$200-$300 pistols (was Hi Point pistol)s.

beantownshootah · November 22, 2010 17:04

I'm reopening this thread just because I have something to add.

I won't rehash any of it except to state my opinion that Hi point pistols have poor balance, poor metallurgy, and are ugly. They'll go "bang" but they're neither accurate nor durable. No, I wouldn't want to get shot by one, and yes there are far worse guns out there, but I think for the same money or maybe not much more you can really get something a LOT better.

To answer the BETTER question of what OTHER guns are worth considering in the $200-$300 price range, this is what I'd suggest:

-Makarov 9x18mm (Bulgarian or other).
-CZ-82 9x18mm (Czech surplus).
-Smith and Wesson model 10 .38 special revolver (~$200)
-Smith model 64 .38 special DA only/stainless steel (~250)

Going up a bit in price, there are quite a good number of decent used/surplus or in some cases second tier or "clone" auto pistols in 9mm luger that I'd take any day over a Hi-point. You may have to look a bit to find one, but these ARE out there for $300.

Ruger P85, P94, P95
Smith and Wesson model 39 (worn but still functional one)
Smith and Wesson Sigma (9mm or .40SW, Poor trigger pull, but still much quality overall than Hi Point).
EAA Witness, 9mm or 40SW
Kel Tec p11
Various Taurus 9mm guns

And MANY others.

Edit:
Responding to some of the below, Hi-points use a simple blowback (ie submachine-gun like) action, partly explaining why they are so inexpensive. The increased slide mass necessary to accomodate the simple action explains the top-heavy feel of the guns.

Just so no one accuses me of being a "basher" one *GOOD* thing about the Hi-points (in my opinion) is that the front sight comes standard from the factory in day-glo orange making them really easy to see. (Of course you can turn any front sight bright orange with a bit of acrylic paint if you like).

Ruger P97 .45s are available in the $300 price range and pretty much ANY Ruger is going to be better than a Hi-Point.

Its definitely possible to find a Tanfoglio .45 for about $300 *AND* if you like you can also later buy caliber conversions (for about $200 each) to switch the .45 to 9mm luger, .40SW, or .22LR.

Bersa guns aren't bad, and you can pick up a used .45 for about $300.

Some used Taurus .45s are out there in that price range.

You *might* be able to find a used Smith .45 auto for under $300 if you are patient.

I think Glocks for under $300 are going to be fairly scarce (even really worn first generation ones in 9mm) let alone a .45, but absolutely if you could find one that cheaply, it would be a great choice.

Edit #2: I didn't want to make this about Hi-point, but I feel obliged to respond to the below:
quote:
I take exeception to your saying they arent accurate or durable.........THEY ARE BOTH!

Yeah, the legendary accuracy of the Hi Point explains why they are so commonly seen on the pistol line at Camp Perry. [;)]

And their legendary durability explains why they've become the handgun of choice of serious pistol competitors, military and police forces worldwide.

OK, Sarcasm aside, put 20,000 rounds through a Hi-point then get back to me. Pretty much ANY service type pistol in 9mm luger, .40SW, or .45ACP (including the Smiths, Rugers, Tanfoglio, etc) will be able to do that handily and keep on ticking.

quote:Hi-points have a fixed barrel, which makes it accurate!
I disagree. Fixed barrel is neither necessary nor sufficient for accuracy, and in fact, it may not even help.

As food for thought, pretty much NONE of the guns used to win centerfire bullseye pistol competitions use fixed barrel designs (well, except revolvers in the "revolver only" competitions!).

Practical accuracy is a combination of ammo quality, barrel quality, match of ammo to the gun, reproducibility of gun action (which is partly a function of part tolerances as well as intrinsic part quality), trigger quality, sights, and shooter.

Suffice it to say that Hi Points lack match grade barrels (to say the least). Trigger quality on Hi-points is actually not bad. . .FOR A $200 gun. . .but its nowhere near match quality, nor as good as many service pistols.

Now, that said, in a defensive gun, accuracy is highly overrated. If the gun can keep all the shots inside the proverbial dinner plate at 25 yards (ie a 12" group) then you're probably accurate "enough" to get the job done at a typical defensive distance of under 20 feet. If I remember right one gun mag review of a Hi-point I read described 4" **7** yard groups. So that's probably close enough to hit a human sized target at reasonable ranges.

quote:Hi-point have polymer frames, just like glock, and they ARE durable! 3000 rounds and still counting.
Not all "polymers" are created equal.

Glock frames are built of high density nylon overbuilt over metallic frame inserts.

Glocks happen to be dirt cheap to manufacture too, but the biggest difference between Glocks and Hi-Point from a metallurgy standpoint is that the slide of a Glock and all functional parts are made of hardened steel, and the Glock frame has a speciality nitrocarbided finish to make the metal highly resistant to wear and scratching. Meanwhile Hi-point slides are built from relatively soft "pot metal" zinc alloy and they use plastic trigger assemblies.

No offense, but these are NOT the same, not even close.

quote:Revovers are good, but the Makarov's and CZ-82 ammo is not very common in this nation, yes, you can get it online, but good luck finding it a wal-mart, or even most gun shops.
No argument there. 9x18 Makarov isn't readily available at Walmart and that's a potential drawback of owning a gun in that caliber. But that's also the reason why relatively high quality guns available in that caliber are so inexpensive.

Still, any gun shop worth dealing with would be thrilled and delighted to order you a bunch of 9x18 Makarov if you want. The stuff *IS* still in production, and the ammo is not really any more expensive than .380, to which its roughly comparable in power.

$200-$300 pistols (was Hi Point pistol)s.

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