P Flados
Member
I purchased a HiPoint 380 for a “special purpose”.
I wanted an automatic to allow really low cost & high volume “just for fun” target shooting:
A barrel at least 3.2” long for a decent sight radius and less muzzle blast.
A heavy firing pin hit (for reloaded primers that may include SRP cups).
Able to use easy to acquire range pickup brass. This comes down to 9mm, 380, 40 & 45.
The ability to function leading free with tumble lube bullets no heavier than the Lee 102 RN (mine drop at 0.359” & 108 gr). This rules out 40 & 45.
I felt the 380 was much more likely to give me leading free shooting with tumble lube. I also liked the idea of the reduced muzzle blast. Again, this is just for making holes in paper.
When I got the gun I was not entirely satisfied. It was leading pretty bad until I made a custom 0.358” expander plug and started using the Lee RNs with no sizing. It took quite a bit of work to get it to cycle ok (still not great) and I just could not shoot decent with the trigger pull. While researching my feeding issues, I found that the HiPoint 380 is really just their 9mm gun with a different chamber and the black coating machined off the rib on each side of the slide. Same magazine, frame, slide & springs.
I knew I could make the trigger “better” but really did not want to do the required modifications to this relatively “new” gun. I felt that the less than great feeding was at least partly due to my “short” 380 ammo in a gun that was really set up for the length of 9mm ammo.
I decided to double down. Based on my research, I purchased a fleabay HiPoint 380 parts kit (everything except frame and mag) for around $80 plus $15 shipping and had my son 3D print a “LoPoint” frame. I bought a couple of extra mags from the factory. I made a chamber reamer and converted the barrel to 9mm. I assembled the gun and had lots of problems (the “LoPoint” has lots of room for improvement). Although it had many problems, I noted real quick that the trigger felt much better. I slowly modified the frame as needed to work through all of the problems. Now I am rather pleased. It feeds good (much more reliable than the 380), it will reliably set off reloaded primers in SRP cups, it cycles with a Promo charge of 2.65 gr (right at 380 power level) that give zero leading with the BLL coated Lee 102 RN, the trigger has a much better feel, and I shoot it better than any of my son's 9mms that I had been shooting before I got this gun.
My cost for the ammo is right at $0.025 each with the light bullet (assuming $1.10 per pound even though I am using range pickup), low charge of cheap powder ($16 per pound from a 8# jug bought ~4 years ago) and reloaded primers ($0.002 each).
And if I want, it also shoots good using my full power 9mm ammo with powder coated Lee 120s.
The Lo Point goes to the range as a "regular" and gets fired a lot.
I wanted an automatic to allow really low cost & high volume “just for fun” target shooting:
A barrel at least 3.2” long for a decent sight radius and less muzzle blast.
A heavy firing pin hit (for reloaded primers that may include SRP cups).
Able to use easy to acquire range pickup brass. This comes down to 9mm, 380, 40 & 45.
The ability to function leading free with tumble lube bullets no heavier than the Lee 102 RN (mine drop at 0.359” & 108 gr). This rules out 40 & 45.
I felt the 380 was much more likely to give me leading free shooting with tumble lube. I also liked the idea of the reduced muzzle blast. Again, this is just for making holes in paper.
When I got the gun I was not entirely satisfied. It was leading pretty bad until I made a custom 0.358” expander plug and started using the Lee RNs with no sizing. It took quite a bit of work to get it to cycle ok (still not great) and I just could not shoot decent with the trigger pull. While researching my feeding issues, I found that the HiPoint 380 is really just their 9mm gun with a different chamber and the black coating machined off the rib on each side of the slide. Same magazine, frame, slide & springs.
I knew I could make the trigger “better” but really did not want to do the required modifications to this relatively “new” gun. I felt that the less than great feeding was at least partly due to my “short” 380 ammo in a gun that was really set up for the length of 9mm ammo.
I decided to double down. Based on my research, I purchased a fleabay HiPoint 380 parts kit (everything except frame and mag) for around $80 plus $15 shipping and had my son 3D print a “LoPoint” frame. I bought a couple of extra mags from the factory. I made a chamber reamer and converted the barrel to 9mm. I assembled the gun and had lots of problems (the “LoPoint” has lots of room for improvement). Although it had many problems, I noted real quick that the trigger felt much better. I slowly modified the frame as needed to work through all of the problems. Now I am rather pleased. It feeds good (much more reliable than the 380), it will reliably set off reloaded primers in SRP cups, it cycles with a Promo charge of 2.65 gr (right at 380 power level) that give zero leading with the BLL coated Lee 102 RN, the trigger has a much better feel, and I shoot it better than any of my son's 9mms that I had been shooting before I got this gun.
My cost for the ammo is right at $0.025 each with the light bullet (assuming $1.10 per pound even though I am using range pickup), low charge of cheap powder ($16 per pound from a 8# jug bought ~4 years ago) and reloaded primers ($0.002 each).
And if I want, it also shoots good using my full power 9mm ammo with powder coated Lee 120s.
The Lo Point goes to the range as a "regular" and gets fired a lot.
