Two big things concerning this handgun- first, it is presently for sale at Cheaperthandirt.com for less than two hundred dollars. Second it is Hi Point’s first and only 10mm handgun. If you ask practically any retailer they will tell you that they sell more Hi Point firearms than most any other. No surprises there. And while it is easy enough to criticize a cheap pistol we don’t all have a budget for Glocks SIGs and Colts. The Hi Point is a projectile launcher and a cheap but somehow attractive one. Lets look at the JXP 10. The pistol features an extended and threaded barrel full-length accessory rail and even a red dot ready slide. The JXP 10 pistol and the 1095 carbine each use the same ten round magazine.  There were few surprises with the JXP. This is a blowback operated 10mm handgun. The frame is polymer while the frame is a type of alloy. Not aluminum alloy but a non ferrous metal slide and a heavy slide. The pistol is striker fired the trigger is single action and the magazine is a single column. Take down disassembly and safety location are the same as any other Hi Point handgun. The threaded barrel follows the .578 x 28 TPI standard.  The front sight is compatible with the Glock handgun allowing shooters to change the front out for tritium inserts if desired. I don’t think previous Hi Point pistols had this feature. A fully adjustable rear sight is a good touch.

The sights are a dual red painted dot rear sight and yellow outline front. To mount a red dot sight remove the rear sight. A short picatinny rail may be mounted. I didn’t explore this option but it seems a neat set up. I question the ability to accommodate a range of optics until we are certain of availability as concerns Hi Points adaptors. As it is you may mount an affordable red dot.

The 10mm automatic cartridge offers real power in a handgun and may be quite accurate. The loads range from 135 grain hollow points that open quickly to hard cast 200 grain deep penetrating bullets. Hikers and campers who explore the outdoors are not gunny but realize that it is a very good idea to have effective protection against man and beast. The Hi Point is as exciting as a car jack. But if you need the car jack or the pistol either is good to have. The slide is a type of crinkle finish. The slide is massive to counter 10mm recoil and function in a blow back operated handgun. There are forward and rear cocking serrations. The grip panels have been redesigned for the 10mm pistol  A balance  of adhesion and abrasion is very good to have. An accessory rail is molded into the dust cover.

The Hi  Point 10mm is no lightweight. The pistol weighs a full 49 ounces unloaded.  Hi Point firearms are covered by a lifetime warranty. The pistol is similar to the .45 ACP Hi Point but much heavier. Trigger compression is six pounds average. It may break at 5.5 pounds or it may break at 6.5 pounds. This limits consistent application of the trigger. The single supplied magazines was difficult to load after the eighth round. I managed to load to full capacity with some effort.  Most of the range evaluation was done with Fiocchi ammunition. Initial firing was done at 7 yards. Despite the blowback action and heavy slide recoil wasn’t more than a 1911 10mm, less than most 10mm polymer frame guns, all due to the heavy weight. A factor in recoil is the abrupt snap when the slide reaches the end of its travel. A Glock 10mm weighs 28 ounces for comparison. The slide requires some strength to rack.  Most will need to bring the handgun in close to the chest and rack the slide  to make ready.

At 21 feet I cut a ragged hole in the target with several magazines.  Moving to 10 yards results were much the same.  Moving to a solid bench rest firing position I settled into the MTM Caseguard K Zone firing rest. Acclimating to the trigger is difficult. A five shot group of three inches was the best I was able to register at 15 yards, some were larger. I think that I would be able to deliver meaningful fire at 25 yards with practice in the pistol. At it is the pistol is ok for cabin or tent defense against animals or home defense. I stopped at 220 rounds over a period of several weeks. There were no stoppages of any type.

I’ll keep today’s article short and sweet. Sometimes I had this odd need for a specific accessory and found nothing but companies I’d never heard of providing that niche item. I can’t find reviews, can’t find videos, and I have no idea if the company is worth investing my hard-earned dinero into. My specific accessory this week was Moon Clips for an S&W M1917 revolver. Where to find them? In searching, I found a few options, but most seemed unnamed and sold cheaply on eBay. Moon Clip Depot came up a time or two, so I took a risk and ordered a three-pack of the M1917 moon clips. Were they worth my time? 

