So…the hordes are marching down the street towards your neighborhood. Sitting on the table before you is a brand new HiPoint 9mm and a box of Wolf ammo. Next to it is a brand new Glock 17 and a box of Federal ammo. You can only grab one ammo/gun combo. Which one do you grab?
Fairly confident most of you would eschew the HiPoint/Wolf combination. Yes? And why would you not choose them? Probably the most common answer would be something along the lines of “I don’t have confidence in the gun”, “The stakes are too high for me to risk relying on it”, or “I don’t trust the gun to perform as well as the other gun.” These are all perfectly valid concerns. I mean, think about it, when something as important as your safety and security is on the line don’t you want to have the most reliable, trustworthy, confidence inspiring gear on your side? of course you do. If you were jumping into the apocalypse you would judge every resource you have for it’s ability to be trusted for reliability and performance.
So…why do some folks keep people in their life who wouldn’t pass that same inspection? Do you really hold your handguns, flashlights, and pocket knives to a higher standard than you do the people you let into your life, your home, and your heart? Shouldn’t you hold the people in your life to at least the same standards as you do your pistol?
Years ago I thought about the people that I let into my life. I narrowed them down into three categories: people who made my life pleasant and added to my life, people who didnt make my life better but didnt make it worse, and people who made me unhappy and who subtracted rather than added to my life. The first two groups made the cut, the last group…not so much. And that wasn’t a terribly easy decision to make. There’s people I genuinely care about and love out there whom I just simply will not let into my life because having them involved in any facet of my life causes unhappiness. I trimmed out a bunch of ‘casual friends’, acquaintances, and even some family. What remains are people whom I actually care about, who take an interest in me and my life, I trust to varying degrees, and feel comfortable being myself around.
I’m not saying I have to ‘get something out of’ having a person involved in my life, rather I am saying if I don’t enjoy having someone in my life, or if its just a one-way street of intimacy and concern, then there’s no reason for me to let them in.
If you genuinely believe that the life we know is starting a slide into some difficult times, perhaps even really difficult times, does it make sense to expend time, emotion, privacy, trust, and concern on people who seem to only make you sorry when you talk to them? And does it make sense, in these times of…heightened concern… to have unreliable, untrustworthy, uncertain, or uncomfortable people around? No, it doesn’t. And, sadly, that means that some relationships, with people you may have known for years, need to be taken out and put down like a lame horse.
Only you know who in your circle of family and friends is adding to your life and who is taking away from it. Maybe its your cousin who wants to know everything about whats going on in your life but shuts you down when you ask about his. Or it’s the guy from work who you get along great with except for every other Friday when he calls you for a ride home because he’s drunk..again…and needs a ride. Maybe it’s your sister-in-law who seems to do nothing but tell your wife about how much of a loser you are and how she could have done better. Could be it’s even a brother or parent who, when their name shows up in your caller ID, ruins your day. Can you ‘ghost’ these people? Can you minimize their role in your life? Can you just cut them off?
The people that you’re going to ride out Ragnarok with shouldn’t just be an approximation of the random strangers you share an elevator with. There should be purpose and design in who you let into your life. And that phrase, ‘let into your life’, means exactly that. If you have someone in your life that you wouldn’t feel comfortable with driving your truck, housesitting for you, or playing with your kids when you’re not around…..then you might wanna think about whether you have the room for them, emotionally and strategically, in your life.
I own a lot of guns. A lot. And there isn’t a single one that I have acquired that I feel is a junker or a Saturday night Special or just a plain ‘ol piece of crap. I expended resources acquiring each of those guns and keeping a clunker serves my interest in no way whatsoever. I have no problem holding the people in my life to that same standard. I can be friends with lotsa people, but the list of people I take into my house and heart is extremely small. But, those people are, to me, good people worth knowing for what they add to my life. When the end of the world comes (or the end of MY world) , I’ll have no problem having them ‘on my side’ because they’ve been on my side all along…otherwise I wouldn’t be having some sort of relationship with them.
So, my advice to you is that if you really are worried about where things are going perhaps it’s time to triage through your friends/family relationships with as critical an eye as you go through the display case at the gun counter of your local shop.
