[sonnymorales]

Hello,

I own a small pawn shop in a small town here in Wisconsin and was wondering if you guys could help with some advice. I am new to firearms so don't know all the terminology and how to really talk it to my customers. so heres the main question that comes up.

We deal in mostly used guns, though we do stock new Hi Point pistols (only brand we stock new)..The biggest question I get is "how do these compare to other guns?" "and are they any good?"

Now I own a C9 that i am happy (my first handgun) with and can tell them from experience how I like it, but I would like to tell them, some differences of hi points and say glocks (thats usually what comes up in the question)

I know that hi points are a "blowback" gun but not sure what this really means and how it differs from other guns?

Any insight is appreciated.

[totallytwisted]

The easiest way to explain it is like this. Hi Points use the force of the round going off to send the slide back and the spring brings her back home. At the same time the slide goes back home ( forward ) she feeds another round. I hope that helps out.
Scott

[sonnymorales]

and other makes use?

[gasman42]

you could ask a 100 people and get a 100 different answers, Try the Search Bar for your specific questions about hi point guns.(here) Search Wikipedia. check YouTube. to be Really informed your going to have do some research. Your on the Right Track. your here? just keep reading and and looking for input.

[sonnymorales]

im just really trying to see how the blowback operation differs from what other semi autos use, though im not sure what they use lol..

Currently i use a car comparison when people ask about the differences.. Cadillac and kia to be exact, though kia makes good cars you cant compare it to a caddy on the mere principle of the quality of products used/manufacturing..

I will do some more research and see what I come up with..though any input here is appreciated

[Slimshady]

Blowback operation means the only thing keeping the slide closed during firing is the weight/mass of the slide and the recoil spring force. When any gun is fired, the pressure inside the cartridge expands in all directions. Since the bullet is the lightest, easiest thing to move it gets shoved down the bbl and out the muzzle, uncorking the pressure and letting it drop to a safe level before the slide opens. To delay the opening of the slide, on a blowback it has to have a certain mass. Remember grade school science: Objects at rest tend to stay at rest? It's easier to get a croquet ball moving with a mallet than a bowling ball, right? That is why HiPoints have much larger slides than other designs.

Now a Glock, it uses a mechanical locking system to impart the delay in opening. It uses a modified version of the tiliting bbl system John Browning designed for the 1911 .45. When the slide is fully forward, the chamber portion of the bbl is shoved up into the ejection port cutout, locking the slide and bbl together. When the gun is fired, the recoil forces shove the slide and bbl backward as a unit, until a cam surface on the bottom of the bbl hits a matching piece in the frame and tilts the rear of the bbl downward. This drops the bbl chamber out of the ejection port and unlocks the slide from the bbl. The bbl now stops moving and the slide continues back, ejecting the empty and picking up a fresh round from the magazine on it's forward trip. After the round is chambered, the bbl is shoved forward by the slide, the cam tilts the rear of the bbl up and back into the ejection port, and the gun is ready for the next shot. Since the mechanical locking system is providing the delay instead of the mass of the slide, it can be much smaller and lighter.

In order to make size efficient designs for carrying, most makers consider a .380 caliber or 9mm Makarov to be the max power suitable for blowback operation, going to some form of lockup operation for 9mm Luger and greater power rounds. There are also other differences, mainly in added safety devices internal to the gun. Glocks for example do not fully cock the firing pin until the trigger is fully pulled, and they also have a block that the trigger mechanism must retract before the firing pin can move forward. Almost impossible for it to go off unless the trigger is pulled, although the lack of a manual safety has resulted in many ADS when something enters the trigger guard, usually during holstering. The HP, being a simpler design, fully cocks the firing pin at all times when the gun is chambered, and has no block to prevent the firing pin from moving forward. If the sear/firing pin interface ever fails due to wear, breakage, or improper assembly the gun will go off. Million to one odds probably, but the potential is there.

Bottom line is ya get what ya pay for, HPs are inexpensive guns that work well, but they have some design features necessitated by that cost factor that the more expensive guns do differently.

