By Jim Dickson | Contributing Editor
Charlie Brown, the President of MKS Supply, with one of his Hi-Point .45ACP Carbines.
High-Point firearms from MKS Supply fill a desperate need in the firearms market by providing affordable reliable defense guns to the people who cannot afford more expensive guns.
They have been doing this for 35 years now and they have established a fine reputation in that time.
Even with an improved economy, many Americans may not have the money for an Auto Ordnance M1927A1 Thompson semi-auto carbine or an Inland M1 carbine or M1911A1. This is where Hi-Point comes in. They make both a .45 ACP semi-auto carbine and a .45ACP pistol for a fraction of the cost of their competitors. The MSR of the pistol is a mere $189 and the carbine is $355. They may not be the best but they are accurate, rugged and reliable and they get the job done.
David Jones firing the .45ACP Hi-Point carbine.
Let’s focus on the Hi-Point .45 ACP semi-auto carbine.
Like the pistol the Hi-Point carbine is a simple blow back operated firearm made of steel and Dupont Super Tuff polymer. The Polymer parts make it easy for Hi-Point to offer various camoflage versions like the one shown on the test gun. It has a 17.5-inch threaded barrel and measures a compact 32 inches overall. That’s an inch and three quarters shorter than a M1928A1 Thompson SMG. It weighs a mere 7 pounds and has a 6-pound single stage trigger with a crisp let off. There is a blade front sight and a ghost ring rear sight. A Picatinny rail is provided for a scope mount and the iron sights come off easily if you want to scope it.
The carbine uses the same 9-round magazine as the pistol but it can take a 20-round magazine as well. That’s five more rounds than the 15-shot M1 carbine magazines issued in WWII carried. The original box magazine for the M1921 and M1928 Thompson SMG was 20 rounds. The 30-shot magazine for them came out in WWII.
Between the blow back operation and the 7-pound weight the felt recoil is negligible.
With the blow back system of operation you basically have a closed bolt semi-auto only firearm with all the attendant reliability that goes with it. There is no gas system to clog and jam up the gun and no complicated locking system. Just a simple reliable design for long trouble-free use.
Handling qualities are extremely good and that is critical in a defensive firearm. It hangs very steady allowing for precise shot placement. Accuracy is all you could ask for and the gun is well suited to hunting. It is a far superior gun and cartridge than the famed Winchester M1873 .44-40 which killed more North American game of all types than any other rifle and cartridge combination in history due to the timing of it’s arrival on the frontier.
Just remember to use the G.I. Hardball ammo on any bigger game where you need the extra penetration.
Like the .44-40, the .45ACP can and has killed everything in North America. It will kill small game without ruining a lot of the meat yet it still will put down moose and bear. It is a true all-round cartridge.
For defensive use I would never use anything but the G.I. Hardball ammo as it has never been found lacking on fanatical enemy troops in wartime and it has the ability to shoot through cover that expanding bullets lack. I have a WW2 Army manual that bluntly states that the .45 ACP cartridge has more stopping power than the .30-06. Neither of these cartridges ever had the shocking failures to stop that have consistently marred the history of the 5.56 NATO round in combat.
The elaborate Hi-Point magazine feed lips designed for positive round control and maximum reliability.
As a combat weapon rapid semi-auto fire will accomplish the results of full auto fire with less wasted ammunition. With the Hi-Point carbine you will get this results with fewer misses. Since it fires from a closed bolt you will also get extremely accurate single shots. On most battlefields it is hard to see the enemy at 200 yards and beyond as he is doing his best to hide from you. This is well within this carbine’s effective range while civilians shooting in self-defense are almost invariably very close range affairs.
In either case when dealing with a threat inside a building having a gun that can shoot through the walls flanking a doorway can be a lifesaving advantage. This is no place for expanding bullets.
The Hi-Point carbine also fills the bill for a truck gun where it’s compact 32 inch overall length makes it handy to get to. Like all guns carried in a truck it will need a thorough cleaning on a regular basis as carrying a gun in a dusty truck constitutes firearms abuse. Between the inevitable grit and the moisture condensation this is a high maintenance environment that requires constant cleaning.
A lot of people have been caching guns and ammo, burying them in water tight sections of plastic pipe with end caps glued on the pipe. Back when surplus SKS rifles were selling for $100 apiece a lot of them ended up in such caches. The price and effectiveness of the Hi-Point pistol and rifle make them a natural for this purpose.
I had 300 rounds of Barnaul steel cased FMJ ammo for the test firing of both guns, 150 rounds apiece. Barnaul is made with polymer coated steel cases to keep the cost down. It is some of the most accurate ammo made. Using 2-inch diameter test barrels made in the Czech Republic Barnaul expects all their ammo to group inside a half inch at 100 yards. Unless you are shooting one of these test barrels that’s a whole lot more accurate than any gun you have. Barnaul is some of the highest quality ammo made and it is delivered at a budget price by MKS Supply. It enables you to afford to shoot enough to be a good shot and also to to accumulate enough ammo for emergencies to come.
Left-side view of the Hi-Point Carbine.
Using the high visibility post front and ghost ring rear sight I was able to get 2 ½-inch groups at 100 yards. That’s a lot better accuracy than most folks would expect from this gun and I was favorably impressed.
There is a secondary pair of feed lips on the magazine in front of the regular ones. These are intended to insure positive cartridge control in feeding in order to prevent jams. One should use extra caution loading the magazines as they have sharp enough corners and edges to lacerate you thumb if a cartridge slips while you are loading the clip.
When cleaning this or any gun from the muzzle you should use a brass muzzle cleaning rod guide for the cleaning rod to protect the rifling at the crown of the barrel. Otherwise you will eventually do enough damage to degrade the accuracy. I use the guides made by J. Dewey Mfg. Co. Inc. They are simple, inexpensive, and they work.
The High-Point carbine is a viable alternative for those on a limited budget and it could save a lot of innocent lives over the coming years.
