Handgun review: Hi-point cf 380

Lots of people are interested in shooting, but get turned off the first time they see a price tag on a Sig Sauer pistol. Experienced shooters know you get your moneys worth, but what about someone looking to get there foot in the door and own a pistol without dropping a G spot on a gun they have never handled. Many would say you'd be out of luck, and only "junk" pistols run the $100-$200 range, But this is just brand favortism at it's best. The truth is Hi-Point of Ohio offer a solid, American made product that fits the budget niche quiet well.

Offering handguns in various calibers, today we'll be looking at there CF series, and the CF 380 in particular. While many people will tell you how under powered the cartridge is, it is a great platform to learn the basics of handgunning and build confidence, without putting up with brisk recoil or expensive ammunition.

The Hi-point CF380 is a medium-sized handgun with a Polymer frame and a two-tone steel slide. It has a single-stack, 8 round magazine, and comes with 2 sighting configurations, a standard three dot sight and a optional ghost ring rear sight. The gun is heavier and larger than most .380 ACP pistols, making recoil management easy for shooters of all sizes. It has a 1911-style magazine release along with a slide safety and internal drop safety.

I have put roughly 400 rounds of assorted ammunition through mine, and for plinking it prefers FMJ's, but has never had a hiccup with any "premium-defense" ammunition. Accuracy is nothing amazing, but if you do your part it is more then capable of accurate shots as far as 50 yards. At the distance of 7 to 15 yards, it is extremely accurate and capaple of rapid follow-up shots. Failures have only occured from the magazine not being seated correctly, a problem all handguns are faced with.

Many people like to dismiss Hi-points as "toy guns" or "throw-away" guns, dogging on there price-point and performance. Most of these people have never shot one, and simply being elitist who feel anything but a glock is useless, and hi-points are for criminals. Dismiss these people, as they have never  owned a Hi-point, and i have watched far more expensive guns hiccup and jam as my Hi-point worked flawlessly, normally upsetting the owner of the $800 Euro owner, who simply can't believe a affordable handgun exists.

Hi-points can be found from about $140 new all the way down to $60 for a used one. Many people are skeptical of used guns, but have no worries with Hi-points. All of there firearms have a TRUE lifetime warranty, where all one must do is ship is to Ohio and the wonderful folks at Hi-point will fix it up no questions asked. Heck of a deal for less then $200, and at that price you don't have to worry about roughing up the finish or dropping it and scuffing it.

Department of Justice missed the memo about gunwalker..

On monday the good ole DoJ knocked out the rights of border states gun owners. Now anyone who buys more than one "semi-automatic rifles – greater than .22 caliber and with the ability to accept a detachable magazine" will get to be investigated as a dangerous drug lord. Even though it's well known the BATFE won't actually stop any drug-lords, and if they were to actually find a straw purchaser for a cartel, they would watch as the guns are placed into the hands of criminals. 


But hey, this way they have more paper work and suspicions to deal with. I can only sympathize for anyone at a Tucson gun show, attempting to purchase a few rifles at prices lower then most gun stores, who is turned away or left waiting for hours on paperwork. Can't wait until they make this "law" nation wide, so we can all go through the same "guilty-until-proven-innocent" process when trying to purchase firearms. FFL dealers already report suspicious gun sales, often to deaf ears. 


Can you imagine a grandfather attempting to purchase a pair of Ruger 10/22s for his grandsons, only to be turned away or shutdown on the background check, or worse black listed against his knowledge.. Keep in mind he's been buying guns from the same shop for twenty years, and only a fool would find him "suspicious", but yet the BATFE deems it necessary to expend tax payer funding on investigating gramps. Every time he goes through the airport he'll be pulled aside and questioned, seeing as there is a BATFE investigation on his record.


Oh, and the rel criminals who are being watched are let to go free. So they can be "observed" instead of stopped. Sweet American Justice.

Update on project Gun-runner

ATF director Kenneth Melson
via atf.gov

Last week i Wrote a little article on the mess going on with the ATF. Shortly after i wrote that news hit saying the director of the ATF would be resigning over this fiasco. Many media outlets ran with the story, i was waiting for it to be confirmed. Guess what i'm still waiting to write that article. Turns out Kenneth Melson has no plans to resign, and no one is going to charge him it appears. It's disgusting to see the good ol' boys club covering ass over a dead american, It's clear no one who is truly at fault will face any repercussions. So as become common in politics, there just going to let us forget and act like it didn't happen. Well, unless you were the SOB who let the media know about the whole Cluster, in that case your ass is Canned. Thats right, the American doing his job, trying to have the ATF be even somewhat accountable, is now one of the many unemployed Americans. I'm truly at a loss for words over this, between no resignations and the firing of whistle blowers makes it clear that what happened is "acceptable" in the minds of our people and president.


