I own a Hi-Point JHP .45 ACP. Go ahead and poke fun at me, I wouldn’t blame you. After all, making fun of Hi-Points and their owners have become a bit of a pastime in the firearms community.
I came into possession of a Hi-Point JHP chambered in .45 ACP a while back and finally decided it was time to review the chunky pistol. I guess it was time for me to find out if the pistol deserved to be made fun of or if we were all just elitest jerks.
Editor’s Note: Since this post was written in 2016, Daniel R. has written a Hi-Point C9 review and we also previously posted some of the coolest custom Hi-Points on the planet. Drink it in cupcake, you know you want to.
Where To Find The Hi-Point JHP .45 ACP For Sale
Hi-Point JHP .45 ACP Pistol – $152.38 at 1800GunsAndAmmo.com
Hi-Point JHP .45 ACP Pistol – $145.71 at True Shot Gun Club
Hi-Point JHP .45 ACP Magazine – $17.99 at GunMag Warehouse
Hi-Point JHP .45 ACP Magazine – $21.99 at Sportsman’s Guide
All prices are current at the time of publication. Please click the link to see the most up to date pricing.
Hi-Point JHP .45 ACP Specs
Looking over the specs on the Hi-Point website the JHP .45 seems to have a lot going for it on paper for the money, does this carry over to the real world?
Barrel length: 4.5″
Overall length: 7.75″
Weight: 35 oz.
Frame: High-impact polymer
Finish: Black powder coat with polished sides
Capacity: 9-shot magazine
Sights: 3-dots, fully-adjustable rear sightAll Hi-Point handguns feature:
- +P rated
- High-impact polymer frame
- High-impact grips
- Durable, attractive easy-grip finish
- 3-dot, fully adjustable sights
- Free extra rear peep sight
- Last round lock open
- FREE trigger lock
- Magazine disconnect safetyQuick on-off thumb safety
- Operations & safety sheet
- 100% American parts & assembly
- Lifetime warranty
First Impressions Of The Hi-Point JHP .45 ACP
The JHP isn’t a small pistol by any means, the large blocky slide while unsightly is necessary to ensure the pistol’s function. The JHP uses a blowback design and relies on that considerable weight to make sure that pressures in the barrel have dropped to a safe level before allowing the breach to open.
With a magazine capacity of 9 rounds in a single stack magazine, the JHP could be considered in the same class as the 1911? No, it couldn’t. It does hold an adequate amount of ammo though.
The sighting system was a bit odd and seemed to buck the more common practice of using larger, easier to see sights for what looks like an adjustable rear sight with a fixed front post.
Even though the sights are painted contrasting colors, I did find that they were a bit tough to pick up quickly at first. As the range day went on I was able to pick them up much faster and with practice, it would be second nature.
I do appreciate that they included an adjustable rear sight at the price point the pistol is sold at, the ability to dial your sights in without the use of a punch is nice.
The safety, while working properly was a bit of a bear to disengage quickly thanks to its rather low profile. I am all for making a pistol holster friendly, but when it comes at the expense of the ability to get the pistol into action quickly it might be prudent to offer a more pronounced lever. On the plus side, it does its job and renders the pistol safe when activated. Like the sights, I can see the safety being easier to use with some practice.
Grips on the pistol are simple and functional. I didn’t find them to be uncomfortable and well within what I would call serviceable.
Functional and serviceable is a consistent theme with the JHP .45, even the injection molded trigger falls into the same category. The trigger pull feels smooth but has an unpredictable break and a long reset. It isn’t exactly a match trigger, but again it is functional and does what it is supposed to do.
My single complaint about the JHP .45 is the rail. I can’t think of a single reason it isn’t offered with a standard rail. Instead, Hi-Point molded in a proprietary section of rail on the pistol’s dust cover. I guess a rail is better than no rail at all, but I would have much-preferred something that met the industry standard.
Shooting The Hi-Point JHP .45 ACP
Shooting the JHP .45, I found that it wasn’t that bad at all. Wait, what?
While the pistol’s individual parts might not be up to par with a GLOCK, HK or other manufacturers it still was a gun that can be bought under $200 new.
The recoil was pleasant and gentle, the pistol’s sights settled back onto the target quickly, and it didn’t feel that bad in the hand. I was simply shocked that it performed as well as it did.
I decided to set up a target and give shooting a group a try. Sadly, today was not my day for shooting well and I shot a rather poor group through no fault of the pistol.
Even with my poor shooting, I was able to produce some groups that were nothing short of passable. Given the reasonably crude design of the Hi-Point, it seems that while it isn’t a bullseye shooting pistol, it will hit what you are aiming for.
Final Thoughts About The Hi-Point JHP .45 ACP
So what do I think about the Hi-Point JHP .45 after shooting it for an afternoon? I can’t hate it even though I want to. After 400 rounds of .45 between myself and my friend, we didn’t experience a single malfunction even though I tried to induce one and hit what we were aiming at as long as we did our part.
