For those who own .380 cal Hi Point pistols, Hi Point has introduced a model of their Carbine as a companion piece. From the press release:

Finally, a fun, tough .380 carbine that almost anyone can afford! The Hi-Point Carbine is the same size as its larger-bore brothers in 9mm, .40S&W, and .45 ACP and it’s hard shooting, accurate and almost recoil-free.

Its 16.5-inch barrel will launch .380 bullets as hard and fast as a full-power 9mm handgun, maybe even harder (when you add several inches of barrel over that of a handgun, you gain 100-150 feet per second higher velocity and possibly more with hot or +P loads). With the added velocity performance the .380’s effective range (the distance a shooter can expect to get reliable on-target hits) is extended to a couple hundred yards.

For owners of Hi-Point .380 caliber pistols, this is a true made-in-heaven deal; both guns use the same ten-round magazines! Don’t have a Hi-Point .380? Buy both the carbine and the pistol for less than half the price of one too-pretty-to-use semi-auto pistol.

The Hi-Point .380 Carbine is not a fancy $1,200+ foreign carbine, but it is more robust than those pretty guns and will launch equivalent-power bullets at the same velocity — (gosh all gee willikers “amazing!”).

The Hi-Point .380 Carbine is a tough gun so owners don’t have to protect it to keep it beautiful because beautiful it ain’t, but reliable, tough and useable anywhere, it is!

At its low suggested retail price of $297.00, buyers will have plenty of money left over to buy a bunch of ammo.

Hi-Point offers several low-cost options for the .380 Carbine, including a vertical folding hand grip, optical sight, laser sight, and red-dot sight.

Specifications:

· Weight: 7 pounds
· Overall length: 31.5 inches
· Barrel length: 16.5 inches
· Magazine capacity: 10 rounds
· MSRP: $297.00

Companion carbines are one of those ideas that attract a lot of attention but tend not to sell well, due to their lack of capability. However, Hi Point’s carbines occupy attractive price point niches, and in this blogger’s experience are more popular than their better-branded cousins. However, the name “Hi Point” comes with some negative associations, and the offering definitely reflects its MSRP in overall build quality.

For those who use and like Hi Point’s .380 pistols, I expect the .380 Carbine will be welcome news, though. It’s a short, maneuverable gun that attains better performance than the pistols in that caliber thanks to the longer barrel. I don’t expect it to take the world by storm, but then it doesn’t really have to.