Why I choose the Hi Point .40!

[PlateStacker]

Let's see... Purpose of a pistol. You align it, press upon the noise switch, a hole appears in the target in approximately the desired spot, then realign and repeat...

Right. A Hi Point does all that. It fulfills the purpose. Go, Hi Point!

Oh wow.. just wow

 

[USAF_Vet]

Hey, if your hi-point works and you're happy, that's all that matters... I just think a hi-point is a very, very poor choice in this era of cheap soviet surplus.

It does and I am.

Have you ever owned or fired a Hi Point? Be honest.

Cheap soviet surplus pistols many be abundant and plentiful, however, ammo is getting more expensive because it's becoming less abundant. Right now, finding obsolete milsurp pistol ammo is fairly easy, although it is getting more expensive than it was a decade ago. In reality, all ammo is getting more expensive. But 9mm parabellum, .45ACP, and the other common issue hand gun ammuntion is not likely to be in short supply any time soon.

I like Hi Point for what they are, an American made, reliable fire arm made to fit a particular price point. I readily identify their faults and shortcomings, but in the case of Hi Point, in my opinion, the good outweighs the bad. The fact that most stores can't keep thm on the shelves should say something, especially in this economy. Do they break/ jam/ have mechanical difficulties? Sure, but so does every other firearms on the planet. Of course, my saying that is hearsay, because I personally haven't had either of my Hi Point products fail.

People tend to bash H-P because they are inexpensive and do virtually the same thing as a gun that cost 2-5 times as much. People who spent 2-5 times as much for their firearm belittle the H-P in order to justify their own expenditure. I mean, how dare a Kia perform as well as a Cadillac? Seriously, who cares? People get into such a urinating contest over the most insignificant things. Like you said,

if your hi-point works and you're happy, that's all that matters...

With respect to trusting new over used, guns are not cars. You're being silly. Most used guns have barely been shot at all, and it's very easy to inspect a used gun for wear. Most of the surplus pistols were re-arsenaled before being shipped here, and some of them are literally brand new, never fired.

Most is not all, and without some sort of guarantee, I'm not willing to spend money on something that is used, especially if it is from a .com vendor, since I can not physically inspect the weapon myself, judging for myself if it is a quality piece. In my LGS, not only can I put my hands and eyes one it, I can take it out and run a mag or two through it. Can't do that with gunbroker. If I'm in the ,arket for another hand gun, and I am, Milsurp is not totally out of the question.

I'm not totally against buying a milsurp firearm. I just want to find one that fits my budget, fits my desires, and chambered for a cartridge I know I can find at the corner hardware store. What I don't want is to special order a gun then special order the ammo for it. I'm not knocking com-bloc pistols. I did look into them. I was set on buying a CZ-52, until I found out ammo was uncommon, and magazines were not readily available, and those that were available were not inexpensive.

I have trepidation on buying anything used, be it a gun, a car, a microwave, anything. While there are laws that are there to "protect" the buyer against a lemon, enforcement costs money. If I buy a used gun from a dealer, I can probably take it back and have them fix it, for a fee of course. If I buy it from a pawn shop, odds are I'm SOL, caveat emptor, all sales final. If I buy it from my wife's brother's neighbor's friend's cousin and it doesn't work, I'm completely SOL. Of course, I could take anyone of these vendors to small claims court, and be out more money than I initially lost in the purchase of the gun, on the chance I might get some of my initial loss recouped.

No, I prefer to buy new, from a dealer with a guarantee, with a factory waranty. this may be silly, but it's my money, and I'll spend it where I please and on what I please.

 

[harmon rabb]

The main problem with Com-Bloc pistols, other than having no support structure, or warranty behind them, is that most fire underpowered rounds with the over-penetrating 7.62X25 Tokarev being the exception. You list the CZ-82 as a good choice, and it's a fine firearm, probably the best Com-Bloc pistol out there. They have the unique ability to share parts with the current production CZ-83. If you know what you're doing, that's a good thing. However, with the Hi-Point, if something goes wrong, he returns it to the factory, problem gets fixed and he has a new gun. For the Com-Bloc guns, you can't do that. His .40 S&W chambering in the Hi-Point alone blows anything Com-Bloc out of the water.

