Gun Review: Hi-Point 995 9mm Carbine

For this installment of Shooting from the Hip, I decided to do a review of the Hi-Point 995 9mm Carbine.  Now, before I get too far, you should know a few things about me and this blog.  When it comes to firearms and their reliability and function, I am not going to take someone else's word for it.  I will not make a decision on a firearm until I have had personal experience with it.  If it works as it should, I will share that information with you.  If it fails to function as it should, I will share that with you as well.  This blog is not sponsored by anyone, and I am not beholden to anyone.  


That said, you should know that one thing I cannot abide is gun-snobbery.  Especially when it comes from someone who has never owned or used the firearm they are detracting.  I do not need someone telling me that a firearm is "junk" who has no basis for their assertions.  Granted, there are cheap firearms out there.  But there is a difference between a cheap firearm and an inexpensive firearm.  And that is the primary purpose of this blog:  to get hands-on experience with many different firearms, and to provide readers with a description of my personal experiences with those firearms.  And hopefully, you will add your own personal experiences in the comments, so that I and others may learn from those experiences as well.  Perhaps together we can separate the wheat from the chaff, as it were.


Hi-Point Firearms are 100% American made, manufactured in Ohio.  The company manufactures semi-automatic pistols in various calibers:  .380 ACP, 9mm, .40 S&W, and .45 ACP.  They also produce semi-automatic carbines in 9mm, .40 S&W, and (finally!) .45 ACP.  All of their firearms come with a lifetime, no questions asked warranty:  if anything goes wrong, send it back to them and they will fix it, guaranteed.  I have owned two of the Hi-Point pistols in the past:  the C9 9mm and the JCP, the .40 S&W.  The C9 currently resides with my father, and I traded the JCP away, primarily as a means of reducing the number of calibers I had to buy ammo for.  Aside from a malfunctioning magazine for the JCP (replaced free of charge by Hi-Point under the warranty), I had never had an issue with either of the pistols.  As of the publication of this blog, I own only the 9mm carbine (model 995).  I would like to add a .45 ACP carbine (4595TS) to my arsenal at some point, especially since I now own a 1911, and can share ammunition between the two.


On to the 995 review.  For those of you who are familiar with this particular firearm, you know that it has undergone a face-lift during the past few years.  The new carbine has been given a very tactical profile, as seen here:

(Image courtesy of calguns.net)  This gun has rails, well, everywhere.  More than enough rails to add optics, lasers, vertical foregrips, flashlights, etc.  And all of these are available as accessory packages from Hi-Point.  The buttstock is adjustable for length of pull, as well.  The gun comes stock with a 10-round magazine.  I imagine that this self-imposed limitation is intended to shield Hi-Point carbines from another assault weapon ban, or to allow them to be sold in those States where the Second Amendment takes a backseat to the liberal anti-gun, anti-freedom agenda...  but I digress.  15-round magazines are available from ProMag, but while they are praised by some, they are considered to be problematic by most 995 owners.  Additional factory magazines are available from Hi-Point.  The new 995TS, as it is called, retails for $259 new, although they may be found a little cheaper than that at some gun shops.  When you can find them, that is...  it seems Hi-Point carbines are in very high demand, and a lot of shops are struggling to fill the orders that are flooding in.


My 995 is one of the older models, with the camouflage stock that is no longer produced.  I did not buy it new:  I bought it used at a local gun shop several years ago.  I do not normally buy used guns, but at the time (some things never change it seems), Hi-Point carbines were hard to find, and the camouflaged versions with the compensator and laser were about as elusive as an albino Sasquatch.  So when I happened to come across this one at an almost-good price ($186 OTD), I jumped on it.  These old carbines have a decidedly odd appearance.  They are often referred to as the "Planet of the Apes" stocks, as they somewhat resemble the rifle that Chuck Heston carries in that movie. 