Vince Cefalu was the kind of agent we need more of. Accountable, independent, and not scared to speak out against the corruption that has become normalized in modern politics. He worked with the ATF for over 25 years, and is being canned for trying to make them a more accountable branch of our government. No doubt his contributing on Fox News didn't help his standing, We are granted the right to free speech. So for his great efforts making the ATF transparent, showing how it works for the people, he is now out of a job. He sounds like just the kinda fella we need more of in government, Probably why the got rid of him.

Vince Cefalu, via facebook.

Vince, Thank you for blowing the whistle on this subject, while the ATF might be pissed, the American people are pissed at the ATF. without you speaking out, who knows how many more guns we would "let walk" or how many more federal agents show up dead. Your actions show what a great man you are, even if they want to tell you different. We all know who really should be fired and facing criminal charges.

CAI C91 Sporter Review

The C91 sporter by century arms is a auto-loading rifle that fires the 76.2x51 Nato cartridge. It's known more commonly by .308 Winchester here in the states. Based on the same blow-back design of the world famous Heckler & Koch G3 assault rifle. A G3 in the states will run you a few thousand dollars, but you can have practiclly the same rifle for only about $600 Us. While not made to the same standards, the C91 offers A reliable, accurate Work horse of a rifle that will outlast the owner.

C91 shown with tapco stock and UTG tri-rail.

I picked up my C91 a few years ago. Today you can find them still on the shelf for around $600-$900 depending on the quality and use of it. Over the course of a thousand round, I have only have one FTF from a bad round of ammunition, never a mechanical failure on the behalf of the gun. In many circles, Century is a four letter word. I have heard nightmare stories of rifles that were out of spec and hardly functional,C91 included. My C91 rifle has never given me any trouble, or the three other Century rifles I own. While I’m not disputing these claims, they shouldn't be taken as a accurate description of all CAI rifles.

Being a surplus rifle, many accessories are widely available for the C91. Cheaper then dirt carries magazines, parts, and more all for resoable prices. Those so inclined might find the UTG tri-rail of great interests. It allows the attachment of various after market parts, from bi-pods and vertical fore grips to lights and lasers. It has 30 rail attachment points on each rail allowing for user customization. There are also a number of after market scope mounts available tat attach to the top of the receiver, allowing the use of optics. While the debate on ideal optics can rage on forever, I chose a Nikon 3x-9x variable powered scope with there proprietary bullet drop compensation reticule. It offers a great balance of power and weight, complementing the rifle instead of weighing it down.

NIkon 3-9 variable scope and UTG Bi-pod

The 7.62X51 round is inherently accurate. Shots exceeding 600 meters are common, it is trusted by hunters and militaries alike. Sporting a fluted chamber, the C91 is more the capable of using the cartridge to it's full range. I've personally made shots exceeding 400 meters with confidence, my skills being a larger factor in hitting my mark then the rifle. Ammunition choice is A very important factor in accuracy, and every rifle is different. I have had great successes with Federal's fusion 168grain factory loads as well as Hornaday Superformance 150grain rounds. Both these rounds offer a high degree of accuracy and performance on game.

CETME with wood stock and front end

Overall the C91 and other CETME family rifles offer superior ruggedness and performance for a minimal price. While they are quiet heavy and ungainly, they offer the confidence of long-range accuracy and unyielding reliability. While not on par with higher end PTR-91's, the C91 has exceeded all of my expectations in workmanship and accuracy. Making it great value in it's price range for shooters looking for the performance of a modern auto-loading .308 rifle, without spending more then a G.



Please excuse my delay in posting this, things got a little busy in my neck of the woods. Expect some bargain shooter reviews this week, guides on how to save you pennys and still have a great time.

Happy fathers day!

Making a quick post between fathers day stops, i'll have a nice shiny rifle review for you guys tomorrow, until then here's a fine picture of America's fathers.

We could really use some of our father's wisdom these days.