I'll take a bang and a hit with a 9x18 over a click or a miss with a 40s&w any day of the week. Even given a reliable hi-point, I'd still take a comm bloc gun over it, especially a cz-82. Hi-points have atrocious feeling triggers, and practical accuracy has to suffer as a result. cz-82's have sweeter triggers than your average sig or h&k.

I get what you're saying, and you have two valid points -- caliber and warranty. I don't think caliber is a big deal once you get to 380 and above, and I'd rather have a higher quality firearm with no warranty than an inferior quality one with a warranty.

Used guns can be the best value on the market, but there's no guarantee that they'll work, or any real way of knowing how often they've been shot.

Round count doesn't matter worth a crap, maintenance does, and you can tell maintenance by simply field stripping a gun and looking at the wear. Rails excessively worn? Previous owner didn't lube it right, don't buy it. Rails look good, rifling look good? It's not worn out.

The Hi-point is a better value than the cheap soviet surplus and chambered in a much more powerful cartridge.

I'll give you the cartridge, but I'll never agree that something like a hi-point is a better value than a makarov, cz-82, p64, etc.

 

[harmon rabb]

I didn't say "I" think Saigas are fugly. I said some other people do. In other words, "Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder."

Saigas ARE fugly. I just didn't think it was any sort of comparison to a HP other than looks, given that the Saiga is a high quality version of a weapon that's been proven over and over for 60+ years, and the HP is, well, a HP.

 

[harmon rabb]

Have you ever owned or fired a Hi Point? Be honest.

Nope, although I've played with a few at gun shows, so I know my comments on the trigger are on. I am NOT a gun snob though, and readily appreciate value priced pistols that I see as a good value (hence why I like soviet surplus stuff).

The price isn't what turns me off about hi-points; the cheap metal used, the crummy trigger, and the small safety is what turns me off. I do know the warranty is EXCELLENT though. From everything I've read, you could probably saw your HP in half with a band saw, send it back to them, and they'd replace it for free.

Cheap soviet surplus pistols many be abundant and plentiful, however, ammo is getting more expensive because it's becoming less abundant. Right now, finding obsolete milsurp pistol ammo is fairly easy, although it is getting more expensive than it was a decade ago.

Allow me to be more specific. When I talk about comm bloc guns, I'm talking about the whole family of pistols chambered in 9x18. There is no 9x18 surplus left, and hasn't been for a long time. But new production 9x18 is everywhere, and it's cheaper than standard 9mm luger. 9x18 is NOT going anywhere in our lifetime.

I'm not talking about the tokarev and 7.62x25, since there is no safe way to keep a tokarev chambered, and since 7.62x25 surplus has now dried up and there is very little new production stuff out there. 7.62x25 will die / become hard to find in our lifetime. Not 9x18.

In reality, all ammo is getting more expensive. But 9mm parabellum, .45ACP, and the other common issue hand gun ammuntion is not likely to be in short supply any time soon.

Already addressed

I like Hi Point for what they are, an American made, reliable fire arm made to fit a particular price point. I readily identify their faults and shortcomings, but in the case of Hi Point, in my opinion, the good outweighs the bad. The fact that most stores can't keep thm on the shelves should say something, especially in this economy. Do they break/ jam/ have mechanical difficulties? Sure, but so does every other firearms on the planet. Of course, my saying that is hearsay, because I personally haven't had either of my Hi Point products fail.

Opinions are like arseholes. We all have them, and they all stink.

People tend to bash H-P because they are inexpensive and do virtually the same thing as a gun that cost 2-5 times as much. People who spent 2-5 times as much for their firearm belittle the H-P in order to justify their own expenditure. I mean, how dare a Kia perform as well as a Cadillac? Seriously, who cares? People get into such a urinating contest over the most insignificant things.

