Hi-Point Carbine 9 mm
 |
| Hi-Point 995 Carbine | |
|---|---|
| File:(Image not yet available) (Image not yet available) | |
| Type | Carbine |
| Place of origin | Ohio |
| Production history | |
| Designer | MKS Suppply |
| Manufacturer | Hi-Point Firearms |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 5.75lbs |
| Length | 825.5 mm (32.5 in) |
| Barrel length | 419.1 mm (16.5 in) |
| Caliber | 9mm |
| Action | blowback |
| Muzzle velocity | 275 m/s |
| Effective firing range | 100 m (109 yd) |
| Feed system | 10-round detachable box magazine |
| Sights | blade front, notch rear (adjustable) |
Tom Deeb of Beemiller Inc. of Ohio developed the Hi-Point Carbine 9 mm, a very inexpensive semi-automatic rifle. It is constructed using polymers and alloyed metals as much as possible to reduce the production costs and sale prices. The Hi-point carbine is sometimes incorrectly referred to as an assault rifle, in fact it is a purely semiautomatic pistol caliber rifle. It functions via a simple direct blowback action, and it is chambered for the ubiquitous 9 mm parabellum pistol cartridge. It also has appeared in a version chambered in .40 Smith & Wesson.
Developed during the now-expired Federal assault weapons ban, the Hi-Point carbine comes with a standard ten round magazine that inserts into the pistol grip. No large capacity magazines exist. The magazines used are a proprietary design only usable with Hi Point firearms. Those pistol style magazines for the 4095 .40 S&W carbine are fully interchangeable with the Hi-Point .40 S&W pistol. No such compatibility was built into the original 995 carbine and the C-9 9 mm pistol.
In spite of the military appearance of this rifle, it was developed for the civilian market and wasn't specifically aimed at police department use. Nevertheless, it has been approved and purchased by a small handful of local police departments that cannot easily afford to outfit all of their officers with more expensive long guns.
Suggested retail price for the most basic version of the carbine is $199. Local gun shops have prices ranging from twenty to thirty dollars lower than that, bringing the cost down to nearly half of the price of other inexpensive pistol caliber carbines.
As a result of the low cost, the carbine has proven popular, as some 28,000 were sold just in 1998. Unfortunately, the 995 version has also gained some infamy, as an example of this type of weapon was used by one of the Columbine murderers after he acquired it through an illegal straw purchase at a gun show.