Can you tell I am anxious to get things to the range. As I am waiting impatiently for my ATT (Authorization To Transport) back and forth to the range from the Ontario Provincial Police, I figured I may as well do a small mini review of the Hi-Point 995TS that I have but have yet been able to shoot.
I bought the Hi-Point 995TS after reading and watching many reviews and videos. I already had a Ruger 10/22 and a Buck Mark Hunter (another one I haven't been able to shoot yet) which are my .22LR pair. I thought it might make perfect sense to buy a pair for the 9mm Luger cartridge. This was going to be my long gun of sorts companion to the M&P pistol. The M&P will be my main IPSC competition gun once I take the Black Badge course this early May (I hope that ATT comes in as without it, I can't take any of my restricted firearms to the range...which includes all pistols and of course, the Hi-Point 995TS).
So that is the rational behind the purchase of the Hi-Point. Did I also forget that the price was downright handsome. From all online accounts, this carbine is considered a sturdy accurate carbine for the 9mm round. Of course, they also sell it in 40 caliber and 45 caliber as well.
You can buy the Hi-Point 995TS with a lot of different gear on it. I have the 995TS FGFL-LAZ. Try saying that 3 times fast! All those abbreviations mean that my copy came with a fore-grip, flashlight, flash suppressor, and laser. Now when I bought the carbine, I did have some issues which aren't Hi-Point's fault, but that of the dealer. The first issue was that the included laser did not have a mounting bracket. I had to go back and they gave me one from another floor model. I thought the small red laser might work better on a pistol, so I quickly took off the more powerful and larger Nc-STAR green laser that I had installed on one of my air guns, and attached it to the Hi-Point.
The second issue I had was that of the magazine. They sold this to me saying it was a 10 round magazine. When I got home and loaded 10 9mm snap caps into it, the magazine spring got jammed. The comedy continued when I brought the now non-functioning magazine and asked them if they could fix it or do something. The guy behind the counter stated they had another and proceeded to jam that one as I wanted him to try it before I took it home. After leaving the now 2 defective magazines at the shop, I contacted Hi-Point and was told they didn't deal with Canadians, but here is the number to one of Hi-Point's major distributors. They called me back as I couldn't access the 1 877 number from Canada. I must say, these guys were quick. The distributor then gave me a number of the Canadian distributor. After calling them, I found out the magazines are restricted to only 5 rounds, like all center fire firearms except those that use handgun magazines. Now here is the rub. Hi-Point sells pistols that do have 10 round, but I understand they aren't sold in Canada as the pistols are on the prohibited list due to short barrel lengths, and the magazines aren't sold in Canada. Furthermore, the pistol magazines do not fit the carbines very well from what I have read online. Thus, my 10 round magazine is only 5 rounds. This explains why they both jammed. Kudos to the local gun shop who's staff knows less than I do apparently, and I did my due diligence in researching...but couldn't find anything on the matter for Canadians. I am ok with this though, as the gun was cheap enough, and does fill a need that I have. I just can't wait to shoot the darn thing. Hopefully soon.
Here is a close up of the added flash suppressor. I have read accounts where the front sight might come lose and fall off. Well I guess that flash suppressor should prevent that from happening.
The included illumination device is an Aim Sports 1W 150 lumens compact flashlight. The light features a sliding on/off switch, and a Weaver style quick detaching mount.
The fore-grip has a button which allows you to fold it. A neat feature is the Hi-Point one piece multi-tool that is stored in the bottom of the grip. Rotate the end plate and the tool will slide out. Not sure if the rattling will be an issue during field use. I do know that the tool does make noise if you shake the firearm. You can also see the Nc STAR green laser located before the fore-grip.
Here is a closer look at the fore-grip end plate that you rotate to reveal the one piece multi-tool.
And the multi-tool emerges from its storage compartment.
The Hi-Point multi-tool is a very convenient little tool. I received two of them with my carbine.
One end is a long flat screwdriver/wedge that can be used to disassemble the carbine. On the other end are two metal prongs that allow you to remove the included trigger lock, and also rotate some disassembly locking tabs. I found that regular trigger locks did not quite fit the Hi-Point 995TS, thus I use the included one that came with the firearm. There are also a couple of hex bolt nut drivers that are used with the charging bolt assembly.
This carbine appears to be set up nicely for left handers, which is a bonus for me as I am left eye dominant, even though I am right handed. I shoot archery using left handed equipment, and I shoot left handed as well, at least for long guns. Here you can see the safety is engaged. When ready to fire, switch the safety downwards to expose a bright red dot which means live and ready to shoot. You can also see the included trigger lock in this photo. Above the safety is the charging handle.
The stock is skeletonized, and I do plan on buying the extra 2 magazines and the included storage clip that will allow me to store one magazine on each side of the stock. Note that there is a spring loaded shoulder pad which is somewhat unique from what I can gather. Not sure how effective that will be until I shoot it, but I can hazard a guess that it will do nicely to reduce felt recoil. Included is a nice comb for the shooter to rest his/her face on.
The fore-stock area is nicely textured.
Here, the bolt is opened, and the trigger guard is removed.
A photo that includes the problematic magazine, which I am now happy to state, works perfectly now after the local gun shops weapon-smith looked at it. The pistol grip is shaped perfectly and is nicely textured as well. The magazine does fit flush to the pistol grip, and here is another weird eccentricity of the Hi-Point carbine. The magazines have to be inserted in just the right way, or the magazine will not slam home. I think a little practice will fix this issue. I still manage to jam it on the rare occasion.
The iron sights are nice. The rear sights are fully windage and elevation adjustable. It is also protected by this huge bridge like structure. The front sight is a tall post with elevation adjustments. The rear sight is a peep sight/ghost ring. You can see the charging bolt handle on the left side. To lock the breech open, you have to pull back on the handle, and push in so that the rotating round section of the handle fits into an equally sized indent. I have found this takes practice to do reliably. I am not quite there yet.
So there is my small mini review of the Hi-Point 995TS 9mm carbine. Now all I need to do is shoot the darn thing and get a better concept of what exactly I have here.
I will say, this is one of the reviews I found online that persuaded me in buying it.
I know Hi-Point gets a lot of knocks from folks stating they are junk. I know their pistols are inelegant designs due to their simple blow-back operation. I also know that Hi-Point products are not very expensive. With that said, I haven't come across too many negative mentions of the carbine. Plenty of negativity on their pistols however. I also know that the first iteration of the Hi-Point Carbine was butt ugly. Their newer design is a much better look, if that matters to you in a firearm.
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