the handgun, yes they are ugly, but other then that why the hate toward them from people who admit to have never shot one?
Yea its heavy and a tad ugly, but it shot straight went bang EVERY time I pulled the trigger, never ever had a failure with weapon and when I bought it it was only like $120.
Why the hate? Probably due to the horrible trigger, and the extremely long list of malfunctions and breakages that have been documented regarding this pistol.
I'm not really arguing the gun, actually----some people can't afford much gun, and a $120 Hi-Point can work for self-defense. Rule #1 of a gun fight is "bring a gun," and if all you can afford is a $75 Lorcin or something similar, then that's better than a sharp stick. And when it malfunctions, you can always use it as a hand weight when you hit the guy.
If that is all a person can afford, they aren't going to be spending money to practice with it, so it isn't going to be shot much. As such, it won't have much wear so that if it is needed it will probably work.
(Though I'll note I keep reading comments from people along the lines of "now shot 142 rounds of steel case and brass case fmj thru it with 1 double feed and 1 failure to feed - pretty reliable in my book" it makes me realize that I have different standards for "reliable" than some folks.)
That being said, for someone who is actually planning on shooting regularly---practicing, dryfiring, and becoming competent with their firearm---I wouldn't suggest one. After all, you want something with a known reputation for reliability, accuracy, and above all,
not breaking when you shoot a lot of rounds through it.
When I periodically read a comment from a Hi-Point owner who loves his/her gun, that says he's never had problems, it's always been reliable----great! Glad it has worked out. However, comparing that single data point to the vast number of Hi-Points that have had problems....nope. Just wouldn't go there.
Note: That is the handgun, not the carbine.
I'll note that the original video was a dig on Salient Arms various guns, in which they take a stock gun like a $500 Glock 19, and "upgrade" it (including their gold barrel) to a $2500 gun. Or more. Dynamic Pie Concepts was NOT serious about this.
People are welcome to come shoot their Hi-Points at any competition around here---if they are solid, accurate, and reliable, that would be a great gun to use for Steel Challenge!