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The Hi-Point .45ACP |
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Gregory Morris, 10/17/07 8:18:30 am |
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 I met a co-worker at the range last night, and got to shoot a handful of new pistols (S&W, Beretta...) But the one I was actually most interested in was the Hi-Point .45ACP. Basically, I was interested in a pistol with a better self-defense caliber than my .380, yet extremely low cost... something I could keep in my trunk and not be too upset if it was stolen. Most "real gun nuts" would scoff at a cheapo gun like that. Ask just about any "old dude at a gun shop", and he'll tell you that you need a 1911. Ask any "young dude at a gun shop" and he'll tell you to get a Glock. As much as I would be happy with either of those, that isn't really what I'm looking for. Anyway... The Hi-Point had a lot of good qualities about it, but I don't think I'm gonna buy one.
First of all, it is cheap as dirt... that's a good thing. Impact Guns lists it at $142.99, so I figure any local gun shop should have it for under $200. There are some other financial considerations other than the cost... the biggest one being a lifetime guarantee. That's cool. They are also available in any of the major calibers I'd be interested in (.45, .40, 9mm.) They are also made in the US, and although that isn't entirely uncommon in the gun world, I still consider it when buying any product. The other thing is: this gun is rock-friggin-solid. I mean, I bet you could run over it with a tank, and it would be fine. They advertise reliability, and I kinda believe them... Sure, I'd want to put a few thousand rounds down-range before I trusted it that far, but it seems to be a pretty sturdy pistol.
Of course, being that "sturdy" has a price...these are really ugly guns. Really really really ugly. For my purpose, that doesn't matter. What does matter to me is the fact that the gun is HUGE and bulky and very heavy. Granted, I'm used to my little .380, but I've shot plenty of other full-size handguns, and none of them come close to this. The size, shape, and angle of the grips just didn't fit my hand. Between the weight and awkward feeling of the gun, I managed decent accuracy. At 7 yards I was able to shoot about a 4 inch group, which is COM enough for me. Plus, given more time with that particular gun, I'm sure I could improve that. Strange thing was that the sights don't allow for adjusting for elevation, which isn't uncommon, but I consistently shot about 2 inches below point-of-aim... at 7 yards... yeah... I had to aim at the second line up from center on a one-inch-line-spaced target. This may be a technique problem, but I noticed my co-worker hitting low as well. One of the problems I feel may have affected my accuracy considerably is the lousy trigger. Not much I can say about a trigger unless I take the gun apart and see how it works, but judging by the diagram in the gun's manual, that can probably be improved.
Overall impression? For a cheap "junker"/"utility" gun, Hi-Points are pretty cool. There is no way in hell anyone would want to carry one, and without extensive range testing/practice, I'm not sure I'd rely on it for home defense either. Yet given the shoddy construction of a lot of cheap pistols I've seen, I am still impressed with the Hi-Point. |
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| | [Comments are closed after a month.] |
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