Cheap firearms during tough times.

[bignaz]

Now like everyone knows people are still falling on hard times. Money is hard to come by and crime is gone way up making the need for personal protection something more and more are considering. Now many people just dont have the money to buy a $500 pistol let alone a $1,000 +. Perhaps they want something they can openly carry or simply something small to give them peace of mind and the cheaper shot guns are just to large.

Now a brand overlooked by anyone who has not shot one is hi point. They make cheap American made firearms in Ohio.  Now i have shot the C9 and 995 and they preformed flawless and were very accurate.

The C9 is a great pistol with some pros and cons. But all and all you cant go wrong for about $120. Yes they are heavy, chunky, worst triggers ever and are a pain to clean but you know what? After you learn the trigger it is spot on and can hold its own with the pistols from the big guys in terms of accuracy. The sights are fully adjustable the mag release is perfect in my opinion in terms of size and what not.  They also have a great life time warranty that travels with the firearm so if you sell it the buys will also get the same warranty. Service time is great and they work fast and get you firearm back to you asap. 


As of today i have put 2,000 rounds on a C9 mixed match of field ammo, reloads and hallow points and i never had any issues at all. After getting use to the trigger the pistol was spot on and very accurate.  However the 995 magazines will not feed for the C9 but they do make 10 round magazines for the C9.


This brand is overlooked because of the price and how ugly they are. Very few people who call them junk have ever held one let alone shot one. For the price you really cant go wrong. Its a quality firearm and Hi point really stands behind their products and that says a lot. I would really like to see someone make a full trigger replacement kit for these that makes the trigger much nicer but you cant have it all and what matters they did a pretty good job on.


The Hi point pistols will serve you will. Just remember to maintain it like anything and learn your firearm. Just because money is tight it does not mean you can not afford a quality firearm and piece of mind.




Now if you decide to carry you will need a quality holster. Mind you these will run almost more then the firearm its self but a good holster is worth its weight in gold. Don Hume holsters for SW40VE fit the C9 pretty good. Galco also has some nice holsters for the C9 and some that fit the C9.

[wardog6t]

The HiPoint C9 rocks. Got my first one this year and the thing goes bang. I ended up getting the comp version. Its pretty funny looking but the thing runs. I haven't ran as many rounds through as you but hope to. Definite budget gun I picked mine up used off MGO for $125... The one thing I will give to the C9 is it is accurate. I mostly purchased it for the wife to shoot but it turns out everyone ends up shooting it and loving it. One reason I think some people hate them is because they have probably been out shot by the Hipoint by a friend. This ugly duckling truly is a firearms gem for quality, dependability and accuracy and a low do price.

[wardog6t]

I also notice your thread subject said firearm so I will also put my plug in for the SKS. Lots of people hate the SKS, state they will blow up, there junk, blah blah blah. For a low price dependable primary rifle the SKS is hard to beat. My only recommendation is if you purchase a SKS leave it a SKS. They are not designed for scopes. I have seen guys scopes just about every where and none of them work or continue to work properly. Some people also like the wasr-10's. I would put my SKS up against any wasr-10 any day of the week. The bigger issue I have with the SKS is do not remove the stock magazine. There is nothing wrong with it. Ammo reloads are faster with stripper clips then with these non conventional after market magazines that do not fit, do not function properly and are a pain in the ass to change. I think you can still get the yugo SKS for around $200. Which isn't bad for a .30 caliber rifle battle rifle. Ammo is very cheap for the caliber. You can actually deer hunt with it with a minor mod to the mag, and not have to worry about having enough gun. Its plain out fun to shoot. I have owned 4 SKS's in my life time and am down to one now. I never had a problem with any of them other then problems I caused.

[bignaz]

I also notice your thread subject said firearm so I will also put my plug in for the SKS. Lots of people hate the SKS, state they will blow up, there junk, blah blah blah. For a low price dependable primary rifle the SKS is hard to beat. My only recommendation is if you purchase a SKS leave it a SKS. They are not designed for scopes. I have seen guys scopes just about every where and none of them work or continue to work properly. Some people also like the wasr-10's. I would put my SKS up against any wasr-10 any day of the week. The bigger issue I have with the SKS is do not remove the stock magazine. There is nothing wrong with it. Ammo reloads are faster with stripper clips then with these non conventional after market magazines that do not fit, do not function properly and are a pain in the ass to change. I think you can still get the yugo SKS for around $200. Which isn't bad for a .30 caliber rifle battle rifle. Ammo is very cheap for the caliber. You can actually deer hunt with it with a minor mod to the mag, and not have to worry about having enough gun. Its plain out fun to shoot. I have owned 4 SKS's in my life time and am down to one now. I never had a problem with any of them other then problems I caused.

