Finally achieved a semiauto pistol/carbine combo!

[Col. Plink]

in the same caliber with interchangeable magazines, I should add.

I'd like to thank the good people at HiPoint Arms for putting together a solid pistol/carbine combo in .40s&w that is more than desirable in the price vs. performance department. I have been enjoying my .40carbine for some time now and picked up a like-new pistol that's making its first trip to the range with me tomorrow. To be honest, I didn't expect to like the fit and finish of the pistol as much as I do, and though it's a bit clunky I expect the weight of that big ol' slide to help keep me on target.

Now, that said, I'd like to relate a bit of my frustration in getting to this point:

Initially, I entertained the idea of getting a 1911 frame and buying the Mec-Tech CCU carbine upper for it. I realized this was cost-prohibitive (especially with a perfectly wonderful Springfield XD45T in the closet), and decided I'd wait for Mec-Tech to come through with their CCU in .45 for Springfields. That wait continues... Admittedly, it did cross my mind that perhaps I should have bought a Glock .45 and been able to have a CCU for it right away. But considering the capacity of the XD and the limited increase in performance from .45acp carbines, I figured I hadn't really missed the boat.

There was a time I lusted for the Camp 45 carbine, but I'm just not a 1911 fan and the Marlins are just too darned expensive now.

I know that HiPoint may eventually (ahem) come out with their 45carbine, and to be honest I can't figure out why they never have. They match up their 9's & 40's but, whatever.

The HiPoint 40carbine is the reason I got into the round at all, and like the idea of the plinker's combo with some decent performance behind 'em if needed. The price point on both made it an easy experiment.

I likely would have had a pistol/carbine combo in .40 long ago if Remington still made their 'police' carbines with p-series magazines but, again, whatever. If I was a wheel- and lever-gun guy I probably would have done that in .44 right off the bat; for some reason I'm just not into either.

I figured a good carbine round was worth pursuing a combo in semiauto with interchangeable magazines. The plinking factor was high in my decision-making, but practicality, performance, and ammo costs were too.

Anybody else out there have the same combo?

Here's to years of good plinkin' to come!

 

[PAPACHUCK]

Not yet. I've got the Marlin 45 Carbine, just waiting for the right 1911 to go with it.

 

[ejfalvo]

I have the Beretta CX4 in 45 ACP and a XD 45 ACP Compact. While not interchangable magazines, I only need 1 type of ammo for both (ignoring my other handguns). Both shoot great, are very accurate and dependable.

 

[mgregg85]

Hipoint will never come out with a .45 acp carbine, at least not in our lifetimes. They've been promising it for years now, right now their website says that it will be coming August, 2010. If they ever did sell it, people would buy them by the hundreds. Thus the only conclusion I can come to about them is that they cannot make the design work with a .45 acp or else it works but with serious problems.

If you want a good Pistol/Carbine combo then look at the Beretta Storm series or the SUB-2000. I chose the SUB-2000, only paid $250 for it and I love it. Lots of fun with the 33 round glock 17 mags. Now i've just gotta find a good deal on a glock 17.

For the price, around $300 for a new SUB-2000 vs around $200 for a new hipoint i'd choose the SUB-2000 every time.

 

[Col. Plink]

I'm guessing the sub-2000's mentioned above are 9mm's?

I meant to mention that the pistol/carbine quest of mine never involved 9's. I also should have mentioned that I seriously considered Feather 45 carbines and that I looked at KelTec's. Certainly the Beretta's were on the 'drool list' when I was hot for a 45 carbine, but for the bucks???

Design shortcuts hamper the HiPoint 40 pistol, discovered after a trip to the range. Adjustable rear sights put them into the stratosphere trying to deal with a low point of initial impact. Some feed issues exist, along with poor ergonomics for fully retracting the heavy slide. Seems a few pointers in development would have gone a long way. I'm not expecting great performance at bargain basement prices, but it is not yet a reliable arm in my opinion; so I can't figure out what they were after with its design and production. I say this because the carbine has been absolutely flawless in terms of performance and so the pistol is something of a disappointment.

 

[General Geoff]

I'm guessing the sub-2000's mentioned above are 9mm's?

Kel-Tec makes the Sub2000 in both 9mm and .40S&W. I have a .40S&W Sub2000 myself, and I love it to death. It's been utterly reliable and very accurate for my purposes (easily hits paper plates at 100 yards).

