Hi Point Prankster Strikes Again!

People can say what they want about High Point pistols. From what I've seen of them, I think they are absolute crap. I had a friend that bought 2 of them and we used to go out shooting together. He spent more time clearing jams and other assorted problems than he did shooting them. What amazed me even more was that he used them as a home defense gun.

Irregardless of what other folks opinions are of HP, I will always be convinced that they are junk. I won't buy one just like I won't buy a used Yugo. Just my personal opinion.
 
I actually shot a Hi-Point the other day...

At the range, my friend ...who also works there... brought out an old Hi-Point from behind the counter. It was an earlier model chambered in .45

The Haskell
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My first thought was that it actually looked better than the current Hi-Points. Nonetheless, it jammed on the very first shot. It apparently did not like the HP ammo we were shooting.

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Next step

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Haha... seriously though, it actually shot fairly well after the first failure. Still not a gun I would trust my life to... not even close.
 
Threegun,
I can appreciate actual experience with guns at the range jamming but what is your proof that they are made of inferior materials? I read lots of guys who pass on Internet lore as Gospel truth without a shred of personal experience.
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They are made of a zinc alloy material. The reason they are so big is because it requires more of this material to form a slide capable of absorbing the recoil without breaking.
 
Hhmmm....Isn't another reason for the big, heavy slide because Hipoint operate on with a blow-back action???--Patrice
 
Hhmmm....Isn't another reason for the big, heavy slide because Hipoint operate on with a blow-back action???--Patrice
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Walther ppk's are blowback and 1/3 the size.

You are correct in that slide mass is used along with the recoil spring to slow the slide. Its just not the reason HiPoints are so big.

Example.......Ruger revolvers are notoriously larger than say a S&W. Ruger uses the MIM (metal injection molding) process in manufacturing. It used to require more mass to equal the same strength as a milled process of manufacture. With Zinc alloys even more mass is necessary to equal the same strength as milled steel.
 
That is almost as funny as watching thier faces when asked what I am shooting and I say "oh just a couple of old junkers. I break out grampa'a old Colt Python, and a Wildey Magnum." :D When they say "well yea they are real junk I would be happy to take them off of your hands for you." :eek:
 
Walther ppk's are blowback and 1/3 the size.
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So, you have Walther PPK's in 9X19, 40 S&W, and 45 ACP!!!:eek:

Try again!!!

It's the mass that is needed for a blowback operated pistol in these higher pressure rounds. 32 ACP, and 380 ACP along with 9X18 Makarov work with lighter slides on a blowback pistol
 
So, you have Walther PPK's in 9X19, 40 S&W, and 45 ACP!!!

Try again!!!
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I'm comparing apples with apples. The HiPoint 380 has an enormous slide as well. Vastly larger than the Walther PPK. I wonder why? Please explain why HiPoint needs a slide 3 times larger?

Hope my second try suits you better!!!
 
It seems to me as a new member that if you don't shoot a Smith or a Ruger you are shooting crap in most persons eyes on this Forum.
 
It seems to me as a new member that if you don't shoot a Smith or a Ruger you are shooting crap in most persons eyes on this Forum.
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Welcome to the forum, and don't be intimidated by the gun snobs. There are a lot of regular folks on here to!
 
I'm comparing apples with apples. The HiPoint 380 has an enormous slide as well. Vastly larger than the Walther PPK. I wonder why? Please explain why HiPoint needs a slide 3 times larger?

Hope my second try suits you better!!!
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Don't know for sure, but suspect they just used the the existing 9MM frame and slide rather than tooling up for a smaller model. A quick look at their specs, and you see the 380 & 9MM are identical except for caliber. the 40 S&W and 45 ACP are likewise identical.
It is a price efficient company, and just jumped on the 380 ACP bandwagon with something they already had.

I'm not saying that High-Points are in the same league as other guns I have from S&W, Ruger, Colt, Beretta, S/A, And Walther. I'm just saying that for a under $150 gun they are a viable alternative for range fun, and plinking for someone that doesn't have the budget for a more expensive firearm.
 
Wonder what would happen to a $1400 Rohrbach with a 50% overload and a bold driven into the barrel?
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I dunno, but I want to see someone to it to a Glock so bad I can taste it. I would bet $100 right now that that they'd still be picking up pieces an hour after it was discharged.

As for various claims of Hi-Points jamming on range -- if indeed this is true, it is difficult not to attribute it in some part, probably, to a break-in period. That's my sort of gut feeling on it, as a lot of newbies are apt to buy Hi-Points (I did when I was a newbie) because of their low price and unsurpassed warranty. The reason I espouse this hypothesis is because I own a Hi-Point, I have shot it quite a bit, and I did observe its various technical difficulties during the break-in period. However -- and I know this may be hard for you to stomach -- I have now put at least 1,500 rounds through the gun (sort of lost count, probably more, but I'm being conservative) and in 1,200 of those rounds it has not had a malfunction of any kind.
Pretty damn good for a $200 gun, I say.
 
