Hi Point Model JHP .45ACP
I heard about the current "shortage" of guns and ammo, and the Hi Point Model JHP .45 ACP was one of the few I found available online. I won't use a 9mm; as far as I'm concerned it's a gang banger's status symbol. Ever notice that virtually all the small machine pistols; Uzis, Mac 11s, etc are 9mm? Most gang-related shootings are with 9mm, and they tend to over-penetrate. Couldn't find a .40 in my price range, and I like .45s better anyway.
Dry-sighted it out of the box (took me a week to find ammo), and started with five rounds. First was low and to the left, second was a tad low and an inch to the right. The other three went into a silver dollar-sixe area. Sighting was a breeze; I installed the supplied ghost ring sight (it came witha lasar, too), which for both windage and elevation with screws, unlike many of the forward and back elevation and hammer and wood-block windage adjustment styles. It went right into true, and all 5 of my bullets fed nicely. It is heavy, ugly, and lacks 1911A1 safety features, but the safety is 1911-style, locking both trigger and slide with an up-and-down lever that is just hard enough to disengage that you are not likely to do it acidently. Trigger pull was surprisingly light.
The only flaws I encountered were a too-small safety lever (8mm long, 6mm wide, and a scant 1.5 mm thick, protruding maybe 2.5 mm from the slide, and all-but-even with the edge of the grip ), and a tendency for the magazine to release unintentionally. A more 1911-style safety lever, say, 15mm L x 8mm W x 3 or 4mm deep, bevelled for comfort and increased control, would be a major improvement.
As for the mag release, I just removed the handles to find one short spring glued to the grip against the the oposite side of the mag release; not enough tension to prevent it from releasing simply from the presure of the holster, especially when drawn. I just removed the release button; it is plastic and pressed on to the release lever; mine came off easily enough, though one should use extra care in removing it so as not to break it or enlarge the hole. I cut a short piece of spring from a ball-point pen, twisted it against the direction it was wound until it fit over the post (which fits through a same-size hole in the frame into a short lever held in place by the other spring), and replaced the release button tightly onto the shaft. The added pressure on the release, about three wraps of the pen spring, seems to provide the right amount of tension to prevent it from disengaging when light pressure is applied to the release button, yet still release easily enough with just a bit more thumb pressure. I debated using a pressure washer, but the spring seems to work just fine, and it won't scratch the finish.
They are American-made, guaranteed for life, and a steal at under $300, including shipping, lasar sight, and the local gun dealer's $25 handling fee. It also came with three allen wrenches, a padlockable trigger lock, and a small, flat screwdriver/two-finger trigger lock tool with two different-size wrenches for, I assume, breaking the piece down completely.
I told the guy at the other gun store what I bought, and he called me a "poor bastard". When I get it broke in and become more accustomed to it, I might invite him to compare accuracy and reliability with his Glock .40, just to see what he says. I prefer a big, heavy, ugly pistol; they seem to be more accurate, and the intimidation factor more than compemsates for the few extra ounces, which also make for somewhat less recoil. If you haven't guessed, I really like the thing!