GREAT LITTLE GUN DON’T MISS OUT

In the 1968 Charlton Heston movie the Planet of the Apes the gorillas were the soldiers of the ape race. Do you remember the carbine they used? The one they kept trying to shoot Heston with. At one point in the movie Heston’s character stated that the apes were not sophisticated enough to develop and manufacture something as intricate as a rifle. The carbine the gorillas carried looked like a monkey slapped some wood around a metal barrel and called it a gun.

In fact the Hollywood props people took old US military M1, 30 caliber carbines and put some very chunky wood on the old Army carbine actions to make them look futuristic. But they still looked like apes made them.

The Colonel got me a new Hi Point Model 995, 9mm carbine (www.hi-pointfirearms.com) for Christmas and at first blush it looks like a Planet of the Apes rifle. It has a one piece polymer (read plastic) stock and a shape that would make you think the designer had been watching Chuck Heston battling for his life against primates, just prior to going to the drawing board on this firearm. The Model 995 just does not look like most of the other rifles or carbines out there on the gun market.

A carbine by nature is shorter and lighter then a regular battle rifle a soldier would be issued. The US military introduced their MI carbine in WW II as a substitute for the handgun. Soldiers, who needed a firearm to protect themselves from the enemy but were not in direct combat, were issued a carbine. The Marines found the M 1 carbine very handy to use in the close quarters combat of the Pacific jungles. If you have to fight your enemy up close and personal like, (say in your home at 2:00 AM) a little carbine that moves quickly in your hands in tight spaces can be a plus in keeping you alive.

That is kind of how I felt about this new little Hi Point 9mm carbine. It could be of great advantage to me in an up-close encounter with the bad guy trying to destroy my family’s peaceful way of life. Yes, most rifles and shotguns in this country are purchased for hunting, most handguns are not. When I was in the retail firearms business back in the 1970s people would come into the gun shop and tell me they wanted to buy a handgun for target shooting. That is like buying a $1000 set of gulf clubs to practice for a round of miniature putt-putt gulf. People buy handguns to protect themselves but then don’t really learn to use the firearm all that proficiently. A short barreled carbine where you use two hands to operate the firearm can improve you ability to hit what you are pointing at.

I am old enough to have been trained on the old Thompson sub-machine gun. The Tommy-Gun, the gun that made the “roaring 20s” roar. What I liked about the Thompson was it was short, had a pistol grip that allowed me to shoot the firearm with one hand if I placed the shoulder stock in my armpit.

And that is just what I can do with my Hi Point 9mm carbine. I can use both hands for accurate firing or I can shoot it with one hand in an emergency. By the way I am not getting paid an endorsement fee for plugging this firearm.

What I am trying to tell you is that it is a dangerous world and with the economy getting much worse by the day, the “have-nots” are getting more desperate. The other problem is a lot of “haves” are becoming “have-nots” and they don’t know how to fend for themselves. Violent home invasions are on the rise in this country. Do a web search on border violence in Texas or California. Don’t even think about going south of the US border right now, besides they don’t let their citizens own firearms to protect themselves.

When people are stressed-out (over used phrase) they can react violently. Remember psychology 101, the fight or flight fear factor is in everyone. American men have a moral obligation to protect their family and loved ones. American women, don’t stand about with a cell phone dialing 911 and expecting someone else to save you. Both men and women need to be prepared for the wolf at the door. Assurance not insurance, you must be ever vigilant.

Major Van Harl USAF Ret.
vanharl@aol.com

Alpha Omega Services Armageddon Armory
2809 Garrity Blvd
Nampa, ID 83687
208-465-3577

The bolt can be manually locked open for cleaning but it has no mechanism for catching/releasing on the last shot.

It must be manually cycled to start a new magazine.

Thanks for pointing out that mistake. Let us know if you see any more. – AmmoLand.com

They make pistols in .380, 9mm, .40 and .45. They make rifles in 9mm, .40 and someday they will release their .45 carbine.