheap rifle ammo.
VA27
Member
The M1 carbine is a piece of living history shooting a round power-wise equal to a 357 magnum (a pistol round). If you break it you're pretty much on your own.
The HiPoint is a budget-priced firearm shooting a pistol round that is reliable, more accurate than it has a right to be and is backed up by excellent customer service.
Buy the one you want.
With over 6 million made, three wars and countless 'actions', it's a safe bet that a LOT more folks got shot with the M1 carbine.
The HiPoint is a budget-priced firearm shooting a pistol round that is reliable, more accurate than it has a right to be and is backed up by excellent customer service.
Buy the one you want.
With over 6 million made, three wars and countless 'actions', it's a safe bet that a LOT more folks got shot with the M1 carbine.
garyhan
Member
An original M1 carbine will continue to appreciate in value and was made to mil specs for extended useage. In my experience with a number of carbines, they are reliable and accurate (3", 100 yds, issue sights). The Hi Point may serve well for some purposes, but does not offer the advantages of the M!.
gary
gary
LAGS
Member
Just muy opinion.
But Buy two Hi-Points for the same price and Throw them both away.
You cant beat the M-1 , and the only other draw back besides the current prices is the cost and avalibity of the ammo.
But you will have it around for many years and eating up ammo reliabily like there is no tomorrow.
But Buy two Hi-Points for the same price and Throw them both away.
You cant beat the M-1 , and the only other draw back besides the current prices is the cost and avalibity of the ammo.
But you will have it around for many years and eating up ammo reliabily like there is no tomorrow.
Reloadron
Contributing Member
Buy the Hi Point, heck buy several and help us keep Ohio employed so my taxes decrease. 
Seriously, I would buy a M1 Carbine.
Ron
Seriously, I would buy a M1 Carbine.
Ron
Schwing
Member
I am curious about how it is narrowed down to an M-1 or a High point
To me, they are not comparable in any way. The M-1 is going to be the obvious choice for power, range, historic value and overall coolness. The hi-point is going to be the obvious choice if you want to shoot often and only have $300 to spend.
If the two were put in front of me and I had the choice to pick one or the other, the M1 wins hands down.
Having said that, I own a Hi point 995 9mm carbine and love it. I reload 9mm and can shoot for hours with relatively low costs. They get trashed a lot but mine has been reliable, accurate and extremely entertaining.
To me, they are not comparable in any way. The M-1 is going to be the obvious choice for power, range, historic value and overall coolness. The hi-point is going to be the obvious choice if you want to shoot often and only have $300 to spend.
If the two were put in front of me and I had the choice to pick one or the other, the M1 wins hands down.
Having said that, I own a Hi point 995 9mm carbine and love it. I reload 9mm and can shoot for hours with relatively low costs. They get trashed a lot but mine has been reliable, accurate and extremely entertaining.
Kind of hard to compare the two. The only thing they have in common is the word "carbine".
M1 is a historical piece of equipment that probably is inferior to the HP in a lot of ways just like a 100 year old revolver is inferior to a modern revolver in a lot of ways.
I have both. I rarely shoot the M1 and I shoot the HP regularly. Cost of ammo is not a consideration for me on the M1 since I only shoot it on occasion. I can brag about the M1 but not so much with the HP. Kids gravitate to the HP because it looks like a gun off of a Call of Duty game. Grown men tend to gravitate to the M1 because of it's historical significance.
Buy both. That's my mantra.
M1 is a historical piece of equipment that probably is inferior to the HP in a lot of ways just like a 100 year old revolver is inferior to a modern revolver in a lot of ways.
I have both. I rarely shoot the M1 and I shoot the HP regularly. Cost of ammo is not a consideration for me on the M1 since I only shoot it on occasion. I can brag about the M1 but not so much with the HP. Kids gravitate to the HP because it looks like a gun off of a Call of Duty game. Grown men tend to gravitate to the M1 because of it's historical significance.
Buy both. That's my mantra.
For low cost plinking, the high Point I guess...
For anything else the M1 carbine. I stumbled into an M1 carbine and fell in love with it the first time I shouldered it! It balances and points beautifully. As far as power, there is no comparison to 9mm. Most critically for defensive use, the bullets are travelling at ~2000fps which is at the point where the temporary stretch cavity tears tissue and causes permanent damage like any rifle round. This is the key difference in handgun terminal effects vs. rifles, not energy.
An M1 carbine with a good softpoint is a great defensive firearm. They do cost $800 now and ammo is harder to find and more expensive than 9mm, that is the biggest downside. Not a huge one for a home defense role or if you reload.
