The fun and agony of really cheap guns (RG, Rohm, Hi-Point, etc.)

[mjsdwash]

I have a thing for cheap guns, both because I AM cheap, and because I don't have much money. (Two traits that dovetail nicely!) So I have bought my fair share of RG revolvers and Hi-Point guns over the years. Obviously these are not the "best" available, but they are functional, and affordable to mess around with.
The impetus for this thread was a little RG 14 I bought a few weeks ago. This is a tiny, TINY double action .22 revolver, with the only steel parts being the barrel, cylinder and hammer (possibly some internals) and the rest being some pot-metal alloy and cheap-looking plastic
You hear all kinds of b.s. about RGs, so much of it based solely on the truly terrible RG 10. Besides my model 14 I also own a model 38S .38 Special, and both fit what I said before: not great, but functional. They pass the test of being "better than a sharp stick." I have to appreciate the ingenuity of their makers, who found a way to create a functional firearm at such low cost and very little of the "best" material used. I think it is a legitimate achievement, albeit unflashy.
That being said, there are things about them that I discover from time to time that strike me as humorous. I fired my RG 14 for the first time last week, and was surprised at the massive volume of smoke. I measured the cylinder gap, and it came to a jaw-dropping .013 inches. My Ruger Single Six had less than .005 (the least I could measure) by comparison. This was not a fluke RG, I believe. I measured the 38S, and it came to .012. For some reason the 38 has never produced the volume of smoke that little .22 has.
So, as fun as cheap guns can be, they have their limits. I just found something humorous in this.

I had a Sundance .25 once. It got two magazines through it, and the slide came off on the last round of the second. The frame rails had straightened out. I bent them back, and got another magazine out of it. It was a fun gun while it lasted, and had the material been slightly better, it was a good design. It did work correctly for those 14 rounds, which is all it was really supposed to do. I heard CZ is opening a factory in the US, and I hope they make their .25 here, I would love to get a new vest pocket gun that same size.

 

[Ironicaintit]

I also had a hi point 45. That thing was reliable as a hammer. Ugly, felt funny...but it ate anything with nary a hiccup. (Just like a coughGlockcough)

I can really appreciate a reliable and effective weapon that nearly anyone can afford.

 

[03fatboy]

My RG38, bought it a few years ago, I've shot it a few times and it's"ok" ( was a little scared at first)
For what I paid for it it's good for a around the house gun.

 

[larryh1108]

My buddy's Phoenix Arms HP22 might jam on every single round in the magazine, and maybe in a different way for every shot. I'm talking every kind of failure to fire, feed, and extract there is. One day, I think the record was three rounds between malfunctions. It had bizarre accuracy issues as well. It was literally unable to hit a soda can at an arms toss. It's impressive that a pistol can be so overengineered and function so poorly.

If you don't change the recoil spring every 600-800 rounds you get what you describe. When did your buddy last change the recoil spring (if ever?). If you do that, the HP22 is a nice, little gun.

 

[lsudave]

I will buy an inexpensive gun but I will not buy a cheap gun.

Russian commercial Makarov for $175? Yeah. CZ52 for $150? Yeah.

Phoenix Arms HP22 for $100? No.

This topic seems to come up from time to time; there is a world of difference between an inexpensive surplus gun, and a cheap American made piece of crap.

Most of the time, the surplus guns were made to standards and are well-designed, functional weapons. They get sold off on the US market for income to the original countries, and we gobble them up. Makarovs, Tokarevs, Stars, various FEGs... these guns WORKED, they were made in quantity, and now they're being replaced. Find one in good condition, and you'll get an exponentially better deal than a Bryco or Jennings.

 

[Gun Master]

This topic seems to come up from time to time; there is a world of difference between an inexpensive surplus gun, and a cheap American made piece of crap.

Most of the time, the surplus guns were made to standards and are well-designed, functional weapons. They get sold off on the US market for income to the original countries, and we gobble them up. Makarovs, Tokarevs, Stars, various FEGs... these guns WORKED, they were made in quantity, and now they're being replaced. Find one in good condition, and you'll get an exponentially better deal than a Bryco or Jennings.

Amen!

