First handgun, thinking of a High Point C9, what do you suggest?

i did not know you had to be preapproved before you could buy a pistol in il. here all they do is a telephone back ground check 5 minutes in and out of the store, if you are clean. what ever gun you do buy i suggest buy lots of ammo, its keeps going up in price like everything else but after jan1 if law passes prices will surely be through the roof for all new coded ammo.

Not trying to be argumentative, but my Cheap Hi-Point has only misfired 3 times in over 2,500 rounds. I'm not a cop, but I do practice a lot with it. I have three of them as a matter of fact, and none of them are Jam-o-matics either. I'd trust my life to any one of them. The carbines can't be beat for the money either. A lot of small police departments even use them.

Hi-Point gets a bad name because of the older models which were poorly made. The new polymer framed models are in a whole different class.
I don't know what Cheap guns the people in your classes use, but I'd bet they're not Hi-Points. They're more likely Lorcins or Jennings.

I'm not saying Glocks, HKs, and Sigs are bad guns. They're great if you have three or 400 dollars lying around to spend, but I think the OP has said he doesn't.

I'm going to visit my son in Arizona ,while I'm there I'm going to pick me up a pair of Glock 9mm they sell guns at swap meets there,no muss no fuss,probably cheaper too

reply to post by bamaoutlaw

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Yeah, its insane I know. They just keep getting stricter. I will stock up on ammo as soon as I purchase a gun, but the FOID Card takes 1 month to be approved after you apply. I will also train, they have a really good range close to my house, and they offer classes on gun safety. They even offer a Permit to Carry class that is recognized by 32 states or something like that. I will take advantage of whatever courses they are offering in my area, as you all have stated before, its best that I get prepared.

One last post............ If on a budget and you can save up a little bit longer consider a RUGER PC9 carbine and a Ruger P95 pistol. You use the same ammo .9mm and the same mags. Plus Ruger has quit making the PC9 (low sales to le do to the fact the AR is so popular) so they are cheap right now. Each one will work 100 percent and outlive us all. Ruger gets a bad rap as being cheap, but they are good guns. Good luck with whatever you choose and dont shoot yer eye out kid

I HAVE READ ENOUGH! gun snobbery at it's best...

I own the .40S&W and had 2 jams total and this was during it's break-in period, haven't had a jam SINCE.

I also own the Carbine and had some problems with the magazines, the magazines are the only problem of the Hi-Point weapons IMO.

When you load the rounds make sure they are pointed up a little not straight and it sould load fine with WWB or CCI Blazer.

I suggest to visit the Hi-Point Forum for more information.

reply to post by GrOuNd_ZeRo

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Great Info! Thanks for the link I will check it out.

want agun but don't want to pay hi dollar go to a gun show or pawn shop.
first gun get a revolver rossi makjes a nice cheap and reliable relvolver for
about 200 bucks used chambered for 357mag or 44 special. never buy a
bryco, hi standard , lama automatic they will jam on u. good quality guns
you can find cheap used are sw sigma series taurus berratta clones and ruger.

reply to post by schism85

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High point Firearms make terrible weapons, please do not buy one. They jam, break, and generally make more of a fuss than theyre worth. I own 2 GLOCK pistols and love both of them. One is a 9mm GLOCK 19, and the other is a .40 cal GLOCK 22, both shoot very accurately and i have never had a problem with either one. Breakdown is simple and straight forward, dont put yourself at risk by using a crappy firearm. Buy a GLOCK and get more than you pay for. I reccomend the GLOCK 19 9mm as a great first gun, as it was mine.