(Image courtesy of hi-pointfirearms.com)  As Bon Scott says of Rosie, these rifles "ain't exactly pretty."  Unlike the carbine pictured, mine has had an olive drab coating added to the receiver and the heat shield, giving it a somewhat different look.  It also has the compensator and laser attached (by the way, I love how the laser has a warning label on it that says "Laser Radiation:  Avoid Direct Eye Exposure"...  I think I would be a little more worried about the muzzle of that rifle pointing at my head than the laser, but hey, that's just me).  Since the original camo stock is not adjustable for LOP, I added a slip-on buttpad to make it a little longer.  I also added a carry-strap (sling swivels come standard).  Here is a cell-phone picture of how mine appears:

For this review, I set up two Birchwood Casey 8" Dirty Bird targets, one at 30 yards and at 50 yards.  Today, the wind was relatively light, with just an occasional breeze crossing the field of fire.  I brought two10-round factory magazines for my 995, so each target had a full twenty rounds of Winchester White Box 115 grain FMJ fired at it.  I did use a shooting bag to support the fore-end as I shot today, in order to see just how close I could get my groups with the gun.  As you can see from the above photograph, my 995 has open sights (hooded front post and fully adjustable rear "ghost ring" peep sights), and the sun was too bright today to employ the laser.  After twenty rounds, the 30 yard target looked like this:

As you can see, there were a few fliers, but those were all on me.  The shot at the top and the shot at the bottom that are outside of the main group were the first shots out of each magazine.  This carbine shot amazingly tight at 30 yards.  Once I settled down and got into a groove, the bullets just kept hitting the same spot over and over again.  So, after taking a pause to reload the magazines and allow the barrel to cool a bit, I trained the sights on the 50 yard target, with the following results:

A somewhat larger spread, but still not bad at all for open sights at 50 yards.  While shooting at this target, I did have a couple of failures to feed, the fourth round in both of my magazines both nosed up in the chamber, which caused me to pause a moment to clear the jam.  I am not sure what caused these failures, as it was the same round (4th) in both magazines.  I will take the mags apart and clean and lube them, and will hopefully get a chance to try them out again soon, and will post an update when I have more data.  The fliers in this group came when changing magazines and after pausing to clear the jams.  Otherwise, all of the other shots clustered pretty well.


I am very pleased with the performance of this carbine.  Recoil is negligible.  The sights are easy to use.  One thing that takes some getting used to is the fact that the charging handle is on the left side of the receiver, rather than the right side where I am used to having it.  I am used to bolt guns with monte carlo stocks where the bolt is worked with the right hand.  The placement of the 995's handle makes sense in that I need not remove my hand from the pistol grip to charge the rifle, but it will take some adjustment on my part.  The plastic stock at first seems a little flimsy, but it is light and easy to handle, and shoulders well.  This gun may be ugly, but there is no denying that as it is designed, it is comfortable to hold and shoot.  I would like to get my hands on one of the new versions to see how well made the new stock is.  I am a bit troubled by the two failures to feed, but I need to try some different ammunitions, as different firearms like different ammos, and the WWB is not known for its tight manufacturing tolerances:  it is economy bulk ammo, after all.


Based on the performance today, as well as the previous outings I have had with this rifle, I can recommend the 995 to anyone who is looking for an inexpensive pistol caliber carbine for plinking, and if I can get the FTF issue resolved, I think it would be a reasonable alternative to a pistol for home defense (especially with the laser).  It would make a great zombie gun too, although the 10-round magazines might diminish that role somewhat.


One last thing:  if you have not tried the Birchwood Casey Dirty Bird targets, give them a try.  I love being able to look out at 50 yards and actually see where my shots are hitting, without having to use a spotting scope!  That is just one less case I have to drag out to the range every time I go shooting.


