Should I recommend a Hi Point?

[drjoker]

Well, another one of my friends want to buy a gun for self defense. Many apartments around him were broken into and one was a home invasion robbery because they knocked and thought the resident wasn't home but they actually were home (just real deep sleepers). However, his budget is only $200. Should I recommend a Hi Point? I know lots of people knock them on the web, but they do come with a LIFETIME warranty that applies not only to the original owner, but ANYONE who owns a Hi Point. They also come with a drop safety, too. It is made of pot metal, but the barrel is made of steel and most home defense guns will not get dropped on concrete nor used much, for that matter. Anyone own a Hi Point and have some experiences to share? Thanks, .

P.S. The only guns for under $200 that I can think of would be;
1. Mosin Nagant (another friend of mine uses this for home defense per my recommendation and he loves it) $100 cabelas sale
2. Heritage Arms .22 LR single action revolver (another friend of mine uses this for home defense per my recommendation and she loves it) $100 black friday academy sale
3. Any HI Point .40 or .45 cabelas current sale $190
4. Nagant Revolver $95 online, not including your FFL's transfer fee and shipping (ammo is hard to find)
5. Marlin 795 frequently on sale at Dick's or Cabela's for $100
6. Mossberg AR22 Cabela's for $200
7. SKS, look for a gun shows for $200-400
8. Makarov, look for at gun shows for $200-350
9. Mossberg Plinkster $200 black friday gander mountain
10. Rossi 357 magnum $200 academy's black friday sale

I am leaning towards the SKS as a recommendation for home defense for my friend, but he wants a semi-auto pistol, so I'm thinking Makarov, but we didn't see any at a gun show for under $200. Online, they're more than $200 because of shipping and FFL fees. $200 38 cal revolvers are usually junked and without any waranty and Academy was sold out of Rossis before we made it to the gun counter. He doesn't like single action 22lr Heritage Arms either, 22lr is not powerful enough for him. So, he's thinking Hi Point, but I'm skeptical of those ugly pot metal guns....

[BrianSW99]

I've never owned one myself, but I've never known of anyone or read of anyone online who's actually had any reliability issues with them. I don't think anyone will dispute that they're ugly, and heavy but from everything I've read they are fairly reliable.

Here's a review by Shooting Times you might want to read:

http://www.shootingtimes.com/handgun_re ... nt_100605/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I personally wouldn't have a problem recommending it to someone looking for a gun in that price range. I'd take that over a .22 for self defense any day.

Brian

[maverick2076]

Your friend should be able to pick up either a Mossberg Maverick or Escort Aimguard 12 gauge pump at Academy for under $200. I think he'd be getting better value for home defense out of his $200 by going with a shotgun. A lot of people around here have had Mavericks and can speak for them. I have an Escort M&P pump, and I can vouch for it's quality. (It's a tricked out Aimguard)

[Carry-a-Kimber]

I would not recommend a 22lr single action pistol to someone for HD. There is far too much fine motor skill required to put a single action only pistol into battery under stress. This is multiplied if the user is a novice and then compound on that the ballistic limitations of the .22lr. As to the original question, I have heard a lot of bad thing about Hi-Points from people that have never handled them, the people that have usually have better results. If all else fails it can be used as a club.

[CompVest]

For what it is worth, I have a one woman that shoots a Hi Point. It does go bang every time. The biggest con I know about the gun is cleaning it. NO ONE wants to take them apart to clean them. I shot it and I would not recommend it but then I would not discourage any one from buying one.

[olafpfj]

Its fine if maintained but that requires a punch and some know-how. Tell them to get a shotgun. My cousins hi point was jamming a lot because he had never cleaned it due to its ridiculous take down.

[stroo]

One of my first guns was a HiPoint 45. It went bang everytime, was one of the most accurate, if not the most accurate, guns I have ever had and did not require a lot of maintenance. Although it is a real pain to field strip.

Also if it does jam, you can always use it as a club!

I used it as my bedside gun for a couple of years and probably put 2-3000 rounds through it.

[mr surveyor]

I offer two suggestions:

1. As stated above, a Mossy Maverick can be had for very near that price. I have one, and really do like it... it will do the job.

2. If the friend is indeed a true friend, offer to pitch in another hundred bucks or so if a handgun is the real objective.

Nothing against the Hi-Point, but there are possibly lots better alternatives for an HD weapon. I would lean more towards the shottie, and give the friend some training time with it to insure basic competence. You don't want a dead friend.


surv

[shootthesheet]

My mother has a C9 (9mm) and it shoots fine. It is accurate enough. However, I would not recommend a Hi Point for anyone who would use it to defend their lives or carry it. They are big and heavy and the safety is terrible. They are not reliable enough to consider in my opinion.

What would I suggest? I think a used gun from a quality maker. If your friend can find one that has cosmetic defects like coating wear or nicks and scratches he might find a quality gun for around that price. It will not be pretty but that is secondary. Another option might be a odd caliber surplus handgun. If this is apartment only I would say go to a shop and pick up a used pump shotgun. I wouldn't suggest a rifle at all for an apartment because of over penetration. Handguns are not great for that either. Academy has a 12 gauge pump from H&R named the Protector for $189. That should get him in for around $200.

[mgood]

I've fired two. A buddy of mine had a couple and he insisted they were undeserving of their bad reputation and that I should try them. He talked me into going to the range with him. (I'm always willing to shoot someone else's guns )

We went through a couple hundred rounds. Two identical pistols, both fairly new. One functioned flawlessly. The other proved to be the jam-o-matic they are reputed to be. So 50% fom a sample of two, for whatever that's worth.

[G.A. Heath]

for a novice I do not recommend a handgun for self defense if they are on a tight budget that eliminates proper training. Go with a budget pump shotgun such as a Mossberg Maverick 88 or other similar easy to learn platform. I would recommend against using a full power rifle cartridge like the 7.62x54r due to over penetration risks.

[KD5NRH]

for a novice I do not recommend a handgun for self defense if they are on a tight budget that eliminates proper training. Go with a budget pump shotgun such as a Mossberg Maverick 88 or other similar easy to learn platform.

This. If he absolutely insists on a handgun, first take him to a range that will let you shoot some milk jugs to make sure he really understands the difference between a handgun and a shotgun, then point him toward any of the reliable used pistols in 7.62x25 Tokarev. MagSafe makes Tokarev ammo that would be appropriate for an apartment, and cases of practice ammo are still relatively cheap.

[Skydivesnake]

There are several pump shotguns available for less than $200 which make an ideal choice for an HD gun - especially given the wide range of ammo types and availability.

To be blunt, the nature of the question, and the tight budget, might suggest a fairly low overall interest/enthusiasm level - which probably means that range time is probably to be minimal if not non-existent. If that is likely to be the case, a handgun is probably not a great choice, especially one that might need a bit of debugging.

But for a cheap, well-regarded semi-auto pistol, CDNN has the CZ-82 at $150 and up, depending on desired condition.

[mikeintexas]

http://www.academy.com/index.php?page=c ... ad&pgNum=3

Just for comparison on what your friend is willing to spend and the prices at retailers, above is this morning's Academy "gun" page ad.

Also, I had a Hi Point in .45. It seemed to shoot OK, but I didn't keep it long enough to have to clean it. I bought a holster to carry it, but that wouldn't work without some super suspenders due to the weight.

[tacticool]

I don't think anyone should recommend any gun (or restaurant, etc.) unless they have personal experience.