Hi-Point Firearms has made it a point to make inexpensive firearms. They also are not the junk people on the internet say they are. In fact, they make one of the only carbines in 30 Super Carry, the model 3095. The Hi-Point 3095 carbine they sent me for review was quite reliable and fun to shoot.
The 3095 carbine has a lot of decent mechanical features. It uses a blowback style action to keep the gun's operation simple. Because of this, there are not very many parts that can go bad. Basically, you have a barrel, the slide, recoil spring, and a trigger assembly. The barrel is fixed into the action, which can give some really good accuracy. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised by how accurate the 3095 was.
Sighting features of the Hi-Point carbine are as expected. There is a hooded post front sight with a ghost ring style rear sight. This sight worked really well, even if it is a little slower to pick up than say an AR15’s iron sight. The rear sight is easily adjusted for windage and elevation, with little hash marks to know where it’s at. One can use a small screwdriver to adjust it. Now, I did have the front sight post come loose after about 250 rounds. It was easily repaired by tightening the two screws back up. I used loctite, maybe Hi-Point forgot to do that. The rear sight is removable by unscrewing a couple of screws. Once removed, it gives access to the top picatinny rail. The rail is plastic, but that doesn’t seem to affect it. Hi-Point also put a short piece of pic-rail under the front handguard and under the barrel. That way you can attach accessories. Or you can remove it if you don’t want it on.
Operation of the Hi-Point 3095 is straightforward. To cycle, or charge, the carbine, just pull back on the charging handle. It's on the left side of the firearm and does reciprocate when firing. One also has to install the handle when the carbine comes out of the box new. Just screw it in and tighten with the supplied multi tool. I would recommend blue loctite because I did have the handle come loose without it. On the left side of the pistol grip is the magazine release. The magazine goes into the pistol grip like a handgun typically would. Right above the pistol grip, on the left side only, is the safety. Move it up for safe and down for fire. No, the controls on the 3095 are not ambidextrous. They also are not placed where it is easy for me to get to them. I have to take my hand a bit off of the pistol grip to move the safety into the “fire” position. But not to put the safety on. I also have to twist my hand slightly to depress the magazine release. If you have larger hands, this may not even be a problem for you. Moving to the trigger, it is not great. Yes, it has a smooth pull, but it is long and takes a 7lb pull to get it to fire. The carbine will lock the bolt back on the last round fired. But there is no way to lock the bolt rearward without an empty magazine in the firearm.
As mentioned, the 3095 carbine comes with a multi-use wrench. The wrench has everything you need to adjust and take apart the carbine. Also included with the carbine are a sling. The sling is just a two point style used for carrying. It is not a quick style sling. Probably the most important tool in these add-ins is the magazine loader. It helps quite a bit getting those little 30 Super Carry rounds into the single stack magazines. Unfortunately these magazines only hold 10 rounds each. Good for magazine restricted states, not so good for the rest of us.
Ergonomics of the Hi-Point 3095 are actually pretty decent. The stock and handguard are polymer, as is the pistol grip, which is also part of the stock. The forend gives good grip with its molded grooves. The pistol grip feels good, even if I can’t get to the safety easily. Then there's the stock. It is really nice. Part of this is due to a decent cheek rest. But the other part is because of the spring assisted butt plate. This helps soak up recoil. Okay, what little recoil the carbine has. My only complaint about the stock is that the length of pull is fairly long. This makes it harder to use for small statured people.
The 3095 carbine is fairly short. It is 31” overall. To put that in perspective, my 11.5” AR15 is the same length with the stock fully extended. Yes, my AR is a registered SBR. So the Hi-Point carbine gives you short barrelled rifle (SBR) length without the hassle of registering a SBR. Plus with the 3095, you get a full 16.5” barrel length. Another plus, the Hi-Points barrel is threaded ½-28 so you can add something like a 9mm suppressor. This 3095 carbine also only weighs in at 6 ¼ pounds. The Hi-Point 3095 gives you a nice size package in a pistol caliber carbine.
Hi-Point makes their carbines in a bunch of calibers. I chose this particular one because it is in the newer 30 Super Carry cartridge. The 30 Super Carry is a 30 caliber “pistol” cartridge. It was designed to bridge the gap between 380 and 9mm. Yes, the bullet is smaller but it is in the same weight range as lighter 9mm loads. Most of my testing was done with CCI Blazer 115 grain 30 Super Carry rounds. In a carbine like the 3095, the 30 Super Carry benefits from some added velocity, making it a good choice for home defense. In a pistol, it also increases the amount of ammunition you can put into a magazine. Assuming the pistol is the same size and model. It is too bad that the Hi-Point carbine doesn’t benefit from the higher possible magazine capacity. Either way, the 30 Super Carry round really impressed me out of the 3095 carbine.
One might ask what is a good use for a Hi-Point carbine? There are many. You could use it as a home defense weapon. This is because it is light and maneuverable. Plus they are far more reliable than the internet makes them out to be. Another use might be a “truck” gun. Something that can reach out farther than a pistol but has little recoil. And last, just something to have fun with at the range or out plinking in the woods. The Hi-Point 3095 can fit a variety of shooting needs.
How do I feel about the Hi-Point 3095 carbine? First off, I love how well it shoots. There is very little recoil in the 30 super carry round. It is fairly accurate. I was getting 1”, 10 shot groups at 25 yards, off hand, with the factory sights. The carbine is short, which makes it handy to use. I personally didn't care for the ergonomics of the grip and safety. However, I did like that the barrel is threaded. In fact, I even put my sub-gun suppressor on it to try it out and it worked fine. The little 30 Super Carry round is quite potent and is moving pretty fast. Which is a good combo for this carbine. I liked the 3095 carbine way more than expected.
Sometimes you come across something that surprises you. The Hi-Point 3095, in 30 Super Carry, may just be that for you, it was for me. It made me really like the round it fires. It functioned fine throughout the review. Maybe I had to tighten some set screws, but that's not something that stops the gun from functioning, just being able to hit something. Is it the best? No, but it was reliable for me and a whole lot of fun to shoot. If you want a firearm that will not break the bank, but still functions, and in a caliber that does not have much recoil, the Hi-Point in 30 super carry may be the trick. You can check it out over at Hi-Point.
Firearms Insider Reviews - Key Points
Claim to Fame:
Inexpensive 30 Super Carry Carbine
Target Market:
Home Defense, Range Use, Just a fun carbine
Features, Benefits, and Specifications of this product:
Weight: 6.25 lbs.
Capacity: 10-shot magazine standard
Overall length: 31"
Sights: Fully-adjustable
Stock: All-weather black molded polymer
Threaded 1/2 x 28 barrel w thread protector
Thumb magazine release
100% American-made parts and assembly
Internal recoil buffer in stock
Last round lock open
Picatinny rails
Manual thumb safety
What other aesthetic options or finishes are available?
.380, 9mm, 40 S&W, 10mm, & 45 ACP
What others are saying?:
Nothing to note as of publishing
Link to other reviews:
Price point:
MSRP = $369.00
Retail = $309.99 at Guns.com
I need it now! Availability:
Guns.com or your local Hi-Point dealer
Our Rating:
Pros:
Price
Only 30 super carry carbine on the market
Accurate
Compact size
Recoil reducing stock
Comes with sling
Made in the USA
Cons:
Quality control - front sight base came loose
Single stack only, so low capacity
Hard to reach safety
Trigger pull
Score: 6.50 Okay
Favorite Link: Tony’s Hi-Point 995 review
