“Hi-Point Firearms & MKS Supply, Inc., is known more for tough, reliable, accurate, low-cost guns than for ‘pretty’ guns, but now they have one that looks cool, too!” That, dear friends, is press release-speak for putting lipstick on a pig. I’m not saying that the Hi-Point carbine is the world’s ugliest rifle. It’s ONE of the world’s ugliest rifles. To be fair, it is cheap. Three Franklins and it’s yours. And it’s effective . . . enough. Back in the day TTAG chronicled the story of a Detroit Mom who successfully defended herself and her brood with a Hi-Point Carbine. As for this MKS Supply assertion – “All American-made Hi-Point Carbines are used by law enforcement worldwide and can easily match both the accuracy and reliability of more expensive carbines in the same caliber” – well, PR gotta PR. Make the jump for the full official announcement, revealing the carbine’s new colors: digital desert tan (shown above), woodland (subdued grey/green/brown/black combination), and a “fun screaming pink camo pattern.” We’ll get one for testing. No joke. OK, maybe a bit . . .
MKS Supply, Inc., Dayton, OH, June 2015–Hi-Point Firearms www.mkssupply.com is known more for tough, reliable, accurate, low-cost guns than for “pretty” guns, but now they have one that looks cool, too!
No more Henry Ford Model T policy of “you can have it any color as long as it is black.” The patterns are digital desert tan (shown below), woodland (subdued grey/green/brown/black combination), and a fun screaming pink camo pattern
The robust, all-weather molded polymer skeletonized stock is tough and lightweight. Hi-Point applies the camouflage in its newly-built hydro dipping facility, using a process proven for years by other major makers of hunting rifles and shotguns.
Hi-Point Carbines are ergonomically engineered for easy use. They have three top-side and forearm bottom Picatinny rails for optional vertical grips, lasers, optics, lights that Hi-Point offers at very low prices (and of course the rails will fit any other Picatinny-friendly attachments, including thermal or infrared).
Chambered in 9mm, .40S&W, and .45ACP, the Carbine’s longer barrel will typically increase handgun ammunition velocities between 80 and 200 FPS, making it an excellent gun for small game, plinking, home defense and law enforcement. Hi-Point carbines are even legal for deer in some states.
The simple blowback design reliably feeds ammunition from the single-stack magazine that is also designed to fit Hi-Point’s same- caliber semi-auto pistols.
All American-made Hi-Point Carbines are used by law enforcement worldwide and can easily match both the accuracy and reliability of more expensive carbines in the same caliber.
Specifications:MSRP:Camo 9mm, $359 (Black, $297); Camo .40 S&W, $371 (Black, $315); Camo
.45ACP, $392 (Black, $330)
Stock: Molded heavy-duty polymer, with standard upper and lower Picatinny rails.
Barrel length: 16.5 inches (9mm); 17.5 inches (.40 and .45)
Overall length: 33 inches
Weight: 7.5 pounds.
Magazine capacity: 10 rounds (9mm and .40 S&W); 9 rounds (.45ACP)
Sight: Adjustable front post and adjustable rear (ghost ring)
Warranty: Lifetime on parts and labor
Factory options: Folding vertical grip, 4×32 scope, LASER, red dot sight and flashlight
Exclusive MarketerMKS Supply, LLC
8611-A North Dixie Drive,
Dayton OH 45414
www.mkssupply.com
(937) 454-0363
I wish TTAG would do an MKS-supply M1 carbine review.
http://www.mkssupply.com/
THEN test the Colt replica Bulldog Gatling in .45-70 (only $46,000). Please?
When an operator has to operate operationally on a pellet gun budget……
Daisy or Hi-point, Git ‘er done……….
Second the motion for an m-1 carbine review.
Aw man, last Christmas I upgraded my planet of the apes stock to the newer “tactical” style. I would really like that desert camo version. I always wanted an original style woodland camo version, but they are hard to come by.
Say what you want about them, my 9mm carbine is a blast.
I love my 995, it’s fun to shoot. As far as home defense goes, it’s more accurate for some over a pistol, has almost no recoil, and the 9mm round won’t over penetrate like a .223 from the same length barrel.
Can someone please point to a police or military service who uses this weapon?
+1 !!!
My patrol “rifle” is a beat-up old dept. issued Colt 9mm SMG. It never fails to jam at least once every qualification. My Hi-Point 995 has yet to fail even with the crappy steel and aluminium case ammo I put through it. If I had the choice it would be the Hi-Point.
