I fired a High Point 9mm today.

A neighbor brought his 9mm High Point over to my house for me to try it out.
With a sale price of about $120.00 I was expecting it to be a POS.
I was not willing to give it a torture test, but I put about 30 rounds through it, and it fed my cast truncated cone lead bullets as well as ball ammo perfectly.
I would not expect it to be able to fire 100 rounds a week for years without breaking, but for someone on a limited budget, it's a viable self-defense pistol, and a 10 round mag is sufficient firepower, larger mags are available too.

 

And IIRC the mags for the pistol also work with the carbine. Well at least i believe it is with the 40 cal.

hey they are also suppose to rolling out a 45 carbine too. (about time)

 

Yep, the .45 Carbine is no longer 'vaporware'. I want one! Just wish it used the 1911 magazine, as I have three ten rounders.

The pistols are butt-ugly, but they do have a fairly good reputation for performance and reliability.
But you can generally find a good used milsurp pistol for not much more dinero.

 

And, IIRC, they are a pain in the backside to clean. about the best you're gonna do without tools is clean the bore. To disassemble, you will need to remove a roll pin that is holding the slide one. Once that is done, watch out when removing the slide the springs in there are under pressure! Ask me how I know.

That being said, I have seen brand new, just out of the box HP's break apart on the first mag, and i have seen them shoot flawlessly, uncleaned (because the user did not want to take it apart) for thousands of rounds.

HP's are a crap shoot, I'd rather save my $$ and get something a little less bulky, but HP's customer service and warranty are great (or so I've been told).

 

I"ve heard and read that their 9mm carbine is a fine pc of gear. I'd prefer either a pocket 9 (maybe a fluffed and buffed Keltec) or the Star BM 9mm compact. The latter is $250 or so, and it's a very, very good deal. Look for it at GunBroker.com and GunsAmerica.com auctions.

 

As a HP 9mm owner who has fired literally hundred upon hundreds of rounds through it I can tell you, this "brick" does what it is supposed to do, every time. It is HEAVY, yes. It is also out of the box, an easy pistol to handle with nice accuracy (It would pass a CCW range test without being "sighted"). Very little recoil, compared to other 9's I own, that comes from the blow-back design and weight of the slide. It slings bullets without being expensive. It is CHEAP to own, so a #1 budget firearm. I would be willing to use it to protect myself and my loved ones. It is also very, very low maintenance. I put 150 rounds American Eagle through it, and 500 rounds bulk bought 9mm through it without one FTL or FTF.

There are a few of things to know about the HP 9mm if you are not aware of them.

#1: do not fully load the clips until you have put 2-300 rounds through them. The springs need to break in a bit, so short load the clips by 1 round.
#2: the feed lips of the clips are sometimes squashed out of line or pinched too tight which can prevent proper feed of the rounds, this can be fixed in the field with a multi-tool pliers.
#3: The pistol CAN fire with the clip out of the weapon. This is EXTREMELY important to note (on a side note it could save your bacon too, but I digress).
#4: never fire WOLF ammo through the weapon, it is garbage Ammo (at least as far as the 9mm goes) and it does not operate very well. The first 150 rounds I ran through my HP were American Eagle 115 Gr, FMJ. The next 500 I put through it were bulk reloads purchased from Cheaper Than Dirt (approximately $0.18/round, 1000 rounds for $179.29, not including tax & shipping).
#5: The HP 9MM is rated for +P ammo.
#6: This is what Hi-Point says about cleaning: "Although some customers who have Hi Point Firearms are capable of it, MKS recommends that you do not take the gun apart. The exploded view in the manual is not intended to be a detailed dis-assembly guide. It is really just to note the basic steps for those who feel qualified. The way MKS recommends to clean a Hi Point is to blow the inner area out with a mild aerosol solvent once or twice a year. (Of course wear eye protection). This gets out any accumulated grime and dirt that may have been attracted and held in there by the oil. Clean the barrel with a good bore solvent after you get home from shooting. This is all we do after shooting thoudands of rounds. Oil lightly, and the gun is ready for the next session of shooting. If you feel that you must take the gun apart, but need help, please phone the factory and talk with a mechanic there. They can be reached at (419) 747-9444 Mon.-Thurs. 7am-5pm EST."
#7: This weapon carries an unprecidented LIFETIME warranty on EVERYTHING, transferable to up to THREE (3) owners from original purchase. If the gun does not work, something breaks, for any reason you are not happy, send it to High Point, they will fix or replace it and throw in an EXTRA clip to cover your shipping costs to them. That is a ballsy warranty.

The clips do not fit the carbine to my knowledge, so if you own the carbine and the pistol and this statement is not correct, feel free to correct me. The reputation it has can bee seen as deserved based on some users experiences. This like any other piece of gear should be ruled by the famous motto: Your Mileage May Vary.

This being said, I can tell you without equanimity, the HP 9mm is looked down upon (mostly by gun snobs) as being what it was intended to be, a cheap, no frills, budget gun. It is my vehicle carry weapon (Thank God I live in Texas), and I would, as I said, be willing to stake my life on it. My main CCW is a Ruger P85, and occasionally my Helwan. Both fine weapons. However, some circumstances do not permit or even allow for a person to carry concealed so having this in the vehicle is cheap insurance.

My cost out the door inclusive of an extra 10 round clip, 150 rounds American Eagle (bought specifically for this firearm on Manufacturer's recommendation), 1 box Speer Gold Dot Hollow points (to have loaded in the clips after the range), and a small zip bag for it was (tax, tag, title): $254.35

Again, this like any other piece of gear is personal preference, and YMMV.