For more information regarding Hi-Point Firearms and Birchwood Casey:


Hi-Point Marketing and Distribution (MKS Supply)
8611-A N. Dixie Drive
Dayton, OH 45414
Toll Free: 877-425-4867
Fax: 937-454-0503
http://www.hi-pointfirearms.com

Birchwood Casey Dirty Bird Targets
http://sport.birchwoodcasey.com/Targets/TargetDetails.aspx?ProductID=e5ca724c-f8f3-4edb-ba61-4c680535d5b1

Cowboys vs. Zombies: Henry Golden Boy and Zombie Targets

Think of this as a bit of a follow-up of my On the Edge rimfire review of the Henry Golden Boy .22LR lever-action rifle.  Or, think of it simply as me goofing off at the range with my favorite rifle.  Either way, for today's Shooting From the Hip, I decided to take my Henry out to see how it would match up against that iconic denizen of B horror flicks:  the zombie!

Recently, on a trip to a local gun store, Brackin's Gun Alley (I will try to do a gunshop review soon), I was excited to discover that along with the standard silhouettes, bullseyes, and Dirty Bird splatter targets, Brackin's also had some of the Zombie Targets in stock.  Now, I love zombies --  zombie movies, zombie books, zombie t.v. shows, zombie video games.  As I said in a previous post, I am a nerd, and zombiephilia is one of my many nerdy traits.  So, needless to say, I did not leave the Gun Alley empty-handed:  I picked up five of the zombie targets, the Zombie Osama targets, to be exact (I also picked up a Zombie Hunting License).

(Image courtesy of zombietargets.net)  So, today, after spending the better part of the day digging up a portion of my yard in order to fix a broken drain line (courtesy of a drunk driver barely missing my house, by the way), I decided to try out one of the targets and redirect some of my frustration in a positive manner.  Grabbing a target, I also picked up my Henry, a bulk box of Remington Golden Bullets, and headed to the range.  It has been a very blustery day in East Tennessee today, and Zombie Osama was not terribly keen on staying put on my target stand, but that added a bit of realism to my shooting, since his head was bobbing and weaving in the stiff (20 - 30 MPH, with gusts up to 60MPH at times) breeze.  My target stand was actually blown over a couple of times.  Nevertheless, I persevered...  and had a great time, too.  These shots were at 50 yards, using the iron sights.  My first 15 shots were, of course, to Zombie Osama's head...  his left eye, to be precise.

My second set of 12 rounds (more on this later) went to his chest, right around his left nipple.

The next 15 rounds went to his right chest region.

And finally, to his right shoulder / underarm area.

As you can see, none of these groups are extremely tight, but with the wind blowing as hard as it was, and the target moving around, I thought the rifle did extremely well.  After my initial frustration at the wind, I actually began to enjoy the added difficulty of shooting the moving target.  The second set of shots I fired, I had three misfires, which I have to say is unusual, since I rarely have misfires with the Remington Golden Bullets (Thunderbolts are a completely different story, however).  All three casings exhibited deep firing pin marks in the rim, so I know it was not an issue with the rifle.  There were no other issues at all during this shooting session.

The more I shoot my Henry, the better I like it.  The action continues to be exceptionally smooth.  The positive ejection of spent casings is remarkable:  it tosses the empties about seven to eight feet to the right.  And I am getting more used to the buckhorn sights.  I believe with more practice, I will become much more proficient with the rifle, and then perhaps my shooting will do this fine rifle the justice that it is due.  And when the living dead start roaming the earth, I will feel quite safe knowing I have my Golden Boy close at hand.

For more information, or to order your own Zombie Targets (they also offer the Zombie Hunting Permit, as well as stickers and t-shirts), please visit their website.  Shooting paper is fun, but shooting Zombies is awesome!!!

Zombie Targets
770-624-4185
http://www.zombietargets.net/

Website Recommendation: Tennessee Gun Owners Forums

I have a confession to make:  not only am I a gun lover, but I am also a nerd.  That is right, a nerd...  as in a major technophile.  I love computers and technological gadgets almost as much as I love a well-made firearm.  One reason I started Shooting From the Hip is that it gave me a means of combining two of my passions in a way that lets me share my interests with other like-minded individuals.