Maybe in the dreams of the marketing guys? Or an impoverished 3rd world government who doesn’t get their guns from the U.S.?
That was my thought with the inclusion of the word “worldwide”.
I’m guessing there are two rural semi legitimate departments in two third world countries without running water that own one each.
I believe the army of the Planet Of The Apes issued their soldiers the first-generation Hi-Point carbines.
I am probably the only person who bought one simply because I thought it looked cool.
It’s funny, that digital tan one doesn’t offend my sensibilities as much as a regular one. It’s almost as if the camo is hiding the ugliness. Do they happen to take Sig or M&P mags? They’d have a sale if it did.
They are proprietary mags, and only the .45 is interchangeable between the pistol and carbine. There is an after market mod for 1911 magazines.
You might not be the only one, but you’re surely the only one who’d admit it.
Nope. I’ll admit it, too. When this was all I could afford (I paid $230) it was a great purchase for home defense. There are 15 round mags out there and the gun is a blast to shoot.
And yeah, to me it’s so fugly it’s beautiful!
Nope, did so on these fine forums.
http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/?s=Hi-Point+4595
I would be willing to do the review for the M-1 carbine, if given access to a T&E rifle…
People who criticize the Hi-point carbine have clearly never owned or shot one. Its a very good entry level carbine and yes I also own a Eoteched/Match barreled AR that cost me $2000+ and I still shoot the Hi-point. Their handguns are crap, but the carbine is definitely worth owning.
I love plinking at steel targets with mine. Load it with +P hollowpoints and it’s a worthy home defense gun on a budget.
I wish they were made to fit Glock magazines, but that would just make them illegal in more states.
As for the variety of stock colors – whatever. Pigs look better without lipstick.
I agree. I fed mine at least 2,000 rounds of junk reloads and steel case, and it never hiccuped. It is obviously constructed of cheap materials, but it’s simple blowback action is quite robust and dependable.
When I was just starting out on my own, living paycheck to paycheck, it was just about all I could afford for a home defense/range gun, so I think it’s great that Hi Point makes a reliable rifle that can fit everyone’s budget. I ended up giving mine to my dad as a gift a few years ago because he liked shooting it so much (and to return the favor for the 10/22 he gave me as a boy), but I just might get another someday.
Incorrect, I owned one as my first pistol caliber carbine. I hated it with a passion because:
-the hollow plastic stock slapped me in the face every shot
-the front sight was held on with setscrews, more than once it came loose and when I loctited it in place it eventually somehow wandered under recoil anyway
-I was stuck with proprietary 10 round mags made out of old tin cans, or Promags that were supposed to be 15 rounds but could only feed 12 with _heavy_ follower modification
-I had to choose between optics or a rear sight
-no automatic last round bolt hold open
-no aftermarket at all back then (not that there’s much of one now)
-cleaning usually made me lose zero on at least one axis since the optic/rear sight is dustcover mounted and the only thing to act as a locator are two bolts in sloppy plastic holes
-bolt handle fell off; got lost in woods
-safety/pin/detent fell off, got lost on public range
-started out reliable but at about 5,000 rounds it started having increasingly worse FTFs, this turned out to be the zinc bolt rails peening and cracking
After that last one I got a new gun from them- which I promptly sold to fund part of a used CX4- and have never looked back. Thing’s got more than twice the round count that my 995 did when it totally crapped out just from me (let alone whatever the previous owner put through it) and it still shoots amazing
Current Hipoints have automatic last round hold open, the Promags have incorrect feed lips that causes damage to the carbine which is not Hipoint’s fault.
You put an EoTech on a match barrel?
I got my HP995 “Classic” (read: planet of the apes) years ago for $169+shipping and FFL fees. I’ve been tempted to get a modern one, my father has one and it does feel more substantial and durable. I just can’t convince myself that I should pay $250-$300 for a firearm I bought for less than $200. I’m only 28, I shouldn’t be having gun-price-nostalgia!
That’s what I’ve thought. I’d buy one if it was $200-250 in price. $300 seems like too much. I paid about $300 for my Saiga 7.62X39 about 5 years ago. I just bought a police trade in Glock 22 for about $300. Both are a hell of a lot more gun than a Hi-Point. I once had a Hi-Point C9 pistol and it sucked (but I know people like the rifles).
This new generation of carbines are not quite as ugly as the first generation, and people seem to like them. A cheap 9mm carbine is a nice step up from a .22 rifle for people who are intimidated by guns (like my wife). It is nice to have something to bridge the gap between .22lr and 5.56/7.62X39. I ‘ll probably pick one up sometime if I find one at a good price.
