[bugeater]

I am looking for a concealed carry weapon, and saw that you can get a HI-Point 45 QCP for around $150. I am guessing this is a case of you get what you pay for, but was wondering if anyone has one and what they think of it.
Thanks in advance.

 

[bugeater]

oops

Sorry meant ACP not QCP

 

[pisgah]

Never tried the .45, but I did briefly have a 9mm. The gun was reasonably accurate, but had real reliability problems. A trip back to the factory might have corrected these, but when you're talking about a $100 pistol just the shipping represents a big investment.

But even if it had been perfectly reliable, I would have rid myself of it. The bulk of the thing doesn't disqualify it from a lot of potential roles, but the gun was covered with cut-you sharp edges and had a recoil spring that almost required me to get mechanical assistance just racking the slide (and I am 6', 220# and built like a weightlifter).

 

[MontyF]

I have no experience with the .45's but do have with the 9mm and a .40. They are good pistols for the price but not great when compared with others costing more.

The ones I have shot have preformed well with no jams or glitches.

 

[Marshal Kane]

I would feel uneasy about depending on a $150 handgun to possibly save my life or the lives of my family. A concealed carry weapon is not where I would sacrifice accuracy and reliability for economy. If you have no other choice, I can understand why you're considering the HI-Point. If I were in the same situation, I would hold off until I could afford a used surplus police pistol. These, at least, are quality handguns. Just my dos centavos. YMMV.

 

[JPaulF]

I know quite a few who use the HiPoints as a boat, tackle box, truck gun, but none that CCW them because the are quite bulky and awkward to conceal. Most I know have the .45's and not a one hasn't said, "It fires every time you pull the trigger."

 

[Shyoldman]

I own 2 9. mm, a 40 and my buddy has the 45. all shoot fine no ftf. I do not carry them them are heavy and the striker is not held very good with the safety. I carry the 40 in my truck, 9's only for fun when I want to make the club members blush(they ARE accurate)
I got a KelTec to carry, not a lot more than the HP

 

[tkbigbore]

They are huge in size and have a heavy jheavy slide that generates a lot of muzzle flip. My dad has one in 40 s&w. I havnt shot it since easter its not a fun gun. But on a budget for a hog hunter it would be good as backup to a mosin nagant. Also it has never jammed on us. With 180+ gr fmj it penetrated about 5" of ply would and kept going we recovered the bullet to find them un deformed

 

[aryfrosty]

Hi Points

I cannot ask myself to consider any firearm which has working parts made of frangible zinc..("Pot metal")...and which has the look and feel of junk. I have a couple of very reliable S&W revolvers that were inexpensive to buy and are so to shoot as well. My thoughts on any Hi Point firearm are that they aren't anything I would trust my family's wellbeing to and I would never have one. Not even if they gave them away for paperweights.

 

[jbee]

> I am looking for a concealed carry weapon

The high points (9mm .40) are not concealable compared to other CCW semi-automatics. I have never seen the .45, but, I imagine it is as big as the .40.

For me the best compromise was the Ruger 944 (.40 S&W) and I shopped around quite a bit. Of course for the price you could buy 3 hi points in the same caliper. I decided for ME, .40 S&W was the smallest caliper I wanted to hit someone with in a life or death situation 25 feet or closer.

The S&W Sigma series looks good for a cheaper gun then the Ruger. I almost bought one instead. I just liked how the Ruger felt in my hands. Entirely subjective and it cost me $150? more.

If you need cheaper then that, then look at the Beretta/Bersa Firestorm in .22LR. A under $300 gun, but, I have been looking and have not seen many complaints about fail to fire or fail to feed. Which might be a death sentence because the two most important qualities in a CCW weapon, IMHO, is :

#1) always works
#2) concealable

If the bad guy knows you have a gun, then having enough time to draw it goes way down, he acts before you do.

If you use the gun, it is most likely 25 feet or closer, close enough to kill you with a knife or bare hands. Never mind if his gun does not jam after you pull yours.

For $300 the Ruger LCP in .380 is basically a pocket pistol. What I do not like is no manual safety which the Firestorm has.

My local gun range lets you rent a whole variety of guns and takes the rental fee off whatever you buy. $5 rental and $10 ammo to try any gun you want before you buy, that works for me

 

[RichardB]

As stated, the HPs are not really concealed carry type of guns. Unless you are very large and can hide big things about your body, other guns should be considered.

Since the OP mentioned a price of $150, if one is cashed challenged this month there are some imported new 38 special revolvers that could suffice for a small self defense weapon near that price. Also your local gun store might have used guns to consider.

