Hi Point 9mm

[bobsteaadman]

Hi all Bob from T.E.I here. This is the first of what I hope to be many Gun Reviews for the forum. I'm currently taping these segments for my web site. I specialize in budget guns. Just those words right there conger up ideas of cheap Saturday night specials. With the exception of the gun in this article all the guns reviewed are good quality (and in some instances big name) low cost (usually $500.00 or less)and are for the working man on a family budget. Now that all that's explained lets get on with it,

I bought this just to see if it would shoot. As many of you know this is about the lowest cost firearm on the market, and upon receiving it I could see why. This gun is literally the tank of guns. As anyone should; I read what there was in the way of a manual. First The manual is very thin due to no info on field stripping the gun. Hi Point does not recommend field stripping. Why not see how the action works and lock back the slide and give it a little look. It takes the strength of a gorilla to pull and lock the slide back. In the case of this particular gun the slide wouldn't fully lock due to crappy machining. The slide stop notch was not placed far enough forward. Well I was so confident with this gun that once at the range I did the responsible thing and had everybody clear the lanes (The advantages to being an RSO) as I took position. Pull of the trigger and blam. I'll be damned it worked. People didn't know if the look on my face was terror, surprise or relief. It was actually all three. There were some mis-fires. All in all for the amount of time I waited for my gun guy to track one down (you'd think for the low cost they would be flying off the shelves) it wasn't worth it. But those are the things that keep me awake me at night. I would not trust my life on one.

I appreciate all your feed back good & bad. Next review will be in approx two weeks. I'll be reviewing Taurus 24/7 Pro 45 cal.

[ShotgunBlast]

It makes for a pretty good boat anchor.

[ Post made via Mobile Device ]

[SpanishInquisition]

OK, feedback.

"Conjure", not "conger".

Let me guess. You pulled the slide back with nothing in in the magazine well and it didn't lock back. If this is the case, you were not encountering a defect, as Hi-Points work this way by design. They will lock back when ejecting the last round or when racked on an empty magazine. Had this been an actual defect, this would have been your opportunity to get some first hand info on Hi-Point's lifetime warranty. Call 'em up, ship it back, they will fix it and they ship it back and include a free magazine for your trouble. That's pretty much like Smith & Wesson's warranty, eh?

My girlfriend can pull the slide back on her C9 with no difficulty. She's no gorilla. The slide has more mass and the spring is stiffer than some other designs because the design is a fixed barrel, blowback design. This means that the slide has to resist movement by the expanding gasses long enough for the bullet to leave the barrel or hilarity will ensue. This is true of all blowback designs.

Misfires? Interesting. Please document the type(s?) of ammo used. Please document how many misfires out of the number of rounds used and what you think the possible cause may have been. The ergonomics of the Hi-Points are such that the user needs to make sure that their fingers and thumbs are clear of the slide, or you may get bitten and in the process and cause the slide to have insufficient power to return to battery. More expensive firearms also encounter some failures to load, and it's often excused with some mutterings about "machined to tight tolerences, blah blah blah". Some weapons just don't like some types of ammo. The Hi-Points are no exception, and they tend to prefer rounded nose ammo during a break-in period of a couple of hundred rounds. This can be bypassed to some degree if the customer opts to polish the feed ramp. Plenty of how-to's out there on polishing feed ramps of Hi-Points, Glocks, Walthers, ARs, Kel-tek P11 etc.

As with other firearms, magazines *can* be an issue with Hi-Points, particularly if the owner takes it straight out of the box and to the range. More well documented range reports state that round 2 in a new full mag can sometimes FTL. The phenomenon is more often seen with blunt-nosed rounds (see feed ramp polishing above), or if round 1 is at a low angle in the magazine lips. This can be avoided by exercising the mag spring before use, usually by fully loading the magazine and letting it sit for a few days to a couple of weeks.

Another magazine issue that may occur is the need for magazine lip adjustment on new magazines. There are numerous youtube videos that will guide you on this. This is also not unknown to other firearms and third party magazines.

Your review has nothing about weapon accuracy. Please document what groupings you had and at what ranges.

It's easy to bash, but more challenging to analyze. Hopefully in your subsequent reviews, weapons will not be examined merely if they will fire and recieve more objective & detailed range reports.

[Chasbo00]

I heard about a guy who fired a Hi Point, which blew up. The shrapnel killed his whole family, the bullet ricocheted and killed his dog, and then sparks from the ricochet burned his house down, and then the shell casing landed on a voting machine and registered a vote for the political party he disagreed with. Yep, true story.