 

[hdwhit]

RG-25 for me. It was my first handgun. I bought it used for $25. I got it cheap because it was popping two rounds out of the magazine seemingly at random. Cleaned it really well, replaced the magazine and it hasn't had a failure since.

 

[Tallball]

"Most of the time, the surplus guns were made to standards and are well-designed, functional weapons. They get sold off on the US market for income to the original countries, and we gobble them up. Makarovs, Tokarevs, Stars, various FEGs... these guns WORKED, they were made in quantity, and now they're being replaced. Find one in good condition, and you'll get an exponentially better deal than a Bryco or Jennings."


Double "amen". I own all of those and they are excellent firearms. A knowledgeable person can easily get a dependable firearm for not much money. An uninformed person gets what they get.

 

[Zendude]

I was surprised at how much I like my HiPoint c9. It's accurate, low recoil, and a short SA trigger. Not really that heavy at 29 oz and about the width of a typical double stack 9, so it's not impossible to conceal carry.

 

[Sig Bill]

*cough*Glock*cough*

Really? I carry one all the time. I trust it to keep me alive.

click image upload

 

[Ironicaintit]

*cough*Glock*cough*

Really? I carry one all the time. I trust it to keep me alive.

click image upload

Well good, I'm glad you like it.
I may poke fun at the aesthetics and ergonomics of the thing, but I've never disputed the reliability of them.
Ugly, and they don't feel right in my hand (just like a coughhipointcough) but reliable as a hammer.

I donated my hi point to my niece when she moved to an area that had an uncomfortably high crime rate.
I had zero doubt as to its effectiveness

 

[Sig Bill]

Ugly it is but fits my hand very nicely.

 

[Valkman]

I had a Jennings .380, my first gun purchase and there was no fun involved, only agony. Got rid of it at the first op- no, that's right it was stolen. After that the gun may have been cheap, like a Makarov, but I knew they were good and reliable. Bought that Russian Mak for $110 at a gun show. To me cheap doesn't work with guns and knives. Had a cheap folder fold on me once while using it LONG before I knew anything about knives. Never again.

 

[tark]

This is a very interesting thread. I've heard so much about Hi-Point guns I think I'll get one and see how many rounds it can eat before something goes wrong. I think that cheap (inexpensive) guns have a legitimate place in society. They are sometimes the only way the poor can afford to protect themselves.

 

[Blkhrt13]

I think I may eventually get a high point too. Just to use as a beater and see how it works. I watched iraqvet beat on one for an hour and a half on YouTube

 

[ilbob]

I think I may eventually get a high point too. Just to use as a beater and see how it works. I watched iraqvet beat on one for an hour and a half on YouTube

You can have a lot of cheap fun with a Hi-Point.

 

[Gun Master]

Me too ! I agree with the three above threads.
I have a High-Point 9mm carbine. Like it .
I may go for a pistola, also.

 

[doubleh]

I think I may eventually get a high point too. Just to use as a beater and see how it works. I watched iraqvet beat on one for an hour and a half on YouTube

I did this with a C-9 several years ago. I lightened the trigger pull and stippled those slick plastic grips and had a lot of fun with it. Cheap Monarch and Blaser ammo and handloads. It shot everything every time I pulled the trigger and it was about as accurate as more expensive pistols I own. I eventually tired of it and traded it back to the LGS on another much more expensive gun. He gave me within ten dollars of what I paid for it and it didn't stay in his display for a week.

 

[Blkhrt13]

I did this with a C-9 several years ago. I lightened the trigger pull and stippled those slick plastic grips and had a lot of fun with it. Cheap Monarch and Blaser ammo and handloads. It shot everything every time I pulled the trigger and it was about as accurate as more expensive pistols I own. I eventually tired of it and traded it back to the LGS on another much more expensive gun. He gave me within ten dollars of what I paid for it and it didn't stay in his display for a week.

I thought absolutely it that too. Super cheap so tinkering and practicing won't hurt.

 

[harryo1962]

My first gun was a Raven .25. I'm surprised that I stayet with this hobby after that!

 

[RPZ]

I had an American Arms (IIRC) CX-22, regardless it was a Walther PPK lookalike in .22. Cant remember how much I paid for it but it was fairly cheap. I let it go with some regret later - it was !00% reliable, very handy, not that bad accuracy wise and fun to shoot.