Just something to think about.
well said
May I repost this with attributions?
Sure. Thanks.
You have just described my yearly “friendventory”. If you are in my life and a liability, as of Christmas you are gone. I don’t make it known to the person. I just become busy when they call, never home, and slowly slip away into the ether. It has worked like a charm.
Hear, hear!
Even family is not immune to such decisions.
Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.
Using actual reality non-fiction examples (pick an war, any war), sporting event, colonialism, corporations, invasion, coup, etc. the people that won/win are the ones that worked the best together or they got really lucky. They more we prepare the luckier we get.
There may be some Jeremiah Johnson examples out there where some did cut it alone but not many.
Most insightful post in some time and relevant to all.
Very profound commentary. I had a friend – who worked as my partner as paramedics in the South Bronx, joined the military with me, went hunting, to the range and backpacking with. For 35 years. One day he had a personal domestic problem and needed money. Didn’t ask me for help – he ripped me off for $thousands. The betrayal was devastating. The ties have now been completely cut for the past 6 years.
Choose wisely.
We found to our cost everyone is your friend when their rent of due. Then never around when you dare to ask for what is rightfully yours.
Which is why we as a couple are neither borrowers or lenders.
Suffer not the presence of fools or knaves.
At this point in our history we should have already identified those trustworthy enough to be let into our lives. At least for those of us whom have already solved the life mate issue. Those you let into your life are not one of the important things, it seems to be the only important thing.
As Commander Zero says, there are those who make my life pleasurable when out in public, among those are the people and businesses that I need to supply me with goods and services for my basic needs. And fewer still that I can call “friends” and have a high degree of trust in. But there is only ONE that has my ultimate confidence, entailing if either one called the other for a helping hand, the only phrase out of either of our mouths would be, “Do I Need A Shovel”?
Commander:
The problem comes when your “significant other” has someone they WON’T let go of that you would rather see gone.
Is getting rid of them worth alienating your loved one?
Or does their (possible) errors make you wonder about their choices – or yours…
That happens with every human we know. It becomes a value judgement. “I love my kid but his heroin habit is costing me money and time”, “I love my dog but he’s 17 years old, blind, and pees on the rug nonstop”, “I love my parents but they’ve converted to some religion and now are pressuring me to convert”, etc, etc. Only you know what you’re willing to regard as valuable enough to outweigh the negatives.
My problem came when I couldn’t get my wife to accept that her brother felt no need to put his problems (usually financial) right, because she would.
It seemed to be “My brother, right or wrong…”
This wasn’t why the marriage failed, but it didn’t help.
A great post, CZ!
I have only one minor concern about it. About your example, I wish that you had not picked on the Hi-Point, something that is fashionable in many quarters.
First, this is coming from a man who owns a Sig P226, G17, G19, tricked out 1911, LC9, LCP, and several revolvers. I have more long guns, both semi-auto and bolt-action, than you can “shake a stick at.” Even in Texas or Idaho I would be considered “well-prepared.”
The most common criticism of the Hi-Point is that it is ugly, the same criticism of the Glock heard from 1911 afficionados when the Glock made its debut in the US in the 80s. Much like the Hi-Point’s use of zinc, many gunowners also turned up their noses up at the Glock because its use of plastic.
As an aside, I heard this conversation in a gun store a dozen years ago:
Salesman: “This is the Glock 19.”
Buyer: “Isn’t that a plastic pistol?”
Salesman: “It’s made of weapons-grade polymer.”
Buyer: O-o-oh!
I will grant you that, like the Glock, the design of the Hi-Point does not embody the most elegant lines. It is also a single-stack auto, so its capacity is considerably less than that of many firearms, but also consider that its .45 caliber model has a higher magazine capacity than a 1911.
The odd thing is that it functions well in numerous YouTube videos. Almost all of those testing it say that they don’t like its looks, but that it performs quite well.
One absurd thing that I have seen done in a video is that one well-known YouTuber performed a “test” in which the Hi-Point failed. His “test” was throwing the pistol with all of his might at a boulder from about 15 feet away. WHO WOULD DO THAT EVER? Isn’t it a life sentence without the possibility of parole to do that to a firearm?
