Frequency of deep cleaning Hi-Points?

[VariableRecall]

My Hi-Point C-9 is finally in my hands and I'd have to say I'm impressed a great deal regarding quality at that level of price point. I'm not planning on taking it to the range until I load some ammo for it in a low-volume, starting load, experimental fashion. I have only a single box of factory ammo, so I plan on stretching it as far as I can with reloading for it.

I had taken a good, hard look at the manual, and it recommends deep cleaning (separating the slide from the body to access the rest of the internal parts) every 300-400 rounds. I clean every surface that encountered burning gunpowder in my Model 10-5 after I hit the range. I understand that the two firearm's needs are different, but 300-400 rounds to give a firearm some love and attention seems a little cruel.

From the looks of it, the pin keeping the frame in place is metal sitting in a reinforced polymer body. Perhaps that round restriction is limiting wear on such a critical component keeping the whole thing together?

I'd like to know your cleaning frequencies for other polymer framed firearms as well.

[BigAlofPa.]

I clean mine after every range session. Not always a detail strip. But at least a quick bore swab and wipe everything down. A trick for the Hi-pint pin. Is to use a smiths block.
https://www.amazon.com/WIREGEAR-Universal-Two-Sided-Non-Slip-Gunsmithing/dp/B07Y7W8DKF/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=bench+block+gunsmithing&qid=1611871862&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&smid=A37UWA86KOH56N&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFETFlMNkY4R0FZTFEmZ W5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA3NDg3NzhGRUwzQzFJSjlQN1omZW5jcnl wdGVkQWRJZD1BMDc1MzA4MTJUR0pOTFFPU0o5QUsmd2lkZ2V0T mFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3R Mb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

[Mk42gunner]

Kind of depends on how dirty the load is for me. If the gun still functions okay, I'm inclined to keep shooting it. If it baulks, it gets cleaned. If it makes my hands look like I've been working in a tire shop just by picking it up, it gets cleaned.

It has been a long time since I had a High Point apart, so the best advice I can give you is to start with a clean, lubed gun, and see how it works. I would clean it after the first range session, just to get an idea of how it looks inside.

I maintained (and cleaned) way to many guns during my time in the Navy to detail strip them every time I clean the bore and breech face on my personal firearms.

Robert

[VariableRecall]

I clean mine after every range session. Not always a detail strip. But at least a quick bore swab and wipe everything down. A trick for the Hi-pint pin. Is to use a smiths block.
https://www.amazon.com/WIREGEAR-Universal-Two-Sided-Non-Slip-Gunsmithing/dp/B07Y7W8DKF/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=bench+block+gunsmithing&qid=1611871862&sr=8-2-spons&psc=1&smid=A37UWA86KOH56N&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFETFlMNkY4R0FZTFEmZ W5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA3NDg3NzhGRUwzQzFJSjlQN1omZW5jcnl wdGVkQWRJZD1BMDc1MzA4MTJUR0pOTFFPU0o5QUsmd2lkZ2V0T mFtZT1zcF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3R Mb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

would laying it onto a cutting board to give it a bit of necessary distance be a cheap alternative till I purchase that?

[onelight]

would laying it onto a cutting board to give it a bit of necessary distance be a cheap alternative till I purchase that?
A roll of masking tape makes a good place to lay it to drive out pins.

[LUCKYDAWG13]

A roll of masking tape makes a good place to lay it to drive out pins.

^^^^^^^^ This ^^^^^^^

[megasupermagnum]

300-400 rounds is nothing. I don't clean mine that often.

[VariableRecall]

A roll of masking tape makes a good place to lay it to drive out pins.

I've got just the thing lying around! Thank you for the tip! I was planning on familiarizing myself with its internals and cleaning it before taking it out to the range. It's very interesting to have a very modern manufactured firearm and one that hadn't changed much since 1899 living together in my safe. One's almost all iron and wood, and the other is mostly plastic and zinc. quite the thing!

[JM7.7x58]

I had taken a good, hard look at the manual, and it recommends deep cleaning (separating the slide from the body to access the rest of the internal parts) every 300-400 rounds. I clean every surface that encountered burning gunpowder in my Model 10-5 after I hit the range. I understand that the two firearm's needs are different, but 300-400 rounds to give a firearm some love and attention seems a little cruel.
That’s not what my manual says for the JHP45ACP.

Quote,” You should completely clean your Hi-Point pistol after firing every 1,500 to 2,000 rounds or anytime it is exposed to the elements, becomes wet, etc.”
JM

[GhostHawk]

I'm with Mega, suspect I have 4-500 through mine and it has been stripped down exactly once.

Bore I leave alone other than a single oiled patch down it ever 3-4 range trips.
I'll lock the slide back, squirt a little oil in there, work around with a q-tip, then wipe it out and wipe it down.

That's about it, same for the carbines. If it ain't broke don't fix it.
If its losing accuracy it is time to strip and clean all very very well.