Another story here:

http://gunnuts.net/2012/08/27/the-hi-point-challenge/

[SpanishInquisition]

Chasbo00, Chapter 2 is up of the same review:

http://gunnuts.net/2012/09/06/the-hi-po ... ge-week-2/

That guy looks like he's actually giving it a fair shake. I'm not sure if the second installment is the conclusion or not, so I'm staying tuned.

Also, you forgot about the casing ricocheting off the voting machine, flying into orbit and taking out one of the CIA's spy satellites.

[Jakeiscrazy]

Misfire? As in you pulled the trigger, it clicked but no bang? Because anything else is not a misfire. Generally misfires are attributed to ammo unless youve ruled that out with other ammo.

[Chasbo00]

Chasbo00, Chapter 2 is up of the same review:

http://gunnuts.net/2012/09/06/the-hi-po ... ge-week-2/

That guy looks like he's actually giving it a fair shake. I'm not sure if the second installment is the conclusion or not, so I'm staying tuned.

Also, you forgot about the casing ricocheting off the voting machine, flying into orbit and taking out one of the CIA's spy satellites.

Thanks, I did not know the second chapter was posted. I guess I'm a Hi-Point fan if for no other reason than they are uglier than Glocks.

[SpanishInquisition]

So is the A-10 Warthog.

[Chasbo00]

So is the A-10 Warthog.

Love that airplane and I truly regret that I never got the chance to fly one and give that 30mm a few bursts. Despite being mainly an old Army helicopter pilot, I did get to fly an F4 a couple of times.

[Tazguy04]

Based on the tourtue test I've seen on youtube and the price of just $150 or less, I plan to pick one up just as a truck gun. I have a EDC that I carry every day and the Hi-point will not be used for that but I could see it as a truck gun, it can be used as a hammer or used as a distress signal, maybe even shoot some small pests if needed, With all that in mind it would be a good Truck/Toolbox gun.

[bobsteaadman]

OK, feedback.
"Conjure", not "conger".
Let me guess. You pulled the slide back with nothing in in the magazine well and it didn't lock back. If this is the case, you were not encountering a defect, as Hi-Points work this way by design. They will lock back when ejecting the last round or when racked on an empty magazine. Had this been an actual defect, this would have been your opportunity to get some first hand info on Hi-Point's lifetime warranty. Call 'em up, ship it back, they will fix it and they ship it back and include a free magazine for your trouble. That's pretty much like Smith & Wesson's warranty, eh?

My girlfriend can pull the slide back on her C9 with no difficulty. She's no gorilla. The slide has more mass and the spring is stiffer than some other designs because the design is a fixed barrel, blowback design. This means that the slide has to resist movement by the expanding gasses long enough for the bullet to leave the barrel or hilarity will ensue. This is true of all blowback designs.

Misfires? Interesting. Please document the type(s?) of ammo used. Please document how many misfires out of the number of rounds used and what you think the possible cause may have been. The ergonomics of the Hi-Points are such that the user needs to make sure that their fingers and thumbs are clear of the slide, or you may get bitten and in the process and cause the slide to have insufficient power to return to battery. More expensive firearms also encounter some failures to load, and it's often excused with some mutterings about "machined to tight tolerences, blah blah blah". Some weapons just don't like some types of ammo. The Hi-Points are no exception, and they tend to prefer rounded nose ammo during a break-in period of a couple of hundred rounds. This can be bypassed to some degree if the customer opts to polish the feed ramp. Plenty of how-to's out there on polishing feed ramps of Hi-Points, Glocks, Walthers, ARs, Kel-tek P11 etc.

As with other firearms, magazines *can* be an issue with Hi-Points, particularly if the owner takes it straight out of the box and to the range. More well documented range reports state that round 2 in a new full mag can sometimes FTL. The phenomenon is more often seen with blunt-nosed rounds (see feed ramp polishing above), or if round 1 is at a low angle in the magazine lips. This can be avoided by exercising the mag spring before use, usually by fully loading the magazine and letting it sit for a few days to a couple of weeks.

Another magazine issue that may occur is the need for magazine lip adjustment on new magazines. There are numerous youtube videos that will guide you on this. This is also not unknown to other firearms and third party magazines.

Your review has nothing about weapon accuracy. Please document what groupings you had and at what ranges.

It's easy to bash, but more challenging to analyze. Hopefully in your subsequent reviews, weapons will not be examined merely if they will fire and recieve more objective & detailed range reports.

