Hi-Point Model 995 9mm Carbine

Hi-Point Firearms of Dayton, Ohio has been distributing the Hi-Point line of pistols and carbines for several years now. The guns are very popular with folks who know very little about firearms, and are just getting into shooting, mainly because of their relatively low price. However, many experienced shooters look down their noses at the low-priced weapons, and declare that they could not be very reliable nor accurate, without ever firing one. I too have been guilty of that, thinking that the Hi-Point line must be of low quality, due to the low price. I was wrong. For a concealed carry handgun, I find the pistols to be larger than what I want to carry, and I have never fired a Hi-Point pistol, but from reports that I hear, they seem to work pretty well. I also hear a lot of good reports about the Hi-Point carbine, and that is the subject of this piece. Shooters that have them seem to love them, so I thought that it was time for me to give one a try.

Like their handguns, Hi-Point carbines are priced well below the competition, and for a long time, I ignored the weapons, mainly for the reason that I never had one available, but had not really pursued getting one either. That oversight on my part has now been corrected, and I have been playing around with this particular 9mm carbine for a couple of weeks now.

The Hi-Point carbine weighs in at seven pounds, five ounces decked out with the accessories shown on it here. I did not strip it down to weigh the bare carbine, as I liked it just the way it is. It wears a high-intensity flashlight, as well as a laser and vertical foregrip. These accessories work well on the Hi-Point, and are also very reasonably priced. I like a laser sight on any weapon that might be used in a low-light situation. The laser is activated by a pressure switch, so it is only “ON” when you need it. The flashlight is activated by a crossbolt type switch, and puts out a really bright beam of white light. The carbine shown here also wears a muzzle brake that attached with one Allen bolt, and the wrench is provided.

The sights on the Hi-Point carbine are very easy to use, and consists of a rear aperture and a protected front post. Both front and rear are adjustable for elevation, with a very wide range of adjustment, and the rear is adjustable for windage correction. The laser sight is very effective, and useful out past 100 yards, depending upon the light conditions.

The stock of the Hi-Point carbine is made of a reinforced polymer. The vertical foregrip folds both forward and back by pressing a button. It locks rigidly in place. It attaches to a rail underneath the forearm. There is also a rail atop the receiver for attaching a scope or other optical sight, and the rear sight housing is detachable if necessary to mount the chosen scope.

For accuracy testing, I removed the rear sight and mounted a Leupold 6.5 to 20 power target scope in a set of Weaver-compatible aluminum rings. Accuracy was very good, and I tested for group size at a range of fifty yards. The Hi-Point turned in a few groups that were under one inch, and looking at the lateral dispersion, it is obvious that the spread of the group was my fault, as the group pattern indicates shooter error. Anyway, the carbine was a lot more accurate than I would have guessed, and I am well-pleased with the accuracy performance. Out of the carbine’s sixteen and one-half inch barrel the performance of 9mm ammo is substantially greater than from a handgun barrel. Also, due to the gun’s heft and the excellent telescoping butt pad, felt recoil is nothing. There is absolutely no pain at all delivered to the shooter’s shoulder. Upon firing, the butt plate has about one-half inch of travel to absorb what little recoil there is. The Hi-Point carbine fires from a closed bolt, and is a straight blowback action.

I fired a variety of ammunition over the chronograph to check velocities, with the results listed in the chart below. Velocities are listed in feet-per-second. Bullet weights are listed in grains. JHP is a jacketed hollowpoint bullet. DPX is a hollow nose homogenous copper bullet. FP is a frangible, pre-fragmented flatnose bullet. FMJ is a full metal jacket roundnose bullet. Velocities were taken at an elevation of 541 feet above sea level, with an air temperature of around the thirty-three degrees Fahrenheit mark.

Ammunition	Bullet Weight	Velocity
WCC NATO FMJ	124	1325
Buffalo Bore +P JHP	147	1312
Cor-Bon +P JHP	115	1704
Cor-Bon Pow’RBall	100	1717
Cor-Bon +P DPX	115	1363
International Cartridge FP	100	1482

As can be seen in the velocity chart, the Hi-Point puts out plenty of power for a defensive carbine. The weapon is a lot of fun to shoot, and is very easy on recoil. The magazine holds ten rounds, and fits flush with the pistol grip. The charging handle is easy to operate, even for someone with limited hand strength. The Hi-Point would make a very good home defense carbine.

The Hi-Point carbine has a very good warranty. It is a lifetime warranty, and follows the weapon, so if you sell it, the next owner gets the same warranty. This is an important feature with any weapon. With this carbine, I had to test the Hi-Point warranty. Any gun maker can make a weapon that needs repair, and I have had my share. It is how they handle the problem that matters. Soon after shooting began, the carbine developed a trigger problem. I sent the carbine back for repair, and within two weeks I had the weapon back in my hands, and it has ran perfectly ever since. It has fed, fired, and ejected every type of 9mm ammo that I have tried.

The Hi-Point 9mm carbine is a short, handy, reliable weapon that would be ideal as a home defense carbine. Recoil is non-existent, even with the Plus P ammo tested, so everyone in the family can be trained to use this weapon. It has plenty of accuracy for predator control, and is a lot of fun to shoot. While there is still a national ammo shortage in this country, 9mm seems to still be plentiful and affordable.

The Hi-Point carbine is one-hundred percent made in the USA. It proves that a weapon does not have to be expensive to shoot well, nor does it have to be made in some third-world country to be inexpensive. If you are needing a modern pistol-caliber carbine, give the Hi-Point a look at www.hi-pointfirearms.com.

Leupold scope.

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