Using Davidson’s Gun Genie I can get a 995TS Black, standard sights, and no extras at my local dealer for under $240. I’d say that price is not too bad. The only downside is the 10 round mags.
Say what you will about the brand … if they are super reliable and you can actually purchase one locally for about $300, what is not to like (at least for home defense anyway)?
I am seriously considering recommending one to a female who is a recent victim of a home invasion. She has never shot anything before in her life. Shooting one of these should be quite easy and recoil should be nil.
Think about the “stopping power” in .45 ACP: premium 185 grain bullets that reach 1200 fps in a 5 inch barrel should hit at least 1300 fps in the 16 inch barrel — and quite possibly closer to 1400 fps. I have to imagine that a 185 grain, .45 caliber hollowpoint bullet smacking into an attacker at something like 1300 fps is going to be pretty darned effective.
I never hesitate to recommend Hi-Point to people looking for a good home defense gun on a budget. They’re cheap, reliable, easy to shoot and accurate enough.
Twice now I’ve gone into a gun shop to try to buy a C9 as a “kick around gun”, and couldn’t bring myself to.
Each time on asking to look at one, the guy went off on a tirade and began talking to me as if I had never touched a gun before, and everyone else in the shop wouldn’t stop ridiculing the thing, and me for considering it. “I have a real gun at home” just lead to more laughs, heh.
I do understand that at this point the crap talked about the brand may be self propogating. But they’re not doing themselves any favors making up stories about how police departments use them. (Maybe they do. I’ve never heard of one.)
I’m admittedly a Sig fangirl, having every variety of P22x you can find, and I’ve recently warmed up to Glock and also got an XDm… so…
Maybe I’ll give it a try finally.. at this point I’m definitely hi-curious.
I recall seeing about a couple rural forces using the carbines. If one is Canadian, that would qualify the international claim.
“Maybe I’ll give it a try finally.. at this point I’m definitely hi-curious.”
(hi-curious – Nice play on that…)
“Each time on asking to look at one, the guy went off on a tirade and began talking to me as if I had never touched a gun before, and everyone else in the shop wouldn’t stop ridiculing the thing, and me for considering it. “I have a real gun at home” just lead to more laughs, heh.”
If the High-point is such a joke why does the store carry them? A salesman should never criticize a customers choice.
I’ve heard you can get some tumblers with the .45. I’ve got the .40 and the ballistics are awesome, .357 velocity with cheap bullets. I use mine for short range varmint hunting, but I’d hate to be on the wrong end of one with some proper defense rounds.
The sole reason I’m not looking at one of these is that I want something that holds more than 10 rounds.
Promag makes a 15 round mag; Midway has them for just under $19. I have 4 of them and I’ve never had a problem with them.
Why NOT do a review? Not everyone has the budget for a crazy .300BLK AR or 1000-yard Rem 700 build. They’re ugly, cheap, and reportedly very reliable. A friend of mine’s wife has one, my wife shot it and says it was “really fun”.
Whassamatter TTAG? ‘Fraid you might like it?
A fellow in Alaska dispatched a Grizzly in his home with one of their .45 pistols last year. Personally, I wonder why they don’t offer a 10mm carbine.
They just do the very common pistol calibers (pistols:.380, 9, .40, .45, no .380 carbine though.). 10mm’s just a touch uncommon.
If they made a 10mm pistol I’d buy it. It would look like that huge freakin 10mm on fallout.
I have one of the newer style carbines in 9mm, I think I paid $200.
Super fun to shoot, the only problem I’ve ever had is the tendency of the first round to nosedive in the magazine. I just had the bend the feed lips a little and it’s worked fine after that.
Fun to plink spinner and duraseal targets with out to 100 yards.
I have a 9mm pistol and a .40 pistol from Hi-Point. I’ve been thinking of picking up a carbine, but I’ve been looking for one that isn’t as marked up as the new store ones (I live in CA, so it has to get a bullet button). We’ll see.
Do these use proprietary mags? I MIGHT be interested if I could use Glock mags.
All the guys at the Hi-Point forum are clamoring for these to come out: redballsports.net . When and if they ever get to market I will buying one just to give it a try.