[sonnymorales]

Originally Posted by Slimshady

Blowback operation means the only thing keeping the slide closed during firing is the weight/mass of the slide and the recoil spring force. When any gun is fired, the pressure inside the cartridge expands in all directions. Since the bullet is the lightest, easiest thing to move it gets shoved down the bbl and out the muzzle, uncorking the pressure and letting it drop to a safe level before the slide opens. To delay the opening of the slide, on a blowback it has to have a certain mass. Remember grade school science: Objects at rest tend to stay at rest? It's easier to get a croquet ball moving with a mallet than a bowling ball, right? That is why HiPoints have much larger slides than other designs.

Now a Glock, it uses a mechanical locking system to impart the delay in opening. It uses a modified version of the tiliting bbl system John Browning designed for the 1911 .45. When the slide is fully forward, the chamber portion of the bbl is shoved up into the ejection port cutout, locking the slide and bbl together. When the gun is fired, the recoil forces shove the slide and bbl backward as a unit, until a cam surface on the bottom of the bbl hits a matching piece in the frame and tilts the rear of the bbl downward. This drops the bbl chamber out of the ejection port and unlocks the slide from the bbl. The bbl now stops moving and the slide continues back, ejecting the empty and picking up a fresh round from the magazine on it's forward trip. After the round is chambered, the bbl is shoved forward by the slide, the cam tilts the rear of the bbl up and back into the ejection port, and the gun is ready for the next shot. Since the mechanical locking system is providing the delay instead of the mass of the slide, it can be much smaller and lighter.

In order to make size efficient designs for carrying, most makers consider a .380 caliber or 9mm Makarov to be the max power suitable for blowback operation, going to some form of lockup operation for 9mm Luger and greater power rounds. There are also other differences, mainly in added safety devices internal to the gun. Glocks for example do not fully cock the firing pin until the trigger is fully pulled, and they also have a block that the trigger mechanism must retract before the firing pin can move forward. Almost impossible for it to go off unless the trigger is pulled, although the lack of a manual safety has resulted in many ADS when something enters the trigger guard, usually during holstering. The HP, being a simpler design, fully cocks the firing pin at all times when the gun is chambered, and has no block to prevent the firing pin from moving forward. If the sear/firing pin interface ever fails due to wear, breakage, or improper assembly the gun will go off. Million to one odds probably, but the potential is there.

Bottom line is ya get what ya pay for, HPs are inexpensive guns that work well, but they have some design features necessitated by that cost factor that the more expensive guns do differently.

thank you for the info...it is much appreciated and always good to learn something new

[rockcreek]

I sell a lot of Hi-Points, and get the same question quite often. I explain the design and material differences between the HP and say, a 1911. There is a lot more labor intensive machining in the 1911, as well as the cost of materials. The Hi-Point was designed from the ground up to be inexpensive to produce, as well as reliable. The car comparison is a good one, both the Kia and the Cadillac will get you from point A to point B. The Caddy might look a lot better doing it, but probably isn't any more reliable than the Kia.

[osbornk]

Originally Posted by sonnymorales

im just really trying to see how the blowback operation differs from what other semi autos use, though im not sure what they use lol..

Currently i use a car comparison when people ask about the differences.. Cadillac and kia to be exact, though kia makes good cars you cant compare it to a caddy on the mere principle of the quality of products used/manufacturing..

I will do some more research and see what I come up with..though any input here is appreciated

I spent years making fun of Kias an the people who bought them. I bought a new Kia Optima last fall. Best car I ever had and the fit and finish is superior to the other 18 new cars I have had (all American). If I had listened to the "experts", I would have paid more money for less car. That experience caused me to consider a Hi Point C9 rather than a Glock 19. I am happy with both my Kia and C9. I do admit to being cheap.

[R.Ph. 380]

Originally Posted by osbornk

I am happy with both my Kia and C9. I do admit to being cheap.

You're not cheap, you're just thrifty.

Like I'm not fat, I'm tactically padded

Bill