Hi-Point C9 Pros & Cons
Pros
- Insanely Affordable
- Reliable
- Accurate
- Decent Trigger
Cons
- Heavy and Large
- Excessive Muzzle Flip
- Magazine Disconnect
- Slick Grips
The Bottom Line
The Hi-Point C9 punches above its price point with accuracy but is not without some issues.
Hi-Point has an interesting journey in the world of firearms. They were originally a super budget branded firearm often derided for how cheap and unattractive they were – to the point they became a meme.
But the company leaned into it, allowing their newest firearm to be named via vote.
The contest went the way of Boaty McBoatface and was named the Yeet Cannon. While Hi-Point initially resisted the name, they eventually embraced it.
But how is this meme gun in reality? Is the Hi-Point C9 Yeet Cannon good, bad, or downright ugly?
That’s what we aim to find out today with our Hi-Point C9 Yeet Cannon review. We’ll start with its pros and cons, specs, and features before heading to the range to see how it performs.
Keep reading to see if this meme-worthy pistol can hold its own…
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Why You Should Trust Us
I’ve spent a lifetime shooting that started in a family that hunted every season they legally could. From there, I joined the United States Marine Corps and spent five years as an infantryman.
In the middle of my Marine Corps career, I began writing and have never stopped. I soon earned my NRA instructor certification.
I love shooting, and I love guns — weird guns, old guns, new guns, tactical guns, you name it. I’m a continual student of firearms, and I strive to educate myself to provide the best information possible to the readers of Pew Pew Tactical.
Hi-Point C9 Specs & Features
Specs
Features
Source: Hi-Point
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
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Hi-Point C9 Yeet Cannon: A Little History
The history of Hi-Point goes back to the late 1980s when Tom Deeb met with Mike Strassel. Tom had a design, and Mike had the means to produce it. Thus, a partnership was born, and they began producing affordable handguns in a few different configurations.
The Hi-Point C9 came to be a few decades ago and became one of their top sellers. It occupies the compact space in the Hi-Point catalog.
Typically, a gun holds eight rounds and is compact, which would be more akin to the Glock 43. However, the Hi-Point C9 is roughly the same size as the Glock 19…but holds half the ammo.
Hi-Point firearms were always designed to provide an affordable option in the semi-auto market. To keep guns affordable, there are interesting choices for materials used.
The frame is described as high-impact polymer, and you can even see the seam where the two halves meet. Its slide is made from steel-reinforced zinc alloy.
Pot metal is often the disparaging term to use to describe such firearms. It’s certainly not fancy, but Hi-Point has been producing these guns for decades to a seemingly devoted fanbase.
Who Is For?
The C9 is certainly aimed at the defensive market. Hi-Point wants to make affordable firearms for those on a tight budget that can be functional for self-defense purposes.
Folks who live on tight budgets should be able to own firearms, too…since the 2nd Amendment is for everyone.
I’ve seen more than one story detailing a self-defense situation in which a Hi-Point saved the day. For many people living below the poverty line, the option for a better gun doesn’t exist, and having something like the C9 allows them to defend their homes regardless.
On the split side, they also appeal to gun nerds like me who are curious or maybe want to indulge in the meme.
I purchased this particular Hi-Point because it was a limited edition Yeet Cannon G1. The real Yeet Cannon has yet to make an appearance.
Fit and Feel
Ooh, boy, let’s dive into this somewhat beastly gun. First, the slide is incredibly heavy, as it needs to be for a direct blowback gun. The slide makes the gun feel oddly unbalanced.
Its grips are surprisingly slick. I see why Hi-Point began using the new grip panels on their 10mm handgun. The stock panels on the C9 are super slick, and we’ll talk about why that matters soon.
The gun rattles like a spray paint can. As we sink into the depths of the C9, we begin to wonder, is something broken? Nope, that’s just how it is.
Shooters will be impressed by how easily the slide moves rearward. It’s lighter than most standard handguns and fairly easy to rack. The controls are surprisingly well-placed as well.
The safety moves downward easily, and the magazine release is positioned for easy access. Pressing that button, the magazine flies out and easily drops free. There is no slide release, by the way, so it’s always a slingshot method.