This may be part of it for some, although not me, as I explained.

I sort of take issue with your "perform as well" assertion though. If a HP is reliable, yeah, it'll toss lead down range just like a high end 1911, but "perform as well?" I think pretty much any shooter out there will be more accurate with a mid range or high end 1911 than a HP.

 

[USAF_Vet]

I'll take a bang and a hit with a 9x18 over a click or a miss with a 40s&w any day of the week

I'd do so as well, heck I'd even take a .22 short hit if that was all I had.

The point is, hit and miss doesn't have so much to do with the toolset as it does the mindset and skillset.

I don't let my Hi Point just sit in the night stand, even if that was it intended purpose.

I take it out and practice with it in rotation with all my other guns. Building my Skill Set through never ending training.

Re: Hi Point triggers. They have improved over the years. My .45 Hi Point trigger is smooth, not a lot of travel into a nice crisp break, little to no over travel, and a nice smooth return and reset. My 9mm carbine is no different. Yet I've fired a couple Sig 226 9mm that had a trigger I'd compare to a S&W Sigma, just plaine awful.

The safety doesn't bother me on the Hi Point. yeah, and it's small, but as a lefty any gun with a small right side mounted safety is a plus in my book. I've had the safety inadvertantly flip on too many times with larger safeties. Thats why I liked the M9A1 with it's slide mounted safety. I could fire it southpaw and never worry about an accidental safety flip.

9x18 guns are something I'm looking into for my next hand gun purchase. but being a cheap bastard, I'm also looking for something that is chambered in something I already own. I've got enough ammo calibers to keep track of as it is without throwing another one into the mix. If my 9mm carbine can chamber and fire a 9x18 reliably, then I'm all for buying a comm-bloc in that round. But, compatibility is one of my purchase points. If the gun isn't compatible with something I already buy ammo for anyway, that is a strike against it. Call me silly, but that's just how I function.

Opinions are like arseholes. We all have them, and they all stink.

No argument with you there.

I sort of take issue with your "perform as well" assertion though. If a HP is reliable, yeah, it'll toss lead down range just like a high end 1911, but "perform as well?" I think pretty much any shooter out there will be more accurate with a mid range or high end 1911 than a HP.

I'll concede to that point. But how many gun owners are really into high performance, dead nuts accurate pistol shooting? I'm not. The closest I get to competitive target shooting is clay pigeons with my shotgun. With my pistol I train for minute of bad guy, hopefully fat bad guy. Putting 10 rounds into one hole at 25 yards just isn't appealing to me with a handgun. For self defense, I'm good with putting 10 rounds in 10 holes.

For most gun owners, I feel safe in the assumption that they are a lot like me. Aim, squeeze, bang, call 911. End the threat, and get on with a life filled with troubled sleep and PTSD.

Toolset doesn't mean a thing if you lack the mind set and skill set. A $3000 high performance 1911 race gun won't make me a better shooter. Practice will.

Saigas ARE fugly. I just didn't think it was any sort of comparison to a HP other than looks, given that the Saiga is a high quality version of a weapon that's been proven over and over for 60+ years, and the HP is, well, a HP.

Saigas are fugly, and a very well put together rifle at a very competetive price point. In fact, I'm about sold on getting a Saiga as my next long gun purchase.

Look at any firearms manufacturer. Many have started sliding downhill on quality. Others make some products that are simply not up to snuff with the name stamped into them. the S&W Sigma is a great example. As I mentioned before, I'd take my Hi Point trigger over a Sigma any day of the year. Sig has a few bad apples, as does Glock, Springfield, Kimber, HK, Remington, Marlin, Ruger, Kel-Tec, Taurus, Savage, and even yes, Hi Point. That is the sad fact of mass production of any product. Hi Point, as a whole, has generally improved it's product line over the past decade. I can't say that about most of ther manufacturers.

 

[harmon rabb]

Hey, wait, I forgot, I have fired a hi-point. A buddy has the 9mm carbine. It's actually not bad at all, and is surprisingly accurate. I don't remember the trigger, which says to me it was neither great nor awful.