The carbines are good-had a Hi-point 380 pistol that was garbage. I also belong to 3(yeah three) Hi-point FB forums…I can’t believe the love for the pistols. Lots of painting and dipping too. These are routinely on line for way under $300 for the basic rifle without extras. Maybe my next rifle-40 out of a 17.5″ barrel is stupendous(see:ballistics by the inch)…
The big problem with the 380 ACP version is it uses the same mags as the 9mm. This seems to lead to various feed problems in use. A freshly loaded magazine smacked to seat the rounds against the back of the magazine is fine. A magazine that has been knocking around in the gun or quickly loaded will usually have problems. Doesn’t seem to be a problem with the carbine or C9 pistol.
If lipstick on a pig is good enough for Kermit the Frog it should be good enough for a High-Point.
With or without lipstick I recall that Kermit wasn’t into bacon.
Are you sure about that?
http://cdn.meme.am/instances/500x/28907926.jpg
Now, that was funny. If the muppets were owned by Disney somebody would be getting their ass sued off.
The Muppets are owned by Disney. They bought the rights from Henson about a decade or so ago.
The camouflage really works, in that it camouflage’s the gun’s inherent ugliness.
I bought a 995TS model new for $250 just before Newtown. I am not a marksman but I can easily hit a 6 to 8 inch group including a center bull with the iron and plastic sights at 100 yards using WalMart steel Tulammo. I imagine they decided that just by changing the color they could raise the price, given how many you see on Hi Point forums that have been spray painted or camo’d up. I have not put a scope on it but the Hi Point forums claim much better accuracy with a scope. It is not a spray and pray. It does look weird but so do AK’s and Glocks. Please don’t diss if you have not tried. (I do have other guns that cost more money, are more powerful, and more accurate, but this one is still fun.)
With the feds giving money to police departments everywhere even small towns do not have to purchase low cost hi points. I think the ammo capacity would be an issue for them as well.
I’m very happy with my hi point 45 pistol. Because it is a heavy hand gun some people would not care for it, or any heavy hand gun. That is the draw back to a blow back design gun.
The glock 43 is a 6+1 capacity gun. The hi point c9 is 8+1. You can get a 10 round mag for the c9 if you wish.
For only $150.00 the c9 will be mine soon. The glock 43 $650 or more? No thanks. Those folks with lots of money the glock is yours.
More like 450 for the Glock 43
I have one in 9mm and it is a fun shooter. 8″steel at 100yds 8 out of ten no sweat. Promag makes a 15 rd mag for the 9mm. My only complaint is that disassembly is a bi..h. The co. stands behind their product, too! I would own an ugly gun that is reliable over a pretty (NOT) AR or AK both of which I have used in combat and do not have much use for. One is a glorified .22 and the other is an underpowered .30. Remember, the NAZIs conquered most of Europe with the 9mm. ( Germany did it twice- ww1 and ww2) But then I think the .22lr is the most gun you need to eat. I have a Rem 700 in 30-06 so I can hunt “big game” leaglely .
The nazis pistol and subgun round was the 9mm pistol round. Their rifle and machine gun round was the 7.9 x 57 mm mauser which we lazy Americans shortened to 8mm mauser.
Man, that thing is ugly squared, but wouldn’t mind one at typical retailer price.
The 10 rd magazine is still a downer for me. I’ve heard fairly negative reviews on the 15-round aftermarket ones.
I could see getting one as a cheap trunk gun and plinker, but I could also see getting a 10/22, or saving up for a CX4 (looks to be around $600 now).
Somewhere on the interwebs there is an article by a guy who bought a 9mm version and shot thousands of rounds through it whith absolutely no maintenance, no lube or cleaning. finally the trigger seized up and would not move. He sent it back to hi-point to see what happened with it. he just wanted to know what broke during his torture test. a few weeks later he got a new rifle in the mail from hi-point. He called them to tell them that he had purposefully mistreated it to see what it would take to break it. They told him about the trigger and said it was a lifetime warranty and that was why they sent him a new rifle. They stand behind their ugly guns.
Fired one of these in .45 a week ago. Very controllable and accurate. It’s like a Tommy gun but lighter and with a better sight picture because the stock isn’t at a crazy angle. Kinda makes you wonder why the big names charge 4 or 5 times as much for their guns. And it’s not just quality.
I have a TSWC 995 4595 bouncing around behind the seat of my pickup or a year now use it to shoot varmints, etc. Also have the ProMag 14 shot clip in the cup holder I can pull that beater truck gun from behind the seat slap the clip home and rattle off 14 shots every time never a FTF FTE just bang x 14 with any type of ammo. I buy the reman from Freedom Munitions for $.19 each. Also have NEVER cleaned or oiled gun since new….try that with your $2000 AR
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