I think you should go for the MAADI MISR, its an AKM replica made in egypt, but dont let that make you think it's not high quality. AK-47, accept no substitute. You can find one for around $500

I own a Gun Shop in Stockton, CA DO NOT BUY A HI POINT hehe

You can get a Smith 40ve or 9ve for about $370 and it's a well made decent starting Gun, here in Cali we can have only 10 rounds in the mag but if other states you can have a 15 shot for a 9mm, and 13 for a 40 S&W and smith is having a promotion right now where you get $30 back in the mail or 2 EXTRA free mags the mags sell for about $45 each so I would get the 2 extra mags. The last 6 months they have been doing these promo's and I've sold tons of them people seem to be real happy with them.

I have to agree on the Hi-Point.

They have been reviewed well on occasion, but there really isn't any such thing as a bargain firearm, especially for defense.

I admit to having never fired one, but then I'd never bet my life on one, so you won't see me spending my hard-earned money on one to fire.

If money is an issue, Ruger, Taurus, and Rossi all make good reliable products at very good prices, and Ruger makes what is arguably the most rugged firearms in the industry, as they are cast rather than forged.

I can think of no worse way to die than to be caught off guard because I bought a cheap, unreliable firearm.

Probably illegal too, unless by swap meet you really mean "Gunshow". If he's buying the guns for you and you live in a different state - illegal, if you don't have an FFL or a C&R license and you're out of state - illegal.

Maybe I'm mis-reading your post, but what you are describing is essentially buying a gun off the street.

As for the OP question - Hi-Points (not High Points) do work, but they are unwieldy. The cheapest 9mm I could comfortably recommend would be a Ruger P95 or maybe one of the Taurus polymer pistols.

For the shotgun, Dick's Sporting Guns is currently selling the Pardner Pump for $189.99 - and it is a very effective little 18 inch defensive shotgun produced in China, but don't let that put you off, there are lots of satisfied customers out there.

If my budget was $400 for 2 guns, I would probably get a used Model 10 revolver (LOTS of them out there) and the Pardner, but you're pushing the envelope here. Better to spend the $400 on a Ruger P95 (and a case of cheap 9mm FMJ) and then save another $200 for the shotgun.

[edit on 20-6-2008 by Retseh]

Save your money until you can afford a quality firearm. I would get the Springfield XD. Thye hi-point is a gangster gun and is not reliable enough to bet your life on.

It seems them gansters kill more than their fair share of people with those cheap, unreliable, Hi-Point guns don't they?

Personally, I'd think living such a dangerous lifestyle would necessitate owning a reliable firearm.. Maybe they're much smarter than we give them credit for. From an economical standpoint, they can commit just as many crimes, for less money, simply by purchasing an inexpensive, quality gun like the C9.

Okay strat laughing. I own a SIG Mosquito. I love that pistol, it shoots rem. gold bullets all day and I can drive tacks at 15 yards. Now this is not the greatest home defense gun. for that get a 12ga. PUMP. the sound of a shotgun chambering a shell is the universal "oh #" sound for someone who is some where they should not be. get some turkey load or haevy duck load and you dont have to worry about over or under penetration (if you havent thaught about over penetration you should start) and with that many pellets you get an awsome pattern. as for hadguns... My advise is buy a simple to opperate controlable weapon. I got the mosquito because I knew I had the shotgun, and I am planning on getting a SIG 226 once I graduate college.

I've shot quite a few guns in my time, Hi-Points not being one of them. They are notorius for jamming during operation, dont skimp on a home defense weapon. If you have around 500 to spend on a gun, i would buy a shotgun before anything for home defense, and then you could spend the rest on a pistol if you wanted, Hi-Points are usually about 180 dollars, but, as i was told by a gun shop owner who was working his companies booth at the Fort Worth gun show, "you get what you pay for..." That was after i asked him if i should buy a Hi-Point, or save my money for a GLOCK, or something else. Remember, the man could have said anything to try and make me buy that pistol, and earn his business some profit, but instead, he told be that the weapon is cheaply made. Think before you buy...

You can get a shot gun for under $200 new in Houston. Quality isn't a concern, because of modern manufacturing techniques most shotguns you buy new will run great and accuracy at 20 yards and scatter shot is impecable