How does a sub-$300 9mm carbine stack up against the competition? Check out our review of the Hi-Point 995 to see if this affordable champ works for you.
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Hi-Point 995 Review: Budget Carbine Champ?
Technical Specs
The Hi-Point 995 is a 16”, 9mm blowback-operated carbine. Carbines definitely aren’t concealed carry material by any stretch, but they certainly have their place in the shooting range or home defense situations.
- Barrel length: 16.5″
- Weight: 6.25 lbs.
- Capacity: 10-shot magazine standard
- Overall length: 31”
- Sights: Fully-adjustable
- Stock: All-weather, black or hydro-dipped molded polymer (depending on model)
Build Quality and Reliability
Cutting back on price also means cutting corners in a few places, especially in terms of reliability. The aforementioned recoil pad can break with regular use, as would the polymer rail where you can attach lasers and lights.
The tolerances in some parts of the Hi-Point 995 can also be off. That, plus the fact that the gun uses cheap parts to keep costs down, causes parts to wear off faster.
Its biggest failure point however falls on the magazines – the build quality of their double-capacity magazines especially leaves a lot to be desired as they unravel and fail quite consistently with use. You can use the single stack magazines to mitigate the reliability issues, but you also end up with less capacity in the process.
Quality control isn’t the Hi-Point 995’s strongest suit either. You’re more likely to get a dud gun with this lineup over other 9mm carbines, but with its low price point, this isn’t too much of a strike against it.
Ergonomics
As far as ergonomics go, the Hi-Point 995 possesses a very small trigger guard in proportion to its body, which might not work well with larger hands or when used with gloves. This won’t be suitable for left-handed shooters either as the magazine release slides in a way that southpaws will always drop the magazine.
If you’re right-handed and have small-to-medium-sized hands, then this carbine can work very well for you. The handguard’s pretty comfortable and you can rest this easily on your shoulder and not get bogged down with the gun’s weight.
One strike against its ergonomics is its low-hanging sights, but this could be fixed with a spacer underneath the optic or using a standard AR-15 mount.
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Accuracy
Accuracy, on the other hand, is where the Hi-Point 995 shines. It retains accuracy at 100 yards, which is standard for a 9mm carbine. 9mm carbines aren’t guns you would use for hunting, but it can serve you well in a pinch.
Who is the Hi-Point 995 For?
Retailing at less than $300, this is one of, if not, the most affordable carbine available in the market right now. 9mm carbines work well for indoor home defense use due to its shallower penetration and lower sound profile.
As the Hi-Point 995 is a blowback-operated gun, it has a lot more recoil than recoil-operated carbines. To mitigate this, Hi-Point added a spring-loaded recoil pad on the stock that actually works quite well in practice.
Loading ...The Hi-Point 995 attempts to bring a 9mm carbine at a lower price point than the competition. If you only have $300 to spare, you get a very accurate shooter you can easily reach for in home defense situations, as long as make sure to manage your expectations accordingly.
Are you buying the Hi-Point 995? Let us know in the comments section below!
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