The FUBAR that is project gun runner

Lately, with the escalating drug violence in Mexico,  mexican officials have been calling for america to reinstate the assualt weapons ban. While the numbers they quote are alarming, a little more investigation reveals why they are so upset. While they feel cartels are buying guns in America legally, the truth is far worse.

The current system that stops criminals from buying guns in the u.s. is rather simple. After filling out a form 4473, and passing a criminal background check, your allowed to purchase any firearm you like. A form of valid state i.d. is also necessary. If a firearms dealer is suspicious of a sale or buyer, they inform BATF while performing the background check. The Media likes to paint a picture where anyone can go to a gun show and purchase a rifle or handgun, while it is clearly not the case, and many dealers are painted as sleazy, wiling to let anyone purchase a gun as long as they have cash. This is simply not the truth, and very far from it.

Project Gun-runner was a operation cooked up by BATF. The idea was simple, with the help of gun sellers along the border, they would target suspected gun smugglers. The Reality is tragic. Gun sellers did there part, tipping off BATF to multiple suspicious sales, men coming in with bags of cash, looking for hundreds of assault weapons and pistols. When Dealers called authoritys to report the situation, they were told, agianst there objections, to let the purchases happen. The BATF knowingly allowed, and encouraged, the large sale of firearms to mexican drug cartels. The reasoning? They figured they would follow the guns, across the border and into mexico, to quickly find the heads of cartels and smuggling operations. They feared the weapons would show up in gun violence, and they did. First in Mexico, in raids performed by the mexican authoritys and shoot outs with police forces. The ultimate fear was some of the guns would end up causing harm to federal agents. Many Agents in the BATF reported there concerns, often upon deaf ears. Higher-ups would have none of it, there was a propaganda war to rage.

• BATFE knowingly allowed as many as 2,500 firearms to be sold illegally to known or suspected straw purchasers. One of those purchasers accounted for over 700 illegal guns.
• BATFE agents who opposed the operation and who raised objections were told to “get with the program” and threatened with job retaliation if they continued their opposition.
• Senior BATFE officials in Washington were regularly briefed on the operation and approved of the tactics employed.      -nra-ila

Then the "unthinkable" happened. Border agent Brian Terry was shot in a altercation with cartels along the border. The weapons used by the thugs? A couple of AK-47's that BATF had "let walk" across the border. Around 2500 weapons were  allowed into the hands of cartels, all while the BATF watched them, every step of the way. I sure hope they have a case by this point. This is a outrage, not only to the people of Mexico, but to the people of the United States. BATF DO YOUR JOB PLEASE. I want heads to roll for this, they are doing the opposite of what we pay them to do, and why? Who in the Hierarchy of the ATF has the balls to let this shit happen, and the balls to admit to it. Didn't think so, it's all politics, and who ever is at fault needs to be put down. But why? That is what i want to know.

CRAZY CONSPIRACY  THEORY TIME

Seeing as no one has come forward to explain the situation, i'm going to give you my crazy idea as to why anyone would allow this kind of thing. Gun control, it sure makes re-instating the assault weapons ban easier if american guns are killing Mexican and american agents. Well, that is until the people find out the truth. gun owners and dealers knew the truth, no firearms dealer could sleep tight at night if they knowingly sold to guns that would be used to harm people, esp. by a cartel. So, when it was realized that cartels were using weapons stolen from Mexico's broke down military, and police forces who are not only widely corrupt, but scared for there lives. The BATF just decided to let it happen. Helps the dems re-instate the ban if we MAKE it happen right? That way the american people are that much more willing to accept the inevitable nato-backed complete firearms removal act, and there are no real weapons for them to defend themselves with. An American is dead,which could have been prevented, and that is unacceptable

Libyan Improvised weapons

Every Rebels best friend, the handy molotov cocktail.

While it has long been know the rebels in libya are strapped for weapons, it's intersting to see tinkers and what they've strapped together over there. The Atlantic has posted a wonderful set showing some of these weapons. While we see the usual weapons, a few things in the images that show possible evidence of the use of high tier mercenary's, or "contractor", the more politically correct word for hired killers. Think Black water, only working for the bad guys (the high bidder).

FN2000 with 40mm grenade attachment, this weapon was captured by rebels.

Any fan of CoD or any other "modern" shooter will recognize the space gun to our left *ahem*. It is the Belgium made FN2000, and yes, it costs as much as it looks like. No army in the area uses these rifles, and Qaddafi's wasn't know to have them. They have never been adopted or purchased on a large scale.

