Photos by the author
When you tell a fellow shooter that you just brought a brand-new Hi-Point pistol or carbine home, it seems that sometimes they want to light a candle for you or perform an intervention.
They may look at you like, “What’s wrong with you, dude?” I often hear this when I mention Hi-Point to my shooting buddies. After the eye-rolling is done, I have one question for them: Can you tell me the brand and model of a $175 9mm (or 10mm, or .30 Super Carry, or .45 ACP, or .380 ACP, or .40 S&W) pistol or carbine that works just about every time you pull the trigger and is backed by some of the best customer service in the industry?
Now, whose eyes are rolling? Most of the time, they can’t answer that.
OK. I get it. You might be thinking “But… Hi-Point… Come on! I’ve heard about them!”
I do like nice guns. Whether polymer- or steel-framed, nice guns are great. Wood is even better. Hi-Points are towards the bottom of the firearms food chain. They are made from inexpensive components, their actions are strictly blow-back and not locked-breech, and some think they look somewhat wonky for lack of a better word.
I heard a wry shooter say that they look like somebody asked a 3rd grader to design a gun. Screws, plastic, huge honkin’ slides… svelte, they’re not. But… they work. In my experience, each and every time you pull the trigger.
They are the working man’s gun, according to the Hi-Point website: We are the home of “the working man’s gun,” celebrating our commitment to manufacturing guns that are built tough and affordable for the people who work hard on the lines every day.
They are expanding their long gun selection to include AR-pattern rifles and pistols in 5.56 and .300 BLK. Look for a review here in the future, when they start shipping them. They look really good on the website, and I am anxious to try them.
“Pretty Is As Pretty Does”
That’s a saying I’ve subscribed to my whole life. Lots of things (and people, don’t get me started) who look great on the surface aren’t a bargain, to say the least. That especially applies to firearms, as well. I’ve owned a few Hi-Points over the years. They are typically known as the gun you buy when you can’t afford more. Who else builds a reliable .45 auto for around $185 retail? (The keyword is reliable.) A 9mm with a red dot for under $225? I’ve reviewed more than one gun over my career that cost three times or more what these Hi-Points cost and flat-out didn’t work right. PIAPD, indeed!
Customer Service
I’ve had the opportunity to experience Hi-Point’s customer service. I’ve needed small parts from them before, and they sent them quickly at no charge. That was refreshing, at the least.
Here’s an example of their lifetime, no-questions-asked warranty. One of our four sons, the one who loves to experiment – he’s now an engineer, shooter, and reloader – had an idea when he was a lot younger. He thought he could make a homemade 9mm tracer round. I forgot how he put the cartridge together (and if I did remember, I wouldn’t repeat it here), but it didn’t work. It blew the gun up – talk about a big “Ka-BOOM!” It came right off in pieces. How he was not hurt is a mystery… God looks after the experimenters, I guess.
We sent the gun back to Hi-Point, fully expecting a snide email back telling us to be more careful and no cigar where this gun is concerned. Instead, we received a brand-new C9 as a replacement very quickly. No questions asked, indeed! Their CS has always been there for me.
Backstory
Hi-Point began in Mansfield, Ohio, in 1992. Established by Thomas Deeb with partners Mike Strassel and Ed Stalard, they began with a goal of producing guns that almost anyone could afford. They settled on using blowback-only designs, which were produced using inexpensive alloys and plastics wherever possible. The resultant guns were inexpensive to both produce and buy.
Growth & Reputation
The company doubled in size every few years, and so had to seek larger facilities. They had confidence in their products, as evidenced by the warranty I mentioned above. Their reputation grew, but unfortunately, that has had dual implications over the years. On the one hand, they are respected for producing reliable pistols and carbines that are affordable to many shooters and work well. On the other hand, the brand has some negative implications, as many Hi-Points are stored in police evidence lockers around the country. They have been one of the weapons of choice for wrongdoers over the years.
But, as I’ve said many times, “it isn’t the gun’s fault it got used in a crime!”. I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but you get the point. For lawful purposes, the Hi-Point is a solution that many shooters have utilized for various purposes. Heck, I know of a few of them that reside in tackle boxes or between truck seats and the console. More than a few are carried concealed as well.
This Carbine
I was sent a model M81 1095 carbine in camo finish for this review. The gun came in and included a lock – no news there – an owner’s manual, an invitation to join the NRA, and a couple of other invites. A sling with swivels was included in the box, and adjustable iron sights were mounted on the Picatinny rail.
Here are some photos I took. I only photographed what came with the gun… that is, the sights & sling. Also, the camo reminds me of Army Woodland camo patterns from the 1970s or so. I’m sure many of you out there are familiar with that!
The operating handle is on the left side of the gun.
The buttstock features a comfortable cheek rest. LOP is not adjustable.
The muzzle is threaded (you can’t see that here), and it features two sections of rails underneath for mounting lights, lasers, or other accessories. Note the sling attachment point for the included sling, or any sling for that matter…
Rear sight. The yellow markings stand out. If you like, you can take the whole assembly off to get to the Pic rail… see below
Front sight
Specifications
- Here is what the website has to say…
- Barrel length: 17.5″
- Weight: 7 lbs.
