If you’ve read some of my earlier posts, you know I’ve recently purchased both an AK-47 and a Steyr M95. Both rifles are great and fun to shoot along with my Marlin Model 60. That said, I’ve been thinking lately about how nice it would be to have a handgun to shoot, too.

I considered an 1895 Nagant from J&G – they’re only about $80 which I like. There were two problems with the Nagant which made me go to something else. I’m a Nevada resident which means that by Federal law I would have to have it shipped to a dealer in town ($30), pay for the background check ($25), and pay a transfer fee ($25) which means a total of $80 would be added to the price of the gun – yeah, that’s doubling the price. Not good. The other reason I stayed away from the Nagant is that it uses “different” ammo – google “1895 Nagant” and read a bit. It’s not really hard to find online, but I decided I want something that I can get ammo for at Wal Mart or the local gun store, especially after the M95 ammo situation. One other consideration is that I would like something that is either under warranty or that I can send back to a manufacturer to fix if something goes wrong.

Many hours of research later, I found what seems to be just what I’m looking for Hi-Point firearms makes a variety of semi-auto pistols in .380, 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP. They’ve got a lifetime warranty – lifetime of the gun and not just for the first owner. I’ve been told by a dealer in Pahrump that Hi Point repaired a guy’s pistol under warranty after he ran it over with his truck by accident, even though he told them he had broken it and how. I’ve also read that one guy had one of their carbines and the stock (plastic) melted in a fire. He tried to order a new stock and told them what happened, but they told him to send it in and they fixed it in under warranty and gave him a new magazine for the trouble of sending it in. One other guy wrote about finding a damaged Hi-Point carbine in the trash. He said that the chamber had been damaged by someone firing a reloaded cartridge with too much powder. He tried to order parts, but was also told to send it in and that they would repair it under warranty. He got it back just a week later along with an extra magazine and the sling and the rest of the accessories it should have had! One last story I read was a guy posting that he had fired a bad round of ammo and that due to too little gunpowder the bullet had been stuck in the barrel. He didn’t realize it and fired again causing the gun to blow up in his hand. He wasn’t injured, but the gun was toast. One call to Hi-Point and they told him to send it in and that it was covered under warranty!

Oh yeah, Hi Points are affordable too I just paid $119 plus tax for my C9 (9mm) at Ace Hardware up in Overton, NV Check out the MSRPs for the different models over at the Hi Point website and then check some of the internet sales sites and you’ll find that these truly are affordable !

One last thing that made me want a Hi Point is that they’re 100% MADE IN THE U.S.A. !!!

Hi-Points are controversial little pistols. My experience on the internet is that those who have them usually love them while those who say they’re junk have usually never owned one. The people who don’t like them say that they’re cheap, “fugly” (f**king ugly) pieces of shit made from pot metal that are too heavy and ugly to be seriously considered and that they think they’d be likely to blow up in your hand. The people who love them usually say that they’re affordable and may not be the prettiest pistols (I only think the front is somewhat ugly, but I won’t be looking at that much ), but that they’re fun, reliable, and accurate. I figured that for the price, I could find out for myself what’s true and what’s BS and even if I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t be out much money.

I went up to Overton and filled out the paperwork on Thursday, but this is my first pistol and I’m buying it from a dealer rather than a private party so I fall under Clark County’s “cooling off” period. If you buy your first handgun from a dealer in Clark County, you have to wait 72 hours to pick it up. All handguns in Clark County must be registered by law and you get a “blue card” registration card to show that you’ve registered your pistol. If you already own a pistol and you have your blue card, you can show that card when you buy another pistol in the future and you don’t have to wait to take delivery.

I just can’t wait for Sunday afternoon to get here so I con go pick up my new C9 !!!