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| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Firearms |
| Founded | February 18, 1992 Flint, Michigan, U.S. |
| Headquarters | , U.S. |
Key people | President: Mike Strassell |
| Products | Pistols, carbines |
| Parent | Strassell's Machine, Inc. |
| Website | www |
Hi-Point Firearms, also known as Strassell's Machine, Inc (distributed by MKS Supply), is an American firearms manufacturer based in Mansfield, Ohio. All of their firearms are manufactured in several different locations in Ohio.
Hi-Point semi-automatic pistols are polymer framed handguns based on the blowback design. Different from other blowback design pistols such as the Walther PPK, the P-64, and the Astra 600 which use a heavy slide combined with a stiff recoil spring to hold the breech closed, these pistols use a heavier slide so they can use a softer recoil spring. When compared to breech-locking handguns of the same caliber and dimensions, the Hi-Point is rather top heavy. As with most blowback handguns, this pistol has fewer moving parts to clean and lubricate than its locked breech counterparts.
While most semi-automatic pistols can be field stripped without the use of any tools, Hi-Point pistols require a small punch or a screwdriver and a hammer to remove a pin in the receiver, in order to permit slide removal (and thus enable field-stripping).
Rather than being machined from forged steel, the slide is die cast from Zamak-3. Zamak is a zinc alloy which is often used in low cost firearms; previous manufacturers using this technique included Lorcin Engineering Company and Raven Arms. Die casting is particularly commonplace in Ohio, which influenced the decision to implement it. [1]
Uncommon for this construction, Hi-Point pistols are rated for +P ammunition in calibers up to .45 ACP.[ citation needed ] Blowback designs are generally simpler in design and easier and cheaper to manufacture than locked-breech recoil-operated firearms. While the fixed barrel of a blowback gun generally will contribute to improved accuracy, blowback guns usually need to be larger and heavier than a locked-breech gun firing the same caliber.
The Hi-Point carbine is a series of pistol-caliber carbines manufactured by Hi-Point Firearms chambered for 9×19mm Parabellum, .40 S&W, 10mm Auto, .45 ACP and .380 ACP. They are very inexpensive, constructed using polymers and alloyed metals as much as possible, resulting in a reduction of production costs and sale price. It functions via a simple direct blowback action. Hi-Point carbines use a polymer stock, stamped sheet metal receiver cover, and a receiver and bolt cast from Zamak-3. The barrel is steel and button rifled using a 1-10" right hand twist.
Hi-Point manufactures firearms in the following calibers:
Hi-Point firearms have a manual thumb safety and an integral drop safety that prevents firing in the event that the firearm is dropped. Until the 2000s, all Hi-Point products except the 995 (9mm) carbine had a last-round lock open and magazine disconnect safety, preventing firing unless a magazine was in the gun. With the replacement of the original 9mm carbine with the new 995 TS model, all pistols and carbines now have these features. [10] [11]
A semi-automatic pistol is a handgun that automatically ejects and loads cartridges in its chamber after every shot fired. Only one round of ammunition is fired each time the trigger is pulled, as the pistol's fire control group disconnects the trigger mechanism from the firing pin/striker until the trigger has been released and reset.
The .40 S&W (10.2×22mm) is a rimless pistol cartridge developed jointly by American firearms manufacturers Smith & Wesson and Winchester in 1990. The .40 S&W was developed as a law enforcement cartridge designed to duplicate performance of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) reduced-velocity 10mm Auto cartridge which could be retrofitted into medium-frame semi-automatic handguns. It uses 0.40-inch-diameter (10 mm) bullets ranging in weight from 105 to 200 grains.
The .380 ACP, is a rimless, straight-walled pistol cartridge that was developed by firearms designer John Moses Browning. The cartridge headspaces on the mouth of the case. It was introduced in 1908 by Colt, for use in its new Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless semi-automatic, and has been a popular self-defense cartridge ever since, seeing wide use in numerous handguns. Other names for .380 ACP include .380 Auto, 9×17mm, 9mm Browning, 9mm Corto, 9mm Kurz, 9mm Short, and 9mm Browning Court. It should not be confused with .38 ACP. The .380 ACP does not strictly conform to cartridge naming conventions, named after the diameter of the bullet, as the actual bullet diameter of the .380 ACP is .355 inches.
Blowback is a system of operation for self-loading firearms that obtains energy from the motion of the cartridge case as it is pushed to the rear by expanding gas created by the ignition of the propellant charge.
The Hi-Point carbine is a series of pistol-caliber carbines manufactured by Hi-Point Firearms chambered for 9×19mm Parabellum, .40 S&W, 10mm Auto, .45 ACP, .380 ACP and .30 Super Carry handgun cartridges. They are inexpensive as they are constructed using polymers and alloyed metals resulting in a reduction of production costs and sale price. It functions via a simple direct blowback action.
The Hi-Point Model JHP is a polymer-framed, semi-automatic, blowback-operated pistol manufactured by Hi-Point Firearms.
Locked breech is the design of a breech-reloading firearm's action. This is important in understanding how a self-reloading firearm works. In the simplest terms, the locked breech is one way to slow down the opening of the breech of a self-reloading firearm when fired. The source of power for the movement is recoil.
Star Bonifacio Echeverria, S.A. was a manufacturer of small arms in the Basque region of Spain from about 1905 until 1997.
The Tanfoglio Force, also known as Force 99, Force 2002, EAA Witness Polymer or EAA Witness P-Carry, is a modified clone of the Czech CZ-75/CZ-85 semi-automatic pistol. It is made in Gardone Val Trompia near Brescia, Italy by Fratelli Tanfoglio S.N.C.
The Hi-Point Model C-9 is a polymer-framed, semi-automatic, blowback-operated pistol manufactured by Hi-Point Firearms. It is chambered in 9×19mm Parabellum and is rated to accept +P ammunition. It became well known for its low retail price of under $200. An improved model, the YC9, was originally expected for release by late 2019, but was finally released for sale in August 2023.
The Hi-Point Model JCP is a blowback operated semi-automatic pistol chambered for the .40 S&W round.
The KRISS Vector is a series of weapons based upon the parent submachine gun design developed by the American company KRISS USA, formerly Transformational Defense Industries (TDI).
The Smith & Wesson SW series, most commonly referred to as the Smith & Wesson Sigma, was Smith & Wesson's first venture into using synthetic materials in pistol construction, with high-strength polymer material for the frame.
The .41 Action Express is a pistol cartridge developed in 1986 to reproduce the performance of the .41 Magnum police load in semi-automatic pistols.
Bersa is an Argentine arms manufacturer, located in the city of Ramos Mejía in Argentina.
The Tanfoglio Combat or Standard, also known as T(A)95 or EAA Witness Steel, is a modified clone of the Czech CZ-75/CZ-85 pistol. It is made in Gardone Val Trompia near Brescia, Italy by Fratelli Tanfoglio S.N.C.
The 9C1 is a family of polymer-framed, short recoil-operated, locked-breech semi-automatic pistols designed and manufactured by FMK Firearms in California.
The Remington R51 is a semi-automatic pistol announced in late 2013 by Remington Arms and was available to the market in January 2014. The R51 is a modernized version of the John Pedersen-designed Remington Model 51 pistol now chambered in 9×19mm caliber. Remington announced plans to offer the pistol in .40 S&W and other calibers. However, no other chamberings were offered by the time of Remington's bankruptcy in 2018.
The Hi-Point Model CF-380 is a polymer-framed, semi-automatic, blowback-operated pistol manufactured by Hi-Point Firearms. It is chambered in .380 ACP.