Over the last few years, I have become addicted to internet forums (ok, it really bugs me that my Latin education tells me it should be "fora," but spell-checker refuses to acknowledge that fact), and I currently belong to several firearms and shooting sports related sites that provide me with a lot of good information, first-hand anecdotes, and well-written expositions on guns, manufacturers, ammo, accessories, etc.  Of course, there is also the flip-side of trolls, snobs, idiots, and liars that one has to deal with, as in any group that is open to the public.  The anonymity of the internet just seems to exacerbate this, however, and I often find myself getting frustrated at the sheer volume of worthless posts, snide remarks, and personal jibes I must wade through in order to sift out those nuggets of useful information which reside hidden away under all the detritus.

There is one website that I belong to, however, that rarely disappoints me in this respect.  The Tennessee Gun Owners Forum is exactly what the name implies:  a place where Tennesseans can come to talk about guns, as well as other subjects.  There are members from all three Grand Divisions, as well as transplants in other States who are maybe a little homesick, or who just want to let those of us who still live in the Volunteer State know just how good we have it here.  It is interesting to get feedback from the other areas of the State on such things as gun and ammunition prices, where to go and what to do if you are visiting another city, etc.

Sub-forums exist to appeal to various interests, including separate areas for handguns and longarms, gunsmithing, accessories, ammunition and reloading, carry issues and self-defense, women and firearms, hunting, politics (local and national), and many others.  One of the more useful sub-forums is the "Carry Prohibited Locations" area, where members can post the name and location of various businesses that have posted "gunbuster" signs, not only notifying other HCP holders where they cannot carry, but also encouraging them to write the businesses in order to spread the word that "no gun = no business."  TNgunowners are a very proactive lot, and are not shy about sharing our views with businesses that feel the need to encroach on our right to bear arms.

The site is free to join, and they rely on corporate sponsors and donations from members for the day-to-day operation and maintenance of the forum.  Many of the sponsors are local businesses who have a separate section where they can post items for sale, specials, sales, store hours, and other useful information.  Likewise, there is a classifieds section for members to list items for sale (or items wanted), although one must be a site donor in order to list items in this section.

A good firearms forum is a wealth of information, where one can learn a great deal about any number of issues.  Tennessee Gun Owners forum is just such a place.  Even if you are not fortunate enough to live in our great State, I would still invite you to stop by and check out the site.  You will find a great bunch of men and women who know a thing or two about guns, and they are always willing to help someone who may be experiencing technical difficulties, or maybe just looking for some information to help them make an informed decision about a future purchase.  But most importantly, they are all there to have a good time with people who share their love of firearms.  And they would love to have you join them, as well.

http://www.tngunowners.com/

On the Edge: Rimfire Review of the Henry Golden Boy .22LR

Those of you who are hunters or shooting enthusiasts know that our sports are not inexpensive hobbies.  Quality firearms can be found for reasonable prices, to be sure, and one need not spend thousands of dollars in order to get a reliable shooter.  No, the majority of the cost lies in the other necessity:  ammunition.  Ammo is not cheap, at least, not anymore, especially with a 15% price hike across the board in our near future.  And once you shoot it, it is gone (granted the brass can be reused by handloaders, but the powder, primers, and bullets are not quite as recyclable).  That being said, I like many others, have found that in order to be able to indulge in our passion and still put gas in the car and food on the table, reloading centerfire cartridges is becoming a necessity.  However, it is still somewhat affordable to shoot the old stand-by .22LR, and I find myself taking my rimfire rifles and pistols to the range more and more often.

In this edition of On the Edge, I would like to take a look at one of my more indulgent expenditures for a rimfire rifle.  In November of 2010, I was at Tri-Cities Gun Depot and decided to pull the trigger (so to speak) on a purchase that I had long been contemplating, but just had never gotten around to:  the Henry Repeating Arms Golden Boy.  Now, let me explain:  when I was a child, I spent a lot of time watching cowboy movies and television shows.  Every Sunday morning before church, the now-defunct station CBN would air westerns starting at 6 a.m. (the Cisco Kid) until 10:00 a.m. (Wagon Train), with episodes of Rawhide, the Rifleman, Branded, Gunsmoke, and Bonanza thrown into the mix.  And I would be glued to the set all morning, right beside of my dad.  I think I have seen every John Wayne, Glen Ford, Jimmy Stewart, Clint Eastwood, and Randolph Scott western ever made.  Twice.  And with my love of cowboy culture came, of course, a love of the tools of their trade:  the single-action pistol and the lever-gun.

