Hi-point Firearms Good For Home Defense

Is a hi point firearm good for self defense?

"Good" being a subjective term, Hi Points are good enough firearms to perform in the limited roles. However they do present some problems: They are cheaply made - The company uses parts which are right the necessary limits of durability to avoid litigation. This means that the weapon will wear out quickly from heavy use, even if it's only at the range. You could purchase replacement parts, but it would probably be better to purchase a new weapon.They are cheaply made #2 (Ammunition usage) - They cannot accept the more powerful +P or +P+ types of ammunition. If these are used in this weapon, they will cause the barrel to split or result in blowback injuries.They are cheaply made #3 (Drop test) - It's possible that if you drop a Hi Point, unlike a firearm of higher quality manufacture, that you'll damage the weapon to the point where it's unusable. It won't go off (this isn't television) but the weapon's cheap construction doesn't lend itself to be roughly handled.Heavy - These are heavy weapons and as a result they are difficult to carry for extended periods of time. Even the holsters that are made to hold them aren't very good.Inaccurate - Beyond 10-15 yards, I wouldn't try to hit anything with one these with any degree of regularity.

Why does Hi-Point Firearms have a bad name?

You can buy a Hi-Point for under $200.When I first got into firearms, it took me a long time to get around to buying a centerfire handgun. One day, I was looking around at a gun show and saw a “Hi-Point.” I didn’t know what it was. I had little experience with handguns. So… I went to the booth my gun club operated and asked some of the “old guys.” They laughed in my face. I didn’t get it at the time. Now I do.As a range master, I see people come out every few weeks with a Hi-Point. I don’t make fun of their choice of gun. I remember back when $200 was a huge chunk of cash for me. You can learn the fundamentals on a Hi-Point, no question. It isn’t like Hi-Points are dangerous. They aren’t likely to blow up in your hands. On the other hand, they aren’t what anyone should consider a “quality” firearm. They are essentially the Yugo of the firearms world. Remember Yugos? The brand new $4000 car?So what is wrong with them?Their triggers are horrendous. I’ve never found one with a good trigger. They always have hard triggers which make your shooting less accurate.They are aesthetically unsightly. That huge slide is an eyesore. Nothing about how they look makes you think that someone was thinking about form at all.They aren’t very reliable. A centerfire handgun is likely to be your last line of personal or home defense. Hi-Points are known to jam. This is often due to poor fundamentals. Limp-wristing the gun will cause the fired case to jam up in the slide. The problem is that Hi-Points are more prone to this.A Hi-Point essentially serves no purpose for me. I saved up more cash so that I could buy a better firearm. Even $400 or $350 will get you into some decent, used firearms.

Would hollow point ammo be good for home defense?

While true “frangible” ammo is reserved for military use, you can easily buy something similar, often sold as “safety shot”. It basically combines the idea of a shotgun shell and cartridge, so the projectile had a thin shell to keep it true in flight, but opens up like a shotgun blast upon contact - very lethal damage at 9mm and above, and would still stop most intruders with a round as small as a .22 (and several shots).The beauty is, almost all the energy is absorbed quickly at impact, preferably by the bad guys organs. Read - lots of spread out shot damage. Almost like a shotgun at point blank range!Second beautiful point is, if you were to miss, sheetrock will absorb all the killing force of the shot, so you don't have to worry about the ring traveling into your family's rooms, or a neighbour's! An excellent home defense round, without the worries of over-penetration! Even a 9mm fmj, and even a parabellum (hollow point), can penetrate a sheetrock wall and hit someone on the other side - or penetrate a person and do the same.You MUST ALWAYS be concerned with over-penetration in a domestic situation - you don't want to hurt an innocent person or just someone down-range of your line of fire! And if you are concerned you might need penetration, you can stagger your rounds - say three frangible, the parabellum, and the rest full metal jacket - or have multiple magazines if you are experienced enough to change magazines quickly in a firefight.Practice, practice, practice with your weapon, and know its strengths and weaknesses. You don't need a .45 of you're a good shot… precision trumps power! Besides, even a 9mm report will hurt your ears in close quarters (any enclosed room), while a .45 will pretty much stun you with the noise/overpresuure and concussion - stun you almost as bad as a flashbang!Using frangible ammo may save the life of a good guy or loved one in the next room or next door, or behind the bad guy… Know your ammo, and practice regularly so you don't miss!(Few thieves or typical bad guys are going to wear a vest, so this is really a tiny factor, but remotely possible- which is why you practice often until you are an excellent shot under pressure - they don't make “face armor”!)

In your opinion, what would be the best home defense gun?

In your opinion, what would be the best home defense gun?Tya! Things become complicated. You like brunettes or blondes!?!I prefer a 9 mm pistol (CZ 75B in my case) but with certain caveats. I FIRST started to shoot in the club and THEN (after 2–3 years!) I bought my weapon. I continue to shoot regularly. We have a recent spate of robberies in the neighbourhood so my gun bag went from my cupboard underneath my bed.Pistols have stoppages but they’re easier to rectify. Revolvers almost never have stoppages (and there are no racking etc - they are good to make BOOM immediately!). However, if they suddenly malfunction it usually means a visit to the local gunsmith. Also, my CZ has 15 bullets in the mag and I have four mags. So, if SHTF situation occurs (God forbid!) I can make “peace” in a 50 metres radius and definitely in my home which I can navigate blind-folded.So, two issues: weapon immediately available and constant training.If you want to keep it in the safe and never go to the range - forget it!

Is a 9mm Hi-Point carbine a good purchase?

I am a fan of Hikcok45 on youtube, who is a big gun reviewer. He pays attention to carbines that shoot pistol bullets because a lot of his fans have written in asking about them. It seems that a lot of people would like to have a pistol/carbine combo that fire the same cartridge.Hickok has reviewed the Hi-point carbine and said it is a good weapon. He also reviewed the Hi-point pistol and, like many gun reviewers, he hated it. I would urge you go look up his review on Youtube and see what he had to say. He does a lot of shooting while reviewing and talking, so it isn’t just a tabletop exercise.

Should I get an extended mag for a hipoint pistol if I use it for home defense?

David, thanks for the a2a, magazines are the working heart of any semi auto pistol, and the single part most often found to cause problems. I have had problems with follower springs, feed lips, followers and even floor plate issues cause me problems over the years and probably add to the amount of white hair I have at any given time. I have never owned an extended mag myself but I have run into problems time and time again that have driven others nuts. I have never recommend them to anyone, and certainly do not recommend them for use in a Highpoint. I’m not putting down Highpoint here but the extended mag manufacturers. There is some real crap on the market.If no other reason existed, at least for me any extended mag tends to change the balance of the pistol, make them hard to carry in a holster and in general that drives me nuts. I carry a full size 1911, and usually four extra magazines in my EDC, and shoot them often enough to know that I can rely on them with the chance of all four going bad on me at the same time being almost nil. You might try this David, and see if you still want to go to an extended mag. Be sure to shoot using all your mags regularly, know you can rely on your mags as well as your pistol. Trust me it’ll do wonders for your confidence and shooting ability.