High Point

[hdwhit]

I had never really paid any attention to High Point firearms, but I was in the store the other day just looking at what was in the display case and I saw this misshapen hunk of Zamak. At first I didn't recognize it as a High Point; I just figured it was an import from some country that was just starting an indigenous firearms industry. That's when I saw the brand name engraved on the side of the slide.

Now I'm kind of intrigued.

This would be the first time I bought a gun without having a clearly identified need for it beforehand, so tell me why I should or shouldn't go pick one up next week? This is a binary decision; buy or don't buy, so please don't suggest that I go buy a Glock, S&W, H&K, Walther, CZ, Taurus or any of a dozen others whose names don't spring to mind instantly.

Thanks.

 

[drband]

They’re cheap. They work. They’re ugly!

 

[Hokie_PhD]

Personally I would take the money you’d spend on the Highpoint and put it aside and buy a S&W. But I don’t like to waste money and put value as my main criteria when I buy something. To me value is a combination of price and quality for the price, coupled with what I get out of it.

Being that it’s your money, you need to decide if you really want to spend it on something like that. If you can afford it and don’t mind wasting the money if it’s junk, I say go for it. Otherwise, don’t.

 

[MedWheeler]

I bought a C9 off a friend a few years back. He's more of a "liquor connoisseur" than a gun guy, and wanted the money to fund a bottle of some sort of "exotic" rum. He has other guns, and wasn't using the Hi-Point. He asked for $60 for the gun, but I gave him $70 because I felt he was asking too little, and that's what I had on me.

I also had no intended use for it, but I knew I could get my money back if I wanted to. It's actually a decent shooter, albeit only (so far) with 115-grain FMJ stuff; the HP stuff I tried in it was less than reliable in that specific gun. I have not tried anything else in it.

But, as mentioned, I had no purpose reserved for it, and it sits in the safe. Someday, it will get sold, stowed as a "truck gun", traded off, or given away.

Or, it might not.

Only you can decide if you want it or not for what they're asking for it. You're obviously not new to firearms. There was a time not too long ago that the price of a HP put it in a league of its own, making it a good value for an entry-level handgun that is stone-cold reliable for those on an entry-level budget. But now, there are numerous contenders, particularly from Ruger and Taurus, that whittle away significantly in any value appeal of the Hi-Point, at least in 9mm Luger. Today, I would not pay anything over a hundred bucks for a Hi-Point pistol unless I had a quantified use for it already in mind.

 

[maxxhavoc]

They’re cheap. They work. They’re ugly!

Yes, all of those things. The recoil on them is...interesting too, not in a good way for shooting fast.

In the spirit of the OP, I will say, save up and buy a Hi-Point 995 Carbine. It has the same clunky operating system as the pistol, but in the carbine it "fits" better. The company has top-notch customer service, and is a great example of american grassroots manufacturing. It is the only Hi-Point I have held onto and still shoot.

 

[Hasaf]

I would say no. It comes down to ease of shooting accurately. You will always feel that you are held back by the gun if you go with high point.

To address the above, I am also thinking a high point carbine in .45 on a Bullpup stock; but this is said while waiting to see the stock. So far it is vaporware.

 

[Good Ol' Boy]

I wouldn't.

Personally I'd take that $150, give or take, and spend it on ammo.

 

[drband]

Yes, the carbine is a keeper. There’s literally nothing else like it in its price range. A fun to shoot gun, too.

 

[Fine Figure of a Man]

I guess for only $150 it might renew your appreciation of quality firearms.

 

[hdwhit]

Hokie_PhD wrote:
Personally I would take the money you’d spend on the Highpoint and put it aside and buy a S&W.

If I really wanted an S&W, I'd already have one.

My first degree was in Agricultural Engineering so there's a latent fascination with all things primitive that nevertheless work. And from what I have read, it looks like drband summed up that aspect pretty well.

