I Bought Myself a Hi-Point 9mm

I decided a wanted a new gun, but I didn't have much money to spend. I did a little research, and came across the Hi-Point 9mm. I came across some mixed reviews. There were those that said it jammed, was super ugly, and way too heavy. But, then there were those that said it was more accurate than most of the guns they owned, couldn't be easier to clean and maintain, and best of all, it came with a lifetime warranty, not questions asked, and it's made in the good old USA. Wait, I lied, the best part is the price, $149.


So, I went out and got me one, it even came with a free box of bullets. I haven't fired it yet, but plan on it this weekend, so I'll let you know how it performs. Until then, I found this honest review at Bullshido.net:

ACTION TYPE: Blowback Semiauto
CALIBER: 9mm
CAPACITY: 8+1
BARREL LENGTH: 3.5"
OVERALL LENGTH: 6.75"
WEIGHT: 30 ounces
FINISH: Matte Black
SIGHTS: Adjustable, 3-Dot
GRIPS: Black Plastic
PRICE: $168

THE GOOD-

Price-This gun is uber-inexpensive. For the price of 4 boxes of .357, you can have this weapon. It also shoots cheap, readily available 9mm luger.
Consistency- Once you dial the adjustable sights in, this weapon will put a bullet in the same spot over and over again. I freely admit I never expected that from this piece. Even after several hundred rounds, this thing will shoot point of aim dead on at any distance. It has been such a treat to see a low-cost product perform this well.

Simplicity- This is a single-action-only, straight-blowback, striker-fired handgun. There are no complex mechanisms at all. It has about 8 moving parts and that’s it. Cleaning can be done without stripping; as a matter of fact, hi-point recommends you do NOT disassemble this weapon. Spray it out with cleaner, run a brush through the bore, and wipe down the feed ramp and you’re done. Seriously; it’s like having an automatic revolver.

No Worries- Warrantee is 100% no-questions-asked, fully transferable, and legendarily fast. If the weapon fails for any reason, send it back. They will fix it or give you a new one. According to anecdotes, they don’t even care how it broke. I have spoken with several owners of these, and turnaround time seems to be about 2 weeks.

THE BAD-

Picky Eater- Since the action is straight blowback, the breach does not tip back to align with the feed ramp, and the feed ramp suffers from poor polishing. The result is a weapon that will not feed non-jacketed ammo. So those super-cheap reloads that you got for $.03 a round? Don’t even try. It’s embarrassing. Even low-power jacketed ammo can be problematic. While straight-blowback is inherently simple, it necessitates a heavy slide and recoil spring, and if you have an anemic round, it may fail to throw the slide all the way back, and cause the weapon to feed the next round improperly. Half an hour with a Dremel tool will polish the feed ramp to the point that many of the feeding problems will disappear, and is not the sort of thing that requires a skilled gunsmith. That being said, both Federal and Remington 9mm Luger FMJ feed reliably and consistently right out of the box.

So shoot decent ammo! The weapon is +p rated, and using jacketed +p ammo completely eliminates this issue.

Weight- 9mm handguns should be thin and light. This one is not. Fully loaded, this beast weighs almost as much as my .357. It boasts unloaded weights of 30 oz., while competitors are fully 1/3 lighter with better ammo capacity. It has a polymer frame, but its design necessitates a big, heavy slide to operate reliably. You definitely have a BIG, HEAVY slide to deal with. The only plus to this is that with 9mm, the weight makes recoil non-existent, even with the hottest loads around.

No Staying Power- Stock single-stack magazines hold 8 rounds, and the big one holds 10. Springfield XD-9 has a 20-round stick and is lighter. Enough said.

THE UGLY-

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
Not even professional photography can make this thing look cool.

This Gun!- This is the second-ugliest handgun ever produced (Glock wins the prize for me. Hideous weapons!). The giant slide is milled from a single chunk of metal, has the graceful curves and angles of a Ford Edsel, and the aesthetic appeal of grandma’s meatloaf after her second bottle of tawny port. Absolutely NO consideration went into this weapon’s appearance. Well…I ain’t exactly pretty myself, so I don’t give it too much consideration.

One look!?!? ONE LOOK!?!?!- (Zoolander reference, people!) There are no accessories out there for this gun. Don’t like the polymer grips? Tough. Want to get a different recoil spring? Too bad. Conversion kits? You must be joking.

You buy this gun, you get this gun. This is not a weapon for personal expression or match-modding. It just isn’t going to happen. A Hogue hand-all rubber slide on grip sized for Glocks will go a long way toward keeping this thing in your hands after things get sweaty. As a ten dollar investment, I highly recommend it.

Snobbery- People will give you a hard time for having this gun. They will cite feeding problems and tell (anecdotal) horror stories of catastrophic failures at critical moments. If this weapon jams or fails, the problem is almost ALWAYS cheap ammo or an old magazine. Unless they can prove that this weapon is more prone to failure under normal conditions than any other, tell them to shut up. At my last trip to the range I was perfectly happy to out shoot my antagonist and his custom 1911 with this little monster.

THE REALITY-

This gun will do the job. There are many advantages to a higher-priced weapon, but there is no over-arching reason to overlook this piece if you do not have a lot to spend. Simplicity, affordability, and customer service are the strengths of this particular weapon, and as such should be considered when looking at higher-priced models. With a little patience and some common sense, this is a reliable, accurate, and well-made weapon. I have carried it cocked and locked for self-defense, and have never worried about it. If you have a little money, a little common sense, and some patience, this weapon will give you many years of excellent service at the range or for self-protection.

Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
My opinion? Glad you asked. I say, if you have been itching to get a gun, before all guns are banned, etc., and you don't have a lot of pocket change, you can't go wrong. This gun is super reliable, comes with a lifetime warranty, and is super cheap.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice! You're well on your way to a fine collection.

Unknown said...

I also bought this same pistol about 6 months ago. I needed something small for personal protection, smaller than than Sig P220 .45 caliber. Since then, my wife and I have taken it out once and put about 50 rounds through it. We were not disappointed. I would agree that it is super reliable, and the price truly can't be beat. When law enforcement can't be everywhere, and you're concerned about the safety of your family, one of these--and an extra magazine--is the way to go. Nobody knows I have it. Permit? Yes, my wife permits me to take responsibility for her safety.

Anonymous said...

I just bought one today April 01... And i absolutely love it i took it outside to the woods behind the house set up a target and fired away... i put eight bullets in a 4 inch circle at 25 yards away i love this gun my brother in law is going to buy one also he like it that much

Unknown said...

I bought a S/w Sigma and out of the box , it jammed the 3rd round and kept on jamming.. I did get my carry license with it tho..


I went out a finally bought a 9 mm High Point for $169.. took it to the range and fired 3 magazine without 1 jam with the same amo.. I went to their web site and purched another magazine. their site is very professional and sent me 3 emails telling the order is on it way.. very good company that way.


I would trust this weapon with my life, it does the job. I'm ex Army and love the M16 A 2..


I told my wife I can catch just as many fish with a $20 fishing pole as you can with a $400 one...

thank j

Lawrence said...

I bought the hi point C9 yesterday. I cleaned it, then shot 200,yes, 200 rounds of winchester and federal 115gn jacketed ball ammo with not one failure or malfunction of any kind. I was impressed with its stability in my hand (due to the weight) and target accuracy as well. I liked the sights, which are adjustable, unlike some other more expensive handguns. Today, I tried some federal JHP, and noticed the first round would hang up on the feed ramp. Then the other 7 fired perfectly. I will polish the ramp, check the magazine and try again, as I want hollowpoints for defense. I have sent my Kel-Tec PF-9 back twice in two years; first for a broken firing pin, and then for a broken slide stop. I probably fired 4000 rounds and wore it out. I will use it for carry, and the Hi point for home and range. I noticed the C-9 has more rifling grooves, but shallower, than other handguns. I think that is good. The Marlin 60 rifle touted similar rifling for accuracy. Bottom line: the C-9 runs PERFECTLY with round nose ammo, but may need smoothing for hollowpoints.

Ed said...

I picked up my C9 for $130 four years ago and I've put about 1,300 rounds through it to date. It was spot-on accurate right out of the box and remains so to this day. I've only given it the spray-n-scrub cleaning that the reviewer described, and that's done the job for the most part. However, I have noticed that as I approached 1,000 rounds, it's jammed more frequently. I think it's due for a proper tear-down cleaning and will gladly spend a few bucks to mail it back to Hi-Point for that service. My only complaints about the C9 are that even though it's ostensibly a "compact" pistol, it's really too big and too heavy for concealed carry and that (in my experience and per Hi-Point) it hates Winchester ammo...great with any other type, though.

Bottom line: if you want a gun for concealed carry, look elsewhere. If you want a pistol for range time and home protection, it's hard to beat. And the $200+ you save over a Glock or Ruger will pay for a lot of ammo and range time!

Anonymous said...

Terrific insight. Thanks all so much. I'm not looking for CCW here - just something to point at the bad guy and go bang. Sounds like the Ohio-made Hi Point fits the bill.

Anonymous said...

I had to have the gun dealer I purchased my C9 from order it for me. He didn't carry any off the shelf then, but does now,he was amazed at pricing. It's not pretty, neither am I. With the ghost ring sights on it I'll match any combat situation hand gun around. She is reliable, fast, and accurate, couple that with the relative inexpensive price tag and you have a combination that can't be beat. Try it!

Anonymous said...

Purchased my C9 about a month ago. Took a pair of needle nose pliers to the mag and lowered the grain ammo from 124 to 115. Runs Blazer Brass and Fiocchi flawlessly. To all nay sayers please quit knocking Hi-Point because the bottom line is any semi auto can and does malfunction i.e all cars will eventually run out of gas if you don't refill them or better yet try driving everyday and not change your oil on a regular basis. Maintain your weapon. Now if you care what others think and want to impress a lot of people with a fancy looking firearm this is not your weapon. However, if you plan on taking your target practice seriously and need an accurate and reliable weapon when you need one give the C9 a try. I consistently strike center mass at 30 feet as well as head shoulder knees and toes. First Hi-Point & 9mm seventh gun purchased overall. I'm certainly satisfied with my C9.

Anonymous said...

I Just got 1,000 rounds of Winchester for my Birthday FMJ 115 gr.Target- Am I screwed.About ammo firing: new c 9 owner.all comment's will be appreciated

Anonymous said...

Just picked up my Hi point c9 9mm two days ago took it out of the box at the range and put 250 round through it. No jamming/double feeds. A little on the heavy side but still concealabl.

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