If I'm a bad guy, and I have a knife, and I try to rob someone and they pull a hi-point on me? I'm not going to say "Ha, got anything else?"
I'd own one to shoot. Wouldn't carry one. My grandpa has one in .45 and it's been very reliable and accurate. The reason I wouldn't carry one is;
1) Inconsistency. As you've seen in this thread, some people have great results, others not so much. Hi-Point is also probably not a good 'beginners gun' because it seems to be pretty limp-wrist sensitive. I'm concerned that I might not get one as reliable as my grandpas.
2) Weight and size - Big and heavy doesn't make a great all day carry gun.
3) Smaller capacity - These were designed during the assault weapons ban. So there isn't one with more than a 10 round magazine (or 10 bullet magazine clip if you prefer the politician term.
). I can carry a gun for not a lot more money that is the same size; but weighs less and carries more ammunition.
4) Difficulty to clean and field strip. A carry weapon should be cleaned and lubed often. I clean and lube mine weekly, or after shooting; whichever comes first. I know myself enough to know I wouldn't have the time, motivation or energy to clean a hi point that often.
So here's what I went with;
Bersa. They have a striker fired 9mm, and a hammer fired DA/SA .380, 9mm, 40 and 45. They have various sizes (service size and compact, single stack and double stack). All under $500, some WELL under $500, and go used cheap. I just picked up a Bersa that is a little smaller and lighter than a hi-point, DA/SA, holds 13 rounds in the magazine (9mm) and was $400. Bersa's are ridiculously reliable, will shoot any ammo you feed them and are super accurate. There's not many guns on the planet as easy to field strip either. On the 9, 40, and 45 you just flip a lever and the slide slides off. No trigger pull, lining up, pushing or pulling. Even the .380 is easy to strip, just pop the lever and pull all the way back, lift, and push forward. All super easy to clean. My wifes little Bersa .380 has shot 250 rounds without being cleaned (in one session!) without a single failure. Using, literally, the very cheapest ammunition I could find (CCI Blazer aluminum). And she, a new shooter, can shoot TIGHT groups at 15 yards with a gun she can easily conceal. I loved hers so much I ordered a Bersa 9mm for my own carry gun. Bigger than the .380 (Glock 19 sized), but the same overall featureset and technology; not to mention reliability.
Bersa is an underrated and well kept secret in the firearms industry, in my humble opinion. These are mil-spec weapons sold to and used by the Argentine military and police forces all over south America and is one of the largest private companies IN South America. Yet so many folks tend to skim right by them! It's an inexpensive and exceptionally well built firearm. They don't make a bad one. (Oh, and the 9, 40, and 45 all fit the same holster and feel the same in your hand, which is pretty cool!)