 

If you are looking for a carbine that uses 1911 mags, check into a Marlin Camp Model 45. They aren't made any more, but are available on the used market. Pretty handy little carbine to shoot, but gets pretty dirty in the process.

 

What do you know the kid did get one thing right...

 

Star BM is a good choice, well made and compact, but it comes in at almost twice the price of a High Point. I'm not especially a fan of either one, just pointing out that they are viable choices for folks with limited funds.

 

Not questioning the high point... i have a Bm that i carry got it a while back for $150.00 sweet shooting gun...

 

I'm not so sure about the High Point I used to work security and was advised against them for the very point that you never know what you will get. Plus the fact I have Small hands a big gun like the High point does not work good for me. I have to go with a compact, And I am very satisfied with my choice for my defensive weapon.

 

Let me say this to start, I am not a self-proclaimed High Point defender or self-styled "gun guru". I am a person who was raised around, with, and operating firearms of all stripes since I was old enough to pee standing up. That being said, I support this handgun for three very solid reasons:

1: It is 100% American Made.
2: It is inexpensive, putting the ability to exercise 2nd Amendment rights closer to those who make less or have less to spare. - Less than 200 bucks - tax, tag title, in most places.
3: It has an unprecedented warranty.

Again, as with anything purchased - YMMV. You were advised against a handgun and trusted the person giving that advice. Fair enough. Personally, anyone tells me anything short of "certain death from operation" involved with a weapon, I'll smile, thank them and go find out for myself. It is called being informed and not asleep. If a 25 year combat Veteran tells me that "such-and-so handgun is crap I used one and it never did work right", I'll smile politely, and research the actual weapon, and if that research bears it out, buy one for myself. I'll make my own informed decisions. That is the purpose of my previous post, to inform people of my experiences with this handgun.

Also, anyone who buys a handgun and does not take it to a range and run a serious amount of ordinance through it to find out it's quirks (lets face it, every weapon has it's little quirks), is deserving of any fate that befalls them because of defective user interface, or I-D-10-T error. That is the user was defective in the first place, let alone the gun, because he/she/it did not familiarize themselves with their new weapon.

The warranty on these pistols is such that if it does not operate *properly*, for any reason, you call them up, talk to them, send it back, and they fix or replace it for free, and toss in a free (empty) clip to cover shipping.

Allow me to add this: my wife sure doesn't have big honkin' hands, and a High Point rides fine in her fist. She loves running rounds through it, because the recoil is so low it is practically not there. This 9 shoots like a .380, recoil wise.

Again, this, like any other firearm choice is completely personal and YMMV. Thank you for your indulgence and patience.

 

I have no experience with HP pistols, but my particular M995 Carbine loves Wolf 9mm ammo - feeds perfectly, shoots tighter groups than Federal and Winchester. On a par with Remington/UMC. I have a 9mm pistol, the Maadi Cadet (civilian Helwan) that also loves Wolf. Sure it's dirtier, but we all clean our guns after shooting, eh?
Neither gun likes Brown Bear though - both are Russian steel case, but they ARE different somehow. The Maadi will not even chamber BB.
But, I do have a .50 cal ammo can of good Georgia Arms 9mm for my Maadi and High-Point Carbine.

 

The statement I made about Wolf comes from using it in my other pistols, so I never even loaded it into the High Point. I guess like any other thing: YMMV. I'll give Wolf another go, it is rather inexpensive, comparatively.

I did hear the same about the Brown Bear. It is because Brown Bear is Makarov 9mm, not Luger. Not only is it lower powered (muzzle velocity is lower than Luger), it has a different measure, not much but enough.

For one, you should only shoot the rounds that your weapon is chambered for. Although the casing size is only 1 millimeter difference, the two rounds are actually much more different then their names suggest.


The bullets (projectiles) fired from the 9x18 Makarov are actually larger then the 9x19. The 9x18 Makarov's bullets are a .365 caliber or 9.3mm. The 9x19 Luger is a .355 caliber bullet.


9x19 = 9mm Parabellum, 9mm Luger - average 1250 FPS
9x18 = 9mm Makarov, 9mm Ultra - average 1000 FPS
9x17 = .380acp, 9mm Browning Short, 9mm Kurz - Average 988.75 FPS (does not include the +P ammo which rates at 1050)

So fire "Luger" or "Parabellum" from your 9x19 and "Makarov" or "Ultra" from your 9x18.

 

you can modify the 1911 mags to fit the hi-point carbine in .45 cal and they work pretty well

 

If that proves true, then the H-P .45 is definitely on my 'to buy' list!

A Marlin Camp Carbine is too pricey, on the rare occasions I find one.

 

Unfortunately.............
The 9mm I got to fire was NOT a quality product.........

This was about 10 years ago ?
Sounds like things are better now.

"Butt Ugly" is about the nicest thing you can say
about the appearance........

Enjoy
Wyo

 

Falcon15- Thank you for your advertisement for High point, I really appreciate it. I'm not trying to be a smart-alleck here I was advised by guys in not only the security business but also by the guys at H&H gun Range in Oklahoma city. Believe me if it were just about a gun I was wanting an hk compact, in .40 S&W.......but they actually pulled 6 compacts filled each mag with 9 rounds and let me shoot each one. I finally decided on the Smith & Wesson in .40 S & W.so I believe to the bottom of my lil pea-picken heart that for me I made the right decision
for me.........I personally feel with a handgun that fit and feel are very important........not just the amount of holes you can punch in a piece of paper at 50 yards. Not a single large frame auto feels good in my hands to me they are very awkward and bulky, so that is why I choose a compact.
It is all subjective.....just like buying an automobile you maybe a chevy guy or a dodge guy I don't know myself I'm a Ford guy. It is et.al a personal choice in what you buy for you.