 

[hdwhit]

MedWheeler wrote:
He's more of a "liquor connoisseur" than a gun guy, and wanted the money to fund a bottle of some sort of "exotic" rum.

Well, I've got a real fondness for Islay style Scotch Whisky, but I could never see myself trading a gun for a bottle, so that's not something I truly understand.

I also had no intended use for it, but I knew I could get my money back if I wanted to. It's actually a decent shooter, albeit only (so far) with 115-grain FMJ stuff;

This is sounding better all the time. All of the 9mm I load is 115 gr (about 1/3 FMJ, 2/3 JHP) so your experience dovetails with what I'm already doing.

 

[hdwhit]

I guess for only $150 it might renew your appreciation of quality firearms.

While I was looking at that High Point, I noticed that the designer had a number of interesting approaches to addressing the limitations inherent in using zinc as a structural component in a blowback action, so I'm thinking it might stimulate my appreciation for inexpensive firearms.

 

[bassjam]

Buy it.

If anything you'll have personal experience to refute those that have never shot them yet always hate on Hi Points and call them junk. For just over $100 I think it's worth the small price for the knowledge you gain. I've found that mine is reliable and surprisingly accurate. I now keep it loaded in my garage and it actually convinced me to also buy a High Point carbine.

 

[reddog81]

The handguns fill a niche for cheap, moderate capacity, reliable guns. However they are bulky and when it comes to shooting them they don't really have any positive qualities other than they work well for a cheap gun.

 

[maxxhavoc]

While I was looking at that High Point, I noticed that the designer had a number of interesting approaches to addressing the limitations inherent in using zinc as a structural component in a blowback action, so I'm thinking it might stimulate my appreciation for inexpensive firearms.

The only drawback I have noticed in the Zamak in their design is the firing pin channel. Hardened steel riding on spring steel in a Zamak channel. Mine galled out to the point where the firing pin would not reliably go through the firing pin hole..the channel was severely OD. They may have addressed this in later guns.

They fixed it and send it back (with an apology, an new unscratched stock and 3 mags) with the solution of "don't clean the firing pin channel so much." Which would reduce the problem and is almost a "soviet engineering" solution. I can respect that.

 

[Deanimator]

This would be the first time I bought a gun without having a clearly identified need for it beforehand, so tell me why I should or shouldn't go pick one up next week?

It's a bad, uninteresting design, the handgun equivalent of a Sten MkIII, minus the historical aura.

If you want a pure blowback handgun in something more powerful than 9x18mm Makarov, buy an Astra M400, M600, Dreyse M1910 or Walther Model 6.

 

[Jim NE]

I haven't shot my Hi Point 9mm yet. I bought it new from Cabella's for $99.99 - AND they threw in a pocket knife - so I couldn't not buy it.

The other two Hi points I have are a .45 acp, which is accurate and reliable, and a .380, which is decently accurate (for what it is), but 100% reliable only with certain types/brands of ammo. On average they are worth the money, but not all of them may be reliable enough for defense until you figure out what they run well on.

A Ruger or Kimber is almost always going to be a better gun than a HP, but if you don't yet have, say, a .40 caliber pistol (for example), and want to prepared in case .40 ammo is all you can get at some point in the future, a Hi Point can be a viable option if you don't have much money. They are good in that respect.

 

[sigarms228]

I am glad there are pistols like High Point for those who absolutely can not afford to spend any more money on a pistol for self protection and most in that category will probably never put more than a box or two of ammo through it and a significant number probably will never shoot it. However I really don't see the point of even a casual firearm enthusiast buying one but hey your money. Myself I would pass and use the funds for ammo, targets, etc.

 

[Hokie_PhD]

If I really wanted an S&W, I'd already have one.

My first degree was in Agricultural Engineering so there's a latent fascination with all things primitive that nevertheless work. And from what I have read, it looks like drband summed up that aspect pretty well.

