Description
The Hi-Point CF380 380 ACP is the least expensive centerfire pistol on this site, and it does not pretend otherwise. It is a simple blowback handgun with a heavy slide, a polymer frame, a rubber grip and adjustable sights, and it costs a fraction of what the guns either side of it on the shelf cost.
We are not going to tell you it is a Sig. We are going to tell you exactly what it is, because plenty of people need a working firearm at the lowest honest price and this is the answer to that question rather than an apology for it.
What the Hi-Point CF380 380 ACP actually is
- 8+1 of 380 ACP from a 3.50 inch barrel.
- A two-tone slide — black powder coat with a chrome band — over a black polymer frame.
- Adjustable sights. Genuinely unusual at this price; most budget pistols give you a fixed notch and nothing else.
- A rubber grip and a manual safety (right side, not ambidextrous).
- One magazine in the box. Buy a second.
Why the Hi-Point CF380 380 ACP weighs 24 ounces
- A Hi-Point is a straight blowback design. There is no locking mechanism holding the barrel and slide together; the slide is simply heavy enough that the cartridge cannot push it back too fast.
- That is why a 380 this size weighs 24 ounces when a Ruger LCP MAX weighs ten and a half.
- It is also why it is pleasant to shoot. Weight absorbs recoil, and a heavy 380 is about as mild as a centerfire handgun gets.
- And it is why this is not a pocket gun. It is a nightstand gun, a truck gun, a range gun and a first gun.
Hi-Point CF380 380 ACP specifications
- Caliber: 380 ACP (380 Auto)
- Capacity: 8+1, one magazine included
- Barrel: 3.50 in., black steel
- Slide: powder-coated steel with a chrome band, serrated
- Frame: black polymer; grip: rubber
- Sights: adjustable
- Safety: manual, right side
- Weight: 24 oz
- Manufacturer part number: CF380. UPC: 752334003805
- No direct shipment to Rhode Island
Chamber and pressure standards for 380 Auto are published by the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers Institute. Hi-Point publishes its own warranty terms at hi-pointfirearms.com — read them there rather than taking our word for it, because the warranty is one of the real reasons people buy these.
Why the Hi-Point CF380 380 ACP earns its place
- Price. There is nothing else in the catalogue that does this job for this money.
- Adjustable sights, which most budget guns do not have and which matter more than the finish does.
- A blowback action has very few parts. It is easy to strip, easy to clean and there is not much in it to go wrong.
- 24 ounces of 380 is a genuinely soft-shooting combination, which makes it a reasonable teaching gun for a recoil-shy shooter.
- It is made in Ohio.
The honest assessment. A Hi-Point CF380 380 ACP is not a precision instrument and it does not feel like one in the hand. The slide is a zinc alloy casting, the trigger is what it is, and the finish will show wear sooner than a more expensive gun would. The magazine is single stack and holds eight, and only one comes in the box.
A Hi-Point CF380 380 ACP is also large and heavy for a 380, which means it will not conceal the way a modern micro pistol will. If concealed carry is the whole reason you are buying, look at a Ruger LCP MAX instead and accept the higher price and the sharper recoil as the cost of the size.
What the Hi-Point CF380 380 ACP does do is work, cheaply, and Hi-Point’s reputation for standing behind these guns is the reason they keep selling despite the jokes. If your budget is genuinely tight, buying this and a case of ammunition beats saving for six months for something prettier and having nothing in the meantime. That is not a compromise we are embarrassed to recommend.
Feed it Federal 380 ACP 95gr FMJ for practice and Buffalo Bore 380 +P 95gr or Underwood 380 +P Xtreme Defender if you want more from the cartridge. Run a box of whatever you intend to keep loaded through it first.
If you like the format, the Hi-Point 3895TS carbine is the same cartridge in a 16.5 inch barrel, and the C9 in 9mm is the same idea one caliber up.
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