What is odd is how thick the grip is. I guess it’s to support the heavy slide. This thin looks like it should hold a double-stack magazine, but it holds only eight rounds in a single-stack magazine.
The grip provides a comfortable place to put your hand, but it doesn’t stand out by any means.
How Does It Shoot?
It’s very much good news, bad news situation. Let’s start with the bad and get it out of the way.
I tested this gun with factory 115-grain Remington ammunition and then a couple of magazines worth 124-grain +P Sig JHPs.
9mm Ammo in Stock
A symptom of the direct blowback design is harsh, unrelenting recoil. Nothing locks the breech, but you have to have some way to retard the movement of the slide until the bullet leaves the barrel, and Hi-Point does this through that massive slide.
The massive, beefy slide can resist the initial push and force long enough for the pressure to drop to safe levels. Even though we have a heavy slide, we still receive a big dose of recoil. It’s not painful, but it does slow down your follow-up shots.
That big slide comes flying rearward, and the weight of the slide moving rearward gives you some crazy muzzle flip for a 9mm handgun. You can feel the slide shift the gun’s weight in your hand.
On top of this movement, the grips are very slick, so the gun can move in your hand if you are not ratcheting down on your grip. This was exacerbated by my sweaty hands, which will undoubtedly happen when shooting in Florida’s summer.
Simply put, the Hi-Point C9 makes fast and effective follow-up shots difficult.
The second complaint is that the slide will bite my dominant thumb with a modern two-handed grip. It’s not terrible, and admittedly Glock Gen 3s are worse about slide bite than the C9.
In general, the firing ergonomics are not perfect.
The good news about the Hi-Point C9 is that it is surprisingly accurate. Hi-Point uses a fixed barrel in its designs, and fixed barrels can help with accuracy. We get a set of adjustable sights that are a little smaller than I’d like.
Still, the sights are high visibility and have a high contrast. We get an orange rear sight and a yellow front sight. This makes sight alignment quite easy, and the big bright yellow sight is easy to focus on.
I was also surprised by the trigger. It’s not a M1911 or match-grade trigger by any means. However, it’s still not bad for a budget handgun. There’s a little weight behind the trigger, but there’s no pretravel, and it’s just wall and break.
A fixed barrel, good sights, and an okay trigger result in a gun that’s surprisingly accurate. I can punch the blackout of a B8 with absolute ease.
I can’t quite do a 10-10-10 drill due to the 8-round magazine, but with one in the pipe and eight in the mag, I let it fly with a 9-second par time.
In under seven seconds, I put all nine in the black, with only two of the nine round-shitting the outer black 8-ring.
On top of being accurate, the C9 is also reliable. After 200 rounds, I had a single failure to eject. I dropped some lube in the gun, and it ran fine for the next 200 rounds.
That doesn’t count the couple of mags of 124-grain Sig JHPs I ran through it.
I will also let you know that the Redline 20-round magazines that are designed for the carbine do not work well in the pistol. I purchased one, and there is too much movement allowed. You need the longer grip of the carbine for these to seat properly.
HiPoint C9 By the Numbers
Accuracy
3.5/5
The accuracy of the handgun surprised me. Decent sights, a decent trigger, and a fixed barrel delivered decent results. Where it falls apart is when you introduce tight speed constraints. The excessive recoil and muzzle flip mixed with the slick grips makes it tough to shoot straight and fast.
Reliability
4/5
It had one failure in 400 rounds, so not too bad overall. It does require its eight-round magazine to function properly, but that's not a ding, in my opinion.
Customization
2/5
You can swap the grips, I guess. No rail is present, no optics compatibility, and outside of swapping sights and grips, you don't get much.
Ergonomics
2/5
Nothing impressive, but it's mostly fairly functional. The safety is small but easy to slap. The mag release is easy to reach, and the mags drop free. The downside is the slide bite which knocks a couple of points off.
Value
5/5
A functioning semi-auto handgun for less than 200 bucks is tough to make real, but Hi-Point figured it out with the C9.
Overall
3/5
Hi-Point C9 Accessories & Upgrades
Prices accurate at time of writing
Prices accurate at time of writing
-
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Final Verdict
The Hi-Point C9 goes bang reliably and does so for under $200.
That makes it an easy purchase for those with a tight budget. It’s not pretty, fancy, or impressive, but it works and goes bang when needed.
