Crappy Hi-Point is crap, how do you guys get these things to actually work?

[39flathead]

Being the gun snob that I am (or so I've been called), I said I wouldn't own one of these...

A guy needed some money, and since I've gotten tired of dropping a SIG 229 13 feet from the top of a log truck, I figured what the heck, everyone clamors how great these recycled parking meters are, I figured it would be a good work gun, where getting dropped in the mud or into a waterhole wouldn't cause me any grief, so $100 later...




I tried a few rounds of Tula 9mm since I keep a hundred rounds in my car, and yep, what a piece of shit.

Inserting a loaded mag into the pile of crap with the slide locked back gave me this:


The front of the bullet gets driven down into the magazine making it impossible to drop the slide.

Here is what it looks like after dropping the mag:


Using my pocketknife and pulling up on the bullet tip allowed the slide to drop, pulling the trigger gave me a single shot with the slide locking back on the loaded magazine.

What a piece of shit, and I feel like a dumb ass for falling for the internet "these things work great but look like shit" tall tales...


So, I am asking the owners of these things, since I can't run cheap ammo in a cheap assed pistol, what ammo are you guys running that allow the gun to run?
Is the Tula too long or something?
I can run this crappy Tula in all my other 9mm's without fail, Glocks, Berettas, Sig, Canik, Super B, Daewoo... But not this cheap thing?

[PA1936MN]

I've never read good reviews always bad. Wouldn't rely on one of these with my life or anyone else's.

[39flathead]

I've never read good reviews always bad. Wouldn't rely on one of these with my life or anyone else's.

I see all kinds of guys on different forums saying that they are ugly but work great.
I figured for $100 I could leave it in my work truck and just run one of those long cable locks through the trigger guard when I go home, locking it to the seat frame instead of constantly packing in and out the Sig or Glock.

[streaker69]

Next you'll be riding a moped instead of your Harley.

[Emptymag]

Do you have another mag to help determine if it's the gun and not the mag?

[39flathead]

I'll try some different ammo tomorrow I guess, and if it doesn't work I'll take the torch to it...

[39flathead]

Do you have another mag to help determine if it's the gun and not the mag?

Nope, just the one.

Sitting here looking at it, I think I now see the problem.
What they are calling the "hold open" looks like it's so long that it's hitting the top of the bullet pressing it down into the mag and also locking the slide.

Guess I'll go dig out some different brands of ammo and try something else tomorrow.

[littlefitz]

Do you have another mag to help determine if it's the gun and not the mag?

I second this. I have heard of a lot of people fixing magazine problems by adjusting either the follower of the feed lips. I used to have a hi point and I had zero issues with it. It was pretty accurate too.

[39flathead]

Next you'll be riding a moped instead of your Harley.

Pfft... I'm going Super Moto!!!!

[gghbi]

Nope, just the one.

Sitting here looking at it, I think I now see the problem.
What they are calling the "hold open" looks like it's so long that it's hitting the top of the bullet pressing it down into the mag and also locking the slide.

Guess I'll go dig out some different brands of ammo and try something else tomorrow.

Sound like you are on to something here, I seem to remember this being a problem on some other pistols and the hold open latch had to be 'adjusted' or replaced, but I do not remember which. It is a Hi-Point so you can always send it back and they will fix it.