For anything else the M1 carbine. I stumbled into an M1 carbine and fell in love with it the first time I shouldered it! It balances and points beautifully. As far as power, there is no comparison to 9mm. Most critically for defensive use, the bullets are travelling at ~2000fps which is at the point where the temporary stretch cavity tears tissue and causes permanent damage like any rifle round. This is the key difference in handgun terminal effects vs. rifles, not energy.
An M1 carbine with a good softpoint is a great defensive firearm. They do cost $800 now and ammo is harder to find and more expensive than 9mm, that is the biggest downside. Not a huge one for a home defense role or if you reload.
Furncliff
Member
I have several pcc's including a High Point .45 acp and Marlin camp nine. I was trying to go cheap, instead of buy the M1 carbine. Mistake. The Camp 9 has been at the gunsmith a lot and my High Point though unbelievable reliable is not very accurate. My choice should have been the M1. If you have the $ and you'd rather have a modern rifle look into the Baretta CX4
theotherwaldo
Member
I like my M-1 but I love each of my Hi-Points. The 9mm and the .45, both of them. Fun, accurate, and quite happy to function with my less-than-stellar reloads. I'd feel secure and well-armed with any of the three choices.
chris in va
Member
For some reason, my 9mm HiPoint broke three times. Got rather expensive sending it back to Beemiller. It was fun when it worked though.
There are literally TONS of M1 Carbine parts around, and they can mostly be changed or replaced by the owner. A reasonable selection of spare parts is easy to obtain and keep on hand.
Having said that, the M1 carbines of my fifty-plus years' experience involving about five different examples have very seldom NEEDED such work, but it's nice to "be prepared".
Get the M1.... a few hundred bucks difference in price will look meaningless to you in a couple years' time. Just make sure it's a government-issue rifle, not a Universal or other knock-off (although the Kahr/Auto-Ordnance carbines seem to be pretty good).
Having said that, the M1 carbines of my fifty-plus years' experience involving about five different examples have very seldom NEEDED such work, but it's nice to "be prepared".
Get the M1.... a few hundred bucks difference in price will look meaningless to you in a couple years' time. Just make sure it's a government-issue rifle, not a Universal or other knock-off (although the Kahr/Auto-Ordnance carbines seem to be pretty good).
Don't ask me, I have three of each! And I like them all, they all have more pros than cons.
Oh, just saw the "home invasion" comment - I have a Plainfield M1 carbine dedicated for that duty, it's my most accurate and reliable one. Fitted with an Ultimak handguard, Sightmark red dot optic, and a flashlight. I've posted photos of it here before, you can search my posts to find one. I'd post one now but I'm on my phone, not real handy.
Here, see post #42. Whatever the light shines on is in for a bad night. http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=9266826#post9266826
Oh, just saw the "home invasion" comment - I have a Plainfield M1 carbine dedicated for that duty, it's my most accurate and reliable one. Fitted with an Ultimak handguard, Sightmark red dot optic, and a flashlight. I've posted photos of it here before, you can search my posts to find one. I'd post one now but I'm on my phone, not real handy.
Here, see post #42. Whatever the light shines on is in for a bad night. http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?p=9266826#post9266826
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I'd go with a pump shotgun and good quality weapon light then, pistol as backup. A carbine set up so that you can bet your life on it is the most expensive type of HD firearm (generally speaking).
Barring some recoil sensitivity issue or some other external factor, I wouldn't be willing to put up with the weight and length of a long gun without getting much better terminal performance in return. Sure, a pistol caliber carbine will be more accurate than a handgun, but might as well step up to more performance at the same time.
Shotgun with #1 buck, M1 carbine with a good soft point, or .223/5.56 all give much better terminal performance while not over-penetrating in a structure. Cost is whatever you pay for the long gun, plus $100 or so for a good quality light and mount, plus $30 for a decent sling.
Ks5shooter
Contributing Member
Freind of mine bought highpoint 9mm,broke 2 times.Had to pay shipping as posted above.Getting expensive is right.He has since sold it and bought a CX-4.
Carl N. Brown
Member
That is like passing up a good vintage station wagon because it was the same make, model and year as the infamous Ed Gein "Death Car", used to haul bodies stolen from their graves (as exhibited in a carny sideshow).
Doc Savage
Member
If I had a choice between the two (and I did) I'd go with a Hi-Point Carbine. Main reason is accessability to ammo. Even without the crazies of the past year 30 Carbine ammo was real hard to find and much more expensive than 9mm. Personally I'd like a 45 now that they have those. The other advantage is that I can share ammo between my pistols and the Carbines.
My brother has had an M1 for years. Loved shooting it. Would love having one for the "fun" factor. Practicality wise, not so much. Prefer the carbine as well as my AR-15 and LR308. Personally in a home invasion scenario. I'd grab the carbine (or AR) before my shotgun, too long a barrel.
