What makes a Hi Point Ugly?

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marb4

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It seems to be a commonly held opinion that the Hi Point 9mm is just plain ugly. For those of you who share this opinion (and I’m not necessarily disagreeing with you) what makes it “ugly”? Is it because everybody else says so? Is it because its “cheap”? When I honestly look at it with an open mind compared to several other popular 9mms it doesn’t really look all that different. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder I suppose.

Aesthetics aside, I’m looking for another 9mm range plinker. For some reason I keep being drawn back to the Hi Point. I’m not sure why. Maybe its because its bashed so much it keeps me curious. I’d be interested in hearing 1st hand accounts in regards to reliability and accuracy.
 
I think for most, it's that giant zinc slide needed to cycle the gun. Giant block of metal sliding on a very basic polymer frame makes for an eyesore to most.

Personally, I can get past that for the price. However, the cheap trigger is what keeps me from buying one. But, I still might end up with one sooner or later.
 
For me, what makes them less than attractive is... the way they look!! :) They're clunky, brick-like guns. I don't think Glocks are just "beautiful" either, but they are great pistols, so I own them. To me, a good-looking pistol is a Charles Daly Hi Power, a 1911, a Beretta 92, to name a couple. Those guns are just aesthetically pleasing to me. Beauty is completely in the eye of the beholder, and I'm glad. That's what makes the world go round. :)
 
The size of the slide is what makes them ugly to me. Yet I still own one. The .45 is the only Hi Point pistol I'm interested in, although the compensated 9mm pistol is so ugly it's unique, and I like unique.

I'd already have a 9mm pistol if it weren't for the low round capacity in such a large framed gun. To me, a compact pistol should be, and the C9 just isn't. A full frame .45 should have some weight to it, and the .45 JHP has just that.

I also think the grip extension on the .40 and .45 mags is just silly. I'm a big guy, and my hands fit the grips just fine. I'd hate to shake hands with the sasquatch who needs a grip extension on their Hi Point.
 
I agree with the posts above. It's the huge clunky slide and the oversized grip. IMHO, the overall cosmetics are just lousy. They're like VW Bugs. Some people love the way they look and others loathe their appearance. But, just as with the Bug, most of them do what they're supposed to do admirably. They're designed as a low cost, dependable utilitarian tool. I think they're fugly too... but I still own a JHP.
 
It's mostly the huge slide. If Hi-Point switched to a steel slide and a locked-breech design (allowing for a thinner slide) I wouldn't have a problem giving them a try.

Those aren't the only faults I have with the design, but those two are the absolute deal-breakers.
 
I don't see them going to a locked breech anytime soon. Every gun they produce is a blowback design, and I don't see them retooling and redesigning every gun they have (thus increasing their prices). I would like to see a steel slide, but due to the blowback design, Hi Point will nver get away from the heavy slide.

A steel slide of the same weight would probably be significantly smaller than the Zinc Alloy they have now. But how much easier is it to cast a zinc alloy versus milling steel?

Obviously, despite their faults, I still own Hi Points.
 
the slide is disproportionately large and the tail is too long (meaning the slide sits very far behind the grip. Looks like some kind of alien ray gun. If you are into that sort of thing, pull the trigger. My XD isn't the most beautiful thing in the world, but it is a design that appeals to me. I think 1911s are the smokin hot cheerleaders of the gun world, but I have yet to get my hands on one. Still waiting.
 
To me what makes the hi-point ugly looking is the fact that there's a lot of material over the barrel.
They work fine, of course, but any gun that has what ... half an inch of metal over the barrel just looks off to me.
 
AZGlock13 said:
They remind me of cordless power drills.:evil:
Click to expand...
I can't take credit for this but I read once (maybe here at THR) that the Hi Point looks like a mailbox and cordless drill got together and had a kid.
 
dannyr3_8 said:
they are cheaply made and dangerous the slide has been known to actually fly off and it the shooter when fired thats ugly
Click to expand...
Do you have personal experience with a hi point slide failure or a link to someone who has experienced this?
 
they are cheaply made and dangerous the slide has been known to actually fly off and it the shooter when fired thats ugly
Click to expand...

Link? proof? or this just more armchair quarterbacking and repeating what you read on the internets? By the way, I've heard this same story about Beretta, Glock, Ruger, Taurus and just about every other gun manufacturer that someone might have beef with.
 
Hi Point is ugly because it is a non esthetically pleasing design. Just as the 1911 is a beautiful design to behold.......:}

Now some of my 1911s might be considered ugly, like this one.

DSCF4011-M.jpg


But this one is beautiful even though well used..

l.jpg

And between them and this, there is no comparison!

C9_Butler_Creek1_small.jpg
 
They look like a timing light, to me. They are ugly because the slide is so large and chunky, the safety so small and tiny. And they LOOK cheaply made (which they are). But they do have the same aesthetic as the Hk VP70,

Folks can like them all they want. It's fine by me.
 
I don't find the Hi Point all that ugly. But then I also see a certain elegance of simplicty & purpose in a G****.

Now... forward serrations on a 1911...:barf:
 
Hi points have to be the most disgusting looking pistol ever made. Like what has been said already, the slide looks like it weighs 100 lbs. It looks like I may find it at the toy store, for real cheap. When I purchase a pistol, it is something I would have faith in to save my life. A hi point is not something I would have faith in to save my life. I don't have any experience with hi points, but I think I have a pretty reasonable assumption. Plewse, let me know if I am mistaken.......
 
Hi points have to be the most disgusting looking pistol ever made. Like what has been said already, the slide looks like it weighs 100 lbs.
Click to expand...

The slides are huge because they have to be. It's a blowback & they need mass. I suppose you could use tungsten weights but then you don't have a $150 pistol...
 
dannyr3_8 said:
they are cheaply made and dangerous the slide has been known to actually fly off and it the shooter when fired thats ugly
Click to expand...
Actually, you're not thinking of the Hi-Point but the Colt 1905 (and 1907/1909) the precursors to the 1911 -- on those guns, the slide actually did fly off and hit the operator during military trials. The design flaw is fixed now, of course.
 
"What makes a HiPoint ugly?" Zinc and Cadmium and BBQ grill paint. (I love the timing light analogy. I still own timing lights that aren't as ugly)
 
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