Fast input - '92 in .45 Colt vs HiPoint .45ACP

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Quoheleth

Quoheleth

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I've been bouncing back and forth on the idea of getting a pistol-cartridge carbine/rifle for HD and plinking at the range. The budget is tight so I'm looking in the mid-$300 range. With new Rossis running close to $500, I'm having to look for used ones. My other option I've been considering is a Hi Point .45ACP. I know, its apples-to-oranges, but that's how it is. (FWIW, I already have a pump 20ga.)

I found a used Rossi 92 in .45 Colt, the 24" octagon barrel that's at the top end of my price point. Its been slicked up, the safety removed, and is in good-to-VG condition. I know this model is a bit long for a home-defense gun, and that octagon barrel puts a lot of weight up front. I could plan for (eventually) having the barrel cut back to an even 20", which would help. I reload .45 Colt for my SAA clone, so plinking ammo isn't an issue. I like that its not a "tactical" gun, and as such is kind-of off the radar (e.g., its not a black gun), and out of a rifle .45 Colt is nothing to sneeze at. The gun shop owner will hold the Rossi for me until noon today, then it goes back on the sale rack.

The other choice is the Hi Point in .45ACP. They seem to be averaging around $300 on GB, NIB. These are butt ugly, but looking at all the reviews, they are dead-nuts reliable. If there is any issue, HP takes care of it. With 9 rounds of .45ACP in the mag, that's not too shabby, either. Yes, I also reload .45ACP.

Neither gun is "light" - both around 7lbs. The Rossi is arguably thinner, but has a lot more length.

Given the givens, which would you pick and why?

Q
 
I'm a lever guy and would prefer the Rossi, personally.

However, if for home defense, the high point makes more sense.

The shotgun, depending on make, can easily be transformed into a tacticool shotgun for cheap.
 
I'd also go with the Rossi but that's probably more of a personal preference thing. I've actually be considering getting a '92 Rossi myself.
 
I lusted after the .45 hipoint carbine for a while, finally found one, and UGH... imo, it was no where near the gun that the hi point 9mm carbine is... add to that, the scope attaches to the stock, and the front sight isn't really attached very well either...

after wanting one for years (and always finding them backordered) I sold it within a month of buying it.

Go with the .45 colt, but I am also to say the least, NOT a fan of anything put out by rossi. If Henry makes one in their "big boy" line, check it out. I have a henry .22 and while it isn't a well built gun like a marlin, it works great and is great in accuracy.

IMO, the rossi is not enough gun for the money, apparently you have to do a fair amount of work to them and getting one out of the box that will be decent does not happen very often... Better yet, save a few more bucks and get a marlin if possible...

If I HAD to choose between the two, I'd get the rossi though. My screenname is more of a joke than anything, but you'll never catch me "hating on" hipoints, but the .45 carbine just wasn't what I hoped it would be. I'm a good shot, but this thing grouped all over the place at longer ranges. 25 yards was fine (but who needs a gun that's only good for 25 yards?) 50 yards was pretty bad, 75 yards, forget about it.
 
hipoint - Hmmm...thanks for the advice. Do you have any experience with the 9mm HP carbine?

From what I'm seeing on GB, its more than "a few bucks" difference between Rossi and Marlin. If NIB Rossis are $450, used Marlins hit $700 easy, especially in .357/.38.

Q
 
Hipoint, we Rossi fans may well have overstated the gains to be had from some slicking up.

The two Rossis I've personally handled and slicked up for myself and a shooting buddy were just fine right out of the box. It's simply that the slicking up work made a decent enough, if slightly notchy, feeling rifle into something that feels like sliding a fresh caught fish around on a wet board.

Lots of folks have also reported that their Rossis slicked themselves up from simply putting a couple of thousand rounds downrange.

To "Q", the two styles are SOOOOO different that it's hard to even suggest anything. What I will say is that if you want the lever option then hold out for a 20 or even a 16" instead of going for the 24. First off it's already right at your max price point. And then you'd need to spend even MORE money on it to shorten the barrel if you opt that way. It's wiser and more frugal to simply have a little more patience and get the option you actually want and can use.
 
Had the 9mm Hi Point carbine. My vote goes to the lever gun.

The Hi Points are fun, reliable and accurate. But the fact that you already reload .45 Colt gives the edge. It really comes down to which you prefer.
 
Both would be cool, but I haven't heard the best things about Rossi. No personal experience, though.

The nice thing about the hi-point is that ammo will be cheaper (especially for the handloader) and resale value is probably pretty good if you end up disliking it. Used Hi-points seem to go for almost as much as new ones on gunbroker. Probably due to their insanely good unlimited warranty and their perfect customer service.
 
Both are fun weapons. I own a Hipoint .45 acp and 2 ossi's in .357. (one 24" octagon and a 20"round barrel)
For just messin around, the Hipoint is great, but for any kind of distance, you're much better off with the Rossi. Home defense with the Hipoint is fine unless your house is HUGE. They're so ugly they're cute. Mine feeds reliable, even my SWC reloads.
The long barreled Rossi would be a bit clumsy in tight quarters, (like cornering in a house) but is otherwise a very nice gun.
I'm kinda partial to leverguns, but have no qualms about the Hipoint carbine for home defense.
 
FWIW, I reload 9mm, too. I hadn't included that info in the original post b/c I wasn't considering it.

Do the HP carbines shoot cast lead bullets well, or does the increased velocity out of the longer barrel (vs. pistol barrel) cause leading issues?

Q
 
For the range, it really doesn't matter what you get, but for HD it sure does.

