I spent yesterday researching the same gun.
If you do a search on
www.thefiringline.com, you'll find many posts about the HiPoint. About 99.5% are positive.
Newer guns supposedly have better triggers than early ones.
Most feed jhp and fmj.
They are rated for +P+, and the factory says don't clean them until you have shot 2000rds.
My brother has one, and he loves his.
His gun has a 4x scope, zeroed at 25yds, and it will shoot 1" groups with cheap ammo all day long, without really trying.
The gun has a lifetime warranty, not just the original owner.
The web page even says whether you are the first owner, or the third, the warranty is the same.
The gun won't win any beauty contests, but since I started to see the "functional beauty" of a Glock, I think I can learn to like any gun.
I really don't like the decending humps on the stock.
The carbine picture on their web page has a gun with a stock that looks like the humps are gone. I emailed them to ask if they had redesigned the stock, but no answer yet.
If you would like to see them make a carbine that would take pre-ban hicaps, send them an email. There was a movement started at TFL, and I sent one yesterday.
I'm going to go fondle one, but it really sounds like you can't go wrong for $150 -200. (Even less used.)
The gun feels cheap, but seems to work and work.
If they could give it a beauty makeover, I don't think they would be able to make enough of them.
As far as actual value of a 9mm carbine, a lot of cops in my area are buying them as "trunk guns" according to my dealer. With an accurate 9mm carbine, you could easily engage targets at 100yds. With Gold Dot +P, or a good +P+ round, it would be a deadly weapon.
The punk at Columbine kept the first cop on the scene pinned down with his HiPoint. If I recall, the distance was around 100yds. If the cop had had any kind of carbine, instead of just his sidearm, the day might have ended a lot better.