What do you think of the Hi-Point C9? Let us know in the comments below. For more budget pistols recommendations, check out the Best Affordable Handguns.
16 Leave a Reply
The original Yeet Cannon was a revolver that was a favorite of Confederate officers. It held 9 rounds of 42 caliber, plus one shotgun shell.
Go to youtube shorts then ktxRLtHdNDc to see the video.
It has several good uses and can be made more reliable by racking the slide about 500 times before you first fire it. Its excellent for practice (if youre going to wear out or drop something, let it be this) and its the best choice as a honeypot gun. This is the only gun police or thieves are going to find in your house and you wont care to lose it. Its also an excellent choice as a pass-around gun. Give it to a new shooter who is close in your life and who cant afford any gun for sport or self-defense right now. They can have it for a year while they save up for something better and then you can give it to someone else. I wish someone had done that for me a long time back, I would have been very grateful.
Hi-Point was my second gun purchase. Things were tight then and I was definitely on a budget. To make it quick, any attempt to double tap or rapid fire would result in a stove pipe. My gun shop returned it twice to the factory for me after trying multiple brands, styles, and loads of ammo. When I came back a third time they offered to give my money back on trade for another firearm, which I jumped on. This was a decade or so ago and I'm sure they have improved since then, but I would just have a real hard time investing in one of their products again, and share the story with anyone that mentions the brand. I'm sorry.
Hey Travis,
To me, the Cons out weigh the Pros on the Hi-Point. Yes, it's cheap, but there are other pistols close to its price point that don't have the drawbacks of this gun. Roger and Taurus come to mind.
For another C note you can get an actual combat pistol in the Taurus TH9 or TH40, sweet shooters.
I own all price levels of gun from Daniel Defense down to High Point and the C9 is what lives in my truck. It will punch a whole in a combatant whenever necessary and I can beat the piss out of someone if it fails because it’s a brick on a handle. If I get robbed it’s easily replaceable and when it goes into evidence for a self defense case for 2 years I won’t miss it.
I sell firearms at a large chain farm store and we seem to consistently sell out of our Hi-Point C9s. The buyers aren't necessarily poor but want a reliable, affordable handgun for home defense. We tend to nickname them bookshelf or nightstand pistols. The typical buyer tends to be older, many are veterans, and most could easily afford a more expensive handgun. Customers who own Hi-Point firearms swear by them. We respect these individuals, and while we discuss other options, never attempt to talk them out of purchasing a Hi-Point if that's what they decide to purchase.
It's better than nothing if that's what you can afford. The grip angle and previous body memory takes conscious effort to overcome and it's the same reason I don't personally own any Glocks (I was brought up on revolvers and 1911s).
I don't personally find it pleasant to operate at all, which means if it's your only firearm you'd be loathe to practice. Which further means I would be like some of my family: Never practicing and hoping I'm competent if I ever do need it.
But first point will always stand: If that's your gun, it's better than no gun. Especially if you need to use it.
If it is reliable and accurate, I don't care how it looks.
By the way, I saw a Ruger EC9S the other day in a local gun shop for $225. A few dollars more, and you get a great little gun.
Taurus G2c's run around there new too! Good little shooters and that and the G3c are the most sold guns of all time.
whats funny is i just assembled my LOpoint this morning, in pink
I imagine that the only yeeting to be done is gonna be the ceo of hi point yeeting himself. Honestly if this was the only manufacturer of firearms i would never own one. Complete S**T this brand is.
If you are a single old Veteran in a wheel chair still getting by at home in a bad neighborhood, living on vapor, these go boom every time, and the full size ones are heavy enough recoil is mitigated. The Zombie won't care how pretty it is.
One guy on YT actually shot one --- and picked it up and it remained functional. Not my first choice, but it is a choice.
Absolutely correct. It is a personal choice for me. I had some army buddies that had hi points. As functional and battle tested as Glocks are they are the ugliest thing in firearms next to this skeet canon or whatever. I have seen some glocks that have been beefed up and look sharp with red dots and machined slides. Just don’t understand why HP would choose to design their weapon to look like a chinese 3d print pistol.
Isn't that special.
You can put lipstick on a pig…but it’s still a pig…same with a low-point. Don’t allow them in any class, never will.