I'd focus on the 20 ga. pump as a great HD option. Loaded with #4 Buck it's hard to beat.

Neither the Rossi nor the HiPoint are attractive to me for HD.

For a pistol find a used Glock, M&P, or even a Taurus. Either 9mm or .45 works.

If you want a levergun, hold out until you can find a good used Marlin or Winchester.
 
the older hi point carbines in 9mm were accurate as far as the 9mm round was effective. Pretty decent little rifles considering the price. The "new" ones are the same design as the .45 carbine in that the scope mounts and such are an integral part of the stock, wich is quite flimsy and floppy. If I get another, it will be the older 995 model.

I've never owned a rossi levergun, but have been burned by rossi 3 times now and am just skeptical to give them another chance.

anyhow, I'd go with the colt if it were me. I don't think you'll regret it.

on another note, when the rossi Circuit Judge came out, I thought that was just the bees knees, seemed to be the absolute PERFECT farm gun or all around hunting gun. Mine may have been a bad example but it was WAY overbored and the only hope I had to make it shoot the .45 colt well was to cast my own oversize bullets, since I didn't care to do that, it too went away. The .410 out of the gun was pretty awful patterning as well. Just in case you happen across one of these and felt like I did about it, make SURE you get a chance to shoot it first!

*edit*

seems i misread your original ad... for strictly "home defense" I'd go with the hi point for sure. the ability to mount flashilights/lasers and other goodies would be my deciding factor. at 25 yards it's pretty good, 40-50 yards should be able to keep in on a chest sized target, and I would not think any defensive purposes would really matter past that range... Mine did jam a little when it was new, but it was solely the magazine's fault, after I tweaked the lips a bit, I had zero issues...
 
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I have three HP carbines - two in 9mm and one in .40, they all work just fine. Considering that you're talking about home defense, where in all reality you're never likely to use it at all. If you do, you'll need maybe three shots max in an extreme situation? Most likely none at all. I wouldn't hesitate to dedicate a HP .45 carbine for that, with a decent red-dot sight on it, maybe a flashlight too.

Too many people seem to think that a home defense gun needs to be a top shelf, uber-reliable, combat-worthy battle machine. IMO it just needs to go bang a couple of times if need be, be easy to manuever around with, and easy to sight with. Kept clean, lubricated, and loaded - any HP carbine would take care of any home invaders.

FWIW - I keep an M1 carbine ready for this because I have one perfectly suited for it. If I were to place one of my HiPoints into HD duty, it would be the .40 carbine for the extra punch over 9mm.

If you're really expecting a gun battle in your house or serious attackers, you've got bigger problems and you'd better use something more serious. For garden variety burglars, anything that goes bang will realistically send them fleeing with wet pants. This is home defense, not urban combat.

Just my opinion. Others will have theirs.
 
I own a Hi-Point 995TS and really can't find much to complain about. I use mine as a range toy, cluttering it up with all the accessories that I can't bring myself to mount to my AR-15. With a red dot on it, I can hit man-sized silhouette targets COM at 100 yards, which is about 80-90 yards more than I'd ever need to hit in a home defense situation on my property. Until digging into an apparently bad batch of Winchester FMJs (stovepipes in multiple guns) I haven't had any trouble with the Hi-Point, and wouldn't hesitate to use it as a "house gun" over a rifle. It's hard to go wrong at ~$300 with a great warranty, although it's a shame that there aren't any extended capacity mags available beyond 15-round Pro Mags.
 
I have never had a problem with my Rossi M92 24" octagon barrel. Plus it can handle some pretty hot loads. I load up 185gr jacketed hollow points with about 19 grains of hodgdon. Truly a load to be reckoned with
 
I have a 20 inch Rossi in .45 Colt. I don't and never had a HiPoint carbine. The first advantage that comes to mind is the variety of ammunition the Rossi will shoot, anything from 300 grain JSP "B'ar Loads" to softball "Cowboy" loads. If it's already slick, you won't lose any speed, either. The only other advantage I can see with a 24 inch octagon-barreled Rossi over the carbines is that if you run out of ammo you can beat 8 or 10 people to death with it.

ECS
 
I have a Rossi 20 inch carbine that I will trade you straight across for the 24 inch octagon rifle. It has been slicked up and works flawlessly. I bought it new and it still looks like it. Since when did Rossi install a safety on their 92 rifles? chris3
 
If your need to purchase isn't immediate, you could hold out for a trapper length (16" barrel) lever in 45 Colt. It would be well suited for the range and HD. I've got one and I absolutely love it. It always goes to the range with me. I also wouldn't hesitate about using it for HD.
 
I have the hi-points in both 9mm and 45acp and the Rossi 92 in 357/38sp. The rossi is a 20" though. I think for what you are looking for the 24" will be too long. any of the guns listed would work fine for HD it is more of what you prefer and are copmfortable with. To me the Rossi seems lighter and more manuverable. Mijne has the iron sights also and I think that lends itself to quicker target aquisition (at least for me when you are in a stressed situation). The last thing you want to think about is turning a red dot on when you are stressed (both hi-points of mine have red dots). If you reload for all the calibers then that is really a moot point on choosing the weapon. I say try to get to hold all of them and see what feels comfortable to you. I had my Rossi slicked up and it works great. I looked for a long time for a used marlin or winchester and even when they did come up they were all over your budget.
 
I have a Hi Point 4595. I picked the .45acp because at the time I didn't load for the 9mm. Mine shoots just about everything including LSWC. I have been disappointed with any kind of optics mounted to it and gone back to the factory sights. The company is great about handling any problems.

I'd pick the lever gun in your case, especially if you don't have one yet.
 
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