My brother has had an M1 for years. Loved shooting it. Would love having one for the "fun" factor. Practicality wise, not so much. Prefer the carbine as well as my AR-15 and LR308. Personally in a home invasion scenario. I'd grab the carbine (or AR) before my shotgun, too long a barrel.
Speedo66
Member
Are you serious? If money isn't a factor, a .30 Carbine is one of the most fun guns out there. Solid, wood stock gun feel, with recoil a kid can easily handle. Reasonably accurate to greater distances than the H-P, with a coolness factor that's off the charts.
Future? H-P is a used gun that begins depreciating the minute you leave the shop, exact opposite for the M-1 Carbine.
How many complaints have you heard from people who are sorry they bought a US Carbine?
Future? H-P is a used gun that begins depreciating the minute you leave the shop, exact opposite for the M-1 Carbine.
How many complaints have you heard from people who are sorry they bought a US Carbine?
kBob
Member
I am sorry I bought an M-1 Carbine......I wish I had bought four.
Only one experience with shooting an HP and it was OK. I have a fair bit of experience with other 9x19 mm shoulder arms......like MP40, Sten, MP5 (standard, k, and SD), Uzi (full sized), Sterling Patchett, and a little with MAT49 and a teenie bit with theM45 "Swedish K" and guess what?
I would pick a M-1 Carbine with hunting ammo over any of them if my life and the lives of my family depended on them.
Got my first carbine at 14.....gosh, almost half a century ago, wish I still had that one. Soon as I found it would punch through 4x4 treated pine lumber at 50 yards and an empty LP gas bottle (top was cut out we used it to hear impacts with lead bulleted .38 Specials), I began to have my doubts about some of the failure to punch through ChiCom jackets stories.....
-kBob
Only one experience with shooting an HP and it was OK. I have a fair bit of experience with other 9x19 mm shoulder arms......like MP40, Sten, MP5 (standard, k, and SD), Uzi (full sized), Sterling Patchett, and a little with MAT49 and a teenie bit with theM45 "Swedish K" and guess what?
I would pick a M-1 Carbine with hunting ammo over any of them if my life and the lives of my family depended on them.
Got my first carbine at 14.....gosh, almost half a century ago, wish I still had that one. Soon as I found it would punch through 4x4 treated pine lumber at 50 yards and an empty LP gas bottle (top was cut out we used it to hear impacts with lead bulleted .38 Specials), I began to have my doubts about some of the failure to punch through ChiCom jackets stories.....
-kBob
for home defense, the Hi-Point, if you load it with CorBon 100 gr jhp's (1650 fps from a carbine barrel). The 9mm carbine has considerably less blast and flash. A lot of the 30 carbine softpoint ammo is wussified down to 1700 fps or so, I have heard. BAll ammo in the 30C aint much. If you use the softpoints, the velocity is down below reliable expansion speed (1800 fps) at pretty close range, like 50 yds.
Cast bullets are much easier to make work in the 9mm, and jacketed carbine ammo aint welcome at a lot of indoor ranges. You can find used, good condition High Point carbines for $200, with the laser sight thrown in, sometimes.
Take a look at the ballistics charts sometime. the 30c falls off like a stone at 150 yds. It drifts badly in the wind, too. I can see it failing to penetrate heavily quilted winter wear, at 300 yds or so. If you don't flip of the "long range" wing of the peep sight, 200 yds is a long, long shot for the 30c. The 223 outranges it by a wide margin. I'd say to get an AR, actually. If you suppress it,. the HP is going to work better with subsonic loads, and the laser sight might (don't know) help "clear" the silencer. I know that if you put a suppressor on the 30c, it's still going to have sonic crack with factory ammo, and when you look thru the sights of the 30C "wearing" one, you'll be looking at the back of the suppressor.
Cast bullets are much easier to make work in the 9mm, and jacketed carbine ammo aint welcome at a lot of indoor ranges. You can find used, good condition High Point carbines for $200, with the laser sight thrown in, sometimes.
Take a look at the ballistics charts sometime. the 30c falls off like a stone at 150 yds. It drifts badly in the wind, too. I can see it failing to penetrate heavily quilted winter wear, at 300 yds or so. If you don't flip of the "long range" wing of the peep sight, 200 yds is a long, long shot for the 30c. The 223 outranges it by a wide margin. I'd say to get an AR, actually. If you suppress it,. the HP is going to work better with subsonic loads, and the laser sight might (don't know) help "clear" the silencer. I know that if you put a suppressor on the 30c, it's still going to have sonic crack with factory ammo, and when you look thru the sights of the 30C "wearing" one, you'll be looking at the back of the suppressor.
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