Revolver vs Hi-Point

[whm1974]

I have been asked from time to time by people who know nothing about guns, what I recumend for HD. In the past I always said a .38 revolver.

Considering that some of these people would have a hard time coming up with the money to buy a revolver, maybe I should say Hi-Point next time i'm asked?

Myself I would recumend the 9mm Hi-Points. More power then the .380, ammo is much cheaper.

I would also say get a makarov, but the local WalMart doesn't stock 9x18...

-Bill

 

[Mooseman]

I carry a revolver for CCW and I also own a Hi-Point .45. So far the Hi-Point has performed very decently. I wouldn't hesitate to use it for home defense. When concielment isn't an issue it's nice to have 10 rounds of .45 available. For the money though you might consider a 12 guage. I bought a new Norinco for $215 and I've seen them online even cheaper.

 

[Soybomb]

Don't mistake .380 with .38spl...

I'd suggest a .38spl revolver, used, and cheap. Someone buying a gun on a budget isn't going to be able to feed enough through the hi-point to be sure it will continually feed. I'm biased though because I've heard about ftf problems with their handguns and jhp, but maybe that isn't actually the case.

 

[whm1974]

Don't mistake .380 with .38spl...

I didn't.... Since the .380 Hi-Point is ~$100 most people on a tight budget will get that. I'm pointing out that 9mm ammo is cheap enough that these people can shoot it once in awhile.

And yes I still recumend the .38 revolver

-Bill

 

[M.E.Eldridge]

I've a Hi-Point .45 and it works great. I've shot at least 1000 rounds through it and it has never jammed, failed to feed or failed to eject. However, there is one problem with it and that is its weight/size. It is just to big and heavy to carry around all day. That said, I would have no problem reaching for my Hi-Point for home defense.

 

[CajunBass]

Both are decent choices. I'd recomend both, and let them pick the one that fits their likes, needs, budgets, and wants. I'd skip on the 380 though and recomend the 9mm. 9mm ammo is not only a better S/D round, but it's less expensive to buy than 380.

 

[Tropical Z]

I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a Hi-Point to anyone.Mine goes bang every time I pull the trigger.

 

[whm1974]

One thing I would tell poeple is keep the chamber empty. I don't know how good the safety is and the stiker spring may not be that strong.

-Bill

 

[461]

I'm of the opinion that if you can't afford a decent handgun then you should get a good pump shotgun and be better armed for less money than if you bought a questionable handgun. A good pump shotgun from Mossberg, Remington, or Winchester is darn near impossible to beat for a defensive arm and can be had for under $250.00 new and much cheaper used and you can bet your life on it without concern.

 

[355sigfan]

No way in heck would I recomened a highpoint pos. Get a good used Smith model 10 if your broke. you can find them for around 200 bucks. A used 12 gauge shotgun is much better and cheaper yet.
Pat

 

[akodo]

a friend had a hi point 380, bought it cheap at a gunshow, shot the hell out of it. after about 200 rounds, or basically after the 2nd 'take some guns out to the woods and ahve some fun' event, it started to fail to fire on the 2nd round, had trouble feeding it correctly. Turned out the magazine wasn't sitting in there tight enough, he had to make apoint to hold it a specific way to put upward pressure on the magazine.

not someting i'd want to remember if I needed it.

 

[Blimp Captain]

was it ever cleaned? that might resolve his issues. i clean mine (9mm compact) every 500 rds or so and it has never failed once in my hands. it has failed twice with my girlfriend shooting it but i attriubute that to limpwristing. i have intentionally tried to limpwrist it but couldn't get it to fail again, even laying on its side. If cleaning doesn't help with the problems your friend is having, have him send it back to Ohio, they have great customer service.

 

[White Horseradish]

No way in heck would I recomened a highpoint pos. Get a good used Smith model 10 if your broke. you can find them for around 200 bucks. A used 12 gauge shotgun is much better and cheaper yet.
Pat

We know. I think by now the whole world knows you don't like Hi-Points.