I don’t expect the Hi-Point to be seen in the holsters of Navy SEALs or Marine Recon teams. Yet, before the pandemic, Hi-Points were regularly on sale at a local outdoor chain for $159.00. (Knowing the store, I expect that they could be found in many other places for $20.00 or $30.00 less.) A revolver in .22LR caliber could be purchased at this location for about the same price on sale and, on occasion, a cheap semi-auto revolver in .22LR, as well. Otherwise, there was no other firearm in the store at that price.
You might say, “But what about a police trade-in?” They are a scarce animal in my neck of the woods.
I am very comfortable financially by most people’s standards. For those who are forced to watch their money closely and who are first time buyers who simply want to have a gun in the home should times get spicy, a Hi-Point purchase could be the first step in providing a good night’s sleep. At that price point, buying two would give an even greater sense of security. As Stalin is reported to have said, “Quantity has a quality all its own.”
And last of all, the Hi-Point comes with a lifetime warranty, no matter whether you are the first owner, or the fifth owner. Good luck finding that with any other gun manufacturer.
Should I ever have to meet the “barbarians at the gate,” I will take my Glock(s). For others, however, any gun is better than no gun, and the low price of the Hi-Point will allow them to meet any adversary with a gun–which is something far better than meeting them with a sheepish grin and empty hands.
The HiPoints have a reputation as the kinky fat girl…not much to look at, kinda awkward to be seen with, but delivers on performance.
But…disregarding the social stigma and perception, it’s still a little flat on features – it’s a single stack mag, direct blowback means a heavy slide, that heavy slide comes with significant bulk, sight options are limited, trigger options are limited, etc, etc. Yeah, the HiPoint is fun to make fun of even though almost everyone who does make fun of it has to admit that, usually, they work. But there are better options for not much more money…perhaps not Glocks or Sigs, but Canuk and other ‘entry point’ tiers of “high cap”, railed, DA/striker pistols.
I am so stealing that first sentence.
I just did a quick check on http://www.gunbroker.com. The lowest bid I found for a used Canik is $405.00–and there is still over one day left for bidding. That price alone is the price of two Hi-Points, plus three or four extra magazines.
But, to each his own. I am hardly wedded to the Hi-Point. and it’s not the hill for me to die on.
Given the current mania in the market regarding guns, those prices seem like outliers. Did you check to see what HiPoints were bringing on the same site?
An excellent question, CZ. I should have checked that.
I see a current bid as low as $115.00, and a Buy Now price of $169.00.
At $169.00 each, that is one gun for the buyer, one gun for the missus, and three or four extra magazines.
As with every issue regarding preparedness, one can always say to the “financially- challenged,” “Just save up and buy something better in a few months.”
Since we “know neither the day nor the hour,” it is more risky to put off purchases of critical survival needs for months. We might need that very thing tomorrow afternoon.
You’re doing something I first saw recommended somewhere, maybe at The Woodpile Report, a year or more ago. It was called “drawing in your circle”. It not only referred to your circle of friends and acquaintances, but other circles, such as the circle of useless things you own, the circle of “toys” that should be sold to raise funds for things you should have more of (beans, bullets and band aids were inferred) and so on. It’s good advice, and as we close in on the dying of the light (stole that from a book title).
Glock 17 – I have one but it’s 1996 vintage. Very reliable and light.
As to the people around me — I have a neighbor next door who is a bleeding liberal and pretty clueless as to what’s really happening. She will need protection when or if the shit goes down. My neighbors deserve to be protected and when there’s no response from authorities, those of us who have the means must attempt to help the ones who need help.
As to the defense of the area — rifles.
“those of us who have the means must attempt to help the ones who need help. ”
“Must”? I *must* help? As in, I don’t get a choice in the issue?
Of course there’s a choice. Do what you like.
But if the aforementioned “mob” is roaming the area threatening people, I’m not having any of that. And I’m not going to stand by and watch them overtake the poor folks in the vicinity.
But is this the type of neighbor who will then scream and cry about how the racist, terrorist, white supremacist neighbor threatened the peaceful demonstrators? Because personally I’ll let them real what they’ve sown.
Psychobabble (I have a degree in Psychology) is that you are refusing to be, or allow codependency. That’s a win.