- Capacity: 10-shot magazine standard
- Overall length: 32″
- Sights: Fully-adjustable
- Stock: All-weather, molded polymer skeletonized w/raised soft rubber cheek-piece
- Muzzle: Threaded .578 x 28 barrel standard
- MSRP $517
Features
- M81 camo polymer stock (it’s also available in black or RealTree Edge camo)
- FREE trigger lock, sling, and swivels
- 100% American-made parts and assembly
- Internal recoil buffer in stock
- 10-round magazine (interchangeable with JXP10 pistol)
- Flat black receiver shroud
- Manual thumb safety
- Fully adjustable sights (rear peep & post front)
- Picatinny rails
- Last round lock open
- Lifetime No-Questions-Asked Warranty
Where To Buy
Range Time
I wanted to shoot this gun as it came out of the box, except for the addition of the sling. So, I did. I would imagine accuracy would improve by attaching a red dot or scope to the top. The trigger pull was pretty stiff… I didn’t measure it with my Lyman gauge, but I would guess it to be around 10 pounds or so. I fired a couple of factory loads to get familiar with this gun. They were the MagTech 180-gr FMJ and the HSM 200-gr hard-cast Bear Load.
It didn’t like the Bear Load at all, so no targets from that. Here’s one from the MagTech load. It was moving at 1355 fps, according to my Garmin Xero C1 Pro radar chronograph.
As you can see, it shot high and left. I addressed that by adding a red dot. The five-shot group is nestled at 11:00 high. The curly target makes it harder to see… sorry about that!
Alright. The above target is not particularly impressive. I had wanted to mount an optic on this critter, so I looked through my small stash and found a decent, $80 red/green dot from Bear Creek Arsenal. This device displays both red and green dots, with varying intensities. With a list price of under $70, you can afford to put them on several rifles. It utilizes a simple cantilever Picatinny mount that is tightened with an adjustable wrench.
After doing this, I used my Real Avid Viz-Max bore sighter – a handy gizmo. There are no bore adapters – it sticks to the end of the muzzle with the aid of a powerful magnet. Centering rings allow you to snug it to your bore centerline. I use this on both handguns and long guns… it has saved me a lot of time, ammo, and frustration.
I was very pleased to see the bore sighter dot almost touching the sight’s dot… close enough for jazz! I went back out to my range and set another target up at 25 yards. I brought along a box of Armscor 180-grain FMJ flat-point ammo that I picked up from my local Rural King (they’re amazing, with all the guns and gear they have).
I didn’t clock it, but here’s what happened, with 10 shots:
Once I fine-tune the zero, I should be good to go. I have discovered that most 10mm ammo (including my handloads) all shoot to pretty much the same point of impact, with small variations. Ten mm is one of the most inherently accurate pistol/carbine calibers out there, and is deer legal here in the Hoosier state.
Who says inexpensive can’t be accurate?
One thing about this carbine that I really like is that it uses a threaded barrel. I received a Lone Wolf Elimin8r 45 Modular suppressor to review. I made sure I had the proper mount, .578×28, and added it to the carbine.
The decibel count went down as follows:
Open: 118 dB
Suppressed: 103 dB, a 13% reduction
Your reduction percentage may vary, depending on the ammo you use. This combo totally impressed our oldest son… he kept ringing a steel target offhand that I had placed downrange, and he had a blast (well, a quieter blast). The carbine sounded about as loud as a .22 Magnum rifle.
I got this suppressor from Lone Wolf, who shipped it to Lucky Lab Armory in Clinton, Indiana. Contact Peyton there with questions – he’s an expert on gun noise reduction.
Summing Up
I own a Springfield Armory XDM Elite in 10mm, equipped with a red dot sight. Talk about a handy close-in deer gun! That’s a role this PCC could perform. I could see having both with me on a visit to a local picked corn field, come this November. My hard-cast, 1375 fps, 200-grain flat-point or a similar factory load should be great deer medicine.
Another use would be as a truck or home-defense gun, with appropriate sighting equipment. Ten mm is powerful enough to punch through car doors if needed. You need to be careful if you have to shoot it indoors, as it will penetrate almost anything it hits inside, plus the blast and bounce could disorient you.
Speaking of home defense, we live on a farm and have chickens. We had a big coyote, larger than our 70-pound Lab, walking through our backyard around 4:30 one recent morning. He was not 15 feet from the house. A 10mm bullet would settle his hash in a hurry, and we have permission from local farmers to take them out on sight. (Of course, if he’s in your yard, you don’t need a farmer’s permission!)
No matter how you use it, a carbine such as this Hi-Point model 1095. It also comes in various finishes and calibers, including 9mm, .40 S&W, .45 ACP, .30 Super Carry, and .380 ACP.
For those looking to add an inexpensive, knock-around carbine in a serious caliber to their collection, you can’t go wrong with one of these. Pretty is as pretty does – that works double with guns!
