I was digging around CA's place the other day and found a column about procuring a few extra weapons for those who will become Constitution-loving Right Wing Gun Nuts just as the first Big Die Off gets warmed up.
It makes sense. Some of your neighbors may be useful to you, even if they are stupid, Useful Idiots today.
Hunger, disease and marauding packs of Bad People will make one re-evaluate their more stupid philosophical and political conclusions.
I went surfing for a bit. My first thought was .22 revolvers - simple learning curve, you can give away ammo by the bucket, and while the .22 rimfire is often mocked, I promise you this: Start letting .22's whizz and even the toughest he-men will find cover.
But new .22's aren't the cheapest handguns on the block, I found.
But then I stumbled upon Hi Point. I'd heard the name before, but never dreamed a .45 ACP pistol could be had, new in box, for about $160 from many retailers. Yes, it's tupperware and not in the same league as a Glock - but, did I mention it is $160. Most reports around the web were supportive of my conclusion that for the task of helping arm a few neighbors for immediate defense and as a tool to go and get better weapons, it fits the bill.
They also have carbines in the $300 range. The added power and more stable shooting platform is probably worth the investment of a few for new friends and neighbors who may be needed for more aggressive action.
Would a Hi Point ever be my first choice? Nope.
But it beats a brick. In fact - it'll beat 9 bricks before reloading.
Think about it. Here's a link to Hi Point.
Here's the link to the original piece at CA's place.
UPDATE: Does anyone have any first-hand experience with the Sig Mosquito?
Kerodin
III
I have a friend who has their .45 and says he hasn't had a problem.
ReplyDeleteHey, my 22 is in my Git Kit for a reason - I can see using it for more purposes than I do any other handgun I own.
ReplyDeleteBut there are several makers of inexpensive 22s out there. Gun Digest's gun index is a good source if they're still around.
OK, so then I'm NOT foolish for considering getting a Hi Point carbine? I'm one of those balding, four eyed schoolteacher types from New England who has started using his knowledge of history to see how our own society is decaying. And I've taken action, to wit: a 12 gauge Mossberg and a cheap as dirt Mosin Nagant bolt action. My next thought was for semi auto, esp in 9 mm rounds which is also plentiful and cheap. The Hi Points seem pretty sturdy, even if they look like something from cheap science fiction...plus the guns are inexpensive, plus they have a lifetime warranty. Has anyone here owned and fired a Hi Point? I'd love to hear what you think!
ReplyDeleteMosin Nagants are cheaper - still what $99?
ReplyDeleteSome surplus pistols are around $100 more.
Ammo is still cheap for both.
So if the criteria is using them until something better comes along...
You have a rifle and a pistol for around the price of your shorter ranged pistol cal. carbine.
or is my thought process skewed?
No problem with anything you have on-hand, be it Mosin Nagants or anything else, but for practical reasons I'd lean toward a weapon that can be fed by the enemy. That leads to .45, 9mm, .40, and .22 as the most common rounds that will be encountered, as well as .223, .308 and then into hunting rounds. .357/.38 and .44 Mag/.44 SPL are out there, but not as common anymore as are the semi-auto calibers.
ReplyDeleteAnon 6:29 - Also take a look at Kel-Tec.
Brock: Good to have that bit of intel from someone we know.
Ken: I'm with you, I can't see any more practical and versatile single firearm than a reliable .22RF. When one considers the 80% rule, it scores outstanding.
K
Anon 653 === I just am looking to get something that's semi auto, AND for longer distances. My 12 gauge is amazing at close quarters, and Im pretty certain that the ker-chick! sound it makes being pumped will be a deterrent for most wanna be "occupiers" of my home. the rest might have to be further persuaded! And the Mosin -- holy crap, the bullets are a scary caliber, and steel core FMJ to boot. But neither one is semi auto.... thats what Im looking for now
ReplyDeleteHey I got 2 Hi points one in 40 S&W and one in 45 acp. I'll grant you she's as ugly as a mud fence but one of my buddies was shooting with a fellow that had a $1000 + Kimber and the kimber couldn't stay on target and both of them shot great with th Hi-point. Simple positive safety that locks the slide and as a female that is on the weak side because of CIDP the slide is still easy for me to work.
ReplyDeleteJaime: Thanks for the first-hand insight. Have you had any reliability issues? Does it have any problems eating .45 hardball ammo?
ReplyDeleteK
I haven't noticed the any real problem with ammo. I want to do more shooting in a tatical enviroment and with some different ammo. I think a great thing about the Hi-point is it's action operates via blowback instead of recoil which can cut down on limp wristing causing a jam. But I do most shooting with a 2 handed "Weaver stance" I have not done any weak hand shooting yet. I also have not tried reloads, though I'm hoping to try this summer. I've been using mostly 230 grain FMJ Blazer ammo, I did get a box of Federal 230 grain and an old box of Matchpoint ammo I need to try out. I do think the weight is noticible for a gun but it also helps keep the muzzle under control for the second or 3rd shot.
ReplyDeleteIt's not an easy concealed carry gun but for gun to hand to your buddy or neighbor with a quick block of instruction I think it's a good choice. Plus I got both of my guns used for $120-$140.00 each. A Hi-point is not perfect but it does meet a lot of needs in a pistol for the price.
About the only gun I'd recommend more is a 12 gauge shotgun with 00 buck for a presumed novice.
The Sig Mosquito is much like all other Sig's. Dead stick reliable, and with exception of that wacky safety, the exact same control set. Mine eats whatever I feed it. Same level of reliability as a Ruger MkIII/MkII.
ReplyDeleteMy father has one of their Carbines. He got it during the ban years, so he calls it his Janet Reno special. They're all as ugly as sin, but since 9mm Parabellum is up there with .22lr for availability, it makes sense as a survival gun.
ReplyDeleteI'm not too proud to use an ugly, or improvised, weapon when the chips are down. People who pooh-pooh 'pot-metal' 22s (or tupperware center-fires) as though aesthetics meant more than functionality don't understand what a difference a 'pot-metal' 22 can do in the mind of a new shooter. I have seen it first-hand. When your significant other, who had never fired a shot before y'all got together, asks you to go over loading and unloading together and says that y'all need to go the range together regularly, you will know you have turned a corner. The scornful ones also don't understand what the same gun can do in the hands of a prepared shooter. My Walther P22 won't win any big wars, but with it, I can win the kind of little war that might break out in my living room, or my back yard, at oh-dark-thirty.
Sig is a nice little pistol. Factory recommends 200-250 rounds mandatory break-in with CCI Mini-Mags. I encourage 500 rounds of HIGH QUALITY 22's. I have sent a few back to the factory for warranty service. All have been returned in proper working order.
ReplyDeleteMcKay's Gun Shop
Full Service gunsmithing and repairs..25+ years experience
Most of us are fucking broke.
ReplyDeleteRegardless of caliber, remember, nobody wants a hole in them.
ReplyDeleteDAN III
Pennsylvania