 

[dovedescending]

The OP hasn't posted again...

 

[USAF_Vet]

The OP hasn't posted again...

considering the reception he got, are you surprised? But what would we rather have, one Hi Point hating thread, or several? Yeah, I know there is at least one other H-P hating thread on page one of autoloaders, but there could be more.

 

[FIVETWOSEVEN]

Enlist in a combat arms career field and figure that out for yourself.

I asked you, not how to find out for myself.

 

[SquareBeer]

why does anyone really care what someone else has bought anyhow? The topic is after all "why I choose the Hi Point .40", not I would like your inputs about this gun!

 

[FIVETWOSEVEN]

Some people are way too uptight in my opinion. Hi Points aren't the best quality but they work and thats all that counts.

 

[dcarch]

I'm actually really surprised that a moderator hasn't put this thread down like a sick dog.

 

[ol' scratch]

This is the thread that never ends. It just goes on and on my friends..

People..Started bashing Hi Points not knowing what they were. And they'll just keep on bashing them forever just because this is the thread that never ends... It just goes on and on my friends. People, started bashing Hi Points not knowing what they were. And they'll just keep on bashing them forever just because this is the thread that never ends....

 

[USAF_Vet]

LMAO, Scratch you just made my day

 

[meanmrmustard]

Wish this had turned into a makarov hate fest. I hate em.

 

[Kendal Black]

I used to disdain the Harrington and Richardson one-shooter shotgun. It seemed a cheap chunk of iron screwed to cheaper wood, with a piece of pipe on it, and fitted with basic lockwork. And so it is, but then I noticed something. The danged thing works, and a bird shot with it drops just as dead as if you shot him with a Purdey.

Now I like and recommend the H&R and think it's about right for a backpack gun or a truck gun, camp or cabin gun... When the Hi Point has been around as long as the H&R has, people will treat it as a matter of course. Someone did not wish to spend a great deal on an automatic pistol, for whatever reason; very well. He is still armed, and not too badly, at that.

 

[fallout mike]

I hope this thread doesn't turn into another 7 page hipoint bashing.

 

[jgiehl]

I hate Glocks. Any ceramic and plastic gun made to get past metal detectors is evil.
I hate 1911's. Old and outdated just sooo passe.
I hate rifles. Long and unwieldy just horrible.
I hate leverguns. Even older than 1911's, just what's the damn point.
I hate revolvers. It has no slide, how stupid.
I hate semi-autos. No cylinder, absolutely ridiculous.
I hate piston AR's. There's no DI system that's not what Stoner wanted.
I really hate DI AR's. How unreliable.



This same kind of BS really could just go on forever.
The guy probably logged out and never looked back. Especially judging by the reception he got here.
High Road huh?

 

[Mike1234567]

Saigas ARE fugly. I just didn't think it was any sort of comparison to a HP other than looks, given that the Saiga is a high quality version of a weapon that's been proven over and over for 60+ years, and the HP is, well, a HP.

I agree that they're fugly... though I didn't initially write that.

RE: Saigas are "high quality" and "proven"; No... they're not really high quality... they're designed to "function" in the most horrible conditions. Yes... they're definitely proven for the same reason as above.

The H-P firearms are, like Saiga long arms, simple and cheap... made to save your your life if the need arises. And they do a fine job of that. The saigas, in fact, are of simple design and made with VERY loose tolerances so that they will function even in mud. Funny thing is I've seen youtube videos in with people tortured the HELL out of H-P pistols and they survived FAR more abuse than most any high-priced 1911. Go figure!!

 

[allin]

Hi Point OK

I have a 9mm Hi Point, and I have a pretty good collection of other toys. Revolvers, semi autos, shotguns, etc. I have various calibers, makes, and models. Quite frankly my Hi Point is a fun gun to shoot and one that I always take with me to the range. I have read a lot of "bashing" on various sites about many different type of firearms. IMHO, if the owner is happy and doing what they intended to do, it's not an issue for anyone else.