“Chew through all of the umbilical cords which provide toxic nourishment, regardless of to whom they are connected and however long it takes.”
This, courtesy of a great man who understood well human nature. I remember it always when in the situation you describe.
Is someone ghost writing this? Wow Commander THAT was some deep hard hitting stuff right there. Nice!
The implication being that normally I’m incapable of such work?
If you have to ask…
Should I have added an “LOL?” You did good.
From actual shooting experience, i have never seen a hipoint that didnt have serious NotGoBang issues.
Unless i am doing something weird (ammowise, press checking and not making sure slide returns to battery, etc), i have yet to see a Glock NOT go bank when asked to.
I urge you people buying hp’s as anything other than a toy to save up some money and get a more reliable weapon to defend your loved ones with- they are worth it. If you disagree, i guess its Evolution In Action.
And it pains me greatly to put the words hp and Glock in the same post. A TREMENDOUS disservice to Glock.
YMMV, but please point to one of the many HI-Point YouTube videos on line where “NotGoBang” issues have occurred–except for the one where the Hi-Point pistol was hurled at a boulder.
A coyote was actually chasing a young female hiker and her dog in my neighborhood yesterday. I went after it with a Glock 19, but I would not have been worried if I had only a Hi-Point in my hand.
But, out of curiosity, would the HiPoint have been your first choice?
Of course, not, CZ. As I said, I took the Glock, and if the full truth be known, I had my LCP, my regular concealed carry pistol, also on my hip. I simply decided that I wanted the larger magazine capacity if the wiley critter was harder to hit than I expected.
The odd thing was that the critter was wearing a face mask. I was close enough to see that it had an Acme Face Mask Company logo on it.
Oops. I meant to say LC9.
I bought a 22 plinker about 9 years ago. The store gave me a hi-point 40 pistol for free. Hmm, says I.
Got a bunch of 40 cal and started shooting it…. a lot.
It is a brick, but recoil is hardly noticable. Accurate, dependable and reliable for me for over 9 years now.
But what really sold me on hi-point was the pistol and the carbine share mags.
That’s because you were not the hiker.
:p
What I realy needed to read right now, while analyzing my current situation. This post was much appreciated, thanks.
Sadly, but most often, the difficulty doesn’t lie in deciding whom to cut out of one’s life, but whom to include.
At some point, viewing current circumstances, one must conclude that they entered the world bloody, angry, and screaming, and may very well leave it in exactly the same fashion.
Thinking about family and this very issue this week, and some of the people that provide services to me.
It’s like you’re reading my mind…
n
This is a such a great point and perspective. I have been actively trying to recruit higher quality people into my life. The kind of people that if I was out of town and my wife called to say someone was tailgating her home with my kids in the car I wouldn’t hesitate to call and trust my loved one’s lives to their response.
The opposite people need cut too as you say. Its funny I recently took an awesome new job opportunity to move to another state 1,000 miles away and I had so many people respond the same way when they heard: “Oh no, we are going to miss you guys so much! That sucks!”. These are people I know from the gym, local VFW, even some neighbors, etc.
The funny thing is it took all I had not to say to some of them “Well we only get together twice a year despite my best efforts to invite you to things constantly only to hear how busy you are so we might not see that much less of each other” or “You know despite having you over to my home I have never once been invited into your home so how much are you really going to miss me?”. Causal “friends” are a waste of time and I’m not going to pretend they aren’t anymore.
I’ve always found that whatever gun (car, TV, or whatever) you own, someone is bound to say ‘you could do it better with’.
I have a 12g, old as Moses, but still works a treat.
The stock split so I carved a new one (much to the amusement of the others I shoot with). It works and that’s all I care about.
Same with the pistol.
A Browning HP 9mm. Like me, old, worn, yet it works.
Bought second hand some 40 years ago.
Never re-barrelled, one new sear, but it just keeps on going. Reliable.
Accuracy? It’ll hit a torso at 20 meters. Do I need more?
Somehow I don’t think so.
As for ammo? Whatever FMJ feeds well and makes holes is all I ask of it.
Only with a full mag, I can make a lot of holes!
Modern, for me, doesn’t always mean better.