Would I hesitate to recommend a Hi-Point JHP .45? No. If all someone had to spend on a gun was $200 and they wanted to get into the shooting hobby or wanted a pistol for personal protection I think it is a solid contender.
Sure, there are better options out there, but at a much higher price. Sometimes as shooters we forget that not everyone is willing to eat ramen for months to afford that fancy new pistol that we have our eyes on.
The Hi-Point JHP .45 carries an MSRP of $219 as tested, you can learn more about it on Hi-Point’s website or head over to the links in the top of the article to get current retail pricing.
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Great article.
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I just was given one of these. It is about the ugliest gun I have ever seen. My friend said don’t judge this book by it’s cover. Shoot it.
Then talk to me.
I took it to the range last weekend. I can’t believe how well it performed and how accurate it is. Made me look real good.
But it’s still ugly as all get out.
I think I will keep my ugly gun. I put it in the same place with all my “pretty” guns. It performs as well as most of them and deserve to be out there.
Still is an ugly gun. But, I am not no beauty myself so I guess we are made for each other. Hahahahaha.
Fun aside, it really is a good performing gun. I got it for free. I am going to keep it.
I’ve owned my Hi-Point 45 ACP for going on 7 years now. She has over 800 rounds and I’ve never had a loading or firing problem. I’ve loaded the exotic G2 Research R.I.P. rounds, and quite a few self defense rounds, a standard JHP and FMJ with rounds going into the +P range. I love this gun. Nothing fancy but if your a man with big hands like mine those tiny grips on a GLOCK and other brand names mentioned earlier are too small for me but the grip on this girl feels natural. I’m deadly accurate and again she is reliable 100%.
I have a cf380 and the 40 cal. Hipoints…I’ve put over 500 rounds through the 380 with 1 misfire, ( was the amo not the gun ) my jhp 40 cal. 200 rounds and not one problem. They are a solid company with a product I can trust to protect my family if I have to. 5 stars from me.
I have a JHP 45 and love it. I use mine as an EDC. it might be heavier than the one i carried when i was in the Marine Corps back in the 80’s but I’m glad I bought it and I will buy another one, one for EDC and the other for target. For the price you can’t beat it.
I think I’ll go for this pistol. Nikolai Tesla once said, “The best machine is the one with fewer parts.” Being blowback & all goes with that saying. To name other blowbacks that etched history, we have Walther PPK, Iwi Uzi, and others, and they reviewed reliable as hell. So what’s so important with a firearm? It is always reliability and accuracy. Like someone commented here, who cares about aesthetics, when you are just going to conceal it around. Unless maybe you are a real show off. Talk aesthetic to a A10 warthog pilot, and probably scoffed at the idea and taps lovingly on his plane. The sighta don’t bother me. I have fired pistols without using sights. I have trained on instinctive firing and quick draw. The extended finger touching the trigger guard gives me a great advantage to quickly aim at a target. Talk about point-&-shoot *lol*. Pistol sights to me are just useless,unless I’m trying to snipe something with a pistol. But I’d want this for PDW not for hunting. The trigger pull might be an issue until I try them, but it usually grows on you, like weights when you’re regularly working out in the gym. I guess I should do a weekend practice at the range (gun gym) with this weekly and hopefully master it.
I have a High Point .45 JHP, Bought it new in 2007. It’s had very little use. Maybe 300 rounds tops. Yesterday I was shooting it in the back yard. Only place I would ever shoot it. I never considered it a carry weapon. I have a pair of Glocks for carry. Any way I felt a pinch between my thumb and fore finger after the first 20 rounds. Didn’t think much of it. Figured I just wasn’t used to the grip..As I fired the next 20 rounds I was off target.. Left or low with every shot.. Turns out there is a hair line crack across the back of the frame. There’s my pinch.. Take the grips off and the frame is severely cracked..Not sure what I’m going to do with it.. I have Walther, Ruger, and Glock fire arms. This pistol is cheaply made in comparison. I didn’t expect much for $179.00 but surely didn’t expect this.
Call Hi Point, they will fix or replace it.
They have a lifetime warranty. Send it back for repairs. I just talked to Linda at High Point and they are awesome people.
Yea..it is big, it is not pretty but it is dependable. Let’s be honest..Do yo really need it to be pretty? You want to rack a round, pull the trigger and have the round go straight towards the target…PERIOD. Had my JHP 45 ACP for over 5 years, put close to 1000 rounds through it, she chews any type of ammo, and just keeps on going. I will say that when cleaning it after 500 rounds per mfg recommendations, I did notice a slight bend on the firing pin. I called Hi-Pointe and they shipped a band new one to me, no questions asked, that day. They back their product!!
I love mine!