I didn't say YOU should get a S&W I was saying that's what I'd do. The rest of my post, went on to say why it's a personal thing and you have to figure out if the Highpoint is worth it TO YOU. So again, to me it's not worth it and I'd get a S&W, the question is are you going to get the Highpoint or do something else with the money you'd spend on it.

 

[Hokie_PhD]

The handguns fill a niche for cheap, moderate capacity, reliable guns. However they are bulky and when it comes to shooting them they don't really have any positive qualities other than they work well for a cheap gun.

HMMM
Working well for a cheap gun seems like a great quality.

For someone buying a first gun and not wanting to spend a lot of money that sounds wonderful. For someone who doesn't have a lot of money and wants a gun it's great.

As one learns more about guns and what they want and don't want, if they have a larger budget then yea being cheap isn't a top priority. But it always goes back to what someone prioritizes. In my case, I'm all for value. But to me they're not a good value. But to someone else they could be a great value!

 

[Deanimator]

I didn't say YOU should get a S&W I was saying that's what I'd do. The rest of my post, went on to say why it's a personal thing and you have to figure out if the Highpoint is worth it TO YOU. So again, to me it's not worth it and I'd get a S&W, the question is are you going to get the Highpoint or do something else with the money you'd spend on it.

I'm not a fan of center fire S&W semi-autos besides the M&Ps, and I've never owned or even shot one of them.

On the other hand, I'd rather have a used Model 39 than any Hi Point handgun ever made. I'd rather have a used M&P/Model 10 than either.

If nothing else, I think my life is worth AT LEAST the price of a Star BM.

 

[Hokie_PhD]

I'm not a fan of center fire S&W semi-autos besides the M&Ps, and I've never owned or even shot one of them.

On the other hand, I'd rather have a used Model 39 than any Hi Point handgun ever made. I'd rather have a used M&P/Model 10 than either.

If nothing else, I think my life is worth AT LEAST the price of a Star BM.

I’m in LOVE with the new M&Ps. IMHO S&W took a nice gun and really upped it into something beautiful and nice to shoot. Now if they’d only offer a factory installed APEX trigger they could produce a gun that few would have complaints about.

Not to hijack this thread, but if they did, for less that the $100 mentioned above added to the price of a regular M&P they could have what many would consider the best overall poly striker fire on the market. And still do it around the price of competing models.

Now to return to the topic of the thread, I’d gladly pay an extra $100 for an M&P with a factory APEX. Sure that upgrade alone would be about the discounted price of the Highpoint, but ummmmm just the thought makes me very happy

 

[Mosin Bubba]

I've shot two Hi-Point pistols. One was a 9mm a friend had that was being fed with Wolf, and I thought it was a POS. Jammed left and right, awkward to grip, couldn't hit crap. I hated it.

But just a month ago, the same guy with a 9mm Hi-Point got a 40 and wanted to take that out and shoot it. I was really impressed by it. We were shooting offhand at milk jugs probably 75 yards away, and the Hi-point was the most accurate pistol we had (vs a cheap 1911, a Taurus 92, and a Smith 686). Ran through 2 boxes of brass ammo without a hiccup.

I've got to say, that gun changed my whole opinion about Hi-Points. It was pretty damn fun, and for a plinker, I had no problems with it at all.

So if I had some recommendations,

-Look at a 40 or 45 instead of a 9. If you like the 9 then more power to you, but I think the bigger calibers have a better handle length to massive slide ratio that makes them less awkward to hold.

-Feed it brass ammo. I get how tempting it is to feed dirt cheap ammo to dirt cheap guns, but the Hi-points seem to be less tolerant of under-loaded ammo than my other cheap guns normally are.

 

[Cocked & Locked]

I've never owned a Hi-Point handgun and don't plan on buying one. I've never heard any negative comments on how they function though...all positive. The negatives I hear are about the looks and size.

I do have a 995 HP Carbine and it is a keeper...NEVER A PROBLEM.

 

[Blkhrt13]

The issue with the hi point 9mm is the mags are the same as the .380 mags. I think it causes the feed issues