SKS is the better made more accurate granddaddy of the AK.  I would take a SKs over a Ak any day of the week.

[wardog6t]

Ok so we've established a starting to point for a rifles and handguns, now lets look at the shotgun a staple for any personal arsenal- defensive long gun. There are several pump shotguns that can be had for around $200 and under. My first choice is the H&R New England Pardner in 20 ga. This shotgun can be had for right around $200 and is a great choice for both hunting,home defense. There are other models available for roughly the same price. The Maverick 88 comes to mind which seems like a solid platform. . A new gun I have seen is the Tri Star Cobra Tactical Pump for around $250 seems to be a sweet little gem.

So with a little savings and some common sense you can have a quality 3 gun solution for right around $500. Personally I think a primary rifle,shotgun and handgun is the very basic starting point for anyone. Its kind of like ready.gov has there list of 3 days of food, water, batteries. Firearms people should have a 3 gun system with so many rounds for each. Go bags ready to roll!

[bignaz]

Ok so we've established a starting to point for a rifles and handguns, now lets look at the shotgun a staple for any personal arsenal- defensive long gun. There are several pump shotguns that can be had for around $200 and under. My first choice is the H&R New England Pardner in 20 ga. This shotgun can be had for right around $200 and is a great choice for both hunting,home defense. There are other models available for roughly the same price. The Maverick 88 comes to mind which seems like a solid platform. . A new gun I have seen is the Tri Star Cobra Tactical Pump for around $250 seems to be a sweet little gem.

So with a little savings and some common sense you can have a quality 3 gun solution for right around $500. Personally I think a primary rifle,shotgun and handgun is the very basic starting point for anyone. Its kind of like ready.gov has there list of 3 days of food, water, batteries. Firearms people should have a 3 gun system with so many rounds for each. Go bags ready to roll!

I going to have to go with the china made Ithaca Mod.37 clone with 18" Picked one up from Gander Mtn. For $175 on sale and its a great shooter.  Its a 12 gauge so you can get pretty much any round you would like and in a home for social work nothing beats 00 buck. Has nice ghost ring sights bottom load and eject. Its a great gun they did a good job on the clone. I got about 400 rounds on it with not a problem and some of them were cut shells and waxers "My personal home deff. 12 gauge round"

[wardog6t]

Now this is getting a bit off topic so I apologize in advance. Most reference to avid firearms enthusiast refer to 3 gun system. Primary Rifle, Shotgun and handgun. Most time often relative to one user. I have adopted my own philosophy in this regard to a 5 gun system. Where as I include my wife who is not going to be able to ruck up with 3 guns and gear. Hence the almighty .22 caliber. Every firearms owner should own a .22 for various reasons. Which many of us already know. $100 and some change and you can have a very comparable rifle with lots of ammo capacity. Even in the worse case scenario having a 3 even 4 gun solution is better then none.  This considering a 2 person team of husband and wife. Anyone can handle and accurately fire a .22 cal. Its light and easy to point,aim,shoot and hit a target. Which is all we can ask for. Owning a 22 also allows cheap practice for everyone in your family. As kids get old enough to handle firearms they to will have to be included in to your family's tactical concept of firearms related readiness. Having a family who is knowledgeable and has some sort of tactical readiness is the new era of our society. As more and more people opt for self reliance, tactical readiness is just a small part of this new movement. Whenever people ask me about a firearms and wanting to purchase there first. I almost always recommend the .22

[gryphon]

I would take a SKs over a Ak any day of the week.

I've seen a number of people say the same thing.

[bignaz]

I've seen a number of people say the same thing.

A lot of people are cough up in the myth that the AK is the best gun ever. Its not it is what it is a cheaply made assault rifle for country's that can not afford to equip their troops with modern weapons.

I have seen AK's jam...Alot. I spent some time with one when i did PMC work in Afg. and i got use to kicking that bolt back with my boot when it would jam up. Secondly it is very inaccurate and does not handle recoil well at all even for a small 762 X 39mm.  The SKS is a far far far superior weapon. People will say well its not automatic..Well China had Automatic SKS's. Im sorry but i dont trust a weapon stamped from a tin can with rails spot welded then the thing held together with rivets. I would much rather have a machined rifle thats built to last. Now i know they have machined AK's but they are still very inaccurate. It is what it is, A cheaply made rifle. The SKS was a finally crafted rifle that was built to be used in service and last a long time as the AK is the disposable camera of rifles. 


Regardless its a good cheap rifle. However the SKS is so much better and much cheaper.