Two things. One - I have not seen a Model 10 for $200 in a shop. Ever. If this is the case in your location, it is not necessarily the case everywhere.

Two - I don't know what universe you live in, but over here broke does not mean "able to spend $200". $20 is a big deal when you are poor.

 

[Taurus 66]

I'm sorry but I must go slightly off course for this one burning question.

Why are Hi Points so DING DANG BUTT UGLY?!?!

 

[Snowdog]

Funny, whenever someone (who haven't any firearms) asks me what handgun they should buy for home defense, I usually try to convince them to look into a pump shotgun to start with. Personally, I'd even take a cheap $150 Chinese 12ga Ithica knock-off over a handgun anyday (again, for "home defense") if my life was on the line. Now if they were to ask what I'd recommend for a carry gun, my advice would obviously be different.

I've heard great things about Hi-Point, but I've heard just as many less-than-glowing comments from previous owners.
I'd still stick with the revolver recommendation if they're hell-bent on a handgun for home defense. A used Taurus 82, 669 or comparable Rossi can usually be found at or near the price of a new Hi-Point.

 

[CajunBass]

No way in heck would I recomened a highpoint pos. Get a good used Smith model 10 if your broke. you can find them for around 200 bucks. A used 12 gauge shotgun is much better and cheaper yet.
Pat

Pat, I agree with a lot of what you say, but I just think you're wrong here. No disrespect, but when you are are BROKE, the difference between 100-130 bucks for a Hi-Point, and $200.00 bucks is HUGE.

I too, have never seen a used revolver for $200.00 except on the internet, or in the shotgun news. Those have to be ordered sight unseen, paying shipping and FFL fees. Most people who are in the BROKE catagory we're talking about here, know nothing about such things. Shoot, I didn't until fairly recently. They know the gun dealer in town, or the pawn shop, where they can put a gun on layaway and pay for it over time if they have to. There is a big difference between paying off $150.00 and $200.00. Maybe not to you, but it is for some people. Personally I've been so broke that a RG22, or a Raven 25 were out of my price range. (That was a LONG time ago, praise the Lord.)

As far as a Hi-Point being a POS, we'll have to agree to disagree on that too. My experience with mine, and from reading the experiences of others indicates otherwise. No, they're not Colts, Smiths or Sigs, but they are generally reliable and accurate. Pretty, no, they're not pretty, but they do work.

Yes. A shotgun might be a better home defense gun, and you might be able to find a shotgun for even less than a Hi-Point, I'll give you that, and won't even argue the case. About the only disadvantage I can see to a shotgun for your only gun, is you can't stick it in your pocket for a quick run to the store late at night. (Ok, I admit, you need a big pocket to stick a Hi-Point in, but you could do it with a coat pocket.)

If money is a consideration, and yes, it is for somepeople, I think the Hi-Point wins hands down. If the person can afford a little better, it's closer to a toss up. Once you start crossing the $200.00 line, options do open up more, but in the 100-150 range, Hi-Point pretty much stands alone.

 

[355sigfan]

I hope I did not offend with the pos comment. The Highpoints I have fired (only a few, (9mm, 40 and 45). had issues. They all had incredibly hard triggers. None were reliable. If money is that tight I would almost want to send you some rather than have you armed with a highpoint. You can sometimes find used shotguns for 150.
Pat

 

[50caliber123]

got this one: hi-point carbine. Best of both worlds; its cheap to shoot, and takes a lot less training to ,aster than a handgun. Also, very important, the hi-point 996 is very reliable. Mine has never jammed, unless you use those awful aftermarket magazines. You can get one new for $150 some places, used, a little less.

 

[CajunBass]

No offense taken here Pat. Just different experiences I guess. I won't bore everyone again with a long dissertation of my experience with my Hi-Point, I'll just say mine works. I don't think the trigger is bad at all, and it doesn't seem to hamper my wife or I from shooting it pretty well.

