Posted on 02/05/2007 7:46:47 PM PST by Bat_Chemist
So I'm looking over the web for a new handgun (the only one we own is my wife's 9-shot .22, a pretty little piece, but not much for home defense). I came across the website for Hipoint firearms, makers of "polymer frame" handguns, and I thought, "Wouldn't that be really unstable and fragile?" I wanted to get the opinions of the "strangers I trust" here at FR before I actually go drop a couple hundred there. And that's the other thing...these guns are American made and inexpensive. Are they too good to be true?
Don't depend on a .22. Colt & S&W .38 revolvers are fine.
Hey, my Bryco was a really good gun till the barrel cracked.
Don't get me wrong...I LOVE the .22, but it's a 9-shot, short-barrelled revolver. Great stopping power...for rats ans squirrels (IF you can hit 'em...).
My daughter absolutely adores that piece.
That's only for those folks stupid enough to try and "CLEAR" their home when they hear that bump in the night. Stay put in the master bedroom, stay out of the line of fire with the bedroom door. Call 911 and wait for the cavalry. If you have kids in the home, get them into the safe room immediately! That is the ONLY reason to leave a covered position! Tell the 911 Operator the address first thing, then tell them your position in the home. Instruct the operator to send the cops to your bedroom window and you will toss them your house keys with permission to enter. Tell the operator and cops you're armed. When a cop knocks on the door and slides his ID under the door for proof, THEN and ONLY THEN exit the safe room leaving the gun behind and having your hands in plain sight. Don't be surprised when you see the drawn guns aimed your way. Cops have to be careful, too.
Speaking as a certified firearms instructor, I think you should reassess that conclusion. Actually, the 40 has a much sharper recoil in the form of barrel jump. VERY SNAPPY. Much more so than almost any 45ACP in any configuration.
My wife's favorite gun is the Colt Combat Commander 45 I got her after she tried to "co-opt" my Government M1911.
My daughter prefers her Ruger SP101 357 magnum. She doesn't like semiautos because she says there are "too many parts moving at the same time."
If you're concerned about grip size, may I suggest the Springfield Arms XD45? I got rid of my Glock M30 because it was "too blocky" in my somewhat smallish hands. The XD is quite comfortable.
Leave their pistols on the shelf. The carbine is ok.
Lots of good reliable choices out there for under $200. Shtoguns and used revolvers top the list.
And, as more than one expert has pointed out, for close quarters the only man-portable weapon more effective than a shotgun is a flamethrower.
I was squadded with Massad at the IDPA Nationals this year. A nice guy who practices what he preaches. He shot the match with a Ruger Security Six revolver.
1: if you're not going to be holding your pistol stiff armed, you're MUCH better off holding a shotgun from the hip. the butt stock held tight against your side will give you much stability.
2: shotgun has a better spread and is more likely to hit an intruder
3: shotgun is less likely to blow thru a wall and endanger innocents in the next room or house.
4: get a forward pistol grip for your shotty, that makes it much harder for a goblin to pull the barrel out of your hand.
5: if a goblin does get his hand on your weapon, its much more effective to butt stoke the goblin with you shotty than it is to strike him with your bare hand.
6: if you're "clearing" your house, you're opening yourself up to ambush.
7: if you're truly afraid of getting the end of your weapon grabbed, mount a bayonette.
I wouldn't recommend the latter for home defense. At least not if it's your home.
My friend's dad died, and Rod (my friend) inherited his guns. He had several, all flashy-looking, all POSs. Even worse than the Tec was the .22 Scorpion -- a scale model of a Czech submachine gun, with a banana clip full of .22LR.
I was the first to fire the Scorpion. I checked everything, chambered the first round and squeezed. BRRRRAP! Out came three rounds. The range monitors on the other side of the glass popped up like jack-in-boxes. I hastily tried to gesture "dude, not my gun."
Thinking that it might just be me, that it might have a hair trigger and I might have twitched, I cleared the jammed round and tried again. BRRRRAP! At that point, the range monitors came through the door and I explained in person that my friend had just inherited these guns, we'd never fired them before, and yes, sir, of course I'll clear, unload and put this thing away and never, ever bring it the hell in here again.
I found out much later that there was a "recall" (more likely intended as an advertisement) of the Scorpion, because it could -- through normal wear and tear, with or without owner intervention -- become fully automatic. I choose to believe that Rod's dad didn't intentionally modify it. The only reason I got three-round bursts is that three rounds was the most it would fire without jamming.
Rod sold all of his dad's guns and used the money to get an H&K USP 9. Smartest move he ever made.
Of course, with an accurate gun, we found another way to anger the range monitors. Michael, who usually joined us at the range, had read that Mossad agents used 3x5 index cards as practice targets. We brought a pack of index cards, because (a) it was cool, and (2) they're much cheaper than regulation targets or silhouettes.
Problem is, with a target that small, we kept picking off the clothespins. The range monitor said that the next time we came back -- in a tone of voice that implied that we shouldn't, ever -- we should bring a roll of tape for the cards.
what's more likely to hit an intruder, a 2-3" spread shooting 8 pellets almost as large as a 9mm- or a single 9mm round?
i understand that neither is worth anything if you don't aim properly. but in the stressful situation, where you are likely to be nervous, that extra couple inches of pattern can be the difference between life and death.
No dispute. (and I never took a position contratry to most of what you are arguing.) Just clarifying a common misconception about spread being meaningful in a close fight.
I keep a 12 ga. under the bed. Loaded with 00 buckshot. Surefire fore end light.
7: if you're truly afraid of getting the end of your weapon grabbed, mount a bayonette.
My house shotgun is a Winchester M-12. No disconnector.
But I prefer #1 buck. 24 .22 pellets as opposed to 9 .33 pellets in #00. (2 3/4" shells). A number of African PH's use that load for follow up on injured leopard in thick brush.
Oops, I meant #4 buck. Sheesh... :(
Why would you trust your life to a cheap gun? There are some things in life you just shouldn't compromise on. You shouldn't wear cheap helmets, use a cheap doctor, or carry a cheap gun. The savings just aren't worth the risk.
I have owned both the 995 Carbine and C9 handgun. The carbine was fun to shoot and quite accurate. It did fail(broken firing pin) after an inordinately short period of use and had to be sent back to the factory for "lifetime warranty" service work. The C9 handgun is horrible.
I sold both and invested in a Browning High Power. In my view you should steer clear of Hi Point firearms and save your money for something of higher quality.
VERY good tip....thanks.
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