Seriously all of that writing and you feel the need to correct one spelling error. As I stated in the review. I conduct these to weed out guns that do not make the grade (in my opinion) and therefore do not warrant the cost. I'm merely trying to help those that may overlook weapons such as the S&W Sigma, Sig Sauer 2022 etc. because they assume the low price means low qualiy. I bought the Hi Point to see if it made the grade (mine) and it simply did not. When it fired it was accurate. But I don't like to deal in when and if it will fire. I deal in guns that will be used as self defense weapons and not thrown in a tool box, truck etc. It simply does not instill peace of mind wondering if it will come through in a pinch. The slide is indeed not machined correctly. Made several calls to Hi Point to remedy problem and never got a call back (another strike in my book for lack of customer service). I have the 9mm, and not only am I a NRA Firearms Instructor/Range Safety Officer as well as former law enforcement, I have 29 years of experience, stand 6'0" 240 pounds, so I think I'm more than capable of racking the slide back. As far as documenting ammo & misfires I'm writing this for a forum not a major trade publication. So the answer to that is negative. The next thing you'll be expecting ballistic gel test. Lets just say that in all reviews I use everything from cheap Russian fmj to quality name brand ammo in fmj to hollow points. Although some weapons eat particular ammo better than others I do not fail a gun unless it fails me by not firing repeatedly. When bad guys are crashing through the front door there are only so many failure drills you get in real life. I appreciate your very informed reply and look forward to many more. Not only do I respect constructive criticism, but it also helps for future reviews

[SpanishInquisition]

You did say "I appreciate all your feed back good & bad." Now don't get whiny and take your medicne.

If you're writing a review and expect to be taken seriously, spell check is your friend. It will help you appear more professional if the review has correct spelling and grammar. Here, this is a link that will integrate spell checking right into your Internet Explorer.
http://www.iespell.com/
All the authors ask is that you buy them a beer.

Onward. Frankly, with stuff like "People didn't know if the look on my face was terror, surprise or relief. It was actually all three." in it, I found your review wasn't objective. I would not expect to see ballistic gel reports in a firearm review. That would be silly unless you were reviewing a particular ammo. I would however expect a firearm review to feature things like a simple count and tally of rounds expended, distances to target, number of squib rounds, FTL, FTE, groupings, etc. I note that you didn't respond to Jakeiscrazy's request for clarification on misfires. What in your experience constitutes a misfire, sir?

Contact information for Hi-Point can be found here:
http://hi-pointfirearms.com/contact/contact.html
Suport for the C9 be reached during normal East coast business hours at:
866-948-4867
3 rings and they answered just now.

As for the "not flying off the shelves", online gun dealer budsgunshp.com nearly always has one Hi-Point or another on the "Hot Selling items" section. As I write this, it's the C9 model in the number 11 spot. Unfortunately sales figures are generally not available from the manufacturers for in-depth analysis. To be fair, with the current political climate, everyones products are flying off the shelves.

Bottom line, doing a hatchet job on an inexpensive product will not increase your credibility. Why not go out there, get some range time with it and give it a real review? Scientific Method FTW!

[dorminWS]

If you're writing a review and expect to be taken seriously, spell check is your friend.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I know about spell check, but does anybody have a typo-check app or a cure for fat, stiff fingers? I know I'm just stuck with the mournful fact that I was already full-growed before most adults NEEDED to know how to type. Tou see, when I started posting here, I didn't know I'd lose points for spelling errors, and I've sort of closed one eye and overlooked them when I've seen them. Help me out if you can - - - I'm just trying to cope, here.

[SpanishInquisition]

Help me out if you can - - - I'm just trying to cope, here.

Cope away, good sir! I have no qualms with typos, mouseos, and the like when it comes to general conversation. I sure know I've done my share of them as well! Since the OP looks like he's wanting to do a series of review articles, the bar gets raised a little IMO.

I'll shut up now and see if we get any real range reports for the Hi-Point or what other weapons he chooses to offer reviews on.

[Chasbo00]

Week 3 of the ongoing Hi-Point test posted on Gunnuts:

http://gunnuts.net/2012/09/13/the-hi-po ... ge-week-3/

[bobsteaadman]

If you're writing a review and expect to be taken seriously, spell check is your friend.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Why aren't you the snarky fellow. I stand by m hatchet job. The gun is a piece of crap. I understand ugly girls need love too, so you go right ahead on. As for your anal retentiveness with the one word that got through spell check that is something only you can deal with. As I said this is simply for the forum and not for a magazine. And I stand by my comment of not being able to get a reply from Hi Point. Granted this was three years ago, so maybe their customer service has improved.

I know about spell check, but does anybody have a typo-check app or a cure for fat, stiff fingers? I know I'm just stuck with the mournful fact that I was already full-growed before most adults NEEDED to know how to type. Tou see, when I started posting here, I didn't know I'd lose points for spelling errors, and I've sort of closed one eye and overlooked them when I've seen them. Help me out if you can - - - I'm just trying to cope, here. [/q

[moss20]

3 YEARS AGO?

Your writing a review for a gun you checked out 3 years ago, how is that relevant today? The manufacturing industry is constantly changing.

[scrubber3]

I have to side with the Hi-point being a sub par firearm. That being said, it's better than nothing. Just be sure to keep a bunch of oil on you so the slide actually operates. It will function and fire. Is it what it is.

My experience comes from 2 examples. The first one being a friend who had just bought one. Took it straight to a makeshift range. Loaded it and pulled the trigger. Bang! Slide didn't move. Took him 45 minutes to oil it to where he could get one magazine fired though it. Afterwards, he had to oil it some more. All the while, I was shooting an old British Mauser that my moms boyfriend gave me. He packed it up and took it back to the pawn shop he bought it from only to be told that they don't take back high points due to the fact that it's a high point. He admitted to me that they told him that before he bought it.

The second being one that had been used a fair amount. So I didn't hesitate to use it. Before we started shooting, my friend(we shall call him Pete) insisted we needed to put some WD40 on it....... I asked him if he knew if WD40 was flammable or not..... Anyway, I had some CLP in the truck and handed it to him. Luckily it was in spray form so it didn't take too long to lube it up.

I proceeded to engage the target at ~25 feet. Decent groups once I figured out that it shot far right. I put 2 magazines though it with no problems. handed it back to Pete and he oiled it again. (I say oiled because of the fact that it had to be done so often) Pete wanted to show me how good he was with it and proceeded to engage the target using rapid fire. At about the 4th round the slide flew forward off of the frame. After a moment of disbelief, we both laughed about it and he didn't hear the end of it for a few months. But to be honest, he told me that he knew it was a POS and he got it used for 50 dollars so he didn't care all that much. I didn't bother to ask him why it happened. To my knowledge he emptied it and threw it in his junk drawer.

I couldn't tell you what ammunition was used or even the dates it happened. This is my experience with HI-point pistols and I didn't really care to take note of any logistics concerning them. After all, I wasn't expecting much anyway.

Now, they do make a good 9mm carbine that I've personally seen and shot. Well, I guess they still make em. I've never seen or experienced anything negative about those. Not a bad little carbine if you need something to launch some 9mm rounds out of.

My take on carrying a hi-point pistol as an EDC is that so long as you trust your life to it, go right on ahead. I'll be carrying my Glock.

[scrubber3]

Oh yeah, out of the 7 Glocks, 1 Sig, and a couple of SWs I've never had to break them in. I've put any ammo I've wanted in them and have experienced 0 issues. I don't have the Sig or SWs anymore and I only have 3 Glocks now. I whittled it down to what I needed/used. I've never heard of anyone needing to polish a feed ramp on a Glock. Now, the 4th generations were very sensitive to limp wrist syndrome, but a redesigned recoil rod/spring cured that.

Yes, I'm a Glock fan, but I don't go around telling everyone that their gun is a piece. I know some folks that have 1911s, Glocks, Sigs, etc that will sneer at anything other than their brand. I'm not that guy. As a matter of fact, I had the chance to fire a new XDM this week and I was very impressed. I like quality firearms. All of them. I just prefer Glock. I have some very valid reasons for it. Got nothing against anyone else's gun. Not even a Hi-point. I just speak from experience. I've experienced sub-par performance from the pistols they make. I would never recommend one to anybody. If it works for you, I'm happy for ya. They just don't work for me or anyone I've ever seen shoot one.

[bobsteaadman]

3 YEARS AGO?

Your writing a review for a gun you checked out 3 years ago, how is that relevant today? The manufacturing industry is constantly changing.

Yes I bought this POS 3 years ago and shot it. I also have guns a lot older, I've shot and still shoot, that are fine right out of the box. Out of my 10 weapons I've only had one other problem child and that is with my Taurus 24/7 Pro. All others are fine shooters. Simply put, as many here have agreed, I just wouldn't trust my life on it. Granted that was never my intention with this gun anyway. It was simply a novelty gun. Like finding an old Navy Colt and seeing how well it would still shoot. But on the plus side of all your guy's anger at me for this post it has livened up the forum.