![]() The sides of the buttstock flex, and they are accented by Allen bolts countersunk in place. Metal parts of the gun are, of course, the barrel and receiver and also the protective area around the front and rear sights. For those who think the cheap-looking plastic stock and forend topped with “ray-gun” cooling ribs over the barrel give it a toy-like appearance, well then this is one evil-looking toy. The overall appearance of the Hi-Point carbine is, in a word, foreboding. Using the pistol grip to pull the stock tightly into the pectoral area of the chest, with shoulders rolled forward, the model 995 adapts easily to contemporary entry team techniques where a narrow, compact profile is key. The sights are ghost ring types, and this allows for heads-up viewing. The Hi-Point 995, in contrast, promotes not a game hunting stance like the Ruger, but rather a man-hunting stance that is mobile. Holding the Ruger carbine, the shooter lays the cheek on the stock and sights down the bore in typical style. This results in at least one major operational difference. Though each of our test rifles was chambered for 9mm Parabellum, operated on a blowback design fed by pistol-type magazines, and featured a composite stock, the Hi-Point 995 and the Ruger PC9 are separated by ergonomics. We also fired the guns offhand to test the practical ergonomics of each carbine, shooting two-shot bursts (double-taps) as well as emptying the magazine. All tests were performed with the sights provided. Hollow points included 95-grain Starfire cartridges from PMC and Black Hills’s 115-grain +P. ![]() We fired full metal jacket ammunition from Winchester (115-grain roundnose) and the longer flat-nosed 147-grain Subsonic. Instead of limiting ourselves to only three types of ammunition, we chose to fire four to see if we could find a round that caused jamming - a function fault that would kill these guns in our eyes. In our second set, we supported the guns fore and aft with bench bags. This is a common technique for rifles such as the AR-15 or, in this case the Hi-Point 995, where extra elevation from the bench is necessary due to its pistol grip design. One method was sandbag support underneath the forend with the butt held tightly against the shoulder, while the weak hand stabilized the buttstock. We actually used two different holds for our shots. Īccuracy data was collected from a bench rest at 50 yards. We dare say both Hi-Point and Ruger may well see increased sales merely from our display of their wares. We decided to visit a public range to test, and as a result, we had to deal with the interest and enthusiasm of the many owners who were getting in their first shots with the toys Santa had brought them. Ultimately, however, we would have to base our recommendation solely on the evidence resulting from testing a single product sample, just like any other consumer would. At least subconsciously, we couldn’t help but expect more from the Ruger product, considering it cost more than twice what the Hi-Point did. The price of the PC9 is, in our opinion, more in line with what one should expect to pay for a well-made firearm. But there are rare exceptions, and the Hi-Point turned out to be one of them. We have come to learn that in nearly every case, what you don’t pay for you don’t get. In fact, the ultra-low price of the Hi-Point put us on guard. On the subject of price, the Hi-Point product is cheaper than nearly any pistol or revolver you can find - even less expensive than some of Hi-Point’s other firearms. Best traits: The PC9 and the Hi-Point are inexpensive to shoot - firepower to the people, as it were. ![]() Instead, they are best used as plinking or self-defense pieces, in our estimation. Its profile is of a classic rifle punctuated by a long, narrow magazine hanging just ahead of the trigger guard.īut our test weapons were not specifically designed for military or police use. The Ruger, on the other hand, closely resembles a military rifle from the 1940s. The Hi-Point cuts the figure of the type of machine pistol one envisions in the hands of SWAT or Special Forces. The two short rifles in question are in fact the $575 Ruger PC9, which operates from magazines common to Ruger’s P85-95 series pistols, and Hi-Point’s 9mm Carbine, $199. Without actually seeing the subjects of this month’s test, we imagined these two 9mm carbines as being a poor man’s AR-15, or perhaps an MP5.
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