Hi-Point 9mm Range Report

H

Higgins

New member
Yeah, yeah, I know. I've read all the posts on this and other boards slamming Hi-Point pistols as "junk" guns better suited to being paperweights or for throwing at people than firing ammo. I've read they are jam-o-matics or couldn't hit the ground even if you dropped them.

Nevertheless, I came into possession of a NIB Hi-Point 9mm Compact recently. (How is another story and beside the point). Today I had the chance to take it out to the range and felt a need to report on its performance.

Having read all the negative opinions on this gun, on the first shot I half expected the slide to fly back smashing my nose (a la early Beretta 92FS's) or the pistol to jam somehow, or the frame to break - or worse, to just plain blowup in my hand. Apart from what I've heard, I must admit that I myself was suspicious of the whole Hi-Point line. A $100 9mm, straight blowback pistol? A huge, ugly, ungainly slide made of Zinc alloy? Cheapo looking/feeling plastic frame that looks like somebody carved it out of a bar of soap? Couldn't possibly be any good, right?

Well, wrong. I have to say that I was pleasantly surprised. Using PMC 115 Gr. FMJ 9mm ammo, I put 150 rounds through the "little" Hi-Point pistol. (I know 150 rounds is not as telling as a 5000 round test, but I'm not the military or a gun magazine which gets free ammo either). That said. . .

First, and foremost (for any firearm), the Hi-Point was reliable. In 150 rounds I had zero, zip, nada failures of any kind - no failures to feed, fire, extract, eject, cycle and no stovepipes. That's not something I could say of some much more expensive guns that I've owned.

Second, although this is a straight blowback 9mm pistol, the recoil was fairly light and the return to target was quick - a result I'm sure from the size and weight of the slide. Speaking of the slide, although it looks ungodly thick and heavy, it doesn't feel all that bad. Certainly it felt no worse than the slides on HK USP's, which are also ungainly and make those weapons top heavy. The manageability of the slide weight/size was no doubt helped by the ergonomics of the grip shape/size, which I found to be very comfortable. For someone like me with smaller hands, the Hi-point (single stack) grip was just right, allowing me to easily reach the trigger with the second pad of my finger and get my remaing fingers all the way around the front strap of the grip.

Next, the trigger was surprisingly crisp and light. I'd say the trigger on the Hi-point is even better (yes, better) than the trigger on Glocks. Being a DAO striker fired weapon like Glocks, the Hi-Point has the same benefits of consistent trigger pull, but I think the Hi-point was crisper.

Lastly, the Hi-point was surprisingly accurate - believe it or not. Once I got used to the thing, I was able to shoot two 8 round groups of 1-3/4 inches at 25 feet. And out to 45 feet, I was able to keep 6 of 8 rounds in the black on a 20 foot rapid fire target (all I had with me), which probably mearsured about 2.5-3 inches. There is something to be said about fixed-barrel pistols - even on a $100 Hi-Point.

So, I found the Hi-Point to be reliable, accurate and fairly easy/pleasant to shoot. For $100, not bad.

The one drawback (a big one) is that the Hi-Point compact can only be fieldstripped by drifting out a slide retainer pin in the rear of the frame. Certainly not combat/field servicing friendly. Then again, because of the simple straight blowback design, large ejection port and otherwise simple design, basic cleaning can be done without breaking the weapon down.

Let me finish by saying that although I live in Ohio and am happy to have something good to say about an Ohio product, I do not work for Hi-Point and have no connection to the company. I simply felt a need to respond to all of the negative comments and opinions that I've heard about the Hi-Points from many gun enthusiasts. I suspect that many who harbor the most ardent dislike of the Hi-Points have simply turned their noses up at a $100 9mm semi-auto with lackluster aesthetic and have never actually picked one up or shot one. Maybe not, but unless those who call them junk have ever shot one and have their own personal horror stories, I fail to see any real deficiencies in the Hi-Points that would cause someone to call it junk.

I'd compare the Hi-Points to some Eastern European guns. They aren't pretty and they seem to be crudely made/finsihed, but they work. They are simple and well made where they need to be.
 
Your absolutely right!
You should get a few more Hi Points... Take one with you as a side arm to Thunder Ranch.

:barf:

Hi-Points dont just jam up... they jam and break. That little drift pin can be sheared. Be careful with it. Its not ment to be shot a lot. But please... go right ahead. See how many licks it takes to get to the center of that pop.
 
Mr. Hill, I appreciate your comments. Let me say that my point was twofold, one, to note that the Hi-Point is not as bad as everyone seems to think/say and, two, to simply point out that for what it is (a $100 9mm semi-auto), it's not badly done.

Would I take it into combat? No. Would I rely on it as a home defense or ccw pistol? Probably not. I can afford better. I am not saying that the Hi-Point should replace the M-9 or anyone's faithful 1911 at Thunder Ranch. Or that the Hi-Point should be competing in IDPA of IPSC. So, please lets not turn my endorsement into anything it is not. For a range gun or just for fun or if I didn't have anything else at hand, the Hi-Point isn't as bad as everyone says.

As for the shearing of the slide retainer pin being a danger, from what I can tell of the Hi-Point's design, even were this pin to fail, the slide would still be held on and kept from flying off to cause injury by the barrel itself, which is fixed/pinned in place to the frame. Should the retainer pin break, I consider the odds that the barrel pin also breaking simultaneously and allowing the slide to leave the frame to be sufficiently remote so as to make firing the pistol safe.
 
