A defensive long gun on a budget and under legal restrictions

 

I had an interesting exchange with a man who read my three-part article on the personal defensive rifle, and wanted me to address his specific situation.  He has the following complications to deal with.

1. He's on a very limited budget - definitely below $500, and cheaper if possible.
2. His state and city of residence both have very restrictive firearms laws and regulations.  In combination, they effectively make it impossible for him to buy and/or use an AR-15, AK-47, SKS or similar weapon.
3. Those same laws and regulations prohibit magazines that hold more than 10 rounds, so he wants the most effective round he can carry under that restriction.
4. He's in an urban environment, so he doesn't want a round that can carry a long distance and hurt or kill an innocent person.  A pistol-caliber round is his preference.
5. His city has seen mob demonstrations and violence that may require more than a few rounds to deal with;  therefore, he wants a weapon that's reasonably quick to operate and reload.  A lever-action rifle, carbine or shotgun with a tubular magazine won't fit the bill.
6. He wants a weapon that can mount a red dot or similar sight, and also a brass catcher (the latter in the light of my warning in another article).

That's quite a set of restrictions, isn't it?  Fortunately, there's a ready-made solution that answers them all;  and despite its low price and funky appearance, it's actually a decent-quality weapon.  It's the Hi-Point pistol-caliber carbine, chambered for .380 ACP, 9mm, .40 S&W, 10mm Auto and .45 ACP.  The 10mm Auto version is illustrated below;  the others look much the same.

A lot of people look down on the Hi-Point line, particularly their handguns.  I agree, they're bulky and clunky, and I wouldn't choose one as a primary defensive weapon if I had better alternatives available.  Nevertheless, in well over two decades of training disabled shooters who were on limited budgets and could only afford Hi-Points, I've never seen one of their carbines malfunction, provided it was kept clean and lubricated.  The handguns were more problematic, but that was (in my experience) largely due to "limp-wristing" and similar problems.  The carbines didn't seem to suffer from the same problem.  They're not super-accurate (I've found 3" to 4" groups, or 3 to 4 MOA, at 100 yards are about the best I can do with them on a good day), but that's more than adequate to deal with the average defensive encounter.  What's more, with such a wide variety of calibers available, it's not a problem to find a carbine that uses the same cartridge as your defensive handgun, making ammunition supply easier and simpler.

I particularly like the 10mm Auto carbine.  Back in the 1980's, the late, great Jeff Cooper tried to promote the concept of a "Thumper", a light semi-auto carbine chambered (IIRC) for the .44 Auto Mag cartridge.  It didn't catch on, but it generated a lot of discussion.  The 10mm Auto cartridge is pretty powerful out of a handgun, and given its increase in velocity from a carbine-length barrel, it approaches Cooper's "Thumper" concept in terms of hard-hitting power.  Its recoil, which can be unpleasant in a handgun, is well tamed by the 7-pound weight of the Hi-Point carbine, making it easy to control, and it's relatively flat-shooting, allowing easy aiming out to 100 yards or more.  It can over-penetrate the human body, which might be problematic in a crowd situation:  but I respectfully submit that if we're in a crowd, we should be ducking for cover and trying to "get out of Dodge" as fast as we can, not standing up and shooting back!

The Hi-Point carbines use front and rear sights that are relatively easy to take off, if they don't work for you (I find it hard to focus on them with my older eyes).  I prefer to use a red dot sight or other simple aiming device, which makes accurate fire out to 100-150 yards relatively straightforward.  (If you're puzzled by which one to buy, a couple of decent lower-cost solutions are the Bushnell TRS-25, in low mount or raised mount versions, or the Primary Arms MD-RBGII.  I've provided literally dozens of each to disabled students over the years.)  The carbine has a Picatinny rail that makes it easy to attach or detach such sights, as well as brass catchers that keep your spent cartridge cases together and allow you to take them with you without having to waste time searching for them.

Most Hi-Point handguns and carbines use magazines holding 5, 9 or 10 rounds, making it relatively straightforward to comply with restrictions in states that have them.  There are a few higher-capacity mags, but you don't have to buy them.  What's more, Hi-Point magazines are relatively low-cost compared to those from other manufacturers;  most are under $20 from the manufacturer, and possibly even cheaper "on the street" if you get lucky.

The carbines themselves are also relatively low-cost;  you'll find them available at between $300 and $400 almost everywhere, with some special offers even dipping below $300 now and then.  At that price, not only are they affordable, but if you should break or lose one, you won't be crying too hard over your loss.  I know several families that have multiple Hi-Point carbines, one for every adult and near-adult in the group, because that defensive solution is affordable for them.  I know others who carry a Hi-Point carbine in their vehicles as an inexpensive yet effective "truck gun", and won't cost them an arm and a leg to replace if it's stolen.  It's not a bad idea, IMHO, even though I'd prefer to use a harder-hitting (but more expensive) AR-15 for the job.  You pays your money and you makes your choice.

For the set of problems outlined above, the Hi-Point range turned out to be an ideal solution.  If you share those issues, or are just very budget-restricted, take a look at their offerings.  Sure, you can do better if you can afford it:  but you could also do a lot worse.  I own a couple of Hi-Point carbines as training guns, and I don't regret spending my money on them.

Peter