Over the years I have read often about Hi-Point pistols, and developed a curiosity. Every firearms discussion board on the internet has at least several lengthy discussions, some people cursing the gun as a piece of junk, and others praising its virtues to high heaven. So finally curiosity got the best of me, and I plunked down $139 plus tax, etc., at a local pawn shop, for my very own, brand new, Hi-Point C9 9mm firearm. Here's a picture of it in the box:
I took off the label, the trigger lock, and the little yellow chamber insert, and cleaned it up a bit, and put a Hogue slip-on over the grip. It felt heavy, but comfortable in my hand, a lot like my old Ruger P95 that I had sold a year ago to a friend. (The Ruger actually weighed 3 ounces more than the Hi-Point C9, 28 vs 25 oz.) I liked the heft of the gun in my hand, but the slide spring seemed really strong, and difficult to slingshot. (My opinion is that this gun is not for those who have some weakness in their hands and fingers.) The trigger felt good, light (about four pounds I think) and crisp (though I would not say it is like glass breaking!) Certainly no worse than a light GLOCK trigger. No worse than my old Ruger P95. The C9 is single-action-only, and IF I were to use this gun for concealed carry, I might carry it cocked, with a round in the chamber, and the safety switch "on." (Note: the manufacturer recommends NOT to do this!) That would be 8+1. Not a high capacity, but "OK." Ten round magazines are available, but I haven't seen or tried the ten-rounder.
Note: J. Z. sent me the following information: "The hipoint carbine 995 10 round mags will work in the pistol, but the 8 round pistol mags for the C9 do not work in the carbine, nor do the 10 round extended round magazines for the pistol because of the larger base for extra support for the pistol." Thank you, J.Z!
Here's what it looks like from the left.
Here's what it looks like from the right.
These are the specs and measurements from the Hi-Point website:
The sights are clear and good:
I purchased the gun on December 22, and was not able to get to the range until today, December 28. I went with a couple of friends, and between the three of us we were shooting the Hi-Point C9, a Kel-Tec 357 SIG, a Ruger Redhawk .44 magnum revolver, a Bersa .380 and a SIG .45.
We got off to a fun start, because one of my friends was having trouble with his brand new SIG .45! It wouldn't chamber a round very easily, and then the cartridge would fire sometimes, and so on. He couldn't figure out his problem. So I looked at his pistol, and then his brass. Here's what his brass looked like after firing:
Wow! So I looked a little closer at his brass, and guess what?! He had been trying to shoot 40S&W out of his .45! Well, his gun was OK, and no one got hurt, so I guess we all learned a valuable lesson.
I came to the range with a 100 round box of Winchester Valu Pak, and I was determined to shoot all hundred rounds from the Hi-Point C9, just to see if it really was a reliable gun. Well, it IS a reliable gun. I shot all 100 rounds with absolutely no problems whatsoever. No failures to chamber. No failures to eject. No stovepipes. Nada. Zip. All 100 rounds fired off perfectly!
I felt like I was shooting my good old Ruger P95 all over again. It felt good in my hand, and was as accurate as I can handle. This gun is a "sweet" shooter. I was shooting standing, off-hand, no support, and shooting 6 inch groups at 7 yards. I imagine a better marksman than I would get even better groups. (I'm 59 with glasses and things look a bit fuzzy at 7 yards.) But 6 inch groups at 7 yards is perfectly adequate for self-defense, and I'm happy with the accuracy of the C9. I was impressed also at how the short, light trigger makes it possible to fire off a lot of shots very quickly.
Here's a picture of the rifling in the barrel:
This is what Hi-Point says about cleaning: "Although some customers who have Hi Point Firearms are capable of it, MKS recommends that you do not take the gun apart. The exploded view in the manual is not intended to be a detailed disassembly guide. It is really just to note the basic steps for those who feel qualified. The way MKS recommends to clean a Hi Point is to blow the inner area out with a mild aerosol solvent once or twice a year. (Of course wear eye protection). This gets out any accumulated grime and dirt that may have been attracted and held in there by the oil. Clean the barrel with a good bore solvent after you get home from shooting. This is all we do after thousands of rounds of shooting. Oil lightly, and the gun is ready for the next session of shooting. If you feel that you must take the gun apart, but need help, please phone the factory and talk with a mechanic there. They can be reached at (419) 747-9444 Mon.-Thurs. 7am-5pm EST.
So I'm going to heed Hi-Point's advice. I'm not going to take the gun apart for thorough cleaning as I do my other pistols. I'm just going to clean it out lightly as suggested, and see how many rounds I can go before it starts to mal-function. It will be fun to see what happens. And with Hi-Point, I have nothing to lose. There is a life-time warranty, and by all accounts on the internet discussion boards the customer service is quick and good.
I have only one true negative with regard to this weapon: the capacity of the C9 is only 8+1. How nice it would be if the C9 carried 15 rounds! But this gun is a terrific value at $139!
I plan to get some Corbon DPX 9mm rounds, and try in the C9 for reliability and accuracy. If they function well, I will use that cartridge IF I ccw this gun. (I probably WON'T cc, because my p3at is so handy for that.) I'll add that range report to this page, ASAP.
For loads more information on Hi-Point firearms, I have created a "Hi-Point Link Central," which you may enjoy checking out. You may enjoy my other website, too: www.mouseguns.com
Update: May 10, 2007. I had an opportunity to go shooting today, so I grabbed my C9 and a100-round box of Winchester ValuPak, and headed for Prentice Cooper Range near Chattanooga. The shorter handgun range stations were occupied, so I shot from the 18 yard range (that's how it measures by my stepping it off.) The C9 functioned without flaw, except that I had to refrain from loading the magazines to full capacity. Loaded with six or seven rounds, no problem. Loaded with eight rounds, the first round wouldn't chamber. (I understand this is a very common magazine situation with the C9.) I was pleased with the accuracy of the C9. Shooting standing without support I was hitting four and five inch groups with not much effort. Here's a scan of one of my targets:
If you have an interest in Hi-Point firearms, you will like the FORUM! (sometimes down!)
Or....HiPointTalk.Com (another forum)