I dunno, but I want to see someone to it to a Glock so bad I can taste it. I would bet $100 right now that that they'd still be picking up pieces an hour after it was discharged.
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I'm sure a lot of guns that aren't made of "inferior material" would be in pieces long before the High-Point started to come apart!
 
Well, I have owned 3 of those dastardly HiPoints. I have never had a failure to fire. My son-in-law talked me out of the first two and then proceeded to shoot circles around me with them. He still has them. I got the 3rd one in a trade and really never got to shoot that one as I sold it for way more than I gave for it.

I get a kick out of you guys who look down on them, but turn around and buy those RG's for high dollar. :D
 
i own a rock island 1911, sig p238, smith sigma .40 and a hipoint 9. with the exception of the sig every pistol i have is for the most part considered junk to most on here. and still the sig gets the mouse gun comments. my 1911 is a beautiful matte nickle with black accents and hand carved vibrant red colored walnut grips i widdled at work with a pocket knife. the smith is now missing 2 springs and now is a glock with a different name. and the hi point i dropped 4 feet under in the elk river. i had a heck of a time finding it but its heavy bulk frame was untarnished. i have dropped it multiple times and have even had to drop the slide to get sand out just in case. i have slept with it in my tent, fished with it, hunted with it, and have even kissed it good night. the sig is a superb two tone black w/ rainbow titanium slide with custom black pearl grips i have a holster for every one. can you guess witch dog rides shotgun when i go have fun. think of the hi point as your mowing shoes. we all have them dont lie. and if you really dont have a yard to mow you still have them. i dress up i put on dress shoes i go to work i put on my work shoes. when i need to be outside doing real life not city people things i put on my mowing/hi point shoes. i blame this rant on just getting home from work after a 12 hour shift at the coal pit. if you dont like it well it made sense to me :D
 
Taken from wikipedia......
The slide is die cast from a zinc-family alloy that includes aluminum, magnesium, and copper and is called zamak-3, rather than machined from forged steel.
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Some people are wary of Hi-Points because of the use of zinc alloy (zamak-3) castings in much of their construction. However, parts made from zamak-3 in Hi-Point guns (receiver and bolt/slide) are low-stress components that do not require the strength and expense of steel. Higher stress components in Hi-Points, like the barrel and other small parts, are made of steel.
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This tends to prove my point of being made of inferior materials. Now unlike Glocks, M&P's, H&K's, and other firearms that utilize polymer, which is also inferior to steel, HiPoints cannot withstand the high round counts because of the zamak.

A quick call to HiPoint, as I just made, has solved our little debate in its tracks. Me the victor of course. The nice and very knowledgeable lady I spoke with confirmed that the zamak is weaker than steel which is one of the reasons why more must be used.
 
Threegun, "inferior" is a subjective term in your case. Steel is inferior to gold because it doesn't hold the same value, Zamak-3 or whatever may not have the same weight to tensile strength as steel does, but it functions as it should in the hi-point design, just as plastic does for glocks and ceramic does for coffee cups. So saying a material is inferior doesn't exactly hold water when you're comparing apples to oranges. And, btw, declaring you are the winner on the internet is like saying you're "king of the hill" when you step on a pile of dog ****.
 
It seems to me as a new member that if you don't shoot a Smith or a Ruger you are shooting crap in most persons eyes on this Forum.
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Nah. It's just fun to pick on people when they buy a Taurus because it is cheap and then come here to complain about all the problems they have with it.

But seriously, you get what you pay for. It is an eternal lesson that seems to take eternity for some people to learn.
 
It seems to me as a new member that if you don't shoot a Smith or a Ruger you are shooting crap in most persons eyes on this Forum.
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Sorry you take that from candid discussion of a firearms positives AND NEGATIVES. Seems that if your experience is negative about Hi Point's you are labeled a gun snob. Personally I have nothing against inexpensive guns in fact I love them. I love a value. With firearms for me however the bargain must perform as good as the more expensive options. My life after all could be at stake. I have shot, sold, and repaired HiPoint firearms. IMO and in the opinion of all our salesmen and most range officers I have discussed this issue with, they are not fit for self defense duties. The only exception being if no better firearm can be afforded.

I hear all the good things being said about them and can only wonder how so many could be so lucky when in my actual hands on and eye witnessed experience so many are not so lucky.
 
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