I do like using BLL + 1% carnuba wax, my bores love it. Shiny like mirrors, don't rust, don't gunk. A single lightly oiled patch with ATF fluid will leave them clean, shiny, and won't mess with where it shoots.

Works for me, but YMMV.

[Chris S]

Get yourself a big bottle of "Ballistol". The one with the spray bottle head. Also a towel and bore snake. Open and lock the gun and put it on a towel, one your wife doesn't care about. Hose the thing down liberally and let it soak. Run the snake down the bore (from breach to muzzel) a few times. Hose it down and let it soak some more. When satisfied that what needs to be cleaned, is, wipe it all down with a dry towel (again, one that your wife doesn't care about) and put away. Every few shooting/cleaning cycles, do the complete teardown and detail clean. This is what I do on my carbine and seems to work fine. Just be sure to let it drip dry long enough on the towel, or you'll leave puddles in your gun cabinet ;-).

Chris

[VariableRecall]

Get yourself a big bottle of "Ballistol". The one with the spray bottle head. Also a towel and bore snake. Open and lock the gun and put it on a towel, one your wife doesn't care about. Hose the thing down liberally and let it soak. Run the snake down the bore (from breach to muzzel) a few times. Hose it down and let it soak some more. When satisfied that what needs to be cleaned, is, wipe it all down with a dry towel (again, one that your wife doesn't care about) and put away. Every few shooting/cleaning cycles, do the complete teardown and detail clean. This is what I do on my carbine and seems to work fine. Just be sure to let it drip dry long enough on the towel, or you'll leave puddles in your gun cabinet ;-).

Chris

Thankfully, I've got some Ballistol on hand. I got the baby 4oz bottle as a trial run, and I'm liking the stuff. I've also got some Tetra Gun lubricant on hand as well but I've only used Ballistol on my Hi-Point so far. Would you go for Tetra or Ballistol?

[Bigslug]

How dirty your ammo is will be a big part of it. If you have a lot of unburned powder or goopy bullet lube being spread around or mixed together, that will be something you'll need to address appropriately. From a functional standpoint, the only questions you really need to concern yourself with are:

1. Do the moving parts move as intended?

2. Is rust being prevented?

I'm a fan of Break Free because of it's 3-in-one attributes. It may not be the best overall lubricant, but as a cleaner, it does tend to break down fouling between moving surfaces and allow it to flow out of the juncture between those surfaces, allowing them to continue doing their thing.

I'm also not really a fan of the "hose down" method unless we're talking about the BCG of an AR-15. Excessive oil where it's NOT needed is just an attractant to crud, and unless you have the know-how to detail strip and get into all the nooks and crannies that crud gets into, you eventually end up with a weapon clogged with something resembling a sludgy black toothpaste.

When in doubt, think like an armorer and look at potential malfunctions through the cycle of operations:

1. Feed. Do the slide mass and recoil spring pressure combine to have enough chutzpah to strip a round past the feed lips of the mag, and up the ramp? Is the mag clean enough and undamaged enough to allow this?

2. Chamber. Often somewhat incorrectly lumped in with "Feed" (which technically ends as soon as the round leaves the mag), you're primarily looking at resistance from a dirty/obstructed extractor not moving outward to grip the case rim, excessive crud on the ramp, or crud in the chamber preventing full entry.

3. Lock. A High Point is a blowback gun, so it does not technically lock at all, but if you're not fully in battery, look to reasons why you wouldn't fully chamber. Dirty chamber is one common culprit. With handloads, insufficient taper crimp is VERY frequently the cause.

4. Fire. I've seen firing pin channels so gunked up with excessive dried lube or lube/powder sludge that they cannot move properly.

5. Unlock. Again, not an issue for a High Point, but what is potentially causing resistance to the rearward travel?

6. Extract. Dirty, rusty, or pitted chamber gripping round, or crud preventing extractor from pivoting inward enough for a full grasp of the rim.

7. Eject. You may have lots of crud slowing the rearward movement of the slide, preventing the rim of the case from hitting the ejector hard enough. You may have a broken ejector. WHAT YOU MOST LIKELY HAVE is a mis-diagnosed failure to EXTRACT properly due to insufficient grip on the case rim. Could be crud, could be spring tension. Could be in-chamber resistance slowing the slide down preventing a solid hit on the ejector.

8. Cock. If nothing's broken and you're not resetting the firing mechanism, the slide is not making it rearward far enough for some reason. Could be crud retarding rearward movement; could be the operator limp-wristing the gun.

If you get through all of that, you're golden. Watch how far your gun tosses brass when fully cleaned and lubed with a new recoil spring. If you start to deviate from that significantly (closer falls indicate sluggishness; farther falls indicate a tired spring) attention becomes warranted.

[Led]

It get's cleaned when it stop's functioning properly, just like an AK.

