Hi-Point
 |
|
| Private | |
| Industry | Firearms |
| Founded |
February 18, 1992 Flint, Michigan |
| Headquarters | Mansfield, Ohio, United States |
|
Key people
|
Thomas E. Deeb, President |
| Products | Pistols, Carbines |
| Parent | Beemiller, Inc. |
| Website | www.hi-pointfirearms.com |
February 18, 1992
Hi-Point Firearms, also known as Beemiller (distributed by MKS Supply), is an American firearms manufacturer based in Mansfield, Ohio. However only the CF.380, C9 9 mm, and the carbines are made in Mansfield. They manufacture low-cost semi-automatic pistols and carbines in several popular calibers.
Hi-Point semi-automatic pistols are polymer framed and generally regarded as simple, inexpensive handguns, which trade-off aesthetics for lower manufacturing cost. Based on a simple blowback design, Hi-Point pistols do not have a breech-locking system like most handguns. Instead they have large, heavy slides that hold the breech closed through sheer mass. The result is a heavier gun, for its size, that is bulkier and may be less aesthetically appealing than designs employing recoil operation. While making the pistols heavier, this design also makes them mechanically simple and easy to maintain. Hi-Point recommends hosing out the action with a powder solvent like Break Free Powder Blast, Rem Oil or another aerosol solvent, then every 300–400 rounds running a cleaning brush through the barrel.
Many semi-automatic pistols can be field stripped without the use of any tools. However, Hi-Point pistols require a small punch or a small screwdriver and a hammer to remove a pin in the receiver, in order to permit slide removal (and thus enable field-stripping).
The slide is die cast from a zinc-family alloy that includes aluminum, magnesium, and copper and is called Zamak-3 (popularly referred to as pot metal or white metal) rather than machined from forged steel. When asked why die-casting was chosen as a manufacturing technique, a Hi-Point representative responded, "In the area of Ohio where we are located, there are many shops that specialize in die casting for the auto industry. We utilize this resource." Uncommon for this construction, they are rated for +P ammunition in calibers up to .45 ACP. Blowback designs are generally simpler in design and easier and cheaper to manufacture than locked-breech recoil-operated firearms. Though the fixed barrel generally will contribute to improved accuracy, blowback guns often are larger and heavier for a given caliber.
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Wikipedia