I am curious though to know how long ago your experience with them was. It seems that the people who like them have gotten them releativly recently, and those who have had bad experiences with them had them in the past. Judging from the posts I read, it seems they are better now than they used to be.

I'll also admit that if most people are as broke as I was in my RG/Raven wishing days, they probably have something other than a gun to spend their money on. I know I did, and yes, I made do with a shotgun I'd had since I was a kid. But there are people who really NEED a gun and some who really do need one they can carry with them. A Hi-Point in either 380 or 9mm is the least expensive thing I know of that I have read a pretty good ammount of positive comments on.

 

[XavierBreath]

I'll chime in on this one.

I'm not knocking the HiPoint, a friend has two that are very reliable in tough conditions. As a pistol, it will do.

We are talking home defense though. There is no reason to have anything less than a 12 gauge pump shotgun. You can buy a used Mossberg 500 for $125, cut the barrel to 18.5 inches, and Bob's your uncle. Handguns are for packing. Shotguns are much better for defending a position.

Unless of course you only have one arm...........

 

[epijunkie67]

I recently started a thread here about the most inexpensive SHTF arsenal that covers a lot of this issue. I generally try to determine if they want something concealable, if they are comfortable using a magazine fed weapon, how often they plan on shooting for practice, and how well they tolerate recoil.

If they don't plan on shooting more than once or twice to get familiar with the gun I'd really recommend a revolver since there's less to remember or mess up. I've never used one of the hi-point pistols but I've heard really good things about them from a lot of people. I do own one of their carbines and it has been boringly reliable, accurate, and fun. Although a shotgun would be a much better all around option for HD, if the shooter isn't going to learn to deal with the recoil from one then I think the carbine is an excellent option for HD. Much better than a pistol.

 

[gunfan]

I'm of the opinion that if you can't afford a decent handgun then you should get a good pump shotgun and be better armed for less money than if you bought a questionable handgun. A good pump shotgun from Mossberg, Remington, or Winchester is darn near impossible to beat for a defensive arm and can be had for under $250.00 new and much cheaper used and you can bet your life on it without concern.
__________________
-Tim-

+1

Good Shootin'

Scott

 

[Mad Man]

If money is an issue, and the person is unfamiliar with semi-auto handguns, are they going to be able to afford to go to the range often enough to (1) become familiar with a semi-auto and (2) know whether or not it's reliable?

Depending on how near or far the range is, fuel and other vehilce milage costs should be considered.

Or, is this something that they're going to purchase, put in their nightstand, and think they're done?

If that is case, an inexpensive revolver or pump-shotgun would serve them much better.


EDIT: Range fees are going to be another issue (in addition to ammo costs, as somebody has already pointed out).

Regarding training:

With a revolver (whether it be S&W, Ruger, Taurus, etc), dry-fire practice is exactly the same as live-fire, except that no round is actually shot (obviously). This can be done in the home with no additional ammo, travel, or range costs.

With a semi-auto, this is not the case. There are too many manipulations that need to be done to simulate shooting (varies by model and type). For those of us familiar with guns, we usually don't think about it. Example: "Sometimes the slide is going to lock back, most of the time it isn't." For a newbie, it can be terribly confusing.

Is the Hi-Point a single action, traditional double action, or double action only?

 

['Card]

That's the key right there, MM. Poor folks just aren't going to burn time, money and ammo at the range. Nice idea. Good concept. Know they should do it, but I've been there myself, and range time just ain't gonna happen.

I don't think there's a thing in the world wrong with Hi-Point's pistols, but I wouldn't recommend a pistol at all for those folks. A simple used shotgun, of almost any gauge, would be a better choice for HD.

 

[whm1974]

I'm not sure if I recumend a shotgun to people who haven't been around guns before. They have thier use yes.

-Bill