I think I'd rather hear the story that led up to you getting a Hi-Point.:p

If you're happy with the gun then don't worry about George. He just likes having something to grouse about.;)
 
Ok, I'll admit it. I am a former Hi-Point owner. This was on the order of about 20 years ago. I see that they are still in production, so they must be selling them to somebody. Maybe the quality has gotten better. :rolleyes: No, I'm not going to trade my G19, or Beretta 92 in on one!!! BTW, I buryed mine somewhere in the southwestern desert!!!
 
OK, Higgins, it is your turn to get called names and have rotten tomatoes thrown at you!

I have never owned a Hi Point, but have fired and handled several and found the same as you, that they are not fine examples of the gun maker's craft, and they probably won't hold up for a century or two, but they are reliable, they are easy to use and they will do fine as a defence gun for someone who has neither the desire nor the money for a "better" gun.

What torqued me was that I was being told I was a liar or worse by people who admitted they never had even seen or held one of the guns. They were simply parrotting what someone had said. No, I am not touting them, either. But there are some on this forum who have a fixed idea of what constitutes a "good" gun and can't accept the fact that 90% of the people who buy guns don't care about all the sh*t that everyone talks about here. Most want only a low price and a reasonable feeling of security. High Point gives them that a lot better than some of the cheap .25 autos that were sold by the ton even as we "knowlegeable people" complained that they were junk. And maybe better than some of the high price guns that have safeties break off or that send the front half of a slide down range.

Jim
 
On the other hand, I've heard nothing but GOOD THINGS bout the Hi-Point Carbine in 9mm.

(Gun World magazine's resident curmudgeon, Jack Lewis, tested one a few months back and was pleasantly surprised and shared the results with his readers.)

A lot of cops who want a carbine but can't get their department to buy one for them, are springing for the $150 or so it takes, and carrying it in the trunk of the patrol car.

I may slip up and buy one, one of these days...

(But then I like odd guns -- if they work well. Hell, I've got several Stars and Daewoo...to name just a few.)
 
Higgins, I'm with you. A friend gave me one - yes, he is still my friend. We took it out and put a couple of boxes through it and had nary a problem. I have since, in the past year, put another 500 rounds thru it.
I have no intention of putting it in the HighQuality bin, but I liked the way it shoots enough to have purchased another.
Then again, I also own 4 Bersas - also underrated, I think.
 
Higgins,

Good post.
For years I enjoyed shooting, but I couldn't come up with $600 to buy a couch or washing machine, much less a firearm!
During that (pre-Internet) time, I tried to find "reasonably priced" guns that weren't junk.
A couple of Jennings 22s, a Norinco 9mm, a LLama 22 (sp?), and then up to a KelTec.
All of those left me with good impressions, and fond memories.

I have heard many good things about the Hi-Point carbine and my brother loves his.
In spite of what many gun snobs think, if we are going to keep the firearms industry alive, we need reliable, quality firearms that the average working joe can afford.
People on disability, welfare, single parents, .... if all of these have decent, affordable guns to choose from, and become responsible gun owners, it helps the industry, and those of us that are blessed enough to buy more expensive weapons.

To paraphrase a country song, "Stand by your gun!".:cool:

JP
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Thanks, bfoster!



Looks like a real fun gun to shoot! But that's about what it's going to be for me if i had one, a "fun" gun. :)
 
Folks, we are staring right down the barrel of economic hard times. Actually, some of us are already there. A fact of life during times like these is the ability to pick up previously unheard of bargains. Folks are going to start liquidating guns in order to make house payments and so on. This has already begun in earnest. While I hate to see anyone have to sell off their guns in order to survive financially, I'm not going to pass up the opportunity to give a quality handgun a good home.

So instead of blowing a hundred on a Hi-Point, why not save enough cash to pick up a "hard times" gun at a bargain basement price? It was mentioned that the Hi-Point is hard to field-strip and has crappy sights, etc, etc. Think about a Ruger auto... These are easily stripped and have acceptable sights, workmanship, longevity, etc. They can be had for less and less with each passing day as we enter into recession.

Some folks had the right idea during the Great Depression. As callous as it was, a select few had a literal bonanza buying land at theft prices. Most folks hated people like that, evil capitalists and all that jazz. But given the same circumstances *you have money and nobody else does* would YOU not turn it into a buyers market?

I think we all know the answer to that. Pass on the Hi-Points, folks. Especially considering what's happening with the economy right now.

Callahan
 
I'll pass on Inspector Callahans advice and keep my Hi-Point compensated 9mm and hope to soon get a carbine.Hi-Points are a little crude but they go bang when you pull the trigger(which is nice and crisp).I've seen a number of guns that cost 4 to 5 times as much as a Hi-Point that can only dream of being as reliable! And by the way,i'd say that Hi-Point has some of the best factory sights available today! For someone who isn't putting 500 rounds a month through their gun and wants a fun plinker,Hi-Point is HARD TO BEAT!:D
 
I don't know about their reliability, but you should put a warning on that link. That gun is scary looking!:p
 
If they gave them away for FREE, I wouldn't own one, not doubting its ability to shoot but that is the UGLIEST gun I have ever seen in my life!:barf:
 
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