Now here I am, thirty-odd years later, and I have decided to finally buy that lever-action rifle I have long wanted.  And as I am looking at the rack of rifles behind the counter, I see the Golden Boy.  Now, as I have said in a previous post, I am not a shiny gun kind of guy.  However, the Golden Boy rifle is an exception to this.  This rifle is beautiful.  The Brasslite receiver cover, buttplate, and barrel-ring for this gun are a beautiful gold-brass color, and the finish is exquisite.  It is also seemingly very durable, since I have had it out on several occasions now shooting it, and not a scratch or mar on the finish as of this posting.  But the beauty of this rifle goes far beyond the name-sake receiver.

The Henry Golden Boy is a finely built firearm.  Everything about this gun is well-made, from the distinctive heavy octagonal barrel, to the beautiful American Walnut stock and forend.  And the action is as smooth as melted butter...  there is not even a hint of roughness in working the lever.  Every fitting on the gun is tight, with no slop in the trigger, no gaps between the wood and the metal, and the tubular magazine (holding up to 16 rounds of .22LR) locks positively into place, and slides out with ease for loading.

In fact, the only thing that causes me consternation with this rifle are the sights:  for me, the traditional buckhorn sights, which obviously belong on this spirit of the Old West reborn, are a bit hard to see due to my own physical deficiencies (poor eyesight, something I have fought with my whole life).  Granted, bright fiber-optic sights would be easier for me to use, but would be as out of place as a pig in a prom dress.  Henry offers a scope mount for these rifles, but again, to me a scope is an unacceptable anachronism on a cowboy rifle.

At nearly seven pounds, the Golden Boy is not the lightest rimfire rifle in my collection, but that is ok with me. It has a heft to it that makes it feel like a "real rifle," and the length of pull is not abbreviated like that on many .22LRs (when will gun manufacturers realize that grown men like to shoot .22s as well?).

How does it shoot?  The Golden Boy is not my most accurate rimfire rifle, nor is it my most accurate .22LR rifle, but it is the one I enjoy shooting the most.  And its accuracy is more than acceptable for plinking and hunting.  I have gotten a group of just under 0.73", with an average group size of 2.87" at 50 yards, but a lot depends on ammo (my best results have been with Wolf Match Extra, worst with Remington Thunderbolts).  In my experience thus far, the Henry seems to do better with standard velocity and sub-sonic rounds as opposed to hyper-velocity brands, at least in terms of accuracy.  It is not my go-to gun for that shot that absolutely has to be made, but I would not hesitate to take it hunting, either.

And just a quick note about the company.  Henry Repeating Arms, located in Bayonne, NJ has dedicated themselves to producing the finest firearm they can, at the most affordable price, using only parts made in the United States, with a lifetime warranty.  And while I own some fine firearms that were manufactured in other countries, I admire a company that puts America and Americans first.  And from what I understand, if you buy a Henry and have an issue or problem with it, if you contact the company via email, you will be answered personally by Anthony Imperato, the owner and president of the company.  A man who stands behind his company and product like that is worthy of my respect, and my business.

So, if you are in the market for an affordable firearm with a great company behind it, look at Henry.  They not only have rimfire rifles available in .22LR, .22WMR, and .17HMR, but they also offer big-bore guns as well.  What better way to get your cowboy on than with a Henry lever-action repeater!

For more information on Henry Repeating Arms:


Henry Repeating Arms
59 East 1st Street
Bayonne, NJ 07002
Tele: 201-858-4400
Fax: 201-858-4435
http://www.henryrepeating.com