The Trick With Moon Clips

I really like Moon Clip-ready revolvers, and of all the revolvers I own, three are chambered in automatic calibers. I like moon clips and use them often. I’ve learned that factory moon clips are the way to go. However, S&W isn’t exactly maintaining an accessory inventory of revolvers produced over a hundred years ago. 

Bad moon clips are a real hassle. They bend too easily, rendering them useless, and they can even bind up your gun if you aren’t careful. When they bend or break, they become useless pieces of aluminum. I’m cautious about buying non-oem options. It’s really not that different from buying non-oem magazines. Moon Clip Depot offered three M1917 moon clips for less than 30 bucks, so I clicked buy and waited patiently. 

Moon Clip Depot and Me 

After just a few days, a small package arrived, and I had my moon clips. Moon CLip Depot ships fast! Inside was an envelope, and in that envelope sat a handy plastic case containing my moon clips. There were some stickers and even a pocket constitution. That is a good way to start. I loaded up my three moon clips with 45 ACP with relative ease. 

They snapped in place, and I excitedly hit the range. The M1917 is one of my grail guns, and I’ve always wanted one. Hitting the range was an event I was excited to experience. Luckily the Moon Clip Depot moon clips didn’t let me down. They dropped right in with ease, the cylinder closed with a problem, and I blasted away. 

Unloading them didn’t require a tool, but to be fair, a tool makes them last a lot longer and makes unloading them easier. It wasn’t difficult, but I carefully popped them out to preserve them. I used nothing but brass-cased ammo because steel cased tends to be difficult in revolvers. 

Overall I’m impressed with the product Moon Clip Depot puts out. They work and have worked for a couple of hundred rounds. Unloading and loading are easy. They seem durable, fit this ancient gun well, and even come with a handy carrying container. Check them out here. 

From the SIG-produced Mauser pistols to the Polish Radom, I find handguns that are different immensely interesting.  This has never been truer than when considering the German-built Heckler and Koch (HK) P7M8. The pistol was the product of West German police trials, but the initial ground work began as early as 1971. The PSP (Polizei Selbstlade-Pistole, or Police Self-loading Pistol) was a result of West German police doctrine. The handgun had to be simple to operate and while a manual safety was not necessarily mandated, safety features were desirable. The handgun that HK envisioned would also be relatively compact. While SIG later downsized the SIG P 220 into the P 225, the HK PSP was already compact. The overall length was 6.5 inches with a 4.1-inch barrel and a sight radius of 6.0 inches. The handgun is 5.0 inches tall and weighs a solid 30.5 ounces with its steel frame. The slide is low-profile and the 110-degree grip angle fits most hands well. The grip is about 1.4 inches wide, with a relatively modest circumference.

The pistol’s most prominent feature is the cocking lever on the front strap. This lever runs from the tip or foot of the magazine to just under the trigger guard, which is about 2.5 inches. The cocking lever is the operating mechanism. The striker is held in place by a firing pin lock until the cocking lever is pressed. The trigger is also out of battery. When pressure is exerted to cock the handgun, the striker is fully cocked and protrudes from the rear of the slide. The trigger is now set for a single-action trigger press. My personal example features a crisp, short and controllable 2.8 pound trigger compression. The original pistol featured a European-style magazine release. The P7M8 features a paddle-type release. When the pistol is loaded, the magazine is slammed home and the cocking lever is depressed to drop the slide. The pistol is fast into action and fast to reload. I estimate over 10 pounds of pressure is needed to cock the lever, however, once cocked, little  pressure is needed to keep the lever pressed, perhaps two pounds at the most. Trigger reach is less than three inches and trigger reset is rapid. If the cocking lever is released the pistol is immediately made safe. The pistol is fully ambidextrous.