Libyan Arm-chair commando

Many Libyans can be seen using the much older and more widely adopted FAL, this weapon has been a staple of this conflict and many others in the past. It is know for it's hard hitting power and reliability. It's nice to see the rebels haven't lost all comforts in there efforts to fight Qaddfi. His buddy appears to have your standard AK, which can be found all across the world. How the rebels ended up with so many nice shiny FAL's that make me jealous? Who knows, maybe a gift from nato, the guys that almost all used them in the past or currently.

This Rebellion Should show people the world over that with the right tools and a little ingenuity, the underdog can have a fighting chance. It is also a great study in what happens when people are disarmed by there government, one of the first moves of any tyrant since the invention firearms. I leave you with this image, one of a man who looks much happier having the re-tooled helicopter rocket pod behind him on his side. 

I will admit, it is not very practical for hunting needs

Libyan Bob Marley?

Welcome!

Welcome to the modern shooter, where i will offer my views on the shooting industry. Hick, dumbass, republican, i've been called all the dirty words, but know i'm a happy gun loving/dem/hippy/ect. and your thoughts of me don't matter, but your thoughts on gun rights do, and i'm more then willing to debate it out.
cheers!

Ramifications of Tucson, AZ Tragedy concerning High capacity magazines.

 The modern day American gun owner has life pretty good. Current federal regulations allow us to own weapons of almost every caliber, sans explosives and fully automatics, Older Readers will remember a time when things weren't so easy, and citizens of Chicago, new york, and other cites that only allow criminals to own firearms ,can testify first hand to the effect over-baring regulations.

Recently, there have been many high profile cases that may start to reverse the tide of gun control to return to a time of regulating cosmetics and magazines once more. The hot topic on all of the major media outlets shortly after the tragedy in Tucson, AZ was how the mentally unstable shooter had carried a high capacity magazine in his glock. Reports highlighted the 33 round magazine as being what enabled Jared Loughner to commit mass murder. Some states have laws against the sale of such magazines, but they are easy to obtain out of state or through mail-order. A quick check on a sporting-goods store shows they carried hundreds of different magazines of assorted capacity and caliber.

33-round glock magazine.

Most hunting laws limit capacity of a rifle to five rounds, more then enough for black-tail hunting, Yet higher capacity magazines are normally cheaper then five rounders, the product of military surplus and market trends. While if the shooter would have been limited to five rounds, he would have had to reload much sooner, the psycho could have picked up a AR-15 with a beta mag god forbid.

Does this mean we should all be limited to single shot rifles? Or at least limit the sale of high capacity magazines? I don't think so, for a few reasons. First and foremost, it is utterly foolish to be forced to modify, or purchase accessories, to hunt with your factory gun. It equates to another fee for the gun owner to go hunt, or to even legally posses his gun. With times as tough as they are, paying $20 more for a 5-round magazine can stop you from getting a additional tag.

Common surplus magazine, doesn't meet  Oregon hunting laws, retails for .99 cents. compliant magazines start at $15 and go up to $40.

As much as anti-gun groups would like you to believe the opposite,No one is firing wildly at deer with AK-47's, most hunters who would choose a modern sporting arm would use it for it's exceptional accuracy and power, and do his best to take a clean kill. “Spray and Pray” doesn't put meat in the fridge, and in my experience, never happens on a hunt. Most shooters have more common sense then that.

The Real justification for high-capacity magazines is a rather innocent one, fun. Take a look at the Ruger 10/22, one of the most popular target/plinking rifles around right now. Most owners I know made it a point to pick up 25 round magazine or two when they purchased those rifles. There purpose was not a nefarious one, unless shooting through a box of ammo twice as fast is a evil to anyone but the poor pop can down range. For roughly the same cost as a standard nine round, the higher capacity magazines double you fun per load. It is not the job of our government to regulate the rapid expenditures of rim-fire ammunition and the subsequent feelings of joy, as it is not there job to regulate our magazine capacity.

Ruger's new 25-round factory magazine.

Government regulations such as these lead to more punishment and fines upon the modern sportsman, all because of the actions of one man, who should have never been able to obtain a handgun in the first place. We are forced to shoulder the burden as responsible gun owners. As legislation and bills make there way through the pipes, we can not have one tragedy shake up the foundation of our gun rights.