Introducing the Lo-Point
The FOSS Chapter in the Meme Status of a Cheap Handgun
As you may already know, Hi-Point has, over the years, received a reputation for producing the modern “Saturday night special”. As far as statistics go, it is among one of the most commonly found firearms in police evidence lockers and has probably been the pistol of choice among gang members and low-life-type criminals for quite a while. Such is the cost for a noble cause of a man’s dedication to arming as many people as possible.
The Hi-Point’s recent plunge into meme status may not change much in regard to criminal usage, but there is one saving grace to this handgun that is also the reason behind its infamy. It just “werks”. And it “werks” well. The countless YouTube torture tests prove it. The Hi-Point can withstand situations that would cause other handguns to stop functioning, and endures the abuse with a smile.
The point is, the Hi-Point actually works as a reliable handgun and can be trusted as the layman’s problem solver. The gun’s meme status can be dated back as far as the internet goes, but when it comes to the mainstream internet gun culture I would like to credit Dynamic Pie Concepts.
All jokes and satire aside, we have taken notice and even some admiration for this humble chunk of zamak and plastic.
From the Instagram, 4chan and Gunnit posts, pictures of “ironically” owned Hi-Points with all sorts of odd styling and modification choices appear. Benjamin bill finishes, Starbucks pumpkin spice orange paint jobs, milling of the slide for cool factor and optics. You name it, it’s probably been done.
…Then there is the recent drama in which the Internet was tasked with naming the new Hi-Point. Now to be coined the “Yeet Cannon” or YC9. A meme whose lifespan was to have died off ages ago, now forever engraved into the slide of innumerous affordable handguns to come.
Beyond Memes – Enter The FOSS
But I’m not here to talk about just any Hi-Point, you see. I’m here to introduce a certain firearms designer that goes by the name “CTRL+Pew” and his creation. Within the collaborative communities of Deterrence Dispensed and Free Men Don’t Ask, aided by the encrypted chat platform Keybase, he has been hard at work on a new project.
What this man has done within a group of like-minded innovators, is an overhaul the Hi-Point’s frame to allow for vastly expanded customization at a much lower cost. And seeing how cheap Hi-Points are, that says something. What he has done is to take the Hi-Point, and redesign it in CAD software, a sort of 3D engineer modeling program. The design will be released into the public domain and allow for any and all modifications someone with 3D modeling experience could possibly think of. How do you turn these files into tangible objects? Well with a 3D printer of course!
CTRL+Pew calls his creation the Lo-Point. An ironic jab at the naming structure of the cheapest reliably functioning semi-auto handgun, the Hi-Point. Although no one buying a Hi-Point can reliably say they are at a high point in their lives, the same could be said about drinking a Miller High Life 40oz. I’m fairly certain you aren’t drinking that in your private jet.
For now the Lo-Point is a reconstruction of the Hi-Point C9, though the CF380 also fits onto this frame. The regular base file has many changes, such as a larger beaver tail to account for the polymer frame withstanding the heavy slide’s recoil, the front rail, and the much needed omission of the dreaded magazine safety.
According to recent info, future improvements plans are to: add magazines other than Hi-Point’s (such as the Glock 43 and 1911) and for some double stack magazine compatibility. Yes, I did just mention 1911 magazines. The JHP model will be released later on.
So why build this?
If cost is a concern but you already have the proper tooling, you could still find spare parts and slide assemblies to construct one for less than a well-to-do gentleman’s dry aged steak dinner in Manhattan. Or perhaps the rail and ability to fire without inserting a magazine is reason enough? No, I don’t think that is why one would simply build one. Not by any means. Just look at these pictures here.
I think these photos will give you an idea.
:^)
At the current time these files have been released, and being the nature of the internet, you can find your way to said files and get to creating your very own Lo-Point!
From yours truly, CTRL+Pew, the individuals over at Det_Disp, FOSSCAD and Free Men Don’t Ask, we invite you to come and make it!
Very nice work. Thank you CTRL+Pew !! I think everyone should enjoy making their own firearm at least once in their lifetime.
About ten years back at the late Todd Green’s pistol-training.com one of his instructors ran a Hi-Point 9mm through a 5000 round “torture test” ([laughs in Glock]) and reported that, among other things, it malfunctioned on average once every 47 rounds–with factory new Federal FMJ. He also reported an inability to get passing times on multiple drills with it due to a combination of hideous trigger, nigh-unusable sights, and constantly having to clear stoppages mid-drill. He was a solid B-class shooter in IPSC who had no trouble getting passing scores with anything else you put in his hands, from Glocks to prewar DA revolvers.
The Hi-Point handguns use the firing pin as the ejector. If that doesn’t scare the shit out of you, you don’t know enough about firearms design to have an opinion here.
I do wish that CTRL+Pew had thought to include a simple safety on the thing, but my copy of the STLs completely lacks any such nicety..