Kudos to your Hi-Point, though. While not the most attractive carbine on the market, she gets the job done!

 

[Col. Plink]

She does at that!

Outstanding performance in every way, before any consideration of cost, which makes it an amazing arm by any measure when fully considered.

I guess that's why the pistol seems disappointing as of yet by comparison. It could be that it only needs some more break-in time...

 

[General Geoff]

Re; HiPoint Carbine vs Sub2000. The HiPoint saves you some bucks and is a phenomenal value, the Sub2000 folds in half for exceptional storage and/or carry options. Both fine weapons.

 

[Marlin 45 carbine]

to add to the praise of the Kel-Tec one of my nephews has the 9mm that's designed for S&W mags (he has a 915 also) and the manual says something like 'performance ammo is preferred'. I'll say, that carbine digests my handloads that would strain any pistol with ease they come outta that barrel with a 'crack'. shoots good too despite the rudimentary sights but they are adjustable or the front is.
don't have a chrono so can't say any FPS figures. I've loaded 'em so the primer flows and stopped there to avoid piercing. a red stripe from a felt tip marker across the head indicates use for carbine only.

 

[eight433]

The attractiveness of the Hi Point has been brought up several times now. While I agree, the old ones are incredibly UGLY, I think the new, "Tactical" ones are fairly decent looking guns!

Old:

New:

This new design has pushed this gun from "Well, Its ok, but I'd rather have a SUB 2000" into something more like "Well, I can't find a SUB 2000 ANYWHERE, but there are 3 Hi Point's at this po-dunk gun store!"
Besides, in MI, the SUB 2000 is classified as a pistol
All in all, the new hi-point is on the short list, right behind my CZ-82 I've been trying to track down for months.

 

[rfurtkamp]

I'm not expecting great performance at bargain basement prices, but it is not yet a reliable arm in my opinion; so I can't figure out what they were after with its design and production

Hi-Points are price point only guns.

That's their function.

They're better than the competition in that bracket by a long shot, but it's still, well, price point.

And I have no doubt that the .40 has more issues than the 9mm; even from reputable, higher-end manufacturers I'm not partial to re-engineering a design to take calibers it wasn't designed for initially - let alone from a price point budget manufacturer.

 

[minutemen1776]

I've procured handgun-caliber carbine/pistol combos on a few occasions in the past. I never keep them though. I always decide that the convenience of ammo and magazine commonality is far outweighed by the better performance that comes from using rifle cartridges in rifles. I've also found it unnecessarily limiting to have to choose a handgun from the small selection of those which have carbine counterparts. I know some are enamored of the carbine/pistol concept, and it may offer real benefits to some shooters, but it's never offered much utility for my needs.

 

[briansmithwins]

I've been using 9mmP handguns for a couple decades now (I am getting SO old) so when I wanted a range/match fun toy, 9mmP was the only way to go.

It doesn't use the same mags as my P226, but the mags were only $12 a pop, so I wasn't that hurt putting out for them. Besides, 32 round mags for the P226 would be kinda unwieldy. BSW

 

[Col. Plink]

I should amend my original post to say that I looked seriously in the RUGER (not Remington) police carbines using P-series magazines. Still can't figure out how they let that one get away...

 

[rfurtkamp]

Still can't figure out how they let that one get away...

In terms of civilian market, there was basically no interest in pistol caliber carbines before the great ammo price blowup of recent years.

Why, people would harp, should I pay more for a pistol-caliber gun when both ammunition (imported/surplus 7.62x39 and 223 was < $30 a case more expensive than 9mm) and gun (semi-auto Romanian AKs were starting in the mid-200s at the time) cost more? Couple that with dirt cheap (compared to most high-cap pistol mags druing the ban) surplus rifle magazines, and it becomes a no-brainer.

At the time I bought my first immediate ban-expired Vector Uzi for $500, you could still get WASRs for $300, monkey-built Cetmes and FALs for $300-375, et cetera. Uzi mags were twice or more what the AK ones cost. The Ruger and its ilk were long gone from the market.

The sudden resurgence of interest in 22s and pistol calibers emerged once prices went through the roof, coupled with the ability to make cheap no-ban magazines and weapons.