Later,
Stephen

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I've never "deep cleaned" my 40 cal Hi Point. I have over 1000 rds through it, but less than 2000.
After every range visit, I clean the barrel in the usual fashion and using a Q-tip and Ed's Red I clean the bolt face, Mags, and all parts of the inside of the receiver I can reach with Q-tip, without removing the slide. I am leery of removing the slide on these Hi Points, unless absolutely necessary. The ammo I make for it, isn't overly dirty.
that's my 2¢

[VariableRecall]

I've never "deep cleaned" my 40 cal Hi Point. I have over 1000 rds through it, but less than 2000.
After every range visit, I clean the barrel in the usual fashion and using a Q-tip and Ed's Red I clean the bolt face, Mags, and all parts of the inside of the receiver I can reach with Q-tip, without removing the slide. I am leery of removing the slide on these Hi Points, unless absolutely necessary. The ammo I make for it, isn't overly dirty.
that's my 2¢

I was thinking removing the pin might be a point of wear if i do that frequently. Perhaps I should rub in some Hoppe's with a Q-tip around major portions of the innards first.

However, I am the third owner of this Hi-Point and while the bore is nice and sharp it is pretty cruddy in there. I think I may pop the thing open for a deep clean before taking it out to the range, and perhaps do the same at the reccomended 300-400 mark in the future.

[charlie b]

Like someone stated above, it depends on how 'dirty' your ammo is, and how dusty your shooting conditions.

When I get a new pistol I clean it well to get out all the preservatives. Then shoot it until it won't shoot anymore. Subtract a hundred rounds and that is my cleaning cycle.

I love Break Free for a lot of stuff, but, these days my pistols and rifle bolts are cleaned with one of the aerosol penetrating cleaners that leave behind a dry lube. The barrel gets more attention if there is fouling in there, using Ed's Red formula. The dry lube is used after all the fouling is gone.

[Bigslug]

I was thinking removing the pin might be a point of wear if i do that frequently. Perhaps I should rub in some Hoppe's with a Q-tip around major portions of the innards first.

However, I am the third owner of this Hi-Point and while the bore is nice and sharp it is pretty cruddy in there. I think I may pop the thing open for a deep clean before taking it out to the range, and perhaps do the same at the reccomended 300-400 mark in the future.

The "wear by excessive disassembly" is a valid concern. You want to jack up a weapon? Then send it to either military basic training or into an armorer's training classroom. The purpose of that level of tear-down is to learn how to fix every little conceivable thing that might go wrong in the future. In the real world, we don't do that - we dive only as deep as we need to excise the problem and usually no more.

In short, you're REALLY overthinking this. A Hi Point is not a Rolex. It's not even a Casio. It's not even a sundial. It's more along the lines of Tom Hank's solar date count system scratched on the cave wall in Cast Away - it "tells the time" at barely above the lowest possible level of sophistication. At current ammo prices, you're going to exceed the value of the pistol by that of the rounds put through it by the time you reach your 10th-15th box. Taking care of one's gear to increase its longevity is commendable, but there's no need to go all NASA on it. If it runs, it runs. If you're consuming enough ammo to justify regular dismantlings of a Hi Point, you're probably in a comfy enough tax bracket to upgrade significantly - notably, to a platform designed for easier service.

[VariableRecall]

The "wear by excessive disassembly" is a valid concern. You want to jack up a weapon? Then send it to either military basic training or into an armorer's training classroom. The purpose of that level of tear-down is to learn how to fix every little conceivable thing that might go wrong in the future. In the real world, we don't do that - we dive only as deep as we need to excise the problem and usually no more.

In short, you're REALLY overthinking this. A Hi Point is not a Rolex. It's not even a Casio. It's not even a sundial. It's more along the lines of Tom Hank's solar date count system scratched on the cave wall in Cast Away - it "tells the time" at barely above the lowest possible level of sophistication. At current ammo prices, you're going to exceed the value of the pistol by that of the rounds put through it by the time you reach your 10th-15th box. Taking care of one's gear to increase its longevity is commendable, but there's no need to go all NASA on it. If it runs, it runs. If you're consuming enough ammo to justify regular dismantlings of a Hi Point, you're probably in a comfy enough tax bracket to upgrade significantly - notably, to a platform designed for easier service.

I just know that for its remarkably low price point some sacrifices have to be made in some parts of the firearm, I just want to make sure that I'm taking good care of it so that in the future it may be taken care of by my future family. Sure, that's saying a lot, but I want to be negligent in my treatment of a firearm just because it retails for a third of what you would expect.

[Jniedbalski]

I have the c9 pistol and the40 carbine. I have 1000’s of shots through them . At first a cleaned really good at about 500 rounds. Now not much. I just brush the bore out with Ed’s red .spray out the action up side down with cheep dollar general wd 40 like spray. I let it dry then clean what I can get with a q tip with Ed’s red. Wipe all the metal with Ed’s red and put it up for the next 500 to 1000 rounds. I usally just brush out the bore and a patch after every range outing. They have never quit and still shoot great.I haven’t taken my high points totally apart since the second cleaning. I did at first when I first got them and at 500 to 800 rounds.