The three-dot sights and grooved slide top of the P7M8 are well-done. The sights allow accurate fire well past 25 yards.  The HK 9mm pistol uses a delayed blowback or gas-retarded action, unique in my experience. The barrel is fixed, which adds to the pistol’s accuracy potential. The barrel is polygonal rifled. A good gas seal is necessary for this type of action to work. However, since lead bullets could clog the action they must never be used in this handgun.  A tiny port in the chamber bleeds gas to a piston on firing. The gas piston does not operate the action like an AR-15 rifle but rather keeps the action closed on firing.

The piston limits rearward motion of the slide. After the bullet has exited the barrel, pressure abates and the slide recoils.  Operation is then much like any other blowback pistol. I caution though that due to the gas system the front of the dust cover heats up in firing drills. . Gloves are recommended if you are firing more than 100 rounds during a range session.  While there are certain drawbacks-a prohibition against lead bullets and the heating up of the receiver-P7M8 fans will hear no complaints. The pistol is very accurate.

The P7M8 is now out of production.  A limiting factor is the time and skilled labor needed to produce such a complicated but durable design. Some have stated that the HK P7M8 is the most reliable handgun in the world. Considering the service record of first quality handguns such as the Beretta 92 and the SIG P226, not to mention the CZ 75, this is a strong statement. Just the same there is much validity to the statement. The pistol listed at well over $1,300 dollars during its last few years in production and today the handgun is bringing top dollar on the used market, with good clean examples beginning at some $1,500 dollars or more.

The test gun is a personal handgun I fired from time to time. For the purposes of this review, the handgun was field-stripped and lubricated prior to firing. Since the unique gas retarded action precludes the use of +P ammunition as well as lead bullet loads, the pistol was evaluated during several standard pressure loadings using jacketed bullets. The overall impression is one of excellent control. The pistol clears leather quickly due to the 110-degree grip design, it fits the hand well and the natural point is excellent. As the hand grasps the handle the lever is cocked as the pistol comes on target. The trigger finger does not engage the trigger until we fire. The pistol lines up on target quickly with a natural point. The first shot hit probability of the handgun is high. Once the first shot is fired, recoil is easily controlled, and the pistol settles back in for fast repeat shots. The slim eight round magazine is easily changed quickly to keep the pistol in action.

I have fired this handgun with a good selection of the standard pressure 9mm Luger loads available.  With perhaps 2,500 rounds over the course of a decade fired in the handgun, there have been no failures to feed, chamber, fire or eject.  +P loads should not be used, due to the nature of the gas retarded/blowback design.  I have fired a considerable quantity of the Fiocchi offerings in this handgun and found accuracy good. These loads have also demonstrated a clean powder burn. 

The 115-grain Extrema has proven a good performer. The 123-grain Combat FMJ load is one of my all-time favorite loads for achieving the best accuracy from service grade handguns. The Fiocchi 124-grain Extrema load is also a good performer.  I have also found the new SIG SAUER 124-grain JHP gives good accuracy and a clean powder burn.  This isn’t a handgun I am likely to experiment with but I have also worked up a practice hand-load with the Nosler 115-grain JHP and enough WW 231 for 1040 feet-per-second. Accuracy ranges from good to outstanding.

When firing the pistol on a demanding combat course the HK P7M8 leaves nothing to be desired. The handgun’s all-steel construction results in excellent control. The pistol is fast on target. The low-bore axis and excellent, crisp, short and light trigger action results in excellent hit probability. There is no handgun faster into action and more controllable in 9mm caliber, per my experience. The handgun was also designed to allow top-grade accuracy in case it was used in hostage rescue duty.  Perhaps the P7M8 is owned simply because we can, or for pride of ownership. The pistol is accurate, reliable, and if properly cared for, should last a generation or more.

Loading                              Five shot groups, 25 yards

Early Model P7 accuracy groups

_{Title Photo: A Taurus GX4XL with a mounted Holosun EPS Carry MRS on a nightstand next to a full size Glock 22 and corresponding .40 caliber magazine for perspective on a hotel nightstand.}

I hate little guns, I really do. I am talking about the extremely popular category of slimmer polymer frame striker fired pistols that are all of the rage right now.

Why do I hate them? Because they’re smaller and harder to shoot. Frankly, you have to treat them differently to shoot them well. I don’t think they will ever be as exciting as full-size high performance blasters. But let’s be honest, these guns are currently popular for a variety of very good reasons, especially being optimized for carry. We should definitely not take this crop of modern slimline striker guns for granted. These days, many of them can hold between 10-15 rounds of 9mm Luger depending on the size [of the gun], the model or magazine extensions used. It wasn’t even that long ago that guns of this size and form factor at most held 6 rounds–maybe 8 if you were lucky. And before that, the previous wave of compacts optimized for every day carry, your other options were snubbies or sub-caliber autos. 

But as Bill Blowers kept reiterating over and over when I trained with him a few months ago, everything is a trade-off. In the case of these “slimline” nines, obviously they are designed for portability and concealment. Their trade off is the convenience of carry for something harder and snappier to shoot well. As someone who typically carries duty sized pistols, it’s hard to deny the ease and convenience of rolling out with a smaller and lighter gun, though. 

LITTLE GUNS + DOTS

Recently, I reviewed the Taurus GX4XL and given my bias against “little guns” I was on my best behavior to keep an open mind after I took possession of the pistol. Fortunately I was able to get in touch with my friends at Big Tex Ordnance who very graciously let me borrow a Holosun EPS Carry electronic sight for use in my review of this slimline Taurus. Currently I have fired less than 200 rounds, but on the flip side, the gun has cycled everything I feed it without issues. The more I shoot it, the better it feels too, like a gentle break-in. I am not in love with the trigger, but the way it broke at round #165 was certainly better than how it felt at round #23.

Initially, I did not fire a single round until after I had mounted the EPS Carry and  let the blue loctite cure. And that’s where I had my epiphany: sure, I typically dislike such guns because they have smaller grips along with harsher and snappier recoil, but you know what….? Having a mounted dot makes up for a lot. I wouldn’t call myself a dot fanatic, but I have been deeply immersing myself in dot shooting since the spring–for the sake of my writing and expanding my knowledge at least. At this point, if I have to deal with a small pocket rocket, I definitely want an enclosed emitted dot as an option. If I must give up performance, I want to “break even” at least, with the mounted dot (by getting something back in my favor). The first time I shot this Taurus, I was roughly standing at 10 yards, and I was shooting a standard USPSA target. I took a few shots and adjusted the EPS Carry until I was dead on at 10 yards. I kept shooting at the smaller A-zone in the head area until I was satisfied with my groups. Since the EPS Carry variant mounted to the gun was the multi-reticle option, I opted for the 32 MOA circle with the smaller 2 MOA dot in the middle. Hitting that A-zone was surprisingly easy.

On a different occasion, I decided to take the Taurus GX4XL to the 25 yard line and put 20 rounds through an NRA B-8 target. I wasn’t shooting for score per se, I merely wanted to see what I could do with the pistol at this distance. I want to point out that the particular Taurus I was shooting really seemed to favor 115 grain rounds, so I used the last 20 rounds of my Federal 115 grain 9mm Syntech ammo that I had on hand. As you can see in the picture, I was able to get mostly solid hits, and that was my first time shooting it at this distance. I did better than I expected, even with those flyers and in spite of the fact that the gun’s grip is small enough that tI can only fit two fingers on the front strap. Obviously, I had to be careful with the trigger too lest I dropped shots. I doubt that I would have been able to print a B-8 like that without the EPS Carry.

OBSERVATIONS

With the standard iron sights found on either the Taurus GX4XL or the regular GX4, you get a very short sight radius and lose a good amount of precision. Sure, at bad breath distances it’s no big deal. Due to the way dots work, having one means that sight radius is irrelevant. Their feedback is super valuable too. You can see how the gun naturally moves when you extend it and point it at a target downrange. The Taurus GX4XL’s trigger out of the box isn’t honestly anything special, and if you don’t grip the gun correctly you can make the gun dip when you break the sights and drop shots. Having the dot allowed me to immediately pick up on this so I could change the way I was shooting the pistol accordingly. 

Ultimately, I think we all understand the compromise of having to carry something smaller that’s harder to shoot because it’s easier to conceal and easier to deal with. So if you can, why not add a dot and cheat?