 

[Shyoldman]

Ok Let's put this to rest!!!! I have a new Ruger SR9c. I just put it side to side with my C9 and length, height were real close, I mean less than 1/8". Width on the C9 was 3/16 " wider. SO SIZE is not a reason not to carry a HiPoint! It is a blow back design so the heavy slide, but the fixed barrel makes them accurate! They do have a trigger you would expect on a $149 pistol, not great. MIne has shot everything I put in it mostly my reloads with lead bullets.
If it is all you can afford now and need a gun for protection then so be it. I DO NOT like the safety, comes of to easy(in pocket not good) SO I recommend a Keltec for carry. PF9 is small and light but a BEAR to shoot very many times!

Hammer away at me boys, but I don't like people that HAVE NEVER OWNED OR EVEN SHOT A GUN bad mouthing them !

My point is to have the best gun you can afford, if a HiPoint is all you can afford right now then so be it!

 

[Wilhelm]

I have a C9 Hi Point and like it. It did have to go back to the factory for a feeding ramp problem but they gave me an extra mag for my problems. It only cost me $12 for the whole deal. I also would not carry it concealed as it is heavy. Except for the time the ramp got frigged up it was and is again an accurate and good shooter. I carry an old Bulgarian Makarov for conceal carry. It is also not a pleasant pistol to shoot many times in a row. Kicks like a mule. I like the fact that the 9x18 is .363 caliber rather than the .355 in a regular Luger 9mm! I also had a S&W .40 caliber Sigma as my last on duty carry weapon when I retired as chief of police. My men carried the model 411 S&W .40 caliber and we got Trijicon night sights for them. Since I left the new chief got .357 Sigs in the same model. My favorite pistol to shoot believe it or not is my old P33 Tokarev in 9mm. I qualified with my new home town PD with a 50/50 going through the approved course that at certain stages required 9 shots and my mag only holds 8 so I had to keep rounding off by placing one in the chamber manually and I still shot 50/50 with two required head shots at 15 yards.

 

[JPaulF]

Wilhelm, I have a re-worked Polish P64 that has new springs, tempered firing pin, new grips and has been 100% reliable and I sometimes carry it as a primary (mostly in warm weather). I, too, like the 9x18 Mak and I, too, don't like to shoot it too many rounds in a row. It bites!

 

[Wilhelm]

I did not do anything to mine except getting Hogue grips cause it bit so hard I would flinch. They helped some but it still is not a "fun gun" to shoot. Like you I like the Makarov 9mm better cause I think it has more punch and a slightly bigger bullet (.363)

 

[slim 60]

the high points ive seen were dependable on par with more expensive
semis..now the are not an easily concealed choice of ccw..
but its seldom that what they cost,, will buy dependability ..
they are dependable ..
as with any gun,, you do have to take care ofem..

 

[jbee]

> I have a new Ruger SR9c

Measure the butt end (WxL) of the C-9 at the end of the magazine and do the same for the Ruger and post both dimensions for us.

 

[pisgah]

Hammer away at me boys, but I don't like people that HAVE NEVER OWNED OR EVEN SHOT A GUN bad mouthing them !

Sorry, Shyoldman, but I owned it; I shot it, a LOT, with half a dozen commercial loads, including 3 FMJ loads. Accuracy was acceptable -- all loads would do at least a 4" group at 15 yards -- but reliability simply was not there with my 9mm, with any load. One mag-full might run flawlessly; the next might jam every shot. Plus, I have been shooting handguns of all types and makes for 50 years; never has any handgun been as clumsy to operate ( and I have fired some Russian and Japanese semiautos that were pure dogs in this area), and never have my hands been so cut up and scraped just by normal gunhandling and firing.

I do not question anyone who reports decent service with one of these guns. I have no doubt they are telling the truth, but what this illustrates is the very, very low standard of quality control in pistols made to retail for well under $200. Go to the S&W or Ruger forums and you willl see folks griping about their QC, too -- but odds are simply overwhelmingly higher that you will get a dead-reliable-out-of-the-box gun by saving up a bit more and buying an old-line name, even if it is a used gun.

Still, not all folks feel they can afford this and, God bless them, I understand. If you are going to buy a HI-Point, my advice would be to try to find one you can shoot before buying if at all possible.

 

[Wilhelm]

By the way how does one get one of those fancy small pictures next to their user name? I'm new to this game,
Wilhelm

 

[Shyoldman]

Don't believe I said they were perfect. Name brands can have problems too. I have found that the people that have HiPoints needed a gun and were not in a position to buy "name" brands. I have been there. As long as they realise that they are buying a $150 gun and the probable lack of "cosmetics"(ahem,cough) then that is ok by me! Boat anchors, etc do not impress me from gun snobs(my best friend is one). I cannot drive a vette but I manage to get to work! So if I affended you I am sorry JMHO