So my buddy picked up a technically used but unfired Hi Point C-9 9mm pistol for $160. My first question to him was, why on Earth did you do that? He basically wanted a cheap trunk gun. We shot it a few days ago.
My impressions of the C-9.
1. Bad - As ugly as ever, man these are hard to look at.
2. Bad - As heavy as ever, the nickname Boat Anchor is well deserved.
3. Bad - It appeared to be made of relatively cheap materials and fit/finish was not spectacular.
4. Good - Using cheap target ammo it had absolutely no failures of any kind.
5. Good - Decent sights and more than accurate enough for it's intended use.
6. Good - It was extremely comfortable to shoot, meaning felt recoil is lighter than any 9mm I have shot by a wide margin. Not really surprising since cycling it means moving the slide that is reminiscent of a Trident nuclear submarine. If weight is an issue for smaller folks or women then the comfort factor may go down.
7. Good - If I recall Hi Point has a reputation for excellent customer service, a big plus IMHO.
It doesn't seem like it will hold up to thousands of rounds as well as more expensive guns but that's just speculation on my part based on one range trip. My buddy plans to just shoot it enough to make sure it functions, the sights are on, get himself proficient with it and maybe occasionally just to re-check function. Then clean it and put it back in the trunk, hopefully where nobody will see it in order to avoid the ridicule of people knowing he owns it.
Overall for $160 it's hard to beat for an unfired 9mm pistol unless you find a good used Ruger, S&W, Kahr, etc for that money (possible but not likely). Even brand new the C-9 is only $200.
We are far from gun snobs, we both love SKSs for goodness sake! I kid around about the appearance and stigma of the C-9 but I was surprised at how well it functioned with good accuracy and comfort.
My buddy bought it as an emergency backup gun to get him home if the SHTF while he is someplace he cannot carry, as long as he can get back to his car. For that purpose I think this gun fits the bill pretty darn well for people who don't want to spend $400-$500+ on a gun to sit in the trunk as an emergency backup.
My impressions of the C-9.
1. Bad - As ugly as ever, man these are hard to look at.
2. Bad - As heavy as ever, the nickname Boat Anchor is well deserved.
3. Bad - It appeared to be made of relatively cheap materials and fit/finish was not spectacular.
4. Good - Using cheap target ammo it had absolutely no failures of any kind.
5. Good - Decent sights and more than accurate enough for it's intended use.
6. Good - It was extremely comfortable to shoot, meaning felt recoil is lighter than any 9mm I have shot by a wide margin. Not really surprising since cycling it means moving the slide that is reminiscent of a Trident nuclear submarine. If weight is an issue for smaller folks or women then the comfort factor may go down.
7. Good - If I recall Hi Point has a reputation for excellent customer service, a big plus IMHO.
It doesn't seem like it will hold up to thousands of rounds as well as more expensive guns but that's just speculation on my part based on one range trip. My buddy plans to just shoot it enough to make sure it functions, the sights are on, get himself proficient with it and maybe occasionally just to re-check function. Then clean it and put it back in the trunk, hopefully where nobody will see it in order to avoid the ridicule of people knowing he owns it.
Overall for $160 it's hard to beat for an unfired 9mm pistol unless you find a good used Ruger, S&W, Kahr, etc for that money (possible but not likely). Even brand new the C-9 is only $200.
We are far from gun snobs, we both love SKSs for goodness sake! I kid around about the appearance and stigma of the C-9 but I was surprised at how well it functioned with good accuracy and comfort.
My buddy bought it as an emergency backup gun to get him home if the SHTF while he is someplace he cannot carry, as long as he can get back to his car. For that purpose I think this gun fits the bill pretty darn well for people who don't want to spend $400-$500+